Hi Guys,

My Yota is getting real tired, 298,000 miles on it. The front main seal leaks pretty badly, but I want to wait a month or so and replace the 22RE altogether. Is driving with this leak for a while longer likely to cause major engine failure? I keep plenty of oil in it. It runs fine now, just need to get another couple thousand miles out of it. Whatchya think?

Thanks, CR

 

replace it now - that seal is on the end of the oil pump & the pump then pumps the oil out & that is why they leak so bad when they do.

 

I would say it depends on whay your definition of real bad is. If you are going through like a quart a day then I would probably speed up the engine swap. If you are going through a quart a week then you should be OK keeping the level up.

I wouldn't bother replacing the seal unless you plan on rebuildin the motor. You did say you were getting a new motor anyway so the way I see it, you really don't have much to loose.

 

Do you have an oil pressure gauge?? Keep you oil level full, and watch the pressure...if it drops, PULL OVER!!!

 

i was once in your position, i had a 20R with 300,000 on it and the front main finally went. one thing is, keep an eye on your oil level! that thing is gonna leak pretty profusely, albeit not as much as a rear main seal. it dumped probably a quart of oil every 500 miles.

 

I'm thinking like maxpower. It doesn't leak a quart a week yet, but does leave plenty of oil drops where I park. I just don't want it to blow up while I'm on the road.

Thanks Guys, CR

PS Oil pressure is fine and I carry a quart with me.

 

As long as you keep at least a couple of quarts in it I don't think you would have to worry about it seizing up on you. I wouldn't recommend running with only two quarts for very long, but these little engines are pretty tough.

Rob

 

I would get it fixed real soon. I had too replace the crank because I had let mine go so long. You know were the key way goes on the crank? Well Mine was worn right down too nothing!! No place too slide a keyway into!! Plus a nice gruve was worn into the vrank from the seal I guess. My buddy who works for toyota had never seen anything like it. Sucked big time.

 

I'd replace the seal. It's not hard. You might find, however, that a brand new seal won't seal. This is because the seal will wear a groove in the main pulley where it makes contact. There is a product, I think it's called a "quick sleeve" that will fix this. Also, some seals contact the shaft at a different depth, which can end up working.

 

its only dangerous if you slip in the leaking oil

when i replaced mine the dealer asked if i had ever been changed. when i said no he sold me one w/ a different depth from stock for that very reason. no more leaks.
the pulley bolt is its own story

 

My dad's 86 2wd had it's front main seal go out twice (the first time the seal was bad, the second time, the groove got too deep). While the engine is slinging oil all over the place it's getting it on the belts and alternator. It might take a lot to hurt an alternator, but it's definately not good for it to get soaked in motor oil. Otherwise good belts wear out real quick when there's that much oil present too. You risk a lot when you compromise your belts when the fix is so easy.

 

you're cool as long as you don't hammer it, keep the oil full and watch the gauge. hotter it gets outside, the more care you need to take.

 

I guess I should probably go check my oil level and pressure then...it was 90 today, and said to be 91 tomorrow.

 

It isn't that bad of a fix but it depends on how far away from the swap you are. If you're only a month away then don't bother unless it gets really bad. If you're thinking the swap may be a year down the road then by all means fix it.

The sleave I used is called a "sleeve-n-seal" from engnbldr.com. It is the same as a speedy sleeve. It simply slides over the crank where the groove is. It was easy to install but I also did mine while the motor was out of the truck.

I like the guage idea too. I installed on of those after my shortblock rebuild. $12 at VIP.

Good luck.

 

i used redi sleeve from auto zone , the hardest part is making sure you dont bend the sleeve when you put it on. i hit the crank with an 800 grit sandpaper the only thing ive heard is that they will wear out your seals faster but i used one on my rear main with 5k on my engine no prob, my front seal is leaking and it happens to have not been sleeved, a new ballancer would be the only other option if you dont want to use a sleeve. ill probabally try a sleeve when i go to replace it.

 

Hey Guys,

I started this thread a few weeks ago and have done a lot of driving since, 3,000 miles worth. No major problems yet. Still pretty messy though.