I just bought a 96 sr5 200k I love it but its needs a lot of work. I am very curious to know where this oil is coming from. it is everywhere. that little silver bit you see is from me wiping it off with my fingers it was thick sludge.

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Valve cover gaskets? Common on the V6.

If it seems to be concentrated around that harmonic balancer it may be the front crank seal in there. If it’s not coming from higher up that is.

+1 on the crank seal.....

thanks for the replies.

yeah my valve covers are leaking I just tightened up all the bolts its much better for now.

I'm gonna do a timing job soon so Ill find out if its the crank seal.

on a completely unrelated note I need a new rear driveshaft and saw this on camelback's website is it the right part? cause it seems like a good deal. I don't even know if they ship to Canada but ill hop the border if not.

1995-2004 Toyota Drive Shaft 37140-60300 | Camelback Toyota Parts

No camelback won’t ship to Canada.

Try ‘Toyota parts direct Canada’ out of Ontario. I’ve used them several times and all good.

That looks like it is the front, not rear shaft.

Maybe consider Tom Woods or other aftermarket supplier as another option.

-Charlie

That lip around the bottom of the block/oil pan will collect oil from a valve cover leak, could also be the dip stick tube oring.

I wouldn't bother with an aftermarket rear shaft except maybe Tom woods, I tried an aftermarket shaft with spicer joints and haven't been impressed, after 2000km I have play in the centre ujoint, seems out of balance out of the box and had no grease in the centering ball upon receipt, the centre ball requires a needle greaser and is not in a great position to be greased, it has cost me thousands in parts and days/weeks of my time trying to narrow down a bad new aftermarket driveshaft and seller offers no support or warranty as it would have to shipped back to the states and I've exceeded my 90 day warranty replacing other parts narrowing it down to the aftermarket driveshaft even though I requested a replacement the same day I got and returned it and gotten same shaft back greased... I Just ordered a OEM shaft at $1100 CAD and the aftermarket was $700 so that alone has cost me $2000 after taxes no labour luckily, but lots of beer and cursing. Use your VIN to get the right length shaft, there are 3 different propeller shafts for different tcase and trans applications.

I will go oem do it right do it once and use the website Kanoe suggested. Thank you cause dealers around here are so mean on pricing like I know I have nowhere else to go but come on! now I do have somewhere else to go HA! Driveshaft is actually a ways down the list of things to be done this truck was taken care of for the first bit of its life and completely neglected til I got it. cheap aftermarket parts, misfires, leaks, vibes, timing 2+ times overdue, shitty wiring for stuff I don't even know what is for, dash not aligned properly, oversized LT duratracs no lift like wtf its a midsize SUV not a 1/2 ton truck makes it ride awful and I don't think there was much offroading done with that shit Monroe suspension. Luckily all things I can take care of. I am determined to bring back to good health as many of these things as possible!

It pays to be nice at the stealership to certain workers sympathetic to your search for reasonably pricing.
Been getting crazy pricing at my local. Mad at the price structure the counter guys quote. But, been nice to the counter guy as he is just doing his job and following the stealership rules.
One day I caught the same certain counter guy 5 min before closing, not too many people around. I get a quote for a key fob, $180. Of course I balk at the price.
Counter guy looks around, and whispers to me to log on to the stealership online store/parts. He says to order online and choose pick up local, $79+tax for the same fob. No additional fees for local pick up.
And employees no soposed to alert customers that alternative way of purchasing.

I have the same issue right around the crank. I have new OEM Crank and Cam seals done 35K miles ago and OEM vale cover gaskets done about 10K ago. I didn't do the dip stick O-ring, may be that is an issue.

The oil you see could be the residue after the filter change.

I would pull the skid pans then take it to a coin op car wash that allows engine cleaning blast off all the years of crud then drive it around for a bit and see where the leak is coming from. You will be much happier when you go to work on it after doing this. Bring a creeper some eye protection I start by looking at the underside before I start spraying. When I start spraying I start at the bottom work my way to the top avoid the alternator, exhaust and the radiator. After the money runs out let it drip for a few minutes recheck to see any areas you missed. Don't forget the skid pans they will need a good hosing too. From the looks of the lower radiator hose you may want to consider doing all the coolant hoses and thermostat while your there I am also wondering how the timing belt is ?

Is your oil filter on tight or do you change your own oil and/or filter?

It is my valve cover gaskets they are original after 200k and have probably been leaking for the last 100k+. its weird that part I wiped off with my finger is no longer visible after just a bit of driving but I never notice it on my dipstick. it seems like a pretty bad leak.

I would get a new o ring for the dipstick tube. Mine is doing the same, and noticed it when I did my timing belt. I forgot to change it, but, it’s a fairly easy job.