Repair oil leak into the distributor

[jdmccright]

Your point is duly noted, and I'll concur that from what I've read and attempted so far, it is not an easy job. And the note about the old seal wearing the shaft slightly thinner is an important observation for all to look for if a rebuild is attempted. If I attempt it, I hope to be able to write something up that is useful.

[jdmccright]

As an update to anyone who's interested, the Camry just blew another ignition coil (only 23k miles!...cheap AZ crap, and NO warranty). Since I have to remove the distributor to change it (well not really but it makes the job alot easier), I've also gone ahead and ordered the distributor seal kit to attempt the seal replacement. Got it here for $30...this is for the '92 but should be the same for all 3SFE/5SFE engines. This place is in Canada so don't expect it to come in a few days. If you need it fast, you'll pay for it.

http://www.kbox.ca/catalog/product_i...roducts_id/235

OEM coils can run over $100 at the stealership...I found a new one online for $85 including shipping. I will also note that you should also inspect the condenser (that cylindrical shaped part with one wire connected to the coil's "+" terminal and secured with one screw through the distributor body). Mine had the insulator melted. I didn't see this before so I could have ordered both at once and saved shipping costs. But the stealership had it for $5 so that's okay.

Stay tuned....

[jdmccright]

To all waiting with baited breath...the surgery was successful. I have photos attached with the thumbnails at the bottom of the write-up. The numbers in the write-up correspond to the relevant photo file number. I don't know how to embed them into the write-up yet...but better than nothing!

Here are photos of the distributor before I tore into it. Coil is at the bottom (note the nice big grand canyon of a crack when it failed), charging connector to the right, connector for the cam/crank pickups upper left. Uppermost on the shaft is the camshaft sensor cam and pickup coil and underneath is the crankshaft cam and pickups. The condenser is a little 1/2" diameter barrel with one wire going to the "+" terminal.

001/003

Remove cap seal carefully if you want to reuse it. Coil comes out after removing 4 screws and disconnecting the two wires. The right connector slides out of the distributor body. Leave the left one for now as the wires are too short to get it out.

Next, lay the distributor camshaft key atop the vise with the jaws slightly apart (a buddy helping here would be good) so that the pin can be driven out. Don't lay the body itself on the vise or the hammer blows will distort the aluminum. Use a punch just smaller than the pin diameter. Mark the shaft key and end as to which way the key goes on. Putting it on 180° off will cause a no-run and worse you'll have to drive the damn pin back out to fix it. I took a pic noting how the key's notch was aligned with the camshaft cam:

008

Now remove the two screws holding the camshaft pickup coil and you should be just able to get it over the end of the shaft and out of the way. This lets you drive the shaft out because the hole through the mounting bracket is too small to fit the crankshaft cam through.

002 (before) 006 (after)

Take a ruler and measure how far the end of the shaft sticks out from the body and write it down. Then open up the vise and lay the distributor atop the jaws with the shaft pointing down and drive the shaft out. This is easier than the key pin. After this, the pickup coil assembly can be removed by removing the three screws. All that is left is the shaft bearing and seal, held in by the two-screw hold-down plate:

009

As I was driving the shaft out, the camshaft pickup coil shed its cover, revealing the thin coil wire and snagging on the shaft. Thankfully didn't break the wire but that required a little finesse to put back in...used some superglue to hold the cover on. Consider adding a few dabs of superglue to the pickup coil cover to hold it in during all the banging. Looking back at these photos, it looks like the cover was already loose. Also note that the two white(ish) wires have cracked insulation, presumably from their short length, age, and the manipulations in getting them out...so be careful! I used some brush on vinyl tape (great stuff!) to repair it.

011

Finally, while checking the one damaged coil for continuity (G+ and G- terminals), I checked the others (NE+ and NE-) and they showed infinite resistance, making me think they were broken (the repair manual shows they both should show resistance).

012/014

So I went to buy a used distributor ($130). Out of curiosity, I checked that one too and it too was "broken"...I thought that was too coincidental. I resolved to finish the seal change and installed my original distributor. It fired right up, so let this note be forewarning to all who think that this reading means you have a bad signal pickup coil.

Hold down plate removed here's the whole reason why we're here. The seal lies underneath that bearing:

015

The seal and bearing can be tapped out using a punch through the camshaft end of the hole. They are just snug in there...be careful to not nick the shaft sleeve pressed into the end of the distributor body. Gentle taps. Wrap electrical tape around the punch shank. Here's the bare distributor body and old bearing & seal:

016

Here's a shot of the new parts. The cap seal they sent is a joke so I didn't bother replacing it:

018

Drive the new seal into the body using a socket of similar diameter...spring-loaded end facing away from you towards the engine camshaft.

020

Drop the new bearing in and reinstall the hold down plate.

