Mystery Oil Leak

4Runner4Leon said:
I know, I would expect the same - I'm just going by this thread, second post - Easiest way to remove oil pan?.

Don't get me wrong, I am not pulling the motor, I just thought the discussion on that thread was interesting.
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It seems the guy that made that post is one of those classic under-estimators of what it actually takes to do something. I'd like to watch him pull the motor in two hours. He also said he could replace the timing belt in minutes with the motor out. Even if he was just talking about the belt and not also replacing the idler pulleys, water pump, camshaft seals, crankshaft seal, no way he could do this in minutes.

I really dislike when people make claims like this because it gives the reader a false illusion of what a job will actually take. I always try to give people an accurate estimate of what it takes to do a job. I'm not a quick mechanic because I'm careful and try my damndest not to make mistakes and I figure a lot of people are the same when they're wrenching on their rig or somebody else's.
 
mtbtim said:
It seems the guy that made that post is one of those classic under-estimators of what it actually takes to do something. I'd like to watch him pull the motor in two hours. He also said he could replace the timing belt in minutes with the motor out. Even if he was just talking about the belt and not also replacing the idler pulleys, water pump, camshaft seals, crankshaft seal, no way he could do this in minutes.

I really dislike when people make claims like this because it gives the reader a false illusion of what a job will actually take. I always try to give people an accurate estimate of what it takes to do a job. I'm not a quick mechanic because I'm careful and try my damndest not to make mistakes and I figure a lot of people are the same when they're wrenching on their rig or somebody else's.
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You know, I have no doubt some folks can do it in 2 hours. What I do doubt is how they would go about doing it - like you, I am about doing it right rather than doing it fast. Sort of like my alignment saga, haha.
 
Or try and move the main loom around to see if you can see any serious wetness.

Honestly though, I wouldn’t sweat it but acknowledge its presence going forward unless it starts leaving spots on your driveway.

Mobil 1 HM oils are excellent. Great additive packs.
 
LittleCaesar said:
Or try and move the main loom around to see if you can see any serious wetness.

Honestly though, I wouldn’t sweat it but acknowledge its presence going forward unless it starts leaving spots on your driveway.

Mobil 1 HM oils are excellent. Great additive packs.
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Mobile 1 always was excellent. I just believe if we wish to use it. We be replacing more seals and sealant.


It's truly a shame the front end is tucked in so close to the oil pans. However, it is what it is. I have seen oil pan leaks in Toyota engines before. Most of the time though the leak is from somewhere else. But on occasion, it is the pan seal.

The OP could see his pan bolts are torqued properly. However, being its sealant and not an actual gasket on it. I doubt think it will do a thing for him. :(

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Yeah, I was going to check the bolt torque just to rule that out - though with FIPG, that's not likely to be the issue. But worth a look!
 
4Runner4Leon said:
Yeah, I was going to check the bolt torque just to rule that out - though with FIPG, that's not likely to be the issue. But worth a look!
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In my opinion a leaky oil pan is probably just as common as a leaky valve cover. Albeit maybe they used different compositions of FPIG from the factory for both areas, but I think the oil pan leaking would be a pretty common thing with the age of our runners.

In my opinion sealant has a shelf life, for both sitting in a container and actually being used for what it's designed for... It doesn't have infinite life.

The rear main is another option for oil to leak from but the rear main seal retainer is also sealed with FPIG so you have that as a possible oil leak.

Just go buy some flex seal and spray that crap over every crevice you see!!!! [emoji2957] Lol jk

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Well the valve covers have honest-to-goodness gaskets, not FIPG (other than in corners).

I'm sure FIPG degrades as well; my point was that I doubt that torquing the bolts would help with a leak in an FIPG seal, but it's worth a shot.

My first line of attack is to degrease and add the dye, then watch for leaks. Fun!
 
4Runner4Leon said:
Well the valve covers have honest-to-goodness gaskets, not FIPG (other than in corners).



I'm sure FIPG degrades as well; my point was that I doubt that torquing the bolts would help with a leak in an FIPG seal, but it's worth a shot.



My first line of attack is to degrease and add the dye, then watch for leaks. Fun!
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Good plan. :D

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4Runner4Leon said:
You know, I have no doubt some folks can do it in 2 hours. What I do doubt is how they would go about doing it - like you, I am about doing it right rather than doing it fast. Sort of like my alignment saga, haha.
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I've seen an engine that was pulled that fast. Was done with a torch and very large cutters so yeah, it was an absolute mess.
 
4Runner4Leon said:
You know, I have no doubt some folks can do it in 2 hours. What I do doubt is how they would go about doing it - like you, I am about doing it right rather than doing it fast. Sort of like my alignment saga, haha.
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I don't think that you could get a 4Runner engine out in 2 hours, at least not by yourself. With a couple guys who know exactly what they are doing, maybe... But that goes out the window if there is even 1 problem (frozen bolts, etc.).

I was working with 3 other guys (two professional mechanics, two 'normal' guys) and we had a Subaru engine out and back in (fixed clutch) in about 2 hours. Subarus are a bit easier though...

-Charlie
 
this is about an oil leak not how much time it would take to remove an engine.

although, :lmao: I did it in 4, with another guy who i had to give instructions on what to do, and tools in a bucket. I had to hacksaw shit off lol but thats on a 4x2, with front diff in the way removing engine would take longer. and the last bell housing bolt was in a bind so much it destroyed my biggest half inch drive.

If I really tried, and all things went smooth I say a solid 2-3 hours is reasonable.

2 hours if you got anything you need and you know exactly what to do with pneumatic. There is nothing to taking these out.

Its so simple. lol
 
No worries, I'm not planning on pulling the motor over a small seepage :). It's just this topic came up on the other thread where the poster had to pull the pan, and one respondent said that he can pull a motor faster than drop the pan on a 4wd truck. Neither seems like fun, so I'll to diagnose some more, but let sleeping dogs lie if I can't easily fix it.
 
4Runner4Leon said:
Thanks for the feedback guys. It's definitely not a bad leak, more of a "controlled seepage" as Jaguar helpfully dispositioned their 70's XJ6's, but I digress.

I dug a little further; the power steering pump and reservoir, are totally dry, so it's definitely an oil leak. The block is dry higher up, so it's not valve covers. I'm a bit puzzled by oil above the gasket line, but I guess it can creep up. Here's another picture; it's right behind the AC

I'm leaning to it being the oil pan, which I have no plans to address at the moment (I read that it's a toss up between dropping the front diff or pulling the motor, none of which appeal to me at the moment after spending a quality weekend under the truck refreshing the front end):

I doubt it's the crank seal, as I replaced it within the past two years when I did the timing belt. Of course I could have screwed it up, but it seems to not be coming from that area.
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Did you use dealer parts or an ebay kit or aftermarket?
 
brillo_76 said:
I am just curious. What type of oil are you using with these engines seeping and getting worse?

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Been using Mobil1 5w30 for the last 6 or 7 years with everything bone dry. Only noticed this seepage a few months ago.
 
I have an interim update - put on about 500 miles with the UV dye, and so far no sign of it in the seepage. So either it hasn't worked its way out yet, or it's not motor oil.

I'll clean all the residue off, and start monitoring again.
 
4Runner4Leon said:
I have an interim update - put on about 500 miles with the UV dye, and so far no sign of it in the seepage. So either it hasn't worked its way out yet, or it's not motor oil.



I'll clean all the residue off, and start monitoring again.
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If mine were that clean I wouldn't know what to do. But in the rust belt so it keeps components from rusting .:)

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