I just started work on my 98 metro. I thought I had a bad cam seal because the oil appeared to be coming out in places much higher than the crank seal. When I got in there the cam seal is new and has no signs of leakage but the crank seal which appears to be original has a lot of oil around it. I find it odd that there a signs of oil even above the tensioner. It was pooled up on bolt heads and anywhere it could pool up between the crank and just above the tensioner. The oil leak was pretty severe. Even after running for 10 to 15 minutes it would leave a football sized amount of oil. The timing belt did have a few spots of oil on it but not much. It is only 3 months old but I will still replaced it to save myself the trouble later on. Could it just have been flung around over time like that or should I be looking for something other than the crank seal? I really don't want to put that seal in and get it back together just to find out I have a bigger problem. The previous owner had the water pump replaced then later had the head gasket replaced and head shaved. All that was done in the last 3 to 5 months. Below I have posted 2 photo's that show what I mean. The first photo shows it with the belt on but you can't really see the oil too good. The second photo shows it after removing the belt and cleaned with brake cleaner (out of carb cleaner)... Any advice is much appreciated...
