So, I have the T in the shop (not the dealer) again to track down a persistent oil leak after having stopped a couple already. The previous leaks included:

1. Leaks at the rubber plugs at the rear of the engine and two "half moon" aluminum plugs up front, both right below the valve cover gaskets - apparently the dealer didn't replace them when they did the valve cover gaskets? The mechanic seemed to think they *should* have been done at that time, but said that he frequently sees engines where the dealer does not.

2. Leaks at the cam and crank seals - I think this is due to the previous mechanic doing a half assed job; he'd already replaced two under warranty...

Now the current leak is being attributed to a nicked cam shaft - the nick is hitting the seal. He says it looks like somebody whacked it with a hammer. He said some folks will put the seal not quite all the way in, so the nick misses the seal, but you obviously run the risk of blowing the seal - though that might have been done in the past. He asked me what work had previously been done to it - I know of the head gasket recall and a couple of timing belt/water pump/seal jobs. It's impossible to know when/how/who etc... I've almost always had oil spots in my parking space, but have rarely lost more than a fraction of a quart between fill ups (and I check every time).

He is recommending a used shaft if he can find a suitable one, otherwise a new one.

Questions -

1. Does this nicked cam shaft diagnosis sound like BS? He said they didn't notice it for a while because when the crank at TDC, the nick was on the underside of that cam. I haven't *seen* this yet, but plan to go by the shop tomorrow

2. Is a used cam shaft, providing it meets tolerances and is not burnt, crazy?

3. I've had two people ask me already why they don't just polish out the nick - is that a reasonable approach?

I know, I know, half of you are muttering under your breath "you should just learn to do that crap yourself". As expensive as this is getting I'm doing a fair bit of muttering myself!

Any input is appreciated!

Scott

[edit - to be fair to the mechanic who had to replace the cam seals before (#2 above) - it might very well have been because of the nicked cam shaft and he missed the nick, too...]

Mine was leaking at the dipstick seal. Weird.

It must be nicked too much to be polished out. Even then if is is slightly off round your problem will come back. A used one in spec should be OK if the savings over a new one are worth it. Check enginebuilder.com to see if he handles stuff for the 6 cyl. The main seal on the 4 banger can wear a slight groove in the crank and the Toyota replacement seal is engineered so it seals at a slightly different point. There are sleeves you can buy to go over warn spots in cranks and then use a seal that fits the sleeve. I don't know if anything is available for that camshaft. I doubt there is an offset seal for it but you might try a search for it or for a sleeve. Seems like Felpro made it for the 20R/E. Marge?