Hidiety

So my helping hand ghosted me. Decided to just bite the bullet and take it in to a shop. Hopefully it doesn't hurt the wallet too much.

Little update: I haven't been able to fix it yet but I am more calm about it lol. I went out and bought a harmonic balancer puller and installer to get the timing gear off as well as be able to install it correctly. I was lucky enough that it came with the correct studs but not lucky enough to have the studs spaced close enough to attach the puller. Turns out I know a guy who knows a guy with the properly sized puller/installer so he is going to come lend me a hand. Since it is up on stands right now I used some engine degreaser and cleaned up the leakage pretty well. When I went back the next morning there was a very slow leak coming from the power steering, so that will need to be addressed at some point. Still not a big enough leak to justify how wet the engine was, and the oil is drained out right now so I can't see anything on the oil pan gasket but I'll get'er figured out. @2late4u Thanks for the encouragement. I will be getting this done. Hopefully tomorrow, and I will be sure to let y'all know about it. @John/Horace I feel comfortable setting the timing. Pretty straight forward process, just line up to TDC and then the cams to their respective notches. My helper also knows how to do these things from what I was told. I'll do it myself but I'll let him double check my work and such. The transmission is on the drivers side on this vehicle. I do agree that the rear seal would be beyond my skill / tool set though. It does seem that proper care was not given to the engine. I won't be using any oil leak sealer in her though. I already have an issue with oil getting to the rockers and don't want to risk making that worse.

I have learned the name of the part. It is called the Front Timing Cover. Also, the "damage" I saw, turned out to be a drain port of sorts. I thought the thing had been bent by a prybar but I was wrong. The drain is needed on this engine because the timing and water pump are in the same housing. So if it ever leaks the coolant has a place to go.

Ok so I want to melt this engine down for scrap at this point. Not only is there no information about how to repair it, it doesn't follow the rules like most engines. The damn seal is behind the timing gear. Yeah, fml. 2 hour job has about 6hours into it so far and all I've managed to do its take the cover off. I did find out through an incomplete set of videos about this engine, that there is a specific puller you are supposed to use for the crankshaft pulley. I got it off with a regular one but it was a fight for sure. I am definitely looking forward to getting the pully back on too. The thing is a press fit so that sounds fun! And just too add insult to injury, there isn't nearly enough oil in the timing housing to explain the amount of oil I am losing. While it is in fact leaking and needs replaced, I think that the main leak is coming from the passenger side of the oil pan instead. Looking forward to that. I guess the silver lining to all this is that I'll be able to reset my timing since I have to take it completely apart to do a fancy O-ring. So frustrated, and down a vehicle, to not even fully address the issue I wanted to. Oh and I found this odd so I'm mentioning it, the water pump is powered by the timing belt on this engine. WTF? I've said it before and I'll say it again, I no wiz at engines but that some how doesn't make sense to me. Wish me luck, and if you hear about an Iowa man who went insane fixing a Journey, there's a good chance it's me.

Oh, I didn't take it as a complaint or anything negative. Good to know that that info doesn't actually show to everyone though, so thanks for that.

You're not wrong, but it shows my vehicle info in my info under my ID.

I am currently attempting to replace my crankshaft seal. After finally getting the pulley off I discovered that the metal plate behind the pulley has been damaged. I can't seem to find the name of the part to try and find a replacement though. I don't have it off yet, had to stop and eat something, so I don't have a picture. It covers most of the passenger side of the engine, is thin metal, and is held in with a variety of different sized bolts but mostly 10mm. I really just need to get a manual at this point.

Thanks for the tips John/Horace. I'm hoping to get under there tomorrow and swap it out. I did an oil change 2 days ago and I have already lost a quart +. The knock I hear seems to be from a valve lifter sticking. At least from what I have been told by another car guy and a video I found on YouTube it seems to be the issue. The video just demonstrated what it would sound like and it was exactly like my engine. The images I shared in this thread kinda confirm that to me as well, but I'm no engine guru. I would love to talk to someone who knows about these things and get it figured out. Perhaps this should go in another thread though, or in my DM's. I'm going to google this, but would you care to elaborate on what you mean by "crank has an issue with too much run out"

Thanks for the tips. One thing I am wondering about is if the bolt is a left or right handed thread. Without going out there and looking I think the engine turns CCW. Sadly, there is no way that an impact is getting on that bolt. I have a 36 inch breaker bar that I call "The Negotiator" for those bolts that need a little extra persuasion though. I initially thought this job would be much worse than it seems it will be. (knock on wood) After watching a few videos on how to do it on other engines, and your tips here confirming them I think it's a fix I can handle. Let's just hope I can get to it before spending a fortune on oil. I used some Marvel Mystery Oil the other day to hopefully help my problem with oil not getting to the rear valves and it seems to have expedited the leaking. Valve knock is a lot better though, so that's good.

To the best of my knowledge the old ones were original to the vehicle. I replaced them with KYB's. I wasn't exactly given options from the parts store nor do I have the knowledge about the brands to say whether or not it was a good buy. The strut spring compressor was a loaner from the store. It was a McPherson ( probably spelled that wrong ) set. It was a pretty simple setup. Essentially just 2 "hooks" connected with a heavy bolt. The new units were a 100% match to the originals and are definitely doing their job.

So it's just one thing after another right now. I haven't 100% confirmed that that seal is the source of the leak but it certainly seems to be the case. I am posting this to get an idea of what kind of job I'm about to take on. She's a 2009 DJ SXT 3.5L FWD. If anyone reading this has some solid links to share about fixing it I would appreciate it. Google pulls up different engine sizes so I can't be sure if the info is accurate to my car.

I was able to get it off. Felt unsafe doing it but I saw a tip to compress the coil just enough to stop it from flying off but keep pressure on the top plate. This kept enough pressure on it to help stop the shaft from spinning and allowed me to brute force the thing off with the impact. I did have to put the 12inch channel locks on the shaft still but in the end it worked. Now for the new one obviously putting channel locks on the shaft is bad ju ju. So what I did to install the nut was put just a socket over the nut, grabbed that with the channel locks, and used the allen wrench to tighten it. Thing to know is that you don't want to just turn the shaft. That can ruin the seals. So I let the whole assembly turn as I tightened it. Took some time, and I'd say my hand strength was tested, but I got it.

Can't edit? Any who, the leaker turns out to be the thermostat housing. Easy fix.

So after FINALLY getting my sway bar end links removed I was able to remove the struts. Now I have another problem. I can't get the top nut off to disassemble the strut and reuse the parts for the new piston. The top nut is an 18mm with what I think is an 8mm ( haven't actually put a socket on it yet ) hex on the top of the shaft to prevent the rod from spinning. My issue is that the top mounting plate doesn't allow me to get a wrench on the nut, and using a deep well socket to get on it doesn't allow me to put a socket on the head to stop it from spinning. Is there a special tool needed for this, or am I just missing something obvious. Google just pops up some basic how to videos when I ask it about this. Kinda on a time crunch this time so a fast response would be very appreciated.

Update: After a bit more digging I have discovered the source of the leak. I am happy to say that it turned out not to be brake fluid after all. Turned out to be coolant. I thought it was brake fluid because it was clear and mostly odorless. When I found the leak I wiped it down with a paper towel and it was a dirty green and I was able to smell it better. Thanks anyways to anyone who took the time to read my post though. Now lets see if I can figure out what the name of the part is....