4age prob, help!

[Ae92 Levin]

I own an Ae92 Levin with Bigport Red/black top 4age with pretty high ks (usually not a biggie with the 4age) which has been fine until just a little while ago. Then all of a sudden it started leaking a fair amount of oil from the front of the engine around the head gasket/crank pulley area (not sure where exactly) and making a sort of scraping sound whilst idling.. Also after a long thrash ( I often drive between welly and hams and those windy mid-north island roads are too hard to resist) it starts scraping reallly loudly like SCHINK SCHINK SCHINK.. what is going on?? I have taken it to a mechanic about the oil leak and all they did is replace some seals around my cam covers and charge me shitloads without ever fixing the real problem, even though i told them exactly where it was coming from. Can someone please help me figure this out!

[StuartM]

how often do you check your oil? has it ever run out?
a sound like that could be a million things, but by the sound of things its a lack of lubrication or worn big-end bearing.. fyi running out of oil can completely $&#$% your engine

[Ae92 Levin]

Yes i change my oil about every 5000ks and always use top quality product, although ive had to change to some thicker stuff since it started leaking.. and no it has never run out. I was thinking the sound might be the big end, but why would it be leaking oil?

[StuartM]

im no mechanic, but oil leaks in my experience have come from gaskets and etc. one oil leak was bad enough that i took the motor out and had it reconditioned.

to find the oil leak degrease your engine thoroughly. then when your engine is all nice and clean it should be easy to spot where its coming from.

[sergei]

if the leak coming from front of the engine it could be:
Crank Shaft seal
Cam shafts seals
head gasket
or sump.
To check which seal is leaking you will have to take off the cambelt covers.
With the 16v 4AGE the cam shaft seals are behind a metal plate so it is a bit harder to check if they are leaking.
If cam belt was in oil it is best to replace it...

[Ae92 Levin]

Have degreased about 3 times but can still not figure it out, need to take cam belt and backing covers off to get a decent look but lack the equipment/know how to put it all back on and get the timing right again.. have replaced the cam cover gaskets already, and it is definitely not the sump gasket

[AE85coupe]

sounds like one of your bearings is $&#$%

shouldn't be making a noise like that

its probably your crank seal thats wrecked

probably time for a rebuild, or another engine heh

tell the mechanic who didn't fix it he is a $&#$% tosser

[Ae92 Levin]

Mm yea, it might finally be time for the 4agte..

[Chrislost]

my ae92 leaked from the dizzy, and then dropped a big end a few months later.
it made a clicking thumping sound tho.

[Ae92 Levin]

Yea it ticks and scrapes, no thumping though..