Hello, I have a 2000 camry 4 cylinder which has been gradually leaking oil which has ~170,000 miles on it. I tried looking everywhere online to find a guide but I cant find anything for my specific issue which is why I am posting this thread. So far I have invested over 10 hours trying to fix this leak. It is originating from the passenger side and I have done the following so far with no luck.

So far I have replaced the valve cover gasket, replaced the oil pan itself and also put a new gasket on as well. After those did not work I looked and discovered the oil pump was the culprit. I went ahead and replaced the oil pump gasket (the outer one surrounding the plate itself) and changed the timing belt and water pump while I had everything off. The gasket itself was old and cracked so I spent less than $5 to put a new gasket on with gasket sealer and torqued everything to the proper specs and assembled the car back to working order.

After getting everything back on I filled the car back up with oil and the leak is still persisting. I took the passenger side wheel off to get a better view and the leak looks like it is coming from behind the oil pump plate that comes off and is coming from behind the oil pump housing itself. I'm honestly at a loss here because I have no idea what to do from here. I am positive that the leak is coming from the oil pump but since I replaced the gasket and also put gasket sealer around it so I'm not sure why it is still leaking.

I realize the car is old but I would still like to get some more miles out of it until I graduate college. I tried to add as much detail as I can, but if anymore information is needed please let me know as I'll be happy to help. My main question at this point is what you guys might recommend doing next to help troubleshoot and ultimately resolve this issue.

 

Determine if the leak is from housing o-ring or the oil pump drive shaft seal. This is a lip seal. This seal can leak badly.

Arrange the car to be able to observe the firewall side of the timing cover just under the cover bulge for the pump. If the pump is leaking oil may come out from under the cover in this area with the engine is running. You may be able to see the oil flowing at a low but steady rate.

If this lip seal, suggest checking the oil between drives as can loose a quart in 30 or less miles. However when the car is parked over night, little oil may show up on the driveway.

If the leak is the oil pump drive shaft seal. Your options are a new pump or replace the seal.

Replacing the seal, requires removing the pump. Then holding the drive rotor in a soft jawed vice and removing the drive pulley

The drive rotor can then be removed from the housing to access the seal. The seal is a conventional lip with metal body. Pry it out and press in the new one.

Reassemble parts. Torque pulley nut to 18 ft-lbf.

When removing the pump from the large engine housing. The outer rotor has a dot/mark on one face. You want this dot/mark in the same direction as when removed, which should be toward the engine.

Replace the preformed o-ring as this can be damaged when removed.

The dealer or online parts vendors sell the seal.

 

Joey p do the marks have to be indexed in any way or is it they just need to face inboard. The marks appear as arrows. Any oil pump rotors I have experienced in the past were there to facilatate timing the coil pump rotors or should I say indexing them so the oil pump functions properly. Your thoughts please?

 

Face triangles in the same direction, this being towards the engine.

The drive gear has a fixed orientation. This leaves the driven gear to orient.

If you want, orient the triangles with each other. The manual states nothing about this. Only the direction the triangles face.

 

Thanks sorry i was so dence on it. Glad to find your site. We have 2 2001 camrys love the cars. 220,000 on one and 260,000 on the one i just did the oil leak on. I had a Honda specialty shop for 18 years. Sold it in 2001. Wish we had the net when i was in business.

 

The 2001 and below Camry are the better ones for build quality and duration of life. Keep them running!