im planning to change that o-ring between the distributor and engine block.
this o-ring, which costs under $5, is worn out and causes some oil to leak.
if you look closely underneath yr distributor, you might see some oil leaking.
this is due to having worn o-ring and needs replacing. since, some people have
also experience this type of problem, i will try to post some pics and mybe a step by step
procedure on dismounting the distributor.

 

Keep us updated, I can't wait to read it. I have finals coming up in the first two weeks of May, so I will probably do it after that. My distributer has been leaking for a year.

 

patrick. don't think there is any oil that goes to the distributor cap. i think the oil is just coming from some other place so that O ring shouldn't matter. i wiped off that metal piece that under the distrubtor cap and its been likea month and doesn't seem like any oil is coming back.

 

john: the oil is coming from the o-ring....i confirmed with one of the guys at the dealer...
thy do get bad after high mileage and it's part of maintenance. oil is coming from engine block
not distributor cap. the o-ring is "sandwiched" between engine block and distributor.....again, not
"distributor cap".....

i will take pics this wknd.......hopefully step by step procedure sine i have the bible for our cars at home...

 

It leaks from where the distributor mounts to the engine, not from the distributor itself.

 

that is correct.........

 

hmm i've noticed a couple drops on mine too, hope it turns out well I think i'll do that on my car also.

 

I think that's what might be happening to my 93 GS300. Few months back, I had the timing belt & waterpump replaced. Unfortunately, I didn't get it done at the dealership. As a matter of fact, I have a friend thats mechanic did the service for me. My car has only 59K miles on it so I'm not sure if he didn't tighten something or what not. The oil seems to be leaking for where you all have mentioned, but its not a slow leak. When I turn on the engine and look down there with a flashlight, I can actually see the oil dripping to the ground. However, I can't see the leak from where the distributor is at, but I do notice the wet oil stain there. Any advice on how I can repair this would be awesome. Thanks.

 

Yeah,

When my mechanic changed my oil, he said my ring was worn. He replaced it with a toyota 0-ring and now everything is fine.

 

how much did he charge you to replace the ring? I need mine done too.

 

I was just about to do this... I started taking the front end apart to change the timing belt and noticed the leak. It looks pretty simple, and O-rings are really cheap, so definitely a worthwhile job.

 

It was free, as he had one lying around.

 

Is it as simple as pulling out the distributor and removing & replacing the o-ring? How about the timing, does this need to be adjusted too?

Could you give us details on how to do this because quite a few people here have the o-ring problem and are wondering if this is an easy job to do. Thanks.