LittleCaesar
New member
I will post a pic or two of my set up. I don’t have too much blow by but enough to warrant to having the catch can in the engine bay.
Need help with mysterious major oil leak
- Thread starter Outrider
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Looking forward to seeing pics, when you have a chance, LittleCeasar.
Thanks for helping me out with a replacement VC, thegipper.
I'm going to take my T4R for a good drive later this morning, to try to clear out the residual oil in my intake, in hopes that it isn't replaced by more. But I have a very strong feeling that my Dorman VC is the cause of this problem now. I am pretty certain it wasn't smoking before I installed the Dorman. Plus, I don't like popping my hood and seeing "Made in Taiwan" in big letters, on top of my engine.
Thanks for helping me out with a replacement VC, thegipper.
I'm going to take my T4R for a good drive later this morning, to try to clear out the residual oil in my intake, in hopes that it isn't replaced by more. But I have a very strong feeling that my Dorman VC is the cause of this problem now. I am pretty certain it wasn't smoking before I installed the Dorman. Plus, I don't like popping my hood and seeing "Made in Taiwan" in big letters, on top of my engine.
19963.4lsr5
New member
I made a catch can for the PCV out of a water separator for a air compressor. They come in various sizes. Plus I collected info from BMW and I think Volvo to get parts at the junk yard
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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
That is my plan, if necessary. Simple, and more importantly, cheap. Yesterday, I started making one out of steel scrap I have lying around my shop. After cutting a few pieces and trying to figure out how I was going to join them, find and attach fittings, etc., I paused and did some research, then found numerous threads out there about compressor separators. Then I tossed the parts I had cut back into my scrap bin.
But I am really hoping that after I get a VC from thegipper, I won't even need a catch can, so I will hold off on rigging up a compressor filter until I get and install that VC. I just can't see any other explanation for oil in my intake, besides my aftermarket VC just not working as well as an OEM one. Like someone mentioned above, Dorman may not have been able to duplicate the Toyota VC baffle design. Or maybe mine is just defective. But I want to eliminate that from the equation, and hopefully correct the problem instead of treating the symptoms.
However, if that doesn't help, then at least my engine will look factory, and then I will rig up a catch can. And then continue this detective work of solving this mystery.
Another update:
Now it appears that the brand of PCV valve was not the problem at all (even though I know OEM is typically better than aftermarket, so I don't regret replacing it). With a new OEM one installed, I took it on about a 20 mile trip today, running fairly fast on the interstate, with hopes that a good amount of air blowing through the intake would clear out the residual oil in there. Got to my hiking parking spot, let it set there for 2.5 hours while I hiked, and when I got back and started it, there was a massive amount of smoke from the exhaust. It looks blue-ish and smells like burnt oil.
Hopefully, the OEM VC I will be getting from thegipper will prove to solve the problem. I don't know what else could be causing this.
I will probably rig up a catch can before I get the other VC, both as a diagnostic thing to study this, and as a preventative thing to keep from dumping more oil into the cylinders, which can't be good at all. That way I can keep driving it until I get the other VC installed.
Now it appears that the brand of PCV valve was not the problem at all (even though I know OEM is typically better than aftermarket, so I don't regret replacing it). With a new OEM one installed, I took it on about a 20 mile trip today, running fairly fast on the interstate, with hopes that a good amount of air blowing through the intake would clear out the residual oil in there. Got to my hiking parking spot, let it set there for 2.5 hours while I hiked, and when I got back and started it, there was a massive amount of smoke from the exhaust. It looks blue-ish and smells like burnt oil.
Hopefully, the OEM VC I will be getting from thegipper will prove to solve the problem. I don't know what else could be causing this.
I will probably rig up a catch can before I get the other VC, both as a diagnostic thing to study this, and as a preventative thing to keep from dumping more oil into the cylinders, which can't be good at all. That way I can keep driving it until I get the other VC installed.
Update:
Until today, I was even more perplexed by this engine smoking problem. A few days ago, I installed a catch can that I rigged up. After several trips of a few miles or less, there was no smoking. Alrighty then. But, here's the mystery part: There was no oil in my catch can, either. I was wondering how it could stop smoking because of a catch can, yet the catch can hadn't caught anything.
After today the pattern repeated and proved itself. Short trips do not cause significant amounts of oil to go into my intake. Longer trips do. I'm thinking that is because it all gets good and hot. Today, after about a 30 mile round trip, there still hadn't been any smoking. But my catch can had 2-3 ounces of oil in it. So, that wasn't wasted money. And I now know for a fact that the oil is coming through my PCV system.
Tomorrow, my new-to-me valve cover arrives. I will install it, and leave the catch can installed. I have learned the hard way that when trying to solve a mysterious problem, always change only one thing at a time, and be sure of things before moving on to the next step. If it still doesn't smoke and the catch can still catches oil, then I will know that it was not the valve cover or new OEM PCV. And then the mystery will become beyond perplexing, and maybe even prompt me to run this T4R off of a cliff (after I add full coverage insurance to it, of course :biggrin2:.
