I have 89 240 that has developed an oil leak i belive in the or by the bearing that supports the cam shaft. the problem is that i can not see it because it is butted up against the fire wall. feels like there should be a plug or does the whole shaft have to caome out to fix it?

No argument with Zoom's nicely detailed procedure, but you may not have to touch the Valve Cover.

My experience, on a 240K miles car, was almost the same as t4d's. But with the plug falling out, I was able to "lever" the new one back in with a pry bar.

I think I may have put a large, flat washer or similar to bear against the seal (it's cup-shaped with maybe 1/4" straight sides, facing out), and then used a block of wood for a fulcrum.

Once in, the new seal should be good for another 200k, but for peace of mind you could fabricate a retaining plate (Don Foster photo below). The two tapped 6mm bolt holes are already there.
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Bruce Young
'93 940-NA (current) — 240s (one V8) — 140s — 122s — since '63.

I agree with the previous two posters - just had the same thing happen in my 85 240 (with the same B230F engine as your 89). The 240's B230F has a plug back there where the 700 series cars had the distributor mounted. The plug blew out on me on the highway last week - resulting in oil all over the exhaust and firewall. Reached back there and the plug was MIA. Still waiting on cam plug and valve cover ("cam cover") gasket from IPD to remedy the situation.


As mentioned, the cam plug can blow out if there's problems w/ the flame trap and crankcase ventilation. Make sure flame trap is clear and hoses are not blocked as this may lead to excessive crankcase pressure.
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85 245 DL - 91 Mazda MX6 Turbo

If your rear cam plug has blown out your flame trap needs servicing. Check the FAQ's for details

Your rear cam plug is easily replaced. The way I do it is as follows:
1) remove valve cover
2) remove rear cam bearing cap
3) remove old cam plug
4) clean everything as required
Reassembly
1) install rear cam bearing cap, torque to spec. (15 ft/lbs)
2) press new cam plug into place, (be careful not to drive in to deep) you might want to apply a thin coat of Permatex No2 to the outer rubber lip prior to pressing it in.
3) apply Permatex No2 to the sharp corners were the cam bearing caps meet the head.
4) install new valve corver gasket carefully forming it into shape
5) reinstall valve cover, torque to spec (9 ft/lbs)

Parts req:

1) valve cover gasket
2) rear cam bearing plug
3) Permatex No2

Some people can remove the bad cam plug by prying it out without removing the valve cover or the cam bearing cap, but my hands are way too big for that method.

VolvoLatino Just mentioned how to fix the front seal for the camshaft, however I think that you are talking about the rear seal at the back of the head. There is a Cam Plug there that is black and maybe 2" in diameter. They can fallout. If the plug is still in there, you need to take off the valve cover to put it back in. If it is not there, you will need to buy a new one, maybe 2 bucks? Either way search the archives, or a tech manual for reinstallation procedures. The seal you want is at the bottom of the list under this link.

http://ipdusa.com/ProductsCat.aspx?CategoryID=1351&NodeID=4180&RootID=629

A main cause is excessive pressure in the crank case. Check your flametrap, pcv hose, vacuum hose, and even your oil separator. Also to keep it from happening again and causing a major problem, there is a product that Ipd sells to make sure this plug doesn't come off. Check the link to find that item.

http://ipdusa.com/ProductsCat.aspx?CategoryID=95&NodeID=4991&RootID=629

Let us know, Good luck,

Smith

Your problem is: The oil seal of the camshaft is broken or out of place. You need to disassembly the fan and take the timing belt cover out. Then take out the timing belt, the sprocket attached to the camshaft, and behind the cover you will see the seal. Replace this one and the other two oil seals, located at the intermediate shaft, and the crankshaft. Put a new timing belt. Set the timing. Try to start the car without the fan, to see if the timing is correct. If the car start up correctly, finish the assembly.

I hope this is the solution to your oil leak.