we have a 91 Honda Accord 4 cylinder. It appears to have a oil leak on the driver's side just below valve cover and runs down and to the back of the motor. I'm thinking it may be the cams shaft seal. Any ideas? How hard is it to change with the motor in?

Thanks

Steve

 

Not sure about your year, but I have seen some threads on here (with photos) that show how to replace seals/timing belt etc. I have also seen some videos on Youtube, that show it step by step.

 

Make sure it is the cam seal and not the valve cover gasket. Are you losing a bunch of oil?

Deserthonda wrote a DIY about changing the cam timing without having to completely remove the crank pulley, etc. You may be able to do the cam seal by using his method. I would send him a PM to see if this is possible, because I have never tried it.

https://www.hondaaccordforum.com/for...ad.php?t=10107

If your timing belt is due for a change soon, then I would replace the cam seal at that point, since you will be right there. If you timing belt is soaked in oil, then I would change it asap, because an oil-soaked belt can will likely have a shorter lifespan.

 

First check to see if it's actually the valve-cover gasket. If so, that's an easy fix.

 

I have changed the valve cover gasket but still have a leak. There is a small channel on the left side that oil run down at head height that comes from under the cover

 

Take off the upper timing cover & have a look.

 

if oil deposits on back of engine, on head, above water pump ,, most likely it is a cam seal leak

 

how hard will it be to change the seal on the camshaft?

 

It's basically the same job as replacing the timing belt. The bolt on the crankshaft pulley can be very difficult. The remainder of the job is tedious but do-able.

 

NO need to do all that, PA posted a link ,, basically do the same thing,, when you slip the t-belt off, this time remove the top pulley , to make it easier to remove and reinstall the cam seal, loosen up the bolts on the rocker arm closer to cam seal ( first 3 set) enough to lift up the rocker arm assembly so you can remove and reinstall cam seal with ease ,,,,,
you would need a torque wrench to re torque the 12 mm bolts to 16 ft lbs ,, the 10mm bolts to 9 ft lbs ,,