logray

The cam advance solenoid cover is on the left side of the cam cover towards the front of the car (drivers side). It is very easy to replace and inexpensive. There is a wire sticking out of it which is the solenoid, and there is a cover around that which can leak (if it's 3.4L).

The same solenoid cover (maybe 2 inches wide) exists on the passenger side but is a little harder to access, and is on the front of the engine (rear or the car).

If that cover leaks, it will drip down below the wire that sticks out of it, and not across the entire cover.

The best way to deal with leaks anywhere is to clean the area and then use the car and monitor the leak to see where it's coming from and to diagnose the severity. It's possible it could have been there for a very long time and it really isn't that big a deal even if it looks really bad, if the car is not using a ton of oil, leaking all over the floor, or has no other symptoms then I wouldn't really worry about it. A lot of cars leak a little oil and it's usually no big deal.

There are many ways to clean the area. You can start with something mild, a rag soaked with some mild degreaser on it for example maybe 25% simple green/75% water. Then if that doesn't clean it maybe something more potent, spray the area with 75% simple green, 25% water followed by rinsing with a garden hose, maybe a scrub brush and/or a rag. Then if it is still greasy, spray with gunk engine degreaser, then rinse with plenty of water, then start engine to burn off, however that stuff smells really bad and is pretty caustic, it's a last resort. There are plenty of other good ways to degrease as well...

Wellardmac

Thanks! From memory I don't remember seeing any oil around the solenoid wires, but I'll look when I get home from work tomorrow.

Based on the advice given here and also given privately by Macster, I'm less concerned than I was earlier today and will take time to watch this some more.

I'll start tomorrow with looking for signs of oil at points higher than the lower edge of the cam cover seal. I'll also clean off the oil that I can get to and see where that gets me.

I've been aware of this since the late fall after my local dealer severely over filled the oil during a service and I didn't notice it for 2 weeks. Prior to that I know that my car was bone dry, as I routinely get under the lift during the annual state inspection to check for signs of oil. This doesn't appear to be more than a severe annoyance. I see a single drop of oil in the oil pan after each time I drive the car. Never more than that, so the only hassle is wiping up the oil drop from the pan. My main concern was making sure that it wasn't the first signs of something more serious and whether I needed to take immediate action. I appreciate the help[ you guys have given in helping me to trouble shoot and set my mind at ease. I'll report back more tomorrow.

logray

After reading that I'm sure there's nothing to worry about, carry on.

Wellardmac

I like the new Avatar!

jdog

Put engine oil dye in for about $10 and see exactly where it is coming from. May save you (like it did me) a lot of money.

pmkazz

Spark plug tubes that came out of my car....

mikeswift

this is easy to do, i never done any oil change or nothing on my cars and I attempted the spark plug change and tube, it went without problems. The big thing for me was taking off the muffler, its a Canadian car so the lugs were rusted so I gave up and did it without taking them off, if you have smallish hands and right tools its easy to do. There is lots of DYI manuals on the subject. Start from the driver side its easier to do, if you are not taking of the muffler if you take off mufflers they are both easy to do.

You can clean all the leaking oil with Carb cleaner and some old t-shirt, spray cleaner wipe and repeat 100 of times. Will come out great.

Dharn55

Here are a few pictures of the cam advance cap and seal. Sorry that my engine was so dirty, damn Chicago winters! These were leaking on both sides of my engine.

I would guess that it is the spark plug tubes from the looks of your pictures. And it is really unusual that the cam cover itself to develop a leak. It is almost always the tubes or the seals.

Wellardmac

Thanks guys. Looks like you guys were right, although, I can't get a look at the spark plugs, as they're covered by a metal plate - no way of getting in there without pieces coming off the car.

The good news is that the dampness is a fair way up the side of the camshaft cover, so that pretty much confirms that it's not the seal, as the oil would never get all the way up there from a bottom side leak.

Nice job! I appreciate the guidance!

DreamCarrera

Hi Wayne, I have a leak at the exact same spot on my engine. The dealer confirmed that it was indeed a spark plug tube leak and quoted me some outrageous figure to replace the tubes, which I declined of course.

I just figured I'd replace the tubes when replacing the plugs during the 60K mile service. At the rate that I've been driving the car lately however, that will be three years down the road...

Wellardmac

Hey! Good to see you again!

I'm glad to see that this is a known an minor issue. From what I've read in other threads, this shouldn't be an expensive job for a mechanic to fix. I'm surprised that you were quoted a high figure.

Sadly, my plugs were done 10K miles ago, so I don't think I can really wait until next time they need changing, so I'll have to pull the trigger and get it done. I have to do my state inspection in the next 12 weeks, so I figure I'll look into doing it then.

Wellardmac

What is confusing about this, is the the photos I've seen on this topic show the plugs as being visible from above and below, but it was just impossible to see them on my engine - that metal plate you see in the photo above just covers everything and there's no way to get at the plugs without removing that plate. I wonder if the engine configuration on the '99 was different from some of the cars seen in other threads.

mikeswift

yes there is a cover, just take it off two 10mm screws. just ratchet it off it will take less than 2 min.

pmkazz

Replacing the tubes on your car is very easy. I actually removed the muffles when I did mine as it made it much easier. Then you remove those covers as stated above. Then the coils, then (and I used the 1" transom plug), pull the plugs out. I replaced all to include new O rings. They push right in and you do not have to remove the spark plugs.

Wellardmac

To be honest, it didn't look easy, but the more I read you might be right. I'm sure I'm missing something and that I don't have the right tools, but it doesn't seem to bad.

Here's the takeaway of what I've read:
1) jack up the car
2) remove the rear wheel
3) remove the muffler
4) remove the heat shield
5) Disconnect the coil packs (two screws and a connector)
6) Remove the tubes with a rubber tube connector, which appears to be available from Walmart
7) Snap the new tubes in place
8) put everything back in place.

Is it really this simple, or am I missing something? I'll be honest in that as usual, the "instructions" that I've read here always make assumptions and don't detail every step, so it's hard to tell if I'll get into the job and find that I'm screwed, or I'm up against a step that is not explicitly detailed in the forum post.

It took a while for me to realize that the spark plugs are recessed down into the plug tubes, but don't need to be removed... I read what you were saying, but without seeing it that was a little confusing at first.

If it really is this easy, then I may try doing it myself.