1999 Camry 2.2L (5S-FE) oil leaks

[92saturnsl2]

I'm rehabilitating a '99 Camry LE Auto, 170K. Started out knowing nothing about these engines, when I had it on the lift, there was quite a bit of oil leakage. The engine is tilted backward and I could see evidence of oil coming from the valve cover gasket, so that's a known issue. Started out buying a valve cover gasket, timing belt kit and the usual consumables (belts, hoses, plugs, wires, PCV valve, filters, etc.)

Now that I have the timing covers off, I see this engine has an oil pump driven off the timing belt. You know oil is leaking pretty quick when it's made a clean path through all the gunk and you can trace it right to the source --> oil pump. Checked out that repair, doesn't seem difficult and IMO should be a standard item w/ timing belt job.

What has me stumped is an oil leak near the driver's side cam cover, around the coil packs which is going down from there and puddling on top of the transmission. I've read Toyota ditched the distributor a couple years prior to this '99 and installed a plug in its place, which could leak. Owners of 90's GM 2.8L/3.1L/3.4L can relate. I've done a thorough study of the area (without taking things apart) and cannot find where a distributor might mount. Can someone point me in the right direction where the distributor used to go on these, or other potential leak points on the driver's side of the engine, up top?

 

[Trav]

I'm rehabilitating a '99 Camry LE Auto, 170K. Started out knowing nothing about these engines, when I had it on the lift, there was quite a bit of oil leakage. The engine is tilted backward and I could see evidence of oil coming from the valve cover gasket, so that's a known issue. Started out buying a valve cover gasket, timing belt kit and the usual consumables (belts, hoses, plugs, wires, PCV valve, filters, etc.)

Now that I have the timing covers off, I see this engine has an oil pump driven off the timing belt. You know oil is leaking pretty quick when it's made a clean path through all the gunk and you can trace it right to the source --> oil pump. Checked out that repair, doesn't seem difficult and IMO should be a standard item w/ timing belt job.

What has me stumped is an oil leak near the driver's side cam cover, around the coil packs which is going down from there and puddling on top of the transmission. I've read Toyota ditched the distributor a couple years prior to this '99 and installed a plug in its place, which could leak. Owners of 90's GM 2.8L/3.1L/3.4L can relate. I've done a thorough study of the area (without taking things apart) and cannot find where a distributor might mount. Can someone point me in the right direction where the distributor used to go on these, or other potential leak points on the driver's side of the engine, up top?

This may help.

 

[supton]

When doing the oil pump o-ring I had to pack the groove with grease to make it stay in place. It slipped out and I had a slow leak for months (years) that I could never figure out.

 

[svtrit]

When doing the oil pump o-ring I had to pack the groove with grease to make it stay in place. It slipped out and I had a slow leak for months (years) that I could never figure out.

Second this. The gasket doesn’t like to stay in the groove. There is also a plastic circle on the driver side in the head/valve cover that can leak.

 

[Bill7]

I'm rehabilitating a '99 Camry LE Auto, 170K. Started out knowing nothing about these engines, when I had it on the lift, there was quite a bit of oil leakage. The engine is tilted backward and I could see evidence of oil coming from the valve cover gasket, so that's a known issue. Started out buying a valve cover gasket, timing belt kit and the usual consumables (belts, hoses, plugs, wires, PCV valve, filters, etc.)

Now that I have the timing covers off, I see this engine has an oil pump driven off the timing belt. You know oil is leaking pretty quick when it's made a clean path through all the gunk and you can trace it right to the source --> oil pump. Checked out that repair, doesn't seem difficult and IMO should be a standard item w/ timing belt job.

What has me stumped is an oil leak near the driver's side cam cover, around the coil packs which is going down from there and puddling on top of the transmission. I've read Toyota ditched the distributor a couple years prior to this '99 and installed a plug in its place, which could leak. Owners of 90's GM 2.8L/3.1L/3.4L can relate. I've done a thorough study of the area (without taking things apart) and cannot find where a distributor might mount. Can someone point me in the right direction where the distributor used to go on these, or other potential leak points on the driver's side of the engine, up top?

Interesting job. Good luck with it.

 

[92saturnsl2]

This may help.

Thanks, Trav. Now that I know the distributor was driven right off the cam, it makes sense. That's exactly where the leak is coming from.

 

[eljefino]

Thanks, Trav. Now that I know the distributor was driven right off the cam, it makes sense. That's exactly where the leak is coming from.

That was a real common setup for OHC Japanese engines in the 90s.

 

[supton]

Make sure you have a 32mm socket for the VC hold downs (mine is from HF, one of their 3/4" drive assortments). I think I took the engine lift hook off the right/passenger side of the engine when I wanted to pull the valve cover off; it's a bit of a pain to finagle out, but it does come out.

