A little background: I am 85 yoa and drive a 1999 T4R, SR5. I recently noticed oil drips and puddles on the garage floor. Replaced valve cover gaskets for the first time ever. This lessened the drips but not completely. I appears that the oil pan is leaking. Is there a way to remove the oil pan without removing the differential? Current estimate is $1300.00. Thank you for your suggestions. I check files for posts and apparently I am the first to need to replace the oil pan gasket.
Oil pan gasket
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Spiker Engineering
official vendor
You'd have to either drop the differential or pull the motor (some argue for the latter to have more benefits as you can then easily do some other preventive maintenance).
There is no gasket at the oil pan, it's FIPG.
Are you sure it's actually the oil pan that's leaking? There are many other (more likely) sources for drips, such as the rear main seal (that's what's currently leaking on mine). That leak can move along the oil pan and make it look like the culprit.
oil pan gasket
Thanks again for your reply. Is it possible for the oil pan to loosen? Would the rear main seal leak show up on the clutch? At 333,000 miles I guess anything is possible. Are there any ways to narrow the problem down? Given the price of new cars I prefer keeping this one, if I can.
Thanks again for your reply. Is it possible for the oil pan to loosen? Would the rear main seal leak show up on the clutch? At 333,000 miles I guess anything is possible. Are there any ways to narrow the problem down? Given the price of new cars I prefer keeping this one, if I can.
Previologist
Member
When was the last time the cam and crankshaft seals were replaced? They can leak and dribble down onto the oil pan. I am currently in that boat, hoping the new seals cure my oily oil pan.
I could be wrong am 99% sure i have read/heard of a way to change the oil pan gasket without dropping the diff. I'm pretty sure it was in one of @mbtim's posts or youtubes but I can't be more specific because it wasn't something i followed up on.
EDIT: OK never trust my memory lol. I knew he said something about it but it was only that there's an easier way to get the front diff out, mentioned here and apparently explained in his video which i have not watched
https://www.toyota-4runner.org/3382025-post9.html
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Spiker Engineering
official vendor
The best method is to try to clean off all the existing oil residue, and then monitor carefully to see where it originates. That usually works well for bad leaks, but not as well for very slow seepage, like what I'm dealing with.
Malcolm99
Member
Sometimes when people do the valve cover gaskets, they forget to reseal or replace and reseal the cam plugs and aluminum half moons, and a dab of silicon at all cam cap corners is required aswell. I've replaced the oil pan FIPG with Ultra grey silicon when I pulled the motor 10 years ago, still no leak, only reason I redid the pan was because the motor was being swapped.
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brillo_76
Elite Member
When we resaeled the engine in the 1997 limited. We redid the oil pan and the front and rear mains as well. We had the engine out for a swap so it made sense to do all he oil seals we could. The oil pan cant be done unless the front diff comes out or the engine.. Like other members have said..:-(
