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What is your question?
I was told while draining & Filling trans oil that my timing chain cover was seeping oil and needs to be re-sealed. No gasket to replace-they use a silicone goo. I am looking for video and other instructions on how to do it myself. I have not noticed an oil level problem but I am told it is leaking none-the-less. Can't afford $2K right now so I am going to watch my oil levels until I learn how to do it myself. (There are no codes)
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Hello, Many, many, many people have been told that seepage calls for a seal replacement. It is not the case. A little seepage is not a concern, especially if it is just causing slight discoloration around the seal. Get a little mirror and flashlight, and shine the flashlight on the mirror. Now everywhere you point the mirror will light up on the mirror. Fun trick that will let you see everywhere around the timing cover (front cover). If you notice actual leakage, as in your finger is wet with oil, not dirty with oil, then you will need to address the issue. Otherwise, slight seepage is considered normal on most vehicles.
Very good information, and taking photos is an extremely easy yet effective way of preventing fraudulent shops from ripping you off. Those kinds of places are exactly what give the industry a bad name, and there are quite a few of them that just want an extra buck or two.
Thank You, that is reassuring and I plan to do just what you say. I have not had anything show up on my garage floor ever. (I have always kept card board under my van in the garage, so I can check for drips.). I have always checked the oil religiously and have never yet had to add oil, even though I am now over due for an oil change now, because I've been waiting to see how long it takes the level to drop even a little...nothing yet. I am not a mechanic by any means but I do know a bit about cars from working around my Dad and his stock cars. I can do most maintenance & repairs and the dealership knew that because I called them out on some very shabby work and they were re-doing the entire job and then some @ no charge. I think they may have picked something I wouldn't "want" to do and would let them do it. One of the drawbacks of being a woman I suppose? They also didn't stress the importance of doing the repair, for my safety or the value of the van, when I refused the repair. The idea of having a timing chain bust apart is not a comforting thought. The Dealership also did not mention the issue when they were performing the initial job - IF it was there, they would have seen it the prior week, just the same. (Note to all the ladys' and mechanically challenged - take photos of you engine compartment or area of concern before you have work done, so you can see what they did or didn't do at the garage - even if you don't know what you are looking at & for goodness sake, read your Owners Manual!). I caught several screw ups, probably innocent but they NEVER would have fixed them free of charge, IF I didn't have proof in the pictures. [i.e. twice mechanics left shop rags deep in the engine compartment, one spilled oil all over the engine, one broke the engine compartment diagnostics off from the frame and it nearly fell into the fan. One left shop paper towels in my daughter's block that could have caught fire. Another changed my fuel pump/filter and busted a gasket - tried to say it was already like that prior to the work- pictures said different and they fixed it. Caught another who claimed they changed my rotor but before & after pictures told a different story. Had one shop that was supposed to install a new carburetor, way back when, and did not replace, just cleaned the old one...Caught them too - which is what taught me to keep doing so] Thank you for responding - I had been researching the fix on the on the internet hoping for a step by step repair but couldn't find one. Might have been able to wing that repair but I really didn't want to voluntarily, as it is a LOT of work for a person with limited amount of time to dedicate to said repair. I love the internet though, in that, little things always pop up that I had not counted on.