If, after the new valve cover, it doesn't smoke and the catch can has no oil, then I will know that the aftermarket valve cover was either defective, or a very poor design, since an OEM valve cover will have solved the problem.
I am certainly hoping for the latter. Then the problem will have been solved, and passenger side of the top of my engine will no longer read "Made in Taiwan".
I will update again in a few days, after I have made some longer trips with the OEM valve cover to confirm everything. Maybe other people can learn from this, and I will want those who have helped me through all of this to know there were positive results.
Until today, I was even more perplexed by this engine smoking problem. A few days ago, I installed a catch can that I rigged up. After several trips of a few miles or less, there was no smoking. Alrighty then. But, here's the mystery part: There was no oil in my catch can, either. I was wondering how it could stop smoking because of a catch can, yet the catch can hadn't caught anything.
After today the pattern repeated and proved itself. Short trips do not cause significant amounts of oil to go into my intake. Longer trips do. I'm thinking that is because it all gets good and hot. Today, after about a 30 mile round trip, there still hadn't been any smoking. But my catch can had 2-3 ounces of oil in it. So, that wasn't wasted money. And I now know for a fact that the oil is coming through my PCV system.
Tomorrow, my new-to-me valve cover arrives. I will install it, and leave the catch can installed. I have learned the hard way that when trying to solve a mysterious problem, always change only one thing at a time, and be sure of things before moving on to the next step. If it still doesn't smoke and the catch can still catches oil, then I will know that it was not the valve cover or new OEM PCV. And then the mystery will become beyond perplexing, and maybe even prompt me to run this T4R off of a cliff (after I add full coverage insurance to it, of course :biggrin2:.
If, after the new valve cover, it doesn't smoke and the catch can has no oil, then I will know that the aftermarket valve cover was either defective, or a very poor design, since an OEM valve cover will have solved the problem.
I am certainly hoping for the latter. Then the problem will have been solved, and passenger side of the top of my engine will no longer read "Made in Taiwan".
I will update again in a few days, after I have made some longer trips with the OEM valve cover to confirm everything. Maybe other people can learn from this, and I will want those who have helped me through all of this to know there were positive results.
LittleCaesar
New member
Good luck. Let us know how it turns out. I may get 2oz of oil in my catch can after 1000 miles, but there used to be none.
Final update:
The dragon has been slain. Yesterday, I installed the used OEM valve cover that thegipper sold to me at a very good price and shipped to me. Thank you very much for that, thegipper! That was a lifesaver.
Today, I took it for a good drive. I found out that short trips told me nothing. No noticeable oil stayed in my temporary catch can, even after several short trips. For some reason, it had to be at least 10 miles or so, round trip, for any to show up. Then it would show up (2-3 oz of oil caught in the catch can), after every single longer trip. It must be something to do with everything as a system under the hood getting good and hot, to cause oil to get blown through my PCV valve. I suppose I will always be wondering about the that.
Plain and simple, it was the Dorman aftermarket valve cover causing the problem. It could only be because the baffle system under the covers on their VC simply did not work. It was either a shitty design, or defective. Strange thing is, I put them next to each other, tops down so I could see and compare them both, and they looked identical on the underside of the tops. But I couldn't see inside the baffle covers, without cutting metal.
Thanks again, everyone who helped me with these mysterious and mind-blowing problems. Now, my trusty old mule isn't leaking a drop of oil, nor smoking like a chimney on startup. I can quit carrying spare oil around with me now.
The dragon has been slain. Yesterday, I installed the used OEM valve cover that thegipper sold to me at a very good price and shipped to me. Thank you very much for that, thegipper! That was a lifesaver.
Today, I took it for a good drive. I found out that short trips told me nothing. No noticeable oil stayed in my temporary catch can, even after several short trips. For some reason, it had to be at least 10 miles or so, round trip, for any to show up. Then it would show up (2-3 oz of oil caught in the catch can), after every single longer trip. It must be something to do with everything as a system under the hood getting good and hot, to cause oil to get blown through my PCV valve. I suppose I will always be wondering about the that.
Plain and simple, it was the Dorman aftermarket valve cover causing the problem. It could only be because the baffle system under the covers on their VC simply did not work. It was either a shitty design, or defective. Strange thing is, I put them next to each other, tops down so I could see and compare them both, and they looked identical on the underside of the tops. But I couldn't see inside the baffle covers, without cutting metal.
Thanks again, everyone who helped me with these mysterious and mind-blowing problems. Now, my trusty old mule isn't leaking a drop of oil, nor smoking like a chimney on startup. I can quit carrying spare oil around with me now.
LittleCaesar
New member
FWIW the years have taught me that using anything Dorman on any automobile is a crapshoot. One may get lucky with their products or see them fail right out of the box.
When I said it was my final update, I lied. 
This evening, I contacted RockAuto and asked if I could return the Dorman VC. Their normal procedure is to do an exchange. I told them I didn't want an exchange, but rather a refund. And if they wouldn't do a refund, I asked if they could just give me a store credit.
They replied, with detailed instructions, and a pre-paid shipping label. I will get my $125 back for that piece of junk Dorman. That is why I like doing business with RockAuto. They have a great website, and I have always had stellar customer service from them. This is only the 2nd time I have had a problem with a purchased item, and they took care of me very well both times.
