Cam gear seal leak aq125a

I ran her hard for about an ho

I ran her hard for about an hour today. It's the longest I've run her that hard in a while. Ran great. Love the new EI module...but... I did notice that I am now getting an oil leak (small puddle maybe .5 oz) that was in the bilge just under the exhaust manifold. I traced the leak up and there is oil on the belt pully housing. It looks like it MIGHT be leaking down from the cam gear seal above and dripping down the pully housing...but I cant be sure yet. If it is leaking from the cam gear seal ... is that a tough fix? Could it actually be coming from the pully housing? Both? I might not be able to tell until I pull the FWC tank. Any advice before I tear into it? Thanks!

"Ken, you may want to start ti

"Ken, you may want to start tightening the nuts in the head cover. Many times, a loose head cover is the source of oil leaks. Also, if the head cover gasket is old, you may want to either replace it or give it a coat of Permatex ATV silicone.

If the leak is through the camshaft seal, repalcing it is not rocket science. You will have to remove the heat exchanger, the head cover, the timing belt, the pulley, then slacken the camshaft bearing caps to be able to remove the seal. Here is an exploded view:

http://www.volvopentastore.com/CAMSHAFT_AND_VALVE_MECHANISM_AQ125A/dm/cart_id.65 7400424--category_id.333015--list_time.1213063900--session_id.140895615--store_i d.366--view_id.325958

An automotive seal will be just perfect, and possibly much cheaper than the ones you can obtain from your VP dealer. You can get them in most auto parts stores (also in bearing stores), and I am including here a couple of links for part numbers and options.

http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/search/?N=1733+11881+4294966718+6940

http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/search/?N=1733+11881+4294966718+5757

And in case you decide to replace the head cover gasket, here are the part numbers (yes, the cheap ones will work).

http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/search/?N=1733+11881+4294966718+5908

Good luck."

"EL P, Thanks as always for th

"EL P, Thanks as always for the advice. Since I have never replaced the gasket for the headcover..I will start there and see if that does the trick. I appreciate the links you sent!

I have yet to replace the timing belt but I do have the new belt and tensioner. (upon inspection, the current belt looks really good so I wasnt going to rush into it). Would it be wise to replace the camshaft seal when I do the belt... even if it turns out to not be the cause of the current leak? I't will all be apart then so it seems like a good time to do it. Or should I employ the "if it aint broke, dont fix it rule"? Your thoughts on that...?"

"Ken,

There are a number o

"Ken,

There are a number of things you can do when you replace the timing belt, since you have the front of the engine uncovered anyway (heat exchanger removed, raw water pump, timing gears cover, etc). You can certainly replace the camshaft seal if it is leaking, but you should also consider checking that the timing gears are not pitted: if they are, replace them as otherwise the new belt won't last (get used automotive gears from autowreckers if you can, they are cheaper). You can also replace the belt tensioner, and also have a look at the raw water pump impeller. Finally, I have found that pitted alternator, crankshaft and circulating pump pulleys do sestroy the alternator belt in no time, so consider replacing them if they are in bad condition or if you are already replacing too many belts during the season.

A head cover gasket is something you can replace at any time. But again, tightening it or coating it with a layer of ATV to stop oil leaks usually does the trick."

I just replaced the seal on my

I just replaced the seal on my cam (AQ140) and found the cam shaft was pitted at the seal surface. The cam was otherwise perfect. A local machine shop put a speedy sleave on it for about $25 and solved the problem. The job was pretty easy.