OCV o-ring? seals?

[Erieeroot]

Hey everyone! 2009 4.6l I just had the engine bay apart to replace an alternator with a bad voltage regulator when I noticed this...



From what I can find, these plugs are the VVT Solenoids/Oil Control Valves... correct? Given the amount of oil around them, and the fact that I have been having to top off oil every few weeks tells me I need to do something about this

Does anyone know the size of the orings on the solenoids so I can just replace the rings? Also is there any other type of seal behind there that can be replaced? I did not remove either of them since that wasn't what I was in there for, and I didn't want to make a bigger leak/issue and be stuck.

Any info and direction would be greatly appreciated! No DTC related to this....I had a generator field high code that led me to the alternator replacement, but that is it.

 

[joegr]

That looks like the same design as on my LSes. If so, it's more of a custom seal than an o-ring. It just pushes in place, and you just pry it out (after disconnecting the electrical connector. You need to get the correct part, or pull the existing seals out and clean them up and put some gasket maker on them and re-install. I think that would work, but I have always just ordered new ones (usually $10 each) and put them in. You can use a socket to press them in and seat them.

 

[Erieeroot]

Well when I look up the part (which they aren't too cheap lol) it seems they all have a bracket on them off to one side with a bolt hole. I will need to rip the intake stuff back out tomorrow and take a closer look at it....perhaps the angle of my pick is just making it seem like there is no space for a bolt?

 

[joegr]

Well when I look up the part (which they aren't too cheap lol) it seems they all have a bracket on them off to one side with a bolt hole. I will need to rip the intake stuff back out tomorrow and take a closer look at it....perhaps the angle of my pick is just making it seem like there is no space for a bolt?

View attachment 43078

You don't remove that. You'd have to remove the timing cover to get to it. It's not the part that is leaking anyway.
You see the shiny part above the bracket and below the connector? That's where the seal that is leaking goes. It's just pushed in. Nothing to remove to change it, other than disconnecting the wiring.
This is what the seal looks like.

 

[joegr]

This is a different engine and different location, but pretty much the same part and same leak.
Hopefully, this video explains it better than I apparently did.

 

[Erieeroot]

I gotcha. Finally had a moment to sit down and look at the service manual....Didn't realize it was on the upper timing cover...again it was something I caught in passing, I was more worried about the alternator cooking electronics with the P0626 lol.

Those seals look just like the oil tube seals on the valve cover of our odyssey, so I should be able to change them out pretty easy....The question is, Can I pull that front cover without taking the entire valve cover off?

Looks like If I take the 3 bolts off the valve cover on the front, I could remove the upper timing cover, swap seals, apply sealant to the timing cover, and sweet talk it back up under the valve cover gasket (and torque to spec of course ). Any objections to that?

I found this video of a guy man handling a 4.6 to remove the lower cover, but it gives a pretty good idea of how to remove the upper...He loosened the entire valve cover, but I'm pretty sure with some light prying action that front cover would come off with just the 3 relevant bolts pulled up out of the way. hmmm

Here is that vid

 

[joegr]

I don't understand why you are wanting to take the cover off. Doing that wouldn't help at all with this seal. You still couldn't install the new seal until you put the cover back on completely. If you are thinking that the solenoid itself is leaking or needs to be replaced, 99.9% chance that you are wrong. Just replace the seal.

 

[Erieeroot]

As per the service manual and any other oil seal I have ever dealt with, the seal we are talking about is pressed in from the inside of the cover.... I know it is not the solenoid leaking. That was my initial thought when all I had to go off of was my own picture.

See this from the manual. Do you think the seal can be removed externally without removing the cover?

 

[Erieeroot]

I honestly would like to do it without removing the cover. I don't like making things difficult for myself LOL.

If I am misinterpreting the drawing from the manual then let me know...

 

[joegr]

Sorry, that does look like what they did. That's crazy. AFAIK, everyone else does it the easy way.
Good luck...
I think that I might try putting a seal on the outside first. It looks like it might have the well for it.

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[Erieeroot]

I'll see what I can figure out... Just wanted to go into the project knowing what possibilities I might run into lol. Yeah the design is kind of crappy, our 2008 Odyssey has seals on the inside of the valve cover for the spark plug tubes just like this. Maybe it's an Asian thing? Lol.

You mentioned LS, I have a 2001 Firebird formula with an LS1 sitting right next to the Genesis... You have me curious now I might peek at it to see if anything is leaking and check out its seals LOL

 

[joegr]

AFAIK, it's normal for the spark plug well seals to be on the inside. I don't know how else you could do those, given how it goes together.
I was referring to Lincoln LS, which was mostly the Ford branded version of a Jaguar.