Timing Cover Oil Leak Fix

Oil leaks can be difficult to track down the exact location of the leak. They also can vary widely in repair costs from less than $100 to over $1000. Also if you aren’t seeing drips on the ground do you really need to fix it?

We’re going to talk about a timing cover oil leak, it’s potential fixes, and how to decide if it’s worth spending the money on in your vehicle to help you live a leak free life!

Timing cover oil leak repairs tend to be some of the most expensive oil leak repairs that you can have done on your vehicle. To understand why it’s important to understand what your timing cover is. The timing cover on your motor is at the front and is a large cover that goes over your camshaft timing components, most usually a timing chain. If your vehicle has a timing belt there isn’t a need for a timing cover on your motor as the timing components aren’t lubricated with engine oil.

The timing cover is a notorious leak location on many vehicles due to the timing cover’s large size, awkward shape, and multiple joints that need to be sealed. On top of that, your timing cover will also have an oil seal where your harmonic balancer is attached to the front of your crankshaft. Before you pull your timing cover off make sure your oil leak isn’t actually coming from this seal! The harmonic balancer seal is much easier to change than the timing cover gasket so if you can prove that seal is your leak location, you can save lots of time and money!

If you do end up having a timing cover oil leak, the good news is it’s probably not that severe. Since the timing cover is just a cover, there isn’t any pressurized oil behind it so leaks are often relatively slow meaning if you absolutely need to, you can keep driving with this leak as long as you keep an eye on your oil level. The real danger of driving with a timing cover oil leak, besides a low oil level, is getting engine oil on your engine belt. The oil will degrade your engine belt quickly and can allow it to slip on the pulleys it drives which causes a new set of problems and can leave you stranded and damage your engine. If you’ve got an oily engine belt, fix your timing cover oil leak ASAP!

Timing Cover Oil Leak Fixes

The only two options for fixing a timing cover oil leak is to restore the gasket or replace the gasket. BlueDevil Oil Stop Leak can restore your timing cover gasket or front crank seal stopping your oil leak if repacing the gasket doesn’t make sense if your vehicle.

Replacing the timing cover gasket often requires removing the valve cover gaskets and oil pan gaskets so it’s a great time to replace them as well! Doing this job generally will leave your engine completely leak free and looking like new!

You can pick up BlueDevil Head Gasket Sealer at one of your local auto parts stores like: