where is this leaking from?
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96RedRunner
Senior Member
VC gaskets more than likely.
Take a mirror and flashlight to confirm, no worse than it is probably lightly tighten
VC bolts you can get to will get you by for a bit.
Take a mirror and flashlight to confirm, no worse than it is probably lightly tighten
VC bolts you can get to will get you by for a bit.
LittleCaesar
New member
+1 on the valve cover gaskets. Ever been changed? May be a rear main seal but not likely.
Lamer
New member
Replaced both VC gaskets about 5k miles ago. and inspected the area around them. there is no oil showing.
at this point im thinking rear main seal but hoping its the pan.
gamefreakgc
Elite Member
If it is the rear main seal or the oil pan gasket leaking, I would just embrace the leak and chalk it up to age. It really is not worth all that hassle for a leak that loses a few drops an oil a day.
Lamer
New member
I like this.
I did also get an oil change done last week. I haven't done a whole bunch of driving but maybe the oil change has something to do with it. i'm going to pressure wash it now and have a better look.
I used Full Synthetic oil. I think ill go high mileage next time, i hear its a bit thicker and doesn't quite seep as much.
96RedRunner
Senior Member
I've heard of syn oils doing that why I never swapped from conventional.
SilverRidgeRunner1
Member
Add some engine oil dye and just trace to its source
Lamer
New member
ill definitely have to consider this for the next oil change. have a high mileage oil you can recommend?
I didn't know this was a thing. I just got home from pressure washing/soaping/washing that whole area. If I cant trace it when I take a look in a couple hours (tomorrow) I might just have to do this.
thanks!
96RedRunner
Senior Member
Oh boy it's started now, oil rec's Lol.
What I used for 18 yr 300k mi no leaks didn't burn any in 96, totaled 2-18 380k
Castrol GTX hi-milage 10w30 or 40
01 198k when bought 2-17
Rotella T4 10w30 no burn no leaks, super good at cleaning like the Syn oil.
The can is open
Lamer
New member
this is good stuff, thanks!
SilverRidgeRunner1
Member
thennen
New member
I changed my oil several months ago, and several days later saw oil underneath (more than this). Sprayed degreaser wherever there was oil on metal let it dry, then started the truck and saw it coming from the filter. Turns out there was a tiny half-grain-of-sand sized piece of something that was keeping the filter gasket from sealing. Boy, was that a relief! Cleaning all that oil off with the degreaser helped a lot, because it had gone all over the place from freeway driving and you couldn't tell it was coming from the filter.
thegipper
New member
When I swapped in my new/used engine it was bone dry everywhere. I was hesitant to change out the rear main seal since it was still bone dry but decided to do it while the engine was out.
I put a new OEM rear main seal and put a thick bead of FIPG where the seal plate meets up against the oil pan.
Fast forward a few months, the stupid rear main seal is leaking. #facepalm
Thankfully it doesn't leak that bad and there is no way in hell I'm pulling the tranny to fix the new seal.
If you know for sure its not your valve cover gaskets then it has to be your rear main or the oil pain itself. Either way, if the leak is minor, I wouldn't mess with it.
I put a new OEM rear main seal and put a thick bead of FIPG where the seal plate meets up against the oil pan.
Fast forward a few months, the stupid rear main seal is leaking. #facepalm
Thankfully it doesn't leak that bad and there is no way in hell I'm pulling the tranny to fix the new seal.
If you know for sure its not your valve cover gaskets then it has to be your rear main or the oil pain itself. Either way, if the leak is minor, I wouldn't mess with it.
gamefreakgc
Elite Member
I like how synthetic oils take away the varnish and build-up in the engine though. My 4Runner's old engine was as close to a sludge monster as a 5VZ-FE could get and when I pulled it out to replace it the heads and camshafts were much, much cleaner.
They do have a lower viscosity when cold though (good for engine but maybe not for leaks) so I could see if you had a leaky engine, it could make things leakier. That old engine has so many oil leaks from the previous owner it didn't even matter to me though.
Wish I could offer some good additional advice, as I have been there/done that, and nearly went out of my mind trying to figure it out. I feel your pain.
Since you didn't mention recently replacing the timing belt, you must not have rolled the bottom side of one of the camshaft seals like I did. I can't tell you how many hours I spent trying to find that leak, but because I tore everything else apart again to find it, as well as having another oil problem related to a VC that I cracked while re-installing, I spent well over 100 hours on what should have been a 10 hour timing belt job.
However, two other possibilities of your leak are the half moons and camshaft plugs, since you did mentioned replacing the VCG's. Re-sealing those parts is a very worthwhile thing to do, while you are in there. Simple, easy and cheap to re-seal those.
Spend some time with a flashlight, looking at everything very methodically, while keeping in mind that gravity draws oil downward, and airflow from your cooling fan and driving make oil go toward the rear. In other words, look upward and forward of the oil in your picture.
Since you didn't mention recently replacing the timing belt, you must not have rolled the bottom side of one of the camshaft seals like I did. I can't tell you how many hours I spent trying to find that leak, but because I tore everything else apart again to find it, as well as having another oil problem related to a VC that I cracked while re-installing, I spent well over 100 hours on what should have been a 10 hour timing belt job.
However, two other possibilities of your leak are the half moons and camshaft plugs, since you did mentioned replacing the VCG's. Re-sealing those parts is a very worthwhile thing to do, while you are in there. Simple, easy and cheap to re-seal those.
Spend some time with a flashlight, looking at everything very methodically, while keeping in mind that gravity draws oil downward, and airflow from your cooling fan and driving make oil go toward the rear. In other words, look upward and forward of the oil in your picture.
LittleCaesar
New member
Did you change the cam seal plugs and reseal the half moons when changing the gaskets?
Lamer
New member
I had Toyota replace my timing belt, water pump, fwd crank and cam seals. I did the VC cover job myself and sealed all of the cam plugs and half moons with plenty of FIPG, but I will double check the rear area just to be sure.
Oh yes, new OEM with plenty of FIPG, but will double check next time im in the garage. good thinking
96RedRunner
Senior Member
[MENTION=115347]gamefreakgc[/MENTION], records of PO with 01 used cheap oil change on time, bore scope in VC showed minimal sludge when looking at it.
Home I went oil change T4, 1st T4 change was nasty, 2nd nasty not as bad, 3rd best yet 9k mi of T4.
Did VC gaskets all that's left is a dark gold color not varnish on parts of heads.
Jhelms posted he'd been using it for couple yr 2 yr ago, gave it a shot.
I like it, see no diff with cleaning abilities between the two.
Pick your poison kind of thing, My Audi came with Motul Syn that chit $9.00/qt takes 9 qt, it gets T6 Rotella.
Home I went oil change T4, 1st T4 change was nasty, 2nd nasty not as bad, 3rd best yet 9k mi of T4.
Did VC gaskets all that's left is a dark gold color not varnish on parts of heads.
Jhelms posted he'd been using it for couple yr 2 yr ago, gave it a shot.
I like it, see no diff with cleaning abilities between the two.
Pick your poison kind of thing, My Audi came with Motul Syn that chit $9.00/qt takes 9 qt, it gets T6 Rotella.
