After noticing oil underneath the car and identifying the leak as the timing cover gasket, I had the repair done last week.
I loaned the technician a camera and asked him to document the process.
Although there were not as many photographs as I would have liked, it gives you an idea of the significant amount of work involved in this process.
In large part Justifying why this gasket replacement is so expensive.

I have updated my website to add a link on the replacement of the timing cover gasket.

The link is

http://bernardembden.com/am/timingcover/index.htm

 

Excellent pics, really shines a light on the labor involved. Sucks so many of us have gotten stuck with the repair, but at least now we know what it takes to resolve it.

 

Its amazing that a car with 5K miles on it can need a gasket replacement. A problem I might add that was known to Aston Martin.
On the bright side my dealer loaned me a car at no cost. What was supposed to be a 2 day job became an 8 day job due to some unforeseen issues. Never an issue with the loaner. That why I go to this dealer

 

Mmmmm not exactly a DIY process . I don't think mine is leaking but I do get 2 or 3 drips accumulating on the lower edge of the timing cover . I'm still looking but I think it's coming from higher up the engine . I will have to put my new endoscope camera to work and have another look .

 

Wow!! I have pulled a Ferrari 348 engine to replace the timing belt but this may be just as difficult a job as that, if not worse. Knowing the engine has to be pulled to do the timing belt, at least a 348 engine was designed to be removed with the suspension intact. Once I had the fluids drained, we had the engine sitting on the table in three hours.







To save all that labor cost, I would still replace the timing cover seal myself with the my son's help. We would have to make the engine support and the bottom cradle could be supported with a tall transmission jack while it was being unbolted. It would be doable but I could see easily exceeding the 20 hours, especially as I would have to clean everything that came apart before it was bolted back on.

 

The tech kindly gave me a photo with the list of tools he used. Nothing extra exotic. Will add photo to the website link sometime tomorrow. My take from reviewing the photos was that the price the dealer quoted me was fair, considering over $600.00 dollars in parts. This included an oil change, oil filter new seals and gaskets etc

 

For the DIY guys brave enough to attempt this repair I have added a photograph of the list of special tools needed, sent to me my the Aston Martin Tech.

 

Looks like I've finally got a bit of oil down there. Not enough to drip onto the undertray, but enough to collect on the seam between the timing cover and engine.

I'll probably put it off until next year. If things go well, I'll be rebuilding my engine anyway.

 

telum,
Do you still have the original gasket?

 

What is the outcome if the oil leak is ignored?

 

I thought it had been changed by the original owner but I'll have to reconfirm now.


If the leak gets bad enough, it'll drip onto the undertray/ground. You'll also have to top off your oil a tad more.

Mine isn't dripping, so I'm not worried about it. I'm going to keep an eye on it and clean it as needed until I rebuild my engine. Hopefully business will boom so I can do it over the winter lol

 

My theory is that there is a build up of pressure in the timing cover area that is not adequately handled by the PCV system. What Aston should do when they replace the gasket, is to also replace the timing cover with a version that has a port at the top that plumbs into the airstream just in front of the throttle body, opposite to the current port for one bank of the PCV system.
Removing the high pressure along with the improved gasket would permanently cure this problem.
If mine develops a leak again, that's what I would look to do.

 

Sorry for the delayed response, but yes - the timing cover gasket has already been replaced on the car.



First time
Date: July 2008
Mileage: 5600

Now
Date: April 2016 (almost 8 years since)
Mileage: 55000 (almost 50k miles since)