What are these Caps on the Block in the area of the Timing Belt?
 

Vehicle:2001 Mazda Millenia P 2.5 KL
Miles: 215


What would the purpose of these Caps be in the area of the Timing Belt? The car is a 2001 Mazda Millenia 2.5 Liter. After changing my Timing Belt/WP/Cam S(x2)/Crank S(x1).Valve Cover Gaskets with all grommets. Intake Manifold Seals I still have this horrible oil leak that has been so hard to diagnose it turns out that my entire oil leak could have been caused by something, (As I see it) engineered so badly. I see visually two Caps. One that is Directly by the front of the Cam close by the two bolts that Hold the engine hoist bracket. The second is on the rear cam area on the block just directly above the power steering pump. Both are leaking oil profusely and after degreasing after changing the valve cover gaskets....it is quite visible that oil is pouring out bad. Not only is the oil bleeding out but the two caps have a lot of play in them. Very loose in their respective areas.

What exactly are the Caps for?
How many are there in total?, I see two but the timing cover may conceal more leaking caps.
I have attached pictures to better assist. Please Help.


Chris R.

while i am not familiar with the 2.5, i think what you are referring to are called cam seals. check out this post from the other group:

Was coming home from work the other day and smelled like something was hot. A short distance from my house I stopped at a red light and noticed smoke coming out from under the passengers side of my hood. By the time I got home it was really smoking badly, So I popped the hood and there was oil everwhere! Upon further investigation I realized that the front cam seal was hanging out of the cylinder head that is nearest the firewall , The rear of the engine on passengers side, brake master cylinder reservoir ,and firewall was dripping with oil. Has this ever happened to anyone else ,and if it has are they hard to replace? What would the reason be for this to happen ,and how do you go about replacing it?

i believe the 2.5 has 2. i know the 2.3 has only 1, on the right bank cylinder head. these are about 30mm outer diameter(i have one right here), and here is a very good pic of one of them:
Nippon Reinz® W0133-1787339 - Mazda Millenia 1995-2001 Cam Plug.

here is another post on changing them:

That has happened to me. The cam seal is easy to replace just unscrew the timing cover just enough to make room and pop the new seal into place. You can re-use your old one with a slight coating of rtv. (2.5 engine). I have no clue how easy it is on the 2.3.

i have changed them on the 2.3, very easy. just loosen/remove bolts holding the top part of the timing belt cover on the right bank, and pop the seal out. clean the area, apply a good silicon sealant to the seal, and pop it back in. takes about 30 min or less. dunno about the 2.5, but this is quite common

Picture of CAP as purchased from Mazda.
 

I went to the local Mazda Dealership and I purchased the part. Part Number KL01-12-603A (Cap Metal with Rubber Lip)


Hopefully this will solve my oil leak.


How exactly would you change the one on the rear towards the firewall. The one in the front looks easy as it all exposed. The one on the rear well that's a different story

go to the other forum, mazdaworld.org. you will have to register. then go to the millenia section, and look for posts by yel-low. he is the resident 2.5 expert, and is rebuilding an engine right now. he can tell you what to do. i only have experience on the 2.3, which has only 1 cam plug

Thank you and I will check that out. I am hoping it is easy.

also, it would be nice if you would report back on what you did, and close this out with the solution to this problem

Job Completion with Pictures
 

What started out as a huge oil leak turned out to be a simple fix....after purchasing the "Cam Caps" from Mazda changing them couldn't have been easier than most jobs I've performed on this car.


While it isn't a detailed instruction, it's shows entire job and from what I've seen is probably the best post on this problem.


Hope this concludes this problem....onto the next.