97 SR5 V6 Toy leaking oil

[hallj22]

Hello community,

I am in need of some advice. I have been trolling the board for sometime trying to pick up as much as I can. I have had a pesky oil leak for over a year. I read ended a car back in April and I finally got around to finishing up the front end a few weeks ago. Since I have my father-in-laws car I have the extra time to fix the oil leak.

It seems the valve covers are leaking. May be something more but I have tried tightening the bolts but that didn't work. I did torque them as specified by people on here. 54 pounds or something like that.

My question for everyone is this: Other than valve cover gaskets what else should I think about changing?


Thanks

Jeremy

 

[audiness]

pressure wash/ steam clean the engine, then you'll be able to see where the leaks are coming from. Valve cover gaskets are fairly easy to replace, if its a front or rear main seal, it will be a MUCH bigger job......

 

[BlackCat914]

54ftlbs sounds like waaaay too much. Overtightening can distort a gasket and make it leak worse.

 

[Millerad1651]

My guess is the rear main seal. Do you have an oil spot under the runner? Usually VCGs don't leak enough to drip all the way to the ground, they drip down onto the manifolds and burn up. If you have a full on drip, check the rear main seal. My wife's has a leak there...couple drops a day. The part is cheap, but you have to drop the tranny to get to it, so I'm not in a huge hurry to fix that yet!

 

[hallj22]

54ftlbs sounds like waaaay too much. Overtightening can distort a gasket and make it leak worse.

Sorry. it was a typo. I meant 53 in.·lbf.