Oil leak on engine near dip stick, should I be worried?
 

Today I was checking my oil and noticed that it looks like oil is leaking through gasket, near the dip stick. Should I be overly concerned? Is this a normal issue that needs to be looked at?? I attached a picture showing the problem area. The other side of the engine appears to be dry!! My 4runner is a 2006 V6 Sport 4WD.

Looks like a valve cover gasket to me.

Is this a common issue with 4Runners? Anyone get this done and is it an expensive fix??

super easy fix, youtube the video. all your replacing is a rubber gasket.

Agree.
It's not hard to fix. Just need a few sockets and 2 hours or so. If you have a V8 (not sure if this applies to v6 owners or not), you'll need to remove the airbox to have space to work on the passenger side valve cover. You can find a gasket kit at your local parts store.
Don't forget to do your half moons and coil cylinder gaskets!

I’m not familiar with what/where half moons and coil cylinder gaskets are. I better do more research before taking on this job myself. Thanks for the reply!!


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A couple of things. First, this is typically a very simple repair that anyone with a few tools and some basic mechanical skills can tackle. But, I've seen several posts on here from people who were attempting this repair and had multiple bolts break while trying to remove them. Considering you list your location as The Great White North I would think that could very likely happen to you. That would open up a whole new can of worms if it happens. Depending on which bolt breaks, (if one does), it could be a difficult extraction. Because of that, and the hesitation I see in your post, you probably would be better off taking it to a shop. The other thing is, it appears to be a fairly minor leak. I think I would just clean it off good and monitor it for a while. Keep a check on your oil level and don't let it run low. (I seriously doubt it's going to drop much from this.) If it's like I think, you could probably run for years like this without any problems unless it gets worse. Just clean it occasionally. At some point the other side will probably start leaking too and you can just have them both done at the same time. JMHO

I think I’ll take your advice, I’ll clean the area first and assess my next move once the weather is better in the spring. Thank you!!


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It's good advice. What's the recommended approach if moving forward on one's own? PB blaster said bolts for a few weeks in advance and hope for the best?

That's what I would do.

Check to see if they're even tight. My drivers side started leaking. I could smell the oil after it warmed up. Turns out almost all the bolts were inexplicably loose. Tightened down and don't smell it anymore. Gonna get in and clean it up and be sure once it's not miserable cold.