Undercarriage a little...oily?

[doc1303]

My 2011 4runner 135k miles Limited 4WD. 2nd owner, bought about 1 year ago.

It's been bone dry where I live for the past 3 weeks. This is also garage kept and driven around 500 miles a month. Am I overthinking this or does this undercarriage seem too wet? Does it look like its leaking fluid somewhere? I can't confirm 100% but I don't think it looked this wet underneath about a year ago. Maintenance done to schedule. Runs and drives perfectly fine.

-engine pipes in pic #3 looks very sludgy/oily. What is this?
-could this be normal from frequent oil changes?


Pictures

 

[spartacus]

My 2011 4runner 135k miles Limited 4WD. 2nd owner, bought about 1 year ago.

It's been bone dry where I live for the past 3 weeks. This is also garage kept and driven around 500 miles a month. Am I overthinking this or does this undercarriage seem too wet? Does it look like its leaking fluid somewhere? I can't confirm 100% but I don't think it looked this wet underneath about a year ago. Maintenance done to schedule. Runs and drives perfectly fine.

-engine pipes in pic #3 looks very sludgy/oily. What is this?
-could this be normal from frequent oil changes?

It could be the timing cover leak.
Timing cover leak = first trip to dealer - Toyota 4Runner Forum - Largest 4Runner Forum

 

[Jeremy556]

Timing cover oil leak

 

[doc1303]

Thank you.

I'll have to get it checked out by a mechanic. I don't think it's too bad. I never had to add oil between oil changes. It doesn't leave a drop on the ground when parked.

 

[Jeremy556]

Thank you.

I'll have to get it checked out by a mechanic. I don't think it's too bad. I never had to add oil between oil changes. It doesn't leave a drop on the ground when parked.

I wouldn't even worry about it. Mine's been leaking for like 200k miles and has never left a drop on the ground, just makes a mess of the front right side of the engine.
It's a pretty big job to fix it

 

[mo_mo]

I generally park slightly nose down and get this. It’s so small that it doesn’t show on the dip stick. Just clean it up and keep an eye on it but generally not worth fixing if it is the timing belt cover job $$$ can buy a lot of oil with that kind of cash.

 

[doc1303]

I wouldn't even worry about it. Mine's been leaking for like 200k miles and has never left a drop on the ground, just makes a mess of the front right side of the engine.
It's a pretty big job to fix it

Good to hear. This nearly scared me into trading it for another vehicle. I think I'm going to just monitor it for now. It runs and drives perfectly fine and doesn't leave any oil on the ground at all. For the age and mileage, it drives better than most new cars I've test driven recently. I rather not mess with it if it's not absolutely necessary. Could always risk having the 4Runner not being the same again with such a big, unnecessary undertaking, even with a reputable shop/mechanic.

I'll keep it going as is until timing chain needs work, and just watch it and see if it gets any worse.

I generally park slightly nose down and get this. It’s so small that it doesn’t show on the dip stick. Just clean it up and keep an eye on it but generally not worth fixing if it is the timing belt cover job $$$ can buy a lot of oil with that kind of cash.

Sounds good. I park on level ground, my garage, but it hasn't left any oil on the ground at all. I may address it eventually if it gets worse or when the timing chain needs work.