5SFE: 1991 5SFE Distributor Oil Leak Fix Write Up!

[Maruki-kun]

Everyone's 5S leaks oil at the dizzy. Mine used to. I can't believe how many times I have seen this oil leak, it isn't hard at ALL to do. so enjoy your new write up!

materials needed:
new O-ring

Tools needed:
10mm socket (for the intake)
12mm socket (for the distributor)
phillips screw driver
something to keep the lid from falling




1: Prop the engine lid:




2: Remove intake:




3: Remove Spark Plug Wires:




4: Remove screws for the cap and note the position of the rotor, you can only mess this up in one way, you have a 50/50 chance here.

no pic here, self explanatory


5: Mark the bolt/washer combo with paint or chalk to avoid having to reset timing (my belt broke, so it didn't matter on my car)




6: Loosen the bolt and take if off and don't drop it.

no pic here
7: pull the distributor out a little and unclip the bottom plug and set it aside






8: Set it down and GLARE at the CRAP that is on it:





9: Here's our culprit, and we need to remove this carefully, I used a metal tooth pick thing




10: Clean up the distributor REALLY good, no use in leaving the grime there, right? replace the new O-ring the old one sucks.




Moar damage:







Re assemble the same way it came out. easy, just make sure the little tabs match up and the rotor is facing the same direction as it was before, wiggle it back and forth until it locks into the cam and then bolt back on and reinstall the cap, wires, and intake.

just 2 cans of brake cleaner later:





now you're done. grats.

[TomsMR2]

theres a seal inside thats just as dry, and just as leaky. you have to buy the kit from kbox.ca

so theres a little more, but its not very hard either.

[Maruki-kun]

Originally Posted by TomsMR2

theres a seal inside thats just as dry, and just as leaky. you have to buy the kit from kbox.ca

so theres a little more, but its not very hard either.

mine hasn't leaked a drop in 4k miles....

[TomsMR2]

but there is a seal in there, and it does dry out similarly to that oring its only a couple bucks, just saying if you pull it off, you might as well.

it ends up leaking inside the cap and drips oil in places you dont really see.

pix are good though, its an easy repair either way, and a very common leak spot.

[Maruki-kun]

Originally Posted by TomsMR2

but there is a seal in there, and it does dry out similarly to that oring its only a couple bucks, just saying if you pull it off, you might as well.

it ends up leaking inside the cap and drips oil in places you dont really see.

pix are good though, its an easy repair either way, and a very common leak spot.

I'll look at a diagram and see what's up with the internal ring, I'm assuming you are talking about somewhere inside of the distributor and not the head, right?

[patholiar]

I just purchased a 92 NA, and I think that's where my leak is coming from too.

However, I have 160k miles on it...do you think I should just get a new distributor? If so, wheres the best place?

Pat

[Maruki-kun]

Originally Posted by patholiar

I just purchased a 92 NA, and I think that's where my leak is coming from too.

However, I have 160k miles on it...do you think I should just get a new distributor? If so, wheres the best place?

Pat

the distributor isn't really a death part. keep it and change the seals.

[patholiar]

Thanks!

Also, whats the best engine cleaner to use on the hoses that has a build up of the grime? Ideally I'd like to use it on the metal parts too, without harming the rubber.

Its pretty dirty in the engine bay

[Maruki-kun]

Originally Posted by patholiar

Thanks!

Also, whats the best engine cleaner to use on the hoses that has a build up of the grime? Ideally I'd like to use it on the metal parts too, without harming the rubber.

Its pretty dirty in the engine bay

brake cleaner for metal, engine degreaser for the rest of it, make sure you rinse it off really good, take your time, clean it up, paint your valve cover, etc.
cover your distributor cap or rub some Vaseline over the gasket or if you don't plan on driving your car for like a week, then don't even really worry about it.

[patholiar]

one more thing, there is a hose to the left side of the spark plug wires that looks like its leaky/grimy. It is right where it connects to the engine. Is this normal or do i need to replace it?

[Maruki-kun]

Originally Posted by patholiar

one more thing, there is a hose to the left side of the spark plug wires that looks like its leaky/grimy. It is right where it connects to the engine. Is this normal or do i need to replace it?

http://media.share.ovi.com/m1/s/1719...dc00c2a7c9.jpg

it's normal, it's basically a primitive PCV. replace it if you want so it doesn't leak anymore, but I'd replace it and add a catch can to catch all of the nasty crap it's sifting into your intake

[mrturrari]

Nice writeup. I just wanted to add that the second seal on the distributor, the one that keeps water out of it, is different between rev1 and rev2. So the seal kits from kbox and twosrus only work for the 91-92 5sfe. You can buy the ones for the 93-96 5sfe at the dealer.

[patholiar]

Just wanted to follow up and say this was extremely helpful. I havent seen any leaks since I changed it, but its only been about 300 miles.

[sw21]

Were did you find the replacement o ring?

[alipatu]

i have a leak as well and i had oil in my 2nd spark plug so i changed the valve cover gasket but i steel have a leak and when i park the car i can see the smoke from burning oil is that gonna fix it or do i have a bigger problem?

[Maruki-kun]

Originally Posted by alipatu

i have a leak as well and i had oil in my 2nd spark plug so i changed the valve cover gasket but i steel have a leak and when i park the car i can see the smoke from burning oil is that gonna fix it or do i have a bigger problem?

probably the spark plug tube, pull the VC, grab a pipe wrench and take the tube off, reseal it with locktite blue or red or use toyota FPIG.

[alipatu]

cool ill try it

[irohazaka]

thanks for this, this'll be one of the things I plan to do when I get around to doing a tune-up for my newly purchased mr2

[BishopTTU]

quick question - It looks like I can follow this process to change the o-ring on my 3s-gte.

Any thoughts?

A.

[Maruki-kun]

Originally Posted by BishopTTU

quick question - It looks like I can follow this process to change the o-ring on my 3s-gte.

Any thoughts?

A.

same process, you just have an extra bolt.