oil leak behind the accessory belt & pulleys - Page 2

zdenko · 29-05-2012, 07:29 PM

Hey guys

I have had a worsening oil leak on my XR6 VCT for the last 9 months now.
Looking at this article it looks like it is coming from behind the water/power steering pump, so I'm confident to say it is probably the timing tensioner adjuster bolt seal as shown in above pics. I have already removed the plastic guards around the ps pump and belt to get a better look.

Funny thing was before this leak I had a leak from the centre seal at the front of the motor and my water pump leaking which was replaced when I got LPG installed 12 months ago. I wish this leak started then as well.

I will probably just take it to the LPG guys for rego in late June to fix it but if I have time I want to have a look myself.

Now before I even go pulling it apart, is there any difference on a VCT motor to the normal i6 motor that I need to be aware of in regards to the belts, bolts, adjusters etc?

donisbest · 08-01-2013, 09:35 PM

AU111 Fairmont Ghia VCT 6.

Hi all having put up with a leak for nearly 2 years with fear it might be the front seal. finally got the hands dirty and stripped down the front of the engine today.

The resulting leak was the timing chain tensioner bolt on the side of the head.
Just loose enough to be leaking and very hard to confirm without stripping it down and why so many brackets to cover this bolt.

To fix the problem backed out the nut about 3/4's of the way and applied permatex gasket sealer. let it set a little and then progressively tightened it up.
Also applied some to the idler bolt on the top for a VCT engine.

Anyway after road test so far so good.

BigJamo · 27-03-2013, 12:54 PM

Awesome Thread. Thanks.

Only just got a leak from the front of the I6. So its my turn to get dirty.

CHEERS for the Heads Up

Murph81 · 10-05-2013, 04:34 PM

I have the same leak on my 2007 territory, I was convinced it had a failed gasket on the timing case if it even has one I know bugger all about fords but I have a so called barra motor, would this also have the same tensioner cap because thats where my leak apears to be from

TRAU BLAU · 23-05-2013, 03:22 PM

Thanks Chaps,I'm going to do my timing-chain bolt tensioner this W/E which has been leaking badly!Does the o-ring need replacing?Or will just screwing it up abit tighter do the job?

**Uncle_Ken** · 25-05-2013, 12:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Denny

Thanks Chaps,I'm going to do my timing-chain bolt tensioner this W/E which has been leaking badly!Does the o-ring need replacing?Or will just screwing it up abit tighter do the job?

You can try it BUT if you have gone to the trouble of undoing everything might as well change the o-ring. Just my opinion

UK

inventiv · 05-07-2013, 08:53 PM

Anyone know the o-ring specs and best place to buy?

inventiv · 07-07-2013, 01:58 PM

Took some brave pills this morning and decided I'll give this a crack. I'm about to degrease but noticed that a couple of my bearings squeak:

I'd like to get people's thoughts on whether these bearings need replacing, if so what am I looking at in terms of cost? I know one of them is the actual tensioner, here is a vid:

http://youtu.be/V5dRbb_jhr4

I do notice a squeaking oscillation at about 2k rpm onwards, which drops away as revs drop away, so I'm guessing I'm hearing one of these bearings? Oh, and will this do for the gasket goo?..

**Uncle_Ken** · 07-07-2013, 02:19 PM

Brave lad wel done. Don't know re the bearings but someone will on the forum
UK

inventiv · 07-07-2013, 03:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Whoosha

If you only took the plug out ,cleaned and resealed it back in thats fine . the actual tensioner adjuster part screws in and out with Allen keys and has settings ext. the one I did fell out with the plug

but was a easy fix. still haven found the how to I used at the time, it may have gone into cyber space when we had the Melt down a while back .. I will paste the link up in the How to section for you when I get 10 min. to spare, and you can forward my 5% cut for the hand shot to my account

Whoosha I think I have encountered the same prob!.. How much should I be freaking out?!.. I unscrewed my plug and this thing gave it a good push when the plug came off the thread..

It's just sitting there loose...

Do I just thread the plug back in onto it or do I need to screw this back in first?..

Help! lol

Maka · 07-07-2013, 03:47 PM

Hi inventiv, iirc pulley bearings are sealed & when starting to squeak indicates its on its way out. Replace them soon before they let go! The Permatex gasket silicon will be fine just follow the instructions. Good luck!

cheers, Maka

inventiv · 07-07-2013, 03:50 PM

Thanks Maka, anyone got any advice on this tensioner adjuster?

Maka · 07-07-2013, 04:20 PM

"If you only took the plug out ,cleaned and resealed it back in thats fine . the actual tensioner adjuster part screws in and out with Allen keys" [quote,Woosha]

"Whoosha I think I have encountered the same prob!.. How much should I be freaking out?!.. I unscrewed my plug and this thing gave it a good push when the plug came off the thread.."[quote, inventiv]

As long as you havent touched the actual adjuster, the cap bolt (plug) should go back the way it popped off. Do not screw in the allen head bolt (adjuster) at all because its already adjusted for the right tension, just be careful not to thread anything when pushing the cap bolt back in when tightening up. If your not sure pm Woosha & go from there.

cheers, Maka

inventiv · 07-07-2013, 04:33 PM

Hm ok, I'll just push the plug back in then with the adjuster loose like that.

