Front Oil Leak After 7MGTE Rebuild - Missing Cam Seals

Engineintermediate✓ OP Confirmed

Problem

After a 7MGTE rebuild (resurfaced head, metal head gasket, ARP head studs, new oil pump), oil was trickling from the front of the engine near the timing covers on startup. Oil was visible behind the crankshaft pulley, on the exhaust side, and with some wetness on the intake side.

Oil trickling from front of engine behind crankshaft pulleyOil visible on exhaust side and intake side near timing coversFast trickle of oil on startupLeak appeared to originate from within the timing cover area

Root Cause

Cam seals were not installed during the head rebuild. The owner did not realize cam seals existed as separate components and failed to replace or reinstall them when reassembling the engine.

Confidence

High confidence — Original poster confirmed this resolved the issue

View Original Thread →Posted December 2019 on SupraForums.com