rlordjr

Been reading the great posts here for a couple of days and can't find an answer yet so I'll just post the question.

Have a 95 with the 3VZE engine and it has a small oil leak or seep I can't locate. Seems to be coming from the driver side, towards the rear. From underneath it looks like it runs down from that area onto the side of bellhousing and then follows the curve to the bottom.

In the morning after a day of driving there will be a CD-sized oily spot on the concrete. Maybe 2 CD's.

Has none of the HG symptoms so I'm guessing there's just some kind of seal that's leaking. I don't think it has the tow package (truck is new to me) but I'll look and see if there is an oil-cooler which it seems is a likely culprit and would be in the right place.

Anything else obvious I should look at? Thanks! Ralph, Atlanta.

yayfortrees

If you still can't locate it, I would clean up the motor best you can, then start it and try and find it that way. If it doesn't leak at idle, you might have to drive it a very short distance, just enough to get it started leaking.

pwd

I just finished replacing my valve cover gaskets on the weekend. It seems to have stopped most if not all of the oil leaks. My guess is that. Just be sure to do your research if you decide to replace them, especially the fact that the bolts only take 4 foot pounds.

iselloil

the valve cover gaskets are the main problem with oil leaks on this motor.

rlordjr

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll check that valve cover on the driver side. It looks to have been recently done and I would not be surprised if they over-torqued and squeezed the gasket.

iselloil

look at the filter area and cooler.

rlordjr

It's the oil cooler. Finally got a chance to get up under there and take a serious look. Looks like it is the seal between the cooler and the block. Didn't even know it had the "tow package". Seriously, the tow package on this truck should have included a bigger engine!

rlordjr

Update: After oil cooler seal replace (that sucker was brittle) the leak continued. Finally found it was the valve-cover seals on both sides, at the rear outside corners. Had to get the engine and bellhousing pretty clean to see the dribbles down either side. Replaced (that was interesting, sort of) them, used ex$pen$ive Toyota FIPG in the corners per the FSM and we'll see how that worked. Wouldn't be too surprised for something else to spring a leak now that the valve-covers are sealed! Oh yea, my torque-wrench won't go down to 10 ft-lb so I tried to use a lighter touch than the 10-pound click and hope they're all pretty much the same and not too tight. I'd hate to have to do that job again. Of course now I could do it much more quickly.

rlordjr

Latest update to the "chasing an oil leak game". If anyone cares. Valve covers done, leaking continues. Could have screwed up the valve covers since I wasn't perfect with my bolt tightening pattern and wasn't too sure about my FIPG placement. However, there is no oil present around the valve covers where it was leaking before. BUT, there is perhaps a bigger puddle under the truck. NOTE: the burning oil smell is greatly reduced (if not gone) now, so I guess the current leak is coming from UNDER the exhaust manifolds. I'm going to clean up oil cooler area (even though I did the big O-ring on the oil cooler already) and just crawl up in there while its running.

I suppose it could be a cam seal? I ruled out the rear main because when I opened up the plate on the front of the bellhousing, the "whatever you call the flywheel on an auto" was bone dry. Wouldn't it be oily if the rear main was leaking down into the bellhousing?

PCE91V64x4

How about around your oil pan? Seems as the top 2 common leaks are valve cover gaskets and oil pan gaskets. Some say you can just get under there and tighten the oil pan bolts but to me it looks like most of them are blocked by the transmission (manual in my case).

rlordjr

If I can get the lower half of the motor and the tranny clean enough, I'll give that a good looking over as well.

yayfortrees

I just changed the rear main seal on my truck, and the flywheel was also bone dry. At least the side you can see was. I don't remember how much oil was on the back. Then again, it wasn't leaking too bad, and hadn't been leaking for very long.

Definately check the oil pan bolts//gasket. You shouldn't have too much in the way, except for maybe a crossmember.

I am so glad I run a 4 cylinder!