oil leak as grand as old faithful

[montana_cowgirl]

i recently purchased a 1990 4runner sr5 with a 3.0 v6, manual ... my problem is that upon purchasing it, i knew i was getting it with a "small oil leak, but nothing major" ... to me, nothing major is a penny sized drop on the ground in 24 hours ... after driving my new rig home, maybe 10 miles max, i parked it ... four hours later i had a fist sized cement coverage in oil ... i look up underneath and from above and from every angle i can, and i'm having a darn horrid time trying to find a leak, seeing as there's a good coverage of oil everywhere ... i admit to not being very familiar with toyotas, but i'm definitely willing to learn ... i've already pulled off and replaced the bumper and grille pretty effortlessly, so i'm hoping to be able to tackle bigger things ... if any of you folks could give me any particular things and areas to look at and look for, i would appreciate it ...

one of the other more urgent problems i seem to have is that the door handle does not work from the inside drivers side ... i've already determined that it'll require pulling the door apart, but is it more than likely just an unattached spring/wire/etc., or could i be looking at something bigger???

 

[n8buddy]

where does the puddle show up under he truck? are you sure its engine oil or could it be power steering? if its closer to the right corner its probably power steering, as they have a habit of leaking. if it is engine oil all i know is that it will be a PITA to get to. from what ive read a good way to figure out where the leak is coming from, is to just wash out the engine bay with some degreaser, and then the leak sould be easier to spot without years of oil and crud there too.

as for the door handle, do you feel any resistance or is it loose? id take off the handle first to see if the control link is attached, then you will know if you have to take the panel off or not.

 

[montana_cowgirl]

it's definitely regular 'ol engine oil, nothing else ... i think i've got it narrowed down to being in with the valves, and i'm thinking/hoping it's just a gasket in there ... i need to have my valves "tuned up" as it is, there's sometimes a slight little tapping, not quite knocking yet, and i'm assuming it could be that ... so to tear things off to get into it and fix the two at the same time will hopefully clear up both issues ...

as far as the door handle, there's no resistance ... and i tried to remove just the handle part, but it won't budge for crap, so i undid the bolts in the armrest thingy with the switch panal, and the plastic holders around the outside edge, and popped it out, but the handle being in and not coming out via the one middle screw kind of has it all hung up ... so, not sure if i'm missing something there ...

another question, on the end of my windshield wiper control lever, where you push in to squirt the washer fluid on the front, it appears there's a piece of plastic busted off on the inside ... does anyone know if the wires are supposed to actually connect to the inside of the end cap for the lever???

haha, and another question ... how important are cv boots, and how expensive are they to get, typically ...

 

[ovrrdrive]

Usually if your boots are shot the CV's are shot too. You can get remanufactured CV's with a lifetime warranty on them from Autozone for $69 each. Just be sure to save your receipt.

 

[Redfox]

Maybe give some engine stop leak a shot. It helped me out. Don't get the one that just thickens your oil. There are some that some how rejuvenate your seals. Hopefully this will work on a valve cover gasket too. I'm guessing that's where your leak is from. That's where mine's from.

I think you can buy split CV boots which allow you to put them on without having to remove the brakes and hub etc to get to the CV. But I don't think they will last all that long. Anyways, if you are running free wheeling hubs, your CVs won't get much of a workout, so maybe the split CV boots will do the trick.

 

[JoeHill]

I also have a leak about the same size. I think its getting in the way of the starter cause when I park on an incline I cant start it up. I cant really tell where its coming from because of the skid plate but I can say that its dripping all over the tranny. anyway I am going to have it looked at this weekend. also when O turn the wheel all the way to the left it makes a clicking noise. CV boots?

 

[Patzlaffs]

DO NOT USE STOP LEAK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It is probrablt the camshaft or crankshaft seals, and you will only make it worse!!! stop leal swells seals, and will push out those seals and make it leak worse!!!! Change the timing belt, water pump and seals, should cost about $550 retail.

 

[DVS 4Runner]

Take it through a carwash and get the underside sprayed. Bring it home and set a piece of cardboard under it and wait for the oil spot to appear. See if you can trace it up from there.

Could be a valve cover gasket or a rear main seal.

 

[montana_cowgirl]

it actually did turn up to be the valve cover on the passenger side ... got in there and did them both, though ... although this was quite a few months ago ... everything seems to be running great now ... got me all the way to kansas to school and all, so we're doing good!!!

 

[Redfox]

Hey, good to hear it's fixed! I think I have exactly the same problem on my 4runner on the same valve cover. At first i thought it was the power steering pump (which i think is also leaking too!) but i think the valve cover gasket is leaking at both the front and rear ends. I'm going to keep my truck for the summer (xmas time is summer here in australia) and then possibly sell it and get a better one which I intend on doing up slowly. The problem is that just a few moments ago i found the perfect 4runner for me, and i can't afford it right now! argh!

 

[where02190]

Had the same here, valve cover gaskets, a common problem with these models, and not a cheap fix.

1990 3.0l 5ps 4wd, 240K and going strong.!!!!!!