021

Reinstall the pickup coil assembly and tighen it down in a position as far away from the distributor shaft as possible. This will be adjusted later, but we want the clearance to drive the shaft in. I had a brain fart moment here and drove the shaft in with a hammer thinking it would go in as easy as it came out. The last few fractions of an inch took more force than expected. I wouldn't recommend this as it can damage the new shaft bearing. Use a vise to get it the rest of the way in...don't use a hammer at all if possible. If you don't have a big enough vise, go take it to the local shop...get it done right. Check that the end length sticking out from the body and into the engine is the same as measured earlier.

Loosen the screws holding the crankshaft pickup coils and adjust them using your feeler gauge...0.012" is ideal but the spec is from 0.006" to 0.018". Nonmagnetic feeler keeps the coil from sticking to them.

022/024

Do the same for the camshaft pickup coil.

Reinstall the condenser or in my case the new one:

025

And reinstall the coil, and ingition connector on the right. Here is the rebuilt distributor:

026

Here is what I replaced, P/Ns, and costs including shipping:
Ignition coil (Toyota 90919-02163) - $85
Distributor condenser (Toyota 19133-16240) - $5
Dist. body o-ring, shaft seal, shaft bearing, shaft key pin (kbox.ca #12311976) - $30

Note I did not replace the cap seal. I could have, but at $17 for a new one from the stealership, the old one was fine with a little sealant. Plus, the one that kbox supplied was not a molded seal just a regular round one, and it was too small to fit around the cap and coil.

Here are the tools used:
Phillips screwdriver
Large flathead screwdriver
Hammer
Small diameter punches
Benchtop vise 6"
Multimeter
Brass (or other non-magnetic) feeler gauges
Socket set (for driving in new shaft seal and shaft)
Silicone sealant

If everything went well I'd say it's a 3 hour job for the layman...go slow since there are delicate pickup coils in there and for proper gap adjustment.

[Brian R.]

Good write-up so far. Waiting for the pics.

[jdmccright]

Pics have been added, but I don't know how to have them show up in the body of the post in sequence. Will work on that, but for now...tadahhh!

They were added to the main write-up above to keep everything in one place...sorry for any confusion.

[alta vista]

THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE PICTURES.
You have just saved me over $300 !!!!
I know now I can do this.
John

[Brian R.]

Originally Posted by jdmccright

Pics have been added, but I don't know how to have them show up in the body of the post in sequence. Will work on that, but for now...tadahhh!

They were added to the main write-up above to keep everything in one place...sorry for any confusion.

Check out the code in one of my posts which include pictures ("edit"). There is a url reference which inserts the pic between the text. Looks like this, as shown in the FAQ thread:

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...5&postcount=67

[Jimbello]

[quote=jdmccright;6078391]........................
Loosen the screws holding the crankshaft pickup coils and adjust them using your feeler gauge...0.012" is ideal but the spec is from 0.006" to 0.018". Nonmagnetic feeler keeps the coil from sticking to them.

022/024

Do the same for the camshaft pickup coil.

.............................

Just to clarify my interpretation of the above, a couple of points:

1. The "crankshaft pickup coils" are the two lower coils, is that correct?

2. The "camshaft pickup coil" is the higher one, or more outboard so to speak? And is the clearance setting for this one the same as the other two?

Thanks,

Jim.

p.s. I have dismantled mine a couple of times. I set the later gap at .025 inch. I'm wondering if I did it correctly.

[jdmccright]

1. The "crankshaft pickup coils" are the two lower coils, is that correct?
CORRECT. The first photo has all the parts labeled.

2. The "camshaft pickup coil" is the higher one, or more outboard so to speak? And is the clearance setting for this one the same as the other two?
CORRECT AGAIN. Gap settings are the same for all 3.

[Jimbello]

Thanks jdm...

I had not looked at the pics well enough! I'll go back to them.

[Jimbello]

I tried positioning the internal seal that runs on the ditributor shaft in a slightly different position. The shaft had the usual wear groove. I used a copper washer to space it out a bit, but it was not successful.
Currently, I have a spare distributor body in my local machinists shop. He will try and counterbore the body to allow the seal to fit deeper. If this works, it will mean the seal will run on a fresh spot on the shaft. Might just solve the problem!

Jim.

[Joe W]

Jimbello, I am not sure if I read this right but you mentioned that you set camshaft pickup coil gap at .025, when the specs recommend a center value of .012 with an acceptable range of .006 to .018.

[Jimbello]

Originally Posted by Joe W

Jimbello, I am not sure if I read this right but you mentioned that you set camshaft pickup coil gap at .025, when the specs recommend a center value of .012 with an acceptable range of .006 to .018.

You did read that correctly Joe. However, I have since set them in the range you specify above since reading yours (or someone else's post), to that effect.
Thanks for checking up on me here!


Jim.

[Joe W]

Hmmm... did this help?

[Jimbello]

Originally Posted by Joe W

Hmmm... did this help?

I only put the spare distributor back in the engine two days ago with the modified seal position. I took it for a short drive yesterday and it seems as though it is not leaking. I plan to clean it thoroughly this morning, drive it and then check for leaks.
I'll report back when I have conclusive information.

Jim.