Thought my oil pan gasket was leaking, but it actually seems to be coming from the lower left hand corner of the timing chain cover. It then migrates along the oil pan lip.

Its significant enough to force me to sort it, is there anyone here who has done it?

 

I wouldn’t suspect the timing cover just yet. It’s not a high failure location for oil leaks.

Several sources of oil leaks can end up in that lower-left location, as gravity and wind from driving tend to blow the oil to that lower rear corner of the engine. Before suspecting the timing cover, I’d work down from the top, with the higher-rate failure items being the valve cover gasket, oil cooler o-rings, oil filter housing and crankshaft seal (behind crank pulley) which tends to drip towards the corner with car movement. Best bet is to wipe the engine as clean as possible and try to pinpoint the source of the oil as it returns.

Here's a list of gaskets, seals, o-rings, from the top of the engine down, that can or will leak, requiring replacement: I’ve done everything on this list, and the only one not leaking was the timing cover gasket.

• Valve Cover Gasket
• Spark Plug Tube Seals (4)
• Camshaft Position Sensor o-ring
• Crankshaft Position Sensor o-ring
• Timing Cover Gasket
• Timing Cover Crankshaft Seal
• Internal Timing Cover inlet/outlet Seals
• Rear Main Seal
• Oil Housing Gasket
• Oil Cooler/Exchanger o-rings (2)
• Oil Pan Gasket
• Oil Drain Plug

 

This is what makes me think it’s the timing cover. Area cleaned and left to sit for 2 days:

 

And there's no sign of oil above or trail of oil leading to that corner?

Have you checked that lower timing cover bolt to see if it's loose?
It should be torqued to 12 Nm (9 ft./lbs.).

 

If you can not find the oil leak ...I would check this: hydraulic right side engine mount. You might have bad/leaking hydraulic right side engine mount.

Learn more here..


Best of luck

Motor On!

 

My mount is leaking and the fluid is very dark almost black. His does look like oil.

 

It’s definitely engine oil coming from the bottom rear corner of the timing cover. That 10mm bolt tightened a 1/4 turn, I’ll see if that sorts it.

 

Was this ever solved? I've got the same issue. There is a leak on both rear corners of the oil pan. I have replaced the oil pan seal two times now. It was carefully torqued to spec, in the right sequence. I can't see any other path where the oil could have leaked down. Could this have to do with excessive crankcase pressure?