I was worried about selling this used Dorman VC, as I would have disclosed that it had a problem, which would have made it nearly worthless, if not impossible to sell, and I would have been out a whole bunch, if not the entire $125.
Kudos to RockAuto. This is why they keep my business. And the problem wasn't even their fault.
This evening, I contacted RockAuto and asked if I could return the Dorman VC. Their normal procedure is to do an exchange. I told them I didn't want an exchange, but rather a refund. And if they wouldn't do a refund, I asked if they could just give me a store credit.
They replied, with detailed instructions, and a pre-paid shipping label. I will get my $125 back for that piece of junk Dorman. That is why I like doing business with RockAuto. They have a great website, and I have always had stellar customer service from them. This is only the 2nd time I have had a problem with a purchased item, and they took care of me very well both times.
I was worried about selling this used Dorman VC, as I would have disclosed that it had a problem, which would have made it nearly worthless, if not impossible to sell, and I would have been out a whole bunch, if not the entire $125.
Kudos to RockAuto. This is why they keep my business. And the problem wasn't even their fault.
thegipper
New member
Glad I could help [MENTION=22526]aerobat66[/MENTION]
I bought a wrecked 99 last year so I have a spare of pretty much everything. If I see that a member on here is in a pinch and I don't need the part, I'm more than happy to sell it to them for a very fair price.
It's good to hear that its fixed!
OP here, again. I've said a few times that I was posting a final update (I will quit saying that), but here's another one. Just some info that might be of interest to those who were following this topic.
While trying to figure out why it was burning oil, I rigged up what I thought was a temporary catch can on the PCV line. That narrowed down the source of the oil in my intake, which was caused by a shitty aftermarket Dorman valve cover. I had planned to remove the catch can after a while, but I am going to leave it on there, because it still catches a little bit of oil. Maybe a thimble-full every 2 tanks of gas. That may be a normal amount, but not having even a little bit of oil going into the intake seems like a good thing to me.
I was worried about all of that previous oil burning fouling my spark plugs, so I just replaced them today. They didn't look too bad, but they did look a little fouled, for only having only 7k miles on them.
If I had initially intended the catch can to be permanent, I would have bought a smaller air compressor filter, which would have made mounting it on the vehicle way easier. But at that time, I was getting a huge amount of oil in my intake, and I would have had to empty the catch can a few times on every tank of gas. Plus, a larger one made it easier to install a drain valve at the bottom. It would be a PITA to mount this thing properly, but my rigged-up way is working fine, so I will probably leave it this way.
Here are some pictures of the catch can and spark plugs.
While trying to figure out why it was burning oil, I rigged up what I thought was a temporary catch can on the PCV line. That narrowed down the source of the oil in my intake, which was caused by a shitty aftermarket Dorman valve cover. I had planned to remove the catch can after a while, but I am going to leave it on there, because it still catches a little bit of oil. Maybe a thimble-full every 2 tanks of gas. That may be a normal amount, but not having even a little bit of oil going into the intake seems like a good thing to me.
I was worried about all of that previous oil burning fouling my spark plugs, so I just replaced them today. They didn't look too bad, but they did look a little fouled, for only having only 7k miles on them.
If I had initially intended the catch can to be permanent, I would have bought a smaller air compressor filter, which would have made mounting it on the vehicle way easier. But at that time, I was getting a huge amount of oil in my intake, and I would have had to empty the catch can a few times on every tank of gas. Plus, a larger one made it easier to install a drain valve at the bottom. It would be a PITA to mount this thing properly, but my rigged-up way is working fine, so I will probably leave it this way.
Here are some pictures of the catch can and spark plugs.
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Sarasota 3rd Gen
Junior Member
Did you ever figure out the cause of the major oil leak after changing your timing belt and seals? I'm going through this issue now.
Sarasota 3rd Gen
Junior Member
Napa Crankshaft seal
Excellent suggestion! I'm experiencing the same problem and noticed the crankshaft seal went on very easy although the old seal (likely the original from 2000) was very tight. I even broke a couple of Lisle hooks on the old seal and ended up using the paint can opener method to remove. I was suspicious when the new seal almost made it on with just my thumbs.
Do you have the part numbers of the NAPA seals you went with?
Excellent suggestion! I'm experiencing the same problem and noticed the crankshaft seal went on very easy although the old seal (likely the original from 2000) was very tight. I even broke a couple of Lisle hooks on the old seal and ended up using the paint can opener method to remove. I was suspicious when the new seal almost made it on with just my thumbs.
Do you have the part numbers of the NAPA seals you went with?
There were several problems way back when, and I lost track of what happened when. From what I recall, the Dorman valve cover in this thread was one major problem, but the major leak was a different problem, and my fault.
I had accidentally rolled the lip of the new passenger side camshaft seal, on the bottom side, when I installed it. I failed to use a dental mirror to check for that before I put it all back together. I did look at both of them from the top, though. I am normally very meticulous and thorough, but I sure do make my share of mistakes, and sometimes don't catch them.