I'm not convinced that the seals on the oil pump and camshaft need to be done below 200k. The oil pump o-ring, for sure, that has to be done, but it may not be worth the effort to pull the pulley off the oil pump so as to the seal there. IIRC I had to hold it with a strap wrench and hit it with the air gun... it wasn't leaking at the time but the o-ring sure was.

Funny how the alternator has a nice bolt to set tension--but the power steering pump requires a pry bar. Go figure.

Keep an eye on the radiator tanks. They are fiberglass and they can crack. I proactively changed mine when it started to weep. Hoses were still good, as were the clamps.

Still miss mine.

 

[lbhsbz]

The cam plug (that's taking the place of the distributor) is just behind the exhaust cam on the driver's side of the cylinder head. There's a little sheet metal thing on the outside to retain it. When you have the valve cover off, there is a cam cap over there that doesn't touch the cam, but simply holds the rubber coated cam plug in place.

Pull that off and the cam plug comes out...clean it up with brake cleaner and a rag, clean up the cylinder head where it fits...put some FIPG or whatever RTV you have on hand, and put it back in. Put a bit of RTV on the mating surface between the cam cap and the cylinder head before you reinstall it. It'll seal fine.


As for the oil pump, we used to do those as standard with a timing belt job.

Cam seal
Crank Seal
Oil pump shaft seal
Oil pump o-ring
and of course the idler and tensioner.

Quick and easy timing belt job. Do the water pump and thermostat while your in there too and you won't have to touch it again for 100K miles.

 

[zzyzzx]

When doing the oil pump o-ring I had to pack the groove with grease to make it stay in place. It slipped out and I had a slow leak for months (years) that I could never figure out.

I used RTV to hold it in place.

 

[92saturnsl2]

Make sure you have a 32mm socket for the VC hold downs (mine is from HF, one of their 3/4" drive assortments). I think I took the engine lift hook off the right/passenger side of the engine when I wanted to pull the valve cover off; it's a bit of a pain to finagle out, but it does come out.

I'm not convinced that the seals on the oil pump and camshaft need to be done below 200k. The oil pump o-ring, for sure, that has to be done, but it may not be worth the effort to pull the pulley off the oil pump so as to the seal there. IIRC I had to hold it with a strap wrench and hit it with the air gun... it wasn't leaking at the time but the o-ring sure was.

Funny how the alternator has a nice bolt to set tension--but the power steering pump requires a pry bar. Go figure.

Keep an eye on the radiator tanks. They are fiberglass and they can crack. I proactively changed mine when it started to weep. Hoses were still good, as were the clamps.

Still miss mine.

This one takes a 30mm socket for VC retaining nuts. I have a set of axle nut sockets which did the trick. Didn't need it though, all four were loose and I spun them off by hand.

The oil pump shaft gasket definitely needs to be replaced, it's pretty wet around there. Should be fairly easy to bust the nut loose with the timing belt still attached. I'm going to let the inner OP to block seal ride, there's nothing conclusive suggesting that it's leaking and I don't really want to pull the oil pan and a bunch of extra stuff if I don't have to. I have a crank and cam seal on hand, will be replacing those. Purchased the Aisin timing kit which seems to cover all the bases including water pump w/ housing.

You're exactly right about the radiator tanks. This one needs a radiator. The [previously] black plastic tanks are now brown and there's at least a couple spots that are easily seen where coolant has been leaking *through* the plastic while under pressure. Normally radiators fail at the seams; not so with this one; right through the plastic.

Only other possible leak point I've read about is the oil pressure sender. I can't find it for the life of me.

 

[supton]

Is it 30? I must be remembering wrong.

I forget where that sender is... top right when staring at the engine?

Edit: found a pic on the web. Ignore the circle, look for the blue arrow.

Better pic:

 

[supton]

As for the radiator, this seemed to drop in, but I replaced after a few years, when I spotted corrosion on an ATF fitting that I didn't like.

 

[92saturnsl2]

Is it 30? I must be remembering wrong.

I forget where that sender is... top right when staring at the engine?

Edit: found a pic on the web. Ignore the circle, look for the blue arrow.
View attachment 245974

Better pic:
View attachment 245975

Thank you! This image shows some differences between my 97+ engine and the prior models that had a distributor instead of coil packs. I don't have the cool 16 valve / 2200 logos on the valve cover & intake. Perhaps by 1997 Toyota figured out that most Americans never open the hood and they could save a few bucks.

As for the radiator, this seemed to drop in, but I replaced after a few years, when I spotted corrosion on an ATF fitting that I didn't like.

View attachment 245976

I ordered that same model Denso from Rockauto but they sent one that had clearly been returned by someone else. It lacked the original Denso packaging (I use a few of these a year for repairing other people's cars) and there was an old shipping label indicating it crossed the country at least twice. It was bent in on one side, so I returned it. That was a full price product BTW, shame on Rockauto.

I placed another order for a Koyorad radiator, it arrives on Monday.

 

[92saturnsl2]

Slowly working on this thing as time permits. Got the valve cover off, nothing too surprising. Half moons (new to me) came out easy enough and the end cam cap which holds a plastic plug (where distributor used to go on older models) is pretty self explanatory in how to reseal it.

