Hi,

I found the root cause for a minor oil leak in front right section of the engine.It is leaking through what looks like a bearing ball on the valve timing control cover. See picture and EM-48 in the '06 M/T Service Manual.

Question: is oil normally present under the valve timing control cover and I should just replace this cover or oil should not be there and it means that one of the seals or even timing chain case is leaking (although that would be weird cause it's only leaking on one side)?



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Hardened steel ***** are often used to seal off drilled passages where it's not possible to drill the hole from the other end. The ball is pressed in place, and usually the end of the hole is deformed to ensure it won't come out.

I suspect the passage in the cover has oil at full pressure flowing through it when the engine is running. Replacing the part is probably the safest approach.

If you can clean the hole really well, you might be able to seal it with JB Weld. Be sure to let the car sit for at least a full day to allow the epoxy to cure fully.

 

^^ Exactly what I was thinking, clean it and seal it with JB weld for a temp fix.

 

Thanks guys - off to the garage - will seal with epoxy while waiting for the new part to arrive.