Polander

I changed my spark plugs yesterday and after I finished I drove the 4Runner to town to return some videos. I left the truck running by the curb as I ran in to drop them off. When I came out I saw a large amount of oil running through the the louvers of my skid plate.

I jumped in the truck and drove 2 blocks to Checkers Auto and bought a couple of quarts of oil to get the thing home...2 miles away. The thing was still leaking at Checkers Auto. I put in about 1/3 a quart to get the thing full and slowly drove home.

When I got home the leak had slowed to a slight drip and the dipstick was still on full. Today I pulled the skid plate and cleaned it up under there to find where the leak was coming from. I started the thing up and NO LEAK!!! I drove it around the neighborhood, on the highway...I cant get it to leak again. It runs fine. Dipstick is showing full. WTF???

Im pretty certain changing the plugs had nothing to do with this. The motor is often a little low on oil as it leaks slightly from the valve covers and burns a bit so 1/3 quart is nothing too unusual. I am wondering if the A/C compressor might have leaked its oil. The oil on the ground seemed a bit more viscus/sticky than what im getting off the dipstick. The oil on the inside of the skid plate also seemed to be concentrated in the area of the A/C compressor.

My A/C hasnt held coolant for a year or so now, and thus I havent had it on for any reason. I also have no way of knowing if the compressor leaked or not because the A/C didnt work in the first place.

I live in Moab and have to drive to Grand Junction, CO tomorrow to catch a flight to the family for the 4th. Im extremely paranoid about the drive accross nomansland to get there with a potential reoccurance of this oil leak.

Any ideas? Anyone?

abecedarian

I believe there is a high pressure safety valve on the compressor that will vent refrigerant if the high pressure side of the system exceeds a certain pressure in order to protect the compressor from damage. That may be the problem, particularly if the system is overcharged or was converted to 134a and not charged properly.

Polander

Would it leak a bunch of oil though?

I know that its been converted to 134 and I'd been charging it myself the past summers, but last summer it started to leak. Two or three days max of cold a/c per can. I stopped after two tries.

I havent messed with it since last summer. I would think there would be no pressure if it isnt holding refridgerant.

Been driving around all day and the leak still hasnt returned. ???

abecedarian

If the AC was on and the pressure went too high, it's likely that quite a bit of the oil would be blown out with the refrigerant. On the other hand... if the AC wasn't on, it's not going to be refrigerant oil.

You've got me on this.

Polander

Anybody got anything for my peace of mind? Still hasn't leaked again...

deserthound

Since you have an auto is the transmission fluid still full?

Polander

tranny fluid is good

deserthound

The only thing left is the front differential. If that's good, throw the extra oil in the back, go on your trip and enjoy the holiday.

Polander

well, the 4Runner made it to Grand Junction, no problem. I stopped into the Toyota dealer there to see what they thought and they were as clueless as I. I guess Ill have to worry about it when I get back.

Not the most comforting issue to have with some of the place I go. If anybody has any leads feel free to help me out...