Lots of grime and varnish under the valve cover, but I've seen a lot worse. All the seals I've encountered (valve cover & oil pump gasket, PCV grommet, etc) had the consistency of dry spaghetti. Take a screwdriver and break it into pieces has been my method of removal, fortunately all have left a clean surface behind, with little cleanup required .

 

[lbhsbz]

Were the spark plug tubes dry inside? I went digging for my spark plug tube removal tool to send you..but I either donated/sold it about 10 years ago when I purged the toolbox of stuff I'd never use again....all I found for the 5S-FE was the tool that clamps onto the end of the balance shaft to measure lash so you can shim it correctly and my cam seal installer. If you need to re-seal them, they're just threaded into the head....you can use the big nuts that hold the valve cover on and just double nut them, then use a 30mm wrench (crescent wrench lol) on the bottom one to unscrew them. Wire wheel the old sealant off the threads, apply new, screw 'em back in.

When the valve cover goes back on, put a little dot of RTV when the cam caps meet the cylinder head, and also on the seams where the cam plugs are....and get new spark plug tube seals.

 

[Nick1994]

The half moons you just RTV into place. Also in the corners of the gasket helps too.

That varnish is normal for a 5SFE, both of my Camrys with that engine looked just like that.

I'd throw a thermostat at it too while it's apart, really easy. No RTV, just a rubber seal built in to the thermostat.

 

[92saturnsl2]

Were the spark plug tubes dry inside? I went digging for my spark plug tube removal tool to send you..but I either donated/sold it about 10 years ago when I purged the toolbox of stuff I'd never use again....all I found for the 5S-FE was the tool that clamps onto the end of the balance shaft to measure lash so you can shim it correctly and my cam seal installer. If you need to re-seal them, they're just threaded into the head....you can use the big nuts that hold the valve cover on and just double nut them, then use a 30mm wrench (crescent wrench lol) on the bottom one to unscrew them. Wire wheel the old sealant off the threads, apply new, screw 'em back in.

When the valve cover goes back on, put a little dot of RTV when the cam caps meet the cylinder head, and also on the seams where the cam plugs are....and get new spark plug tube seals.

Spark plug tubes were bone dry inside so I didn't mess with them. I heard the arcing when it misfired at idle, I'm 99% sure it was bad plug wires/boots; they were pretty crumbly. The camshaft seal was fun to get in-- smallish angled prybar against the strut tower for leverage; I'm curious how/if the OEM tool makes it easier.

Shim lash adjustment scares me, so I think I'll leave it alone unless I hear signs of it needing adjustment.

The half moons you just RTV into place. Also in the corners of the gasket helps too.

That varnish is normal for a 5SFE, both of my Camrys with that engine looked just like that.

I'd throw a thermostat at it too while it's apart, really easy. No RTV, just a rubber seal built in to the thermostat.

That's what I did, and any place metal came together at a joint, I put a dab of RTV (permatex grey). The 33-35lb-ft torque spec on the valve cover nuts has the gasket squeezed pretty tight, I'll be shocked if it leaks. Aisin timing belt kit included a new water pump & housing and I have a new thermostat to throw in. Thanks for the tip on the t-stat, so it's just the rubber ring around the thermostat itself that seals it?

 

[lbhsbz]

Spark plug tubes were bone dry inside so I didn't mess with them. I heard the arcing when it misfired at idle, I'm 99% sure it was bad plug wires/boots; they were pretty crumbly. The camshaft seal was fun to get in-- smallish angled prybar against the strut tower for leverage; I'm curious how/if the OEM tool makes it easier.

Shim lash adjustment scares me, so I think I'll leave it alone unless I hear signs of it needing adjustment.


That's what I did, and any place metal came together at a joint, I put a dab of RTV (permatex grey). The 33-35lb-ft torque spec on the valve cover nuts has the gasket squeezed pretty tight, I'll be shocked if it leaks. Aisin timing belt kit included a new water pump & housing and I have a new thermostat to throw in. Thanks for the tip on the t-stat, so it's just the rubber ring around the thermostat itself that seals it?

The tool is just a cup with a threaded rod and a nut...picture a slightly shortened PVC pipe cap with a hole drilled in it. I probably did 3 T-belt jobs a week on the 5S-FE when I was at the dealer....so I got the tools to make it easier.

 

[92saturnsl2]

The tool is just a cup with a threaded rod and a nut...picture a slightly shortened PVC pipe cap with a hole drilled in it. I probably did 3 T-belt jobs a week on the 5S-FE when I was at the dealer....so I got the tools to make it easier.

Everything has gone to plan so far-- except when removing the oil pump shaft, it is scored in two places where the seal rides-- barely catches a fingernail but it's definitely there. Is it a fools errand to just replace the shaft seal and let it ride, or am I looking at a complete oil pump replacement?