HELP!!!!!!!!!! NEED SOME INFO PLEASE.

[junior1225]

Hi Guys I have a problem that maybe many of U have been thru. my 91 cutlass supreme 3.4L, has a bad oil leak. It looks like its coming from the oil drive seal leaking. I noticed a puddle on the floor about 1/2 a quart oil.

So hears the deal guys I am looking for some info and maybe info on how to DIY(pictures,downloadable info) and some ADVICE. And also has anyone ever done a timing belt on the 3.4L animal yet ? these hands can do alot but I dont know if I should knee deep myself or have it done.

 

THANKS GUYS 4 ALL THE GREAT INFO...................

[eclipse5302]

Here is the absolute best way to fix the oil seal leak problem on the 3.4.

 

To fix that the "correct" way is to remove the rear head so you can fully remove the distributor drive (it only moves about 1/4 inch with the head still bolted down).

 

All you have to do is go to the hardware store, and get an o-ring that fits tight on the oil drive unit. I'm sorry, I can't remeber the exact size you need...but it's the same diameter as a large Maglite flashlight battery cover seal. About 1/8 inch thick...

 

Remove your exhaust crossover, and remove the bolt that holds the oil drive unit down. Slide the oil drive unit up and stretch the o-ring in place. You will need a few screwdrivers and such to get the o-ring to fall into the grove. What you are basically doing it installing the o-ring on the oil drive unit shaft without removing it. The leaking o-ring is about 1 inch down the shaft inside the engine block. You are basically installing an o-ring between the oil drive unit lip and the engine block. Once you tighten the oil drive unit back down, the or-ing seals everything up. Sorry I have no pics. If you don't know what I am saying, let me know and I'll try to explain better.

 

As for the timing belt thing...here is a previous post I did.

 

Doing the belt on a 94-96 should be cake. Suck for those with the 91-93 engines...because you need to remove the cam pulleys instead of just loosening them so they spin. You need a special puller to remove them. You can try it without removing them, but it's VERY hard to get the timing just right.

 

You need:

 

1.belt

2.idler pulleys

3.maybe tensioner...if it retracts/works OK, you shouldn't need to replace it

4.cam hold down tools

5.service manual for timing procedure

6.cam pulley remover (91-93 models only)

 

Get the motor apart and check your current timing. The LQ1's love to get out of time because the cams aren't keyed. I've seen many that are so far out of time they have no power, but run fine.

 

Follow the timing procedure EXACTLY. And double check it with the service manual!!!

 

1.Start with the rear bank (nearest to the firewall).

 

2.Losen the front and rear cam sprockets (all 4 of them). Just loosen enough for them to spin, and no more (only the 94-96 will loosen without a puller). They should spin freely of the cams. This will aid in timing and make it easier to install the belt.

 

3.Install the new parts (belt, idlers, new or reset tensioner).

 

4.Put the engine at #1 TDC. MAKE SURE THIS IS CORRECT! You can also use the timing marks on the dampner and block.

 

5.Install the cam hold down tool on the rear bank. Tighten it down good, make sure it's seated on the flats on the cams perfectly.

 

6.With the engine at #1 TDC, and the cam tool TIGHTENED, step torque the cam sprockets to spec (I think it's 81 ft lbs, so torque to 70 ft lbs, the go to 81 ft lbs). Remove the cam hold down tool.

 

7.Mark the rear cam sprockets now, to verify timing later.

 

8.Spin the engine clockwise (don't spin backwards!) one revolution...use the timing marks on the dampner and block.

 

9.Install the cam hold down tool on the front bank now. Once fully seated, tighten the cam sprockets to spec.

 

10.Put it back together...you're done.

 

 

I've used this procedure on many cars with great success. This only works with the 94-96 engines...the 91-93 use a tapered fit cam lock (as opposed to the flat fit), and they need a little different precedure.

 

 

You should double check the service manual to make sure what I've told you is correct. My memory is not always accurate.

 

Sorry about the long post.

 

Jason

[DaveFromColorado]

for the cam hold down tool check this message...

 

http://www.w-body.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=13888

 

--Dave

[NOHC_WBody]

Here is the absolute best way to fix the oil seal leak problem on the 3.4.

 

To fix that the "correct" way is to remove the rear head so you can fully remove the distributor drive (it only moves about 1/4 inch with the head still bolted down).

 

All you have to do is go to the hardware store, and get an o-ring that fits tight on the oil drive unit. I'm sorry, I can't remeber the exact size you need...but it's the same diameter as a large Maglite flashlight battery cover seal. About 1/8 inch thick...

 

Just go to a dealership's parts department. Tell them what year car you have & they'll get you the RIGHT seal.(IIRC, the "newer" seal is a light brown silicone...make sure you get that one) Normally, I don't advocate buying stuff from a stealership, but think about it. Do you really want to go through all that labor again if it isn't the right size? They're less than a buck.

[kcac]

I think the "Maglite" fix that eclipse5302 wrote about is a work-around fix. Instead of removing the rear head and replacing the original O-ring, you use the Maglite size O-ring and create a second seal.

 

At least that's the impresson I got from the post.