big problem w/ 2006 si!

[radiocontrolhead]

I got back from teh dealer and they said that my oil seal is leaking, i saw them pull apart my timingbelt, etc. i wanted to know what exactly is required to properly install a seal. coudl it be done while the engien is still in the car? or to properly install it will require engine dissaembly?

My engine started leaking at about 300 miels, when i noticed it. is it common for a seal to leak? or rather is it really rare for a seal to be defectece? there isnt' really anyting for the seal to go bad. espeically if it occured since i drove it off the lot., took about 300 miles to notice teh leak because lal the oil had been sitting on my engine subframe floor. could it mean somethign else? maybe bad bearings? bent crank? why woudl the seals leak anyway? aren't they rubber? coudl the spring in the seal be loose?

any input will be greatly appreciated.

[CoryB]

Originally Posted by radiocontrolhead

I got back from teh dealer and they said that my oil seal is leaking, i saw them pull apart my timingbelt, etc. i wanted to know what exactly is required to properly install a seal. coudl it be done while the engien is still in the car? or to properly install it will require engine dissaembly?

My engine started leaking at about 300 miels, when i noticed it. is it common for a seal to leak? or rather is it really rare for a seal to be defectece? there isnt' really anyting for the seal to go bad. espeically if it occured since i drove it off the lot., took about 300 miles to notice teh leak because lal the oil had been sitting on my engine subframe floor. could it mean somethign else? maybe bad bearings? bent crank? why woudl the seals leak anyway? aren't they rubber? coudl the spring in the seal be loose?

any input will be greatly appreciated.

Since they took the timing belt off, I'm guessing it's the front crank seal that's leaking. That can easily be replaced with the engine in the car. It's not really a bad job to do. Basically the timing cover, belt, and pulleys need to come out of the way, then the old seal is removed and the new one installed.

Seals can be defective from the factory - I've had any number of them replaced under warranty on various cars. Possibly it just got nicked during engine assembly. It doesn't necessarily mean there's anything else wrong.

Make sure the front of the engine and underside are SPOTLESSLY CLEAN when you pick the car up and then just watch for any other leaks. If it starts again, there's something else going on that may be indicative of a bigger problem.

But for now, just get the car back and watch it like a hawk to make sure it's fixed..

[CarbonLimited]

^^ what CoryB said

[radiocontrolhead]

do u think ti's likely my shaft might be out of true?

[CoryB]

Originally Posted by radiocontrolhead

do u think ti's likely my shaft might be out of true?

I'm not touching that question!

But it'd doubtful that the crankshaft snout is bent. If it is, the techs should have noticed it immediately if they looked at the engine while it was running.
There would likely also be a rhythmic noise associated with it while the engine was running because the timing belt would be loosening and tightening constantly as the pulley spun.

Look at it this way - they're probably replacing the oil seal under warranty for x amount of flatrate pay. If they misdiagnose the problem and it comes back, they don't get paid to fix it again. And warranty flatrate doesn't pay as well as customer flatrate so on potentially big repairs they tend to be more careful in diagnosis.

At least that's the way it was when I was a mechanic...

[radiocontrolhead]

it's not gogn to be bent far off. i mena if it's not perfectly true, u got problems. when it's spinning at 700 rpm, it's hard to tell if it's off by a little to just wear out the seals/bearings. these mechanics just want a quick fix. i asked him if he thought the crank was bent, he said no, a simple leak, he said he coudlnt' tell either, so i dont know if he kenw what he was doing.

[Scourge]

As far as I knew, the K-series didn't have timing belts but timing chains...

[radiocontrolhead]

Originally Posted by CoryB

I'm not touching that question!

But it'd doubtful that the crankshaft snout is bent. If it is, the techs should have noticed it immediately if they looked at the engine while it was running.
There would likely also be a rhythmic noise associated with it while the engine was running because the timing belt would be loosening and tightening constantly as the pulley spun.

Look at it this way - they're probably replacing the oil seal under warranty for x amount of flatrate pay. If they misdiagnose the problem and it comes back, they don't get paid to fix it again. And warranty flatrate doesn't pay as well as customer flatrate so on potentially big repairs they tend to be more careful in diagnosis.

At least that's the way it was when I was a mechanic...

i do hear thsi noise in teh back though. it's very rythmatic like u menitoned. i dont know if thats whats associated w/ it. but it's a weird washing machine sound. if u put ur ear close to the belt and close to teh valve cover u can hear it. It's bugging me also, i dont know what it coudl be.

[Tennisjon2002]

Originally Posted by radiocontrolhead

i do hear thsi noise in teh back though. it's very rythmatic like u menitoned. i dont know if thats whats associated w/ it. but it's a weird washing machine sound. if u put ur ear close to the belt and close to teh valve cover u can hear it. It's bugging me also, i dont know what it coudl be.

can you please try to use a spell checker? I dunno if ur english isn't good or something but it is hard to read ur posts.