I was under the impression that the little plug with the allen socket on it had to be screwed into the well before the plug went back in. But I guess mine came out loose so it can just be pressed back in loose?..

Maka · 07-07-2013, 04:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by inventiv

Hm ok, I'll just push the plug back in then with the adjuster loose like that.

I was under the impression that the little plug with the allen socket on it had to be screwed into the well before the plug went back in. But I guess mine came out loose so it can just be pressed back in loose?..

When you undid that plug, the actual adjuster popped out underneath it with force right? When you reinstall the plug over that adjuster, it pushes against the tensioner retensioning the chain. Try & refit the plug back in over the adjuster & push it in, see if it feels spring loaded before the thread takes up. Once your satisfied its all good reseal & reinstall plug bolt.

cheers, Maka

Evgeni · 07-07-2013, 06:20 PM

Not disagreeing with previous advice, but I have found it quite difficult to screw the retainer and plug in with the tensioner fully released.

Your arrow is pointing to the tensioner. Fish it out - a spring will follow and there will be a piston as well which pushes against the chain guide.
Once you pull it out you can use a 3mm allen key to turn the cam sleeve which will set one of 3 positions. Fully closed, half open and fully extended. You'll get what I mean when you get it out.

The other bit in the photo is the retainer and plug - you will need to separate these. There are o rings on both that will need to be replaced plus a filter between both these parts that you can clean if dirty. Put the retainer in a pipe wrench to hold it and undo the plug with a 14mm or 9/16 ring spanner.

Set the tensioner to the fully closed position and use the retainer to screw it into the head. There are two tangs on the piston which need to be horizontal to lock into the chain guide. Then release the tensioner with your allen key to the fully extended position. Then you can put the plug back.

inventiv · 07-07-2013, 08:08 PM

Thanks everyone for the advice, got this done by 6:30 this arvo in the end so not too bad considering I started at noon and had no idea what I was doing - well, that's a bit unfair, I did have the how-to in this thread from UK

All in all not a hard job, even for a novice like me. The only worthy mention of course is the tension adjuster which freaked me out when the thread ended on the tensioner plug and this thing pushed the bolt away from the well - that was the only 'oh no, that's not in the how-to' moment.

But you're right Maka due to the spring and the groove in the tensioner adjuster I simply aligned it back with the pin on the roof of the well and it screwed back in under tension. Hopefully that's all it needs. Evgeni your way sounds awesome, didn't know that the actual plug can be separated into two bits as well. Mine looked like the two bits were held together at the thread with Loctite, definitely spun together and managed to tighten the whole plug assembly without breaking the seal. I'll keep an eye on it though if it leaks it may be worth pulling it out and replacing those O-rings and clean the filter as you say.

Here is what the tension adjuster looks like loose:

And the well without the tensioner - you can see the pin on the top, align this with the groove in the tensioner and the thread should be ok to wind back on (I hope):

In the end, my tensioner plug was definitely loose so I'm glad I took the car apart today, definitely leaking from there, plus at the lower mounting bolt for the power steering reservoir mount (the weird one that has a smaller bolt than the actual hole, and goes straight through the oil gallery). Anyways I tightened it all up and will keep an eye out. Not a hard job, just a bit scary but all good in the end.

A couple of after shots:

Warmed the car up and went for a quick spin. No leaks so far and the car idles fine. The big test is tomorrow when I head to work using 3 motorways

Oh and the bonus is I found out why my car is squeaking - if you can call having to buy and install new bearings a bonus...

Cheers everyone.

Maka · 08-07-2013, 09:45 AM

Well done inventiv, hopefully the big test drive will confirm all is well! Keep looking after your XR, going by the under bonnet shots it looks like its in great nick!

ps- Woosha, Uncle Ken, Evgeni

cheers, Maka

TRAU BLAU · 09-07-2013, 10:32 AM

I s'pose it's heat that hardens the o'rings and makes them leak.Same with the cam sensor & speed transducer.Wasn't it an o'ring that caused the Jupiter 2 spacecraft to implode.

inventiv · 12-07-2013, 11:17 AM

Ok, so I'm back in there this weekend, swapping out my squeaking pulleys so I'll have a look at the leak situation, see if all is well.

I'm a little unclear on whether I will need to undo the tensioner bolt again to fix the tension on my chain though. Can someone please clarify whether my tensioner adjuster needs 'adjusting'

- I'm getting a few mixed messages. This is what I did last time:

I simply pressed the tensioner adjuster back in with my tensioner plug (which came out as one combined unit for me), did not lock the adjuster either way, just pressed it back into the well using the combined plug. So my question is, if the adjuster needs to be unlocked with an allen key anyway once it's in there, do I really need to go back in? After all doesn't the fact that my tension adjuster was loose and I just pressed it in with the plug mean that it's unlocked?.. So it's the way it should be?

