Campeck

whoa whoa. dude the cam tower gasket is not that hard. dont go to a mechanic to get butt raped.

take fuel rail off, undo the covers that are on the tower, undo all the allens inside and when you take it off be carefull not to drop the lifters.

RM512

I agree that the cam tower re-seal is not that difficult, but what about removing the timing belt?

Campeck

what about it? pry it off the cam gear and dont break it. lol. easier said then done.

MJDore

The timing belt part of the disassembly is what scared me off. I don't want to cause even more damage. I always get an estimate first so I'll know whether or not it's something worth me spending a weekend on before the mechanic ever turns a screw.

Free weekends are something I don't have with a hectic travel schedule and an 18-mo old child.

RM512

Like Campeck said, they will CHARGE you. Please post what kind of estimate you got.
Really though, belts and the cam tower gasket are not as bad as it sounds.
Good luck!

MJDore

I've dealt with these guys before so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt until I see the estimate. Does me no good to assume anything at this point.

RM512

I here ya. It sucks when you don't have the time to dedicate, and this is a job you don't want to rush.

KLR

It's not too bad if you have to pay to have the cam tower seal done -- typically 6-9 hours of labor. The rear balance shaft seals definitely can cause smoking on the headers with only a mild leak (BTDT). Search the archives here and you'll see some pictures of what they look like and how to use yamabond/hondabond or epoxy to seal them.

MJDore

Sorry it has taken me so long to post the verdict here but it did, indeed, end up being the cam tower gasket that was leaking. Oil was pouring down the back from just under the 'P' in 'PORSCHE.' As I mentioned before, I didn't have the time or know-how to do this myself so I had to take her in. The timing belt removal and replacement scared me off. The damage ended up being about 6 hours of labor. They completely scrubbed the surfaces, put new gaskets in, and even replaced my failed attempt at resealing the rear gasket. I got lectured by the old Italian guy that started the shop years ago to never use silicone on a gasket you're sealing to aluminum.

Anyway, your labor rate will vary but they hit me for 6 hours....didn't charge me for the parts but those were minimal, anyway.

tod84944

Danny,
Next time you need some help with your car, let me know. I'm in Nashville, and do some wrench turning on 944's sometimes
Todd