Hi,

It seems from the bolt that's holding the sensor, oil is seeping causing a coat of oil on the side of the engine.

I was told that the O-ring under the bolt might be the culprit. What sensor is this and is there an o-ring that might be seeping under this sensor, if there is such one. I want to go to the dealer and buy the O-ring if it is the problem and need to know the exact name of the part.

The vehicle is a '99 Nissan Maxima with 134k miles on the odometer.

Thanks

 

I believe thats the CPS. It's either your upper oil pan gasket or crank seal.

 

i have the same problem and its fix with a O ring last month. just remove the bolt pull the camshaft sensor out its not even tight put the new o ring in put it back secure the bolt you are done. you can buy o ring at any auto store. i bought mine at autozone.

 

What's the name of this part...Camshaft Position Sensor O-Ring?

 

is just a regular o ring about the size of a quarter. the pack i bought is in all differnt size cost me $4.

 

Correct.

FFR:


Or just pick up a generic pack as said above.


Err...what?

 

what are you talking about lol?

 

Its an oil seal off the cam sensor, Like said above just pick up a package at auto store. Hardware store might carry them as well. Clean old oil off, replace and no more oil leak!

 

Ok, I'll go ahead and purchase an O-ring from the dealer. Do I have to worry about the oil pouring out when I pull the sensor out or will all the oil be settled down in the pan?

Also, by removing the sensor, will it mess up the timing as I recall the sensor using a simple magnet?

Thanks

 

No, there's no worries about oil. Everything in there is splash lubricated, there's no level of oil in there.

No, it won't mess up the timing.

 

pmohr; I was just wondering what you don't know about the Maxima, it seems like any thread I read you have like the definitive answer

 

Quite a lot, but I learn more every day.

 

Maybe a stupid question, but why couldn't you use RTV on it? I have on both of mine. Mainly because I didn't know I could get an o-ring that would seal it. I was thinkin I had to get the whole sensor so I just threw RTV on mine.

 

^^^ that's what I would have done back in the old country too.

 

You could, but why not just spend the dollar or two and fix it the proper way? RTV would just make it a PITA to clean and reseal the next time.

 

is there any torque specs once the camshaft is re inserted?

 

There are several different torque specs for the camshafts, but the CPS is just...tight. FSM probably lists is under ~5-10 ft/lbs, something like that.

Just snug it up, it'll be fine.

 

not to hijack but pmohr - what's the round part (sensor) next to the engine mount in the first pic? my 95 doesn't have that.
thx

 

The horn?

 

oh snap...
don't laugh much - it's late and mine is black (for lack of better excuse).

 

thanks so ill torque it down to about 8 pounds, i dont want to strip it ill do some researcdh and get ack to you guys with the exact specs, im changing mine today

 

No need to use a torque wrench, honestly.

If you want the actual spec, it's 74.6-95.5 in/lbs (6.2-7.9 ft/lbs).

The 6mm threads can handle maybe 15-20 ft/lbs before it strips out the threads in the timing cover, or breaks the bolt.

Snug is all you need, for bolts like this.

 

thanks very much, i realized that the oring i took off the sensor wasnt round, it had edges to it, im guessing from being wedged in the cylinder? i replace it with one similar size and it fit snug. i wiped away all the oil so ill check back in a few days and hopefully that fixed the problem

 

you wouldn't see any leaks anymore. there's no leak for me in the past few months i replaced the o-ring works like a charm.

 

Factory Alarm System horn..........