Had some basic maintenance done on my car and they told me there was oil leaking around the timing chain seal. They wanted $1600 to repair it. I obviously walked but is this something I actually need to fix?
>>28901978Just check the oil regularly and top it off it it's low. No real need to fix it unless it's leaking crazy fast. If it's a nice car and worth money then maybe fix it, but it's probably a shitbox so who cares
>>28901978Yes, very much so. 1600 is a fair price.
>>28901978Depends on what the oil is leaking on. If just down to the ground it doesn't matter. Just keep it filled with oil.
>>28901978There are widely varying levels of "leaking" from like one drop every 6 months to losing half a quart in 5 miles.Put a piece of cardboard under the car and run it for 5 minutes. If there's less than 3 drips on the cardboard it's something you can easily keep up with just by checking the oil every week or so. If she's dripping pretty steadily, like 5+ a minute, then that's probably going to be an annoyance to keep up with since you'll need to add some oil every hour or two of running.If the cardboard comes out clean then it's basically nothing.Just keep an eye on your oil level and get a feel for how fast it's dropping. It's not something you have to fix as long as you can keep up with the oil loss. The problem only comes in if its severe enough that a short period of inattention drains you of oil and you seize your engine.
>>28901978As long as you keep checking your oil levels are right you'll be fine but let's be real, that's a big pain in the ass. What you do is seafoam the oil and hope that fixes the seal then send it lmao it worked for me
Yet another reason for dry timing belts over chains.
>>28902161If the oil runs dry you have bigger problems than whether it's a dry belt or wet chain, the residual oil on the chain is enough to hold until the lack of oil kills the other parts of the engine
>>28902158I don't think Seafoam does anything to seals. It might have degunked a blocked return passage which stopped it leaking due from oil accumulation.
>>28902163I've never had a timing chain. Aren't they lubricated by the engine oil so it introduces a new vector for leaks and seeps? A dry belt isn't lubricated so that isn't a point of failure.Am I wrong? I haven't spent a lot of time thinking about belts and chains.
>>28902166It doesn't but if a seal has failed because of seep then the seal can be a temporary fix with a seafoam flush prior to oil change, it's worth the gamble if a rebuild is needed anyways, it worked for me>>28902167Timing chain is sealed by a simple gasket instead of bearing seal. A dry belt isn't lubricated but if oil seeps into the timing belt area, the oil and its additives could degrade the integrity of the rubber in the timing belt causing sudden failure, for an interference engine that would be catastrophic
Anyone who says you need to fix this is a larping wrenchlet.
>>28902170Also, since wet belts are a thing, I want to say, the oil additives and rubber types haven't near the extensive long term testing required to say if it's any better than a dry belt, chain is still more reliable and the only more reliable option is timing gears
>>28902171>checks oil level every tank of gas like a brokie
>>28901978Thats not why someone buys a toyota
