2001 Volvo S40 Oil Leak Timing Belt

[3blackdots]

Hey, So I had an inspection done on the car and turns out they think its the camshaft sprocket thats leaking oil and I was wondering if this matches up with the video I took of the oil leak? Also is this a hard job to accomplish (assuming I have all the tools necessary) / how much do you expect this to cost? Also lastly, how long of a job this is in terms of hours
everywhere
The video is at

[shanegtr]

I'd say a fairly decent chance it a camshaft seal gone

[3blackdots]

Actually I went to a mechanic and they think its the camshaft sprocket thats causing the oil leak? I don't know for sure

[babypython]

There are 3 seals that should be changed. Both the cam seals and the main crank / oil pump seal and gasket. Someone has a kit you can buy. You can probably do it in a day with all the right tools (cam timing set, jacks, gear puller and lots of hand tools. I added a thin coat of silicone to the oil pump seal since it was there, I also cleaned all that oil with degreaser.

[Livens]

Its your VVT gear, I had the exact same problem. A very thin spray of oil while running. Leaking seals usually run down the side of the engine and out the bottom.

This is easily verified by looking for the plunger on the side of the gear, its in between the gear hub and the outer gear portion, on the hub side. The plunger has a little rod that comes up and makes contact with the outer gear. If you see oil sitting in the depression where the plunger is your VVT gear is definatly leaking.

I had read about many attempts to replace the o-ring that seals that plunger, but so far no-one has been successfull in the long run. If you read posts about it they always end up leaking again in a few weeks.

My local dealer and Volvo shop quoted me between 2000 and 2600 to fix it. I believe there is about 8 hours of labor involved. And none of those quotes included changing the cam and crank seals. So I did the job myself. I think I was in it for about $450, that was a TB kit including a water pump, new VVT Gear, and all new cam seals front and back, and... importantly... the cam lock tool required to replace the VVT gear. I found the tool on ebay used for $65, I think new ones can be had for around $120.

I'm not a mechanic, so this job took me 3 days. I took my time at each step, bagged and labeled each set of screws/bolts/parts that had to come off, and took detailed notes as I went. I even snapped a few pictures of some of the fiddley bits. There is alot that has to come off from the back of the engine (drivers side) just to get the cam lock tool in there. Having the notes really helped when I started putting it all back together.

I would rate this job as advanced, especially because if you screw the timing up too much you can destroy your engine when you start it back up. After having done it, I think the dealers $2600 quote was reasonable.

[alschnertz]

Before you do any cam seals, confirm that the PCV system is working properly.
I didn't and ended up doing the cam seals when the problem was actually excessive crankcase pressure.