405 Xud Camshaft Oil seal pops out~ Help please

Integrity · Post by **Integrity** » 19 Feb 2005, 13:20

Hi
I have a 405 turbo diesel estate. Recently my beloved car developed a severe oil leak. The cause was that the head gasket has blown around the oil gallery. I replaced the gasket having had the head skimmed. I fitted a new camshaft oil seal at the same time and all was well for about 10 minutes when it developed another oil leak. It appears that the camshaft oil seal keeps popping out. I have replaced it twice along with the cambelt, but yet again it has happened.
Has anyone got any ideas about this please and a possible cure?
Please help
Regards
Integrity

rotodiesel · Post by **rotodiesel** » 19 Feb 2005, 13:54

Unfortunately, I suspect that your head gasket is leaking compression pressure into an adjacent oilway. This will cause the oil seal to be blown out by compression, via the column of oil in the oil way. Did you omit any O ring seals on the head? (I'm not familiar with the finer details of this engine).
I'm afraid there may not be an easy way to to fix this - you could start with a compression test, and then compare/relate the results of this to the position of the oil passages in the head. There could be a casting porosity in this area.
rotodiesel.

Wookey · Post by **Wookey** » 20 Feb 2005, 02:36

rotodiesel - your explanation sounds plausible (excess pressure is the only reason I can think off for the camshaft oil seals to spontaneously pop out (unless somhow it is the wrong size)), but the cam cavity is not full of oil so I'd expect excess pressure to just spray oil into the space, not push out the seals? OR does the whole thing pressurise - wouldn't pressure escape through the breather hose to the oil filler?

Integrity · Post by **Integrity** » 20 Feb 2005, 05:58

Thanks gents for your replies. I will check the breather tomorrow. It must be one hell of a pressure to fill the cam box and blow the seal out. Incidently when I changed the head gasket I used vernier callipers to ensure that the diameter of the oil seal was the same. I am now beginning to doubt all I have done.... is it possible to fit the head gasket incorrectly. Where should the "notches" be when viewed from under the bonnet please. Any advice most welcome.

joe_405TD · Post by **joe_405TD** » 21 Feb 2005, 04:58

notches should be visible on the right hand side of the head just below the brake vacume pump at the rear ish of the head. They are ver difficult to see you will need a torch.
The cam seal should be difficult and a quite tight fit...i did one recently and it was shaped with fins to only fit in one way.
you must have the wrong seal...they should be stocked all over, i went to my local spares retailer and they had them in stock for a few quid.
if its not the seal??????

Wookey · Post by **Wookey** » 22 Feb 2005, 06:07

Actually some gaskets have notches at the front as well as the rear, but they are always on the RH side of the engine - i.e. at the opposite end to the timing belt. I'm pretty sure it's impossible to fit it the wrong way round due to the locating peg.
My TD engine runs fine with the breather hose off and no oil comes out. You will probably get a bit if you run it for a while, but that would be a useful diagnostic, and is dead easy to do.
You say you checked the diameter of the oil seal. Was it a tight fit when putting it in (i.e it needs to go in square otherwise it tends to jam)? It would need an awful lot pressure to push one of these out. I suspect it is the wrong size (or the hole it goes in has been bored out larger). Ii it was being blown out then I'd expect thereto be a big pop or something when it came out.