disappearing oil on 87 4runner?

[wheresmyhex]

Hi - I'm new to the forum and new to toyota's... and working on my own vehicle in general - so please bare with me here ~

I picked up an 87' 4runner about a month ago and everything has seemed to be going great with it- I got the oil changed about a week after I got it and have managed to put around 2000 miles on it since then- I drove around 100 miles today and when I got back into town I noticed my check oil light was randomly flickering on and off. I checked my oil and it didn't even show up on the dipstick- I immediatly put 3 bottles (what are they like 2 quarts a piece or something?) into the engine to get it back up to full again... I have been keeping an eye on where I park it to see if it's leaking the whole time I've had it and haven't seen anything - I checked underneath the car and noticed that the gasket at the back of my transfer case might be leaking a little bit but I assume that is totally unrelated. I've also totally randomly had problems starting it (seems like maybe it happens when I'm on an incline?) where it will crank and sound like it's started but then die- then start after I crank it for about 10 seconds... As I said before I don't really know much about cars and am wondering where to start on this whole oil thing-
it doesn't smoke when I'm running it at all and I can't seem to find a leak? anybody have any ideas-


Thanks in advance for dealing with my stupidity and helping me with any ideas-


Pat~

details on my 4runner:
year: 87'
trans: 5 spd. manual 4wd.
engine: 22RE 2.4L
the previous owner claimed to have replaced the engine with one that had 125k miles on it- the odometer reads 227,000.

 

[Red3.slow]

You don't see oil any where? I don't know much about the 22re but if your loosing that much oil it has to be burning off or leaking. I'm not sure if it could burn that much oil and not smoke or not. but check really well around all the gaskets, bolts, etc where oil could possibly escape

 

[Naxirith]

Check the inside of your RAdiator sounds like a major head gasket leak. Make sure your dipstick is going all the way in. I did something similar to mine when I got it running I ended up putting in too much and it spat oil everywhere.

 

[wheresmyhex]

I'm beginning to wonder if taking it to jiffy lube was a bad idea- I usually change my oil on my vehicles myself but on occaision I get lazy and just take it in. The last oil change on my 4runner was at jiffy lube and I'm starting to think that they just didn't fill it up with oil...

I'll check into the head gasket thing-

Pat~

 

[Red3.slow]

my mom had something simmaler happen to her firebird. She kept taking it to the same mechanic to have oil changes and he never changed the oil. It ended up causing her an engine.

 

[mikes4runner]

Good god don't take it to Jiffy lube, Oil changes are so easy.

Did you check it when the engine was hot and you just stopped?
you should let it sit so the oil can drain down to give a acurate reading on the dip stick.

Mike

 

[wheresmyhex]

Totally let it sit a while so the oil can drain back into the crankcase. Yeah---- thinkin' jiffy gay screwed it up.....