Page 1 of 1

Oil leak after changing timing belt???

Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2010 9:16 pm
by Elmo
Hey folks,

Need some help/opinions on some repair work I had carried out at my local mechanic :frown:

I had the timing belt/water pump replaced on the MX and now after driving it for 2 days I have noticed a major oil leak that wasn't there before :evil: Would replacing the timing belt/water pump cause an oil leak to spring out of nowhere or is it a case of dodgy repairs?? :x We have used the mechanic before without any problems but this is the first time I've taken the MX to them :(

Re: Oil leak after changing timing belt???

Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2010 10:12 pm
by Elmo
Would it be the crankshaft seal thats causing the leak???? :cry:

Re: Oil leak after changing timing belt???

Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2010 10:37 pm
by manga_blue
It's usual practice to change the front crankshaft oil seal when you change the timing belt. If the seal fails then oil leaks out onto the back of the front main pulley hub and gets spun all around the front of the engine.

Less commonly you might replace the camshaft seals when you do the belt change. If that's screwed then oil will run out the front of a cam on top of the engine and dribble down around the front.

Re: Oil leak after changing timing belt???

Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2010 10:42 pm
by Elmo
[quote="manga_blue"]It's usual practice to change the front crankshaft oil seal when you change the timing belt. If the seal fails then oil leaks out onto the back of the front main pulley hub and gets spun all around the front of the engine.

Thats what it looks like to me :evil: This was meant to be replaced as part of the timing belt kit. I guess I will be paying the mechanic a visit tomorrow, they should replace it under warranty shouldn't they as it only been two days since it was suposedly replaced??

Re: Oil leak after changing timing belt???

Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2010 11:25 am
by 93_Clubman
Elmo wrote:This was meant to be replaced as part of the timing belt kit. I guess I will be paying the mechanic a visit tomorrow, they should replace it under warranty shouldn't they as it only been two days since it was suposedly replaced??

Front seals can sometimes be a bit of a problem, which is why if they're not leaking some people don't replace them, but yeah they should replace it.

Re: Oil leak after changing timing belt???

Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2010 1:10 pm
by Elmo
Mechanic stated they had used aftermarket parts :shock: They claim it was bad cam seals that caused the oil leak and they are now replacing them with genuine Mazda parts :)