oil leak

[diabeetus]

My name is Corey and I have a red '90 also O_O Nice to meet you lol

I never thought of the O-ring for the CAS until one of my hoses started gushing out fluid everywhere. Temporarily bypassed the heater core until I could get the proper hoses in. Definitely want to check the hoses since it is winter, for sure haha

haha nice dude. thats pretty awesome!

[diabeetus]

My name is Corey and I have a red '90 also O_O Nice to meet you lol

I never thought of the O-ring for the CAS until one of my hoses started gushing out fluid everywhere. Temporarily bypassed the heater core until I could get the proper hoses in. Definitely want to check the hoses since it is winter, for sure haha

haha nice dude. thats pretty awesome!

[adamvanxxx]

What's weird is that I never used if for the corners and have had my VC off twice since the gasket and no leaks at all.

[diabeetus]

ok, so tomorrow is my only day off this week so i figure i would get some of this done. i really want to replace at least the CAS and valve cover gasket, but im wondering if i will be able to take the valve cover off a couple more times after putting the new valve gasket/sealant on without doing damage to said parts. I just dont want to feel pressured to replace the timing belt and water pump while i have the valve cover off the first time

[adamvanxxx]

I have had my VC off twice with the same gasket, I have had no leaks yet.

Just make sure you tighten to the correct pattern. Here is the link to the little write up.

[diabeetus]

I have had my VC off twice with the same gasket, I have had no leaks yet.

Just make sure you tighten to the correct pattern. Here is the link to the little write up.

should i re-apply sealant each time i take it off? im guessing yes just to be safe. i would imagine taking it off too many times couldnt be good for it, but its good to know it can be done

thanks for the quick response and linkage!

[adamvanxxx]

Like I said I have never used the sealant and have had no leaks. I just may be a rare occasion though.

[diabeetus]

ok, so on saturday i went ahead and did a couple things. pretty much the only gasket i changed was the VC gasket. the timing belt looked like it was in excellent condition. since i had the day off, i went ahead and jacked the car up on 4 stands and drained the tranny fluid. that was a good feeling. i also went into my shifter oil res to change the oil in there and to my surprise (not really) it was bone dry!! in the meantime my VC was air drying from an extensive cleaning session. I had to buy a new spark plug because when i pulled the SP wire out, the crimp didnt come out with it. so i took the opportunity to get some new plugs and wires. also got some new hosing for my vacuum line and PCV line since they both pretty much shattered when i took them off. SO!! today my VC no longer leaks oil, shifting is incredibly nice[er] and i think, in my mind, my car gained a few horses

im still wanting to replace the CAS gaskets but im still a little nervous about taking on that project at this time. once i feel more comfortable with how everything works and goes together, i will start doing more extensive maintenance

[adamvanxxx]

Unbolt it and it's just slides out the cam. It's super easy, the hardest part is having a timing light to re time the engine. I have faith in you, if you completed all those tasks you can do the CAS.

[diabeetus]

i dont have to remove anything in front of the engine? i just take the VC off and unbolt the timing belt?

[— Willywongka —]

I'm waiting for all the components to refresh everything with the shifter. I'm sure the oil is all gone in the reservoir also, one thing after another I swear!

[diabeetus]

I'm waiting for all the components to refresh everything with the shifter. I'm sure the oil is all gone in the reservoir also, one thing after another I swear!

yeah, thats one thing that is near the top of my list is to rebuild that shifter. it looked horrible when i took it all apart.

[diabeetus]

oh YEAH! i forgot to mention that a couple, maybe 3 of the bolts holding the VC on were loose and wiggly. i could take them off by hand. the rest were WAY over tightened. obviously a torque wrench was not used. (?????)

[stormin'norman]

Good lord people. There are shop manuals and numerous Miata.net STEP BY STEP pictorials on how to do nearly everything on our cars. A full front end refresh (belts, idler/tensioner, wp, wp gasket, cam seals, crank seal, cas o ring, vc gasket) is all very do able.

[diabeetus]

yes it is doable. i wasnt saying it was impossible. i just wasnt comfortable doing it at the time. i have a manual on building a specific engine.. doesnt mean i can do it.. yet. im not going to just jump into something like that that if im not completely comfortable in doing so. i have fcuked up way too much by doing just that.

some things take a learning before doing.

EDIT: most things*