Oil pump seal leaks are not underneath the timing cover. The oil comes from between the oil pump and the block, and comes around the sides. You will know your oil pump is leaking if your oil pan is wet. It looks like when your oil filter housing leaks.

It's quite a lot more work to do the oil pump. Drop exhaust, oil pan, sump, etc.

 

Fair enough. Didn't realize how prevalent the leak would be and thought it would be hidden. That said I have no apparent leaks. Pan is dry. Area around filter is dry.

Should I go ahead and replace these seals/gaskets while I'm doing the belt? or just leave well enough alone and wait and see what happens. I'll probably keep this van to 300k and at that time punt it. I'm likely doing struts/shocks all the way around, brakes all the way around and a few other things soon too.

 

I left mine at 200k its not leaking in my case.

 

Personally I would NOT pull the pump if it wasn't leaking.

The issue is that you can end up creating more trouble for yourself. Seized exhaust nuts lead to broken or stripped studs on the converters. I had one (of 6) nut seize on my rust free 05 TL, but luckily it just extracted the stud.

Another sketchy part is reinstalling the pump. You basically install it blind while simultaneously keying the oil pump into the crank and aligning two dowel pins. All the while praying your o-ring on the backside didn't fall out of place. There is no way to verify your o-ring or sealant application is good until after driving for a week or so and discover no leaks.

Also my engine is noisier after the job, which included all OEM timing belt,water pump, tensioner, etc. Whole thing just has me confused. Could be 1 of a hundred potential issues.

 

I just had our oil pump gasket re-done. How i knew a leak was occurring was cakey black oil to the right of the serpentine belt. Also, when filling coolant it stayed at the top of the reservoir, did not go in until i drove the car. The coolant fluid is near that area. If oil pump is leaking could lead to coolant mixing with oil and cause or is because of a cracked cylinder head. When dealer was done fixing this for me they left the coolant half empty.. good thing i checked lol

 

Oil pump and coolant pump do not touch. They cannot mix, at least not inside the engine. Yes leaking coolant can drop down onto leaking oil outside the engine, but that won't cause any problems other than a mess.

The two mating surfaces aren't even machined on different planes:

 

Im a retired technician and I wouldnt do that in my driveway unless it was leaking bad.

 

I think I waited about a year because the wetness making down to the bottom of the oil pan was so minor. Took a few cleanups and diligent monitoring by daubing with a paper towel in the exact spot below to even track down the leak. This photo is good because the block is painted black so you can clearly see where the pump mates to the block. It was traveling from the top of the oil pump (where the black RTV is shown) down and around the back of the pump to this spot. I would reach in this spot after each drive to see a tiny bit of oil each time. That's how I knew. If your leak was on the front/bumper side of the engine, it would be easier to see from underneath.

 

Wanted to chime in, you could always try AT-205. I'm pretty sure my oil pump is leaking a little. But with regular use of AT-205 and frequent oil changes, I don't get any drops on my driveway. Like the others have said it's a big job.