got my engine all back together and was running pretty good. i noticed an oil leak which pissed me off because that was the whole reason i pulled the motor apart. it looked like it was the seal in the timing cover right behind the opti. this was a couple fo weeks ago and i was hoping it would be good until next weekend when i could look at it. fast forward to yesterday and the car is misfiring through the whole range. it kicks and bucks hard up to 2200 rpm and about 2700 rpm it breaks up real bad and i can cruise around 2500 rpm.

if oil is in the opti would it cause these problems? and if it is contaminated is a new opti my only path? i only want to take this apart one more time if i can get away with it. also is there anything i can do to keep the 2nd new seal from leaking when i put it back together?

 

if oil or coolant gets in the opti it is bad news. I don't know if you cleaning it out will fix it or not. you might be better off fixing the leak and replacing the opti.

 

Did you verify its the timing cover gasket? It could be the seal on the water pump shaft.

 

its definetly the one behind the distrutor where the drive shaft goes through the cover. i did an oil dye test and that is where its coming from.