I'm about to go crazy!! We just paid almost $1,000 for new valve cover gaskets, spark plugs, plug wires, timing belt, and water pump replacement on our 01 3.0 Montero Sport. Well yesterday, about three weeks since we had all of this done, there was oil on the ground under it . So we took it back to the guy this morning and he says he thinks it the front cam seals. Now he said he has to tear the whole front down again? I wanted to ask him if he should have been able to see that there was a leak there when he had it all torn down for the timing belt, but was afraid I'd **** him off. I also thought that maybe the oil from the valve cover gasket leaking covered up the fact that the cam seal was leaking. I guess it is totally possible for it not to have been leaking there, then when he did the valve cover gaskets the oil found another way out. He warned us that most likely when he fixes the front cam seals then the rear main is probably gonna start leaking, because that's the next weak spot.

I got under it yesterday and was looking and the only spot I could see the oil originating from was the very first exhaust manifold bolt. It was dripping off of it right on to the alternator! I couldn't see the top side of the bolt because of the heat shield.

Sorry for the rant. I guess the only question here is do ya'll think he should have been able to see the front cam seal leaking when he did the timing belt? I hope this don't cost me an arm and leg!!

 

Apparently it was the front cam seals, so now another almost $300 later, there are no leaks!! I hope it stays that way for a while!! We did go ahead and get a quote from him on the rear main and he said $350 for it.

 

i have been a mitsubishi technition for 21 years. i can count on 2 hands the rear main oil seals on montero's i have done. they dont go bad very often. cam seals on that model do go bad regularly. valve cover gaskets usually leak around the 60k + milage, but shouldnt pour oil. just seep. if that guy replaced your timming belt, he SAW the seals leaking. its right there. cant be missed. it would have taken him about 15 extra minutes to change those 2 seals. seals cost 12bucks each from the dealer. this is just my opinion, but here it is. you guys got taken to the cleaners. people like this guy give technitions a bad name. he saw those seals leaking , didnt change them, and let you find another leak so you would come back and he could make more money! i see things like this all the time. hopefully this work wasnt done at a reputable mitsubishi dealership, but the dealership is always the best bet. and believe it or not on maintenance items, the dealer can come very close to any other shops price, call and compare. plus you get trained techs to work on your vehicle, and all the parts come with a warranty. better luck next time.. greg....

 

also one other thing. change your P.C.V valve. if it clogs up it can make pressure build up in the engine and blow all your seals out. seen it happen. 20 bucks at your local mitsu dealer. greg...........

 

Thanks I'll do that, but it does still rattle like it supposed to though.

Yea I thought he should have been able to see them leaking but wasn't sure. I mean, that was the whole purpose of us doing the water pump while it was all apart so it wouldn't have to come apart again. It wasn't done at the dealership. A lady my wife works with is friends with a guy that runs a shop that works on Imports, and she said he does all of her work and she trusts him, plus he lives in the same small town we do. So we went to him. Hopefully nothing else happens since it should be in good shape now.

Thanks,

 

Hi, I will like to know if someone can tell me if to change the camshaft seal I just remove the sprocket? I read somewhere that the sprocket are spring loaded and on somewhere said that are not.

 

But to remove the sprocket you will need to remove the cambelt.

 

I can attest to the same. I've owned my Montero for 20+ years and replaced several front cam seals in its life. The one and only time I had to deal with the rear main seal was at 250k miles when my piston self destructed and blew out the rear main seal.

The cam sprocket is not spring loaded, but the cam shaft IS under spring tension from the valves. The cam shaft has a tendency to violently rotate to a "neutral" position if it is not is a spot where all forces from valve springs hold it in place. Make sure to use a cam sprocket holder when trying to remove/install the cam sprocket bolt.