95 Camry oil pump seal leaking....any help on changing

============== Why not have him write in and ask? There is quite a bit of general mechanical experience, knowledge and tools required. Doesn't really make sense to do only the oil pump seals -- crankshaft seal, water pump, timing belt, idlers and camshaft seal should probably also be replaced. If maintenance is not on schedule, may also want to include spark plugs, valve cover gasket, distributor O ring, etcetera. If he's interested have him write back. It certainly can be done at home, but I wouldn't recommend it as a first job while still studying auto mechanics. It is not uncommon to make a few mistakes when learning and these are items that should be done right the first time. Probably better that he begin on something simpler and then progress. On the other hand I don't know your son. The process really isn't complicated, but there are little tricks that make the job simpler. If he's interested in tackling it, have him write back.

my dad just posted the comment that i wanted to change the oil pump seal.i would like to try it at home.if there is anything that you could let me know that might help me out i would appreciate it.thank you.

DOCRULZ wrote:

============================== If you really just wanted to change the oil pump seal it is not that difficult. I wonder how you know it is the oil pump seal and not the crankshaft seal right next to it, both of which are covered by the timing belt cover. Since you have to remove the timing belt to access the oil pump, you might want to change it while you're there. Same with accessory drive belts, water pump and idlers. But for sake of discussion, let's say you just wanted to change the oil pump seal. Actually there are two. One seals the shaft and the other seals the cover of the oil pump. Both gaskets are inexpensive and easy to install. The shaft seal can be pressed into place with finger pressure, and the cover gasket for the oil pump is a thin curvy piece that goes into a tiny groove and then the cover just bolts over it. I used a light coating of grease to hold it in place. To access all this you need to lift the wheels off the ground. Use the semi spherical point at the center of the front subframe as a jacking point, and set jack stands on either side. It's real handy to have an air gun, but not necessary. Remove the right front wheel and tire and the plastic cover plate in the wheel well. The instructions are in the Haynes repair manual and in the factory service manual. You can find a copy online at:

tips not covered in the manuals are:Remove the crankshaft pulley first so you can access the lower bolts onthe engine support more easily, and pre tension the timing belt byinstalling a new tensioning spring but don't rely on that fortensioning the belt - it is not strong enough and the belt will be tooloose. Instead pry hard on one of the idlers or pull up hard on it witha hook tool, then release the extra tension and let the spring on thetensioner pulley then hold the tension at the correct amount as youtighten the bolt. As I said it is very helpful to have an impact gun for the crankshaft pulley bolt. On the four cylinder, you might be able to just use an inexpensive (around $50) electric impact wrench. I've seen suggested also to disable the ignition, fasten a wrench handle very securely against the floor or a suspension member and just very briefly engage the starter to break loose the bolt. One more thing. The bolt holding the sprocket on the oil pump can also be removed with your impact gun. You could try holding it with one of those belt type wrenches but I found it came off quite easily. Others have reported more difficulty in removing it, but even a small impact gun should be ample for that. Harbor Freight sells inexpensive impact sockets that are probably OK for limited use. I did manage to crack one of their impact sockets trying to remove control arms bolts, but the crankshaft pulley bolt should not be that tight. As a general tip, Kroil makes a penetrating oil which is very good, but for the control arm bolts the front two fasten into recessed threads that could not be reached. For the rear bolt, the Kroil worked fine, but you're not touching those here, just a suggestion that Kroil is very useful to have around.

it is very helpful to have an impact gun for the crankshaft

=========================== If you disable the ignition, you should _not_ simply disconnect the high tension lead because that can create potentially expensive damaging voltage spikes when the current has no path of travel to ground. Better to remove the fuel system fuse, or ground the ignition wire.