I'm not sure whether this is correct or not, some are saying that it's fine, others that it should be put back in the lock position and left like that - although this would mean that the spring is compressed and not offering tension to the chain no?..

Evgeni · 12-07-2013, 03:03 PM

If you didn't touch the adjuster with the allen key, the way you have described it is fine.
When you took the plug and retainer out, the tensioner would have been fully extended anyway, so if it wasn't touched, it is all good - as long as the tang on the piston was aligned correctly.
If you have driven it around and/or if the tensioner/piston wasn't touched, there is no reason why the alignment would be off.

inventiv · 12-07-2013, 03:52 PM

Ok cool, that's what I thought. My only concern was that in some way the tensioner wasn't fully tensioning the chain now because I didn't lock or unlock the cam sleeve in some way when I put it all back together.

I did take the cam sleeve, spring cap, spring and the spring locator out but left the piston in the well. Then I just pushed these bits back onto the piston in the well by twisting the tensioner plugs back on it all, no twisting was done of the cam sleeve with a hex key.

It was easy to know when the cam sleeve was sitting inside the piston correctly, because the pin only let the cam sleeve in all the way if the recesses in the sleeve aligned with the piston pin correctly. Otherwise it was impossible to screw the plug back in.

So all good then right? This thing is doing it's job...

Rfordsfun · 29-10-2014, 08:15 PM

Hi all, when replacing the outer housing o ring, would a preferable fit replacemen sit below the oring groove ? or above the oring groove to seal the outer housing to the casing? i had a timing case leak, and removes tensioner a few times, but chain is noisy, the internal filter was a bit clogged so replacing it tomorrow, just wanted to specify the oring if it seals outer body to housing ? as im getting 5 on oil pressure gauge, but timing chain is noisy all new lifters, but one has leak out on start up for 2 secs, just adequate tension not supplied by spring tensioner is meant to be made by oil pressure on spring tensioner ??? just chasing noisy operation, and at my wits end gonna have to fork out $$$ but a mech said the needed valve height adjusted, after replacing lifters ?? an i dont believe him and his 4 hour quote

thanks all

fun with fords

syqt · 07-07-2015, 08:21 PM

Hi guys, l followed the advice of Uncle Ken and fixed the massive oil leak l had with my AU falcon wagon. No more leak, but l have a hell of clean up to do. I did have a moment of panic when the timing chain tensioner spring and adjuster came out. I managed to fit back in ok, and no problems. Everything is running smoothly. The best advice l have followed. Thanks to all.

**Uncle_Ken** · 07-07-2015, 08:59 PM

Your welcome

Its what I like about this forum, we help when we can.
UK

BLDNUT01 · 17-07-2015, 07:50 PM

found this on youtube
https://youtu.be/h332SlvFvY0

**PridenJoy** · 29-09-2015, 09:35 PM

Just did this job yesterday. When i undid the tensioner plug only the plug came out so i just replaced the o-ring on it, which was rock hard, put some gasket goo and thread sealer then screwed it back in.

Question i have is how tight did i need to screw it in? Is it possible to be too tight? And if so how do i know if it is? I had a pipe onto the ratchet to give me more leverage and did it quite tight, could i have caused any damage?

Car is idling at 2000 rpm on petrol and backfired and won't run properly on gas, i did degrease and wash the engine so that may be the cause also but just want to rule out the tensioner.

Rfordsfun · 29-09-2015, 10:27 PM

aslong as you reset the tensioner properly, the filter bolt is about 8nm and the outer housing 20nm. unless you've cracked the housing or stripped the thread, the silicone should stop the leak. backfiring ? clean throtle body ? and iac icv ?

**PridenJoy** · 29-09-2015, 11:43 PM

Car was running like a clock before hand but now idling way too high on petrol and missing and backfiring on gas. I think water may have gone somewhere it's not supposed to.

I didn't reset tensioner because only the plug came out so i just put it back in.

Rfordsfun · 30-09-2015, 10:08 AM

the ford tps, if thats malfunctioning can make it idle high, dont think wetting the electrics on these engines is a great idea, if all you've done is washed it, gonna have to say make sure theres no residue, run the engine hot to evaporate water, inlet malifolds are a fibre type and an old one wont respond well to washing, and the inlet manifold bolts can loosen off, so check there. Run it hot, check for residue in electrics, check manifold gasket, might be worth giving all engine loom connections a crc or similar water disperse, yeah. so I'd crc the loom connections first , then give the engine a water rinse, avoid the inlet manifold gasket, take it for a drive to heat and evaporate water, then go from there. Once its all hot and dry trying flipping it over to gas.