(truck is an '88 4rnr, 22re 5speed)

...but I check the oil and it's fine (level and color.) I came out of Menards this afternoon and saw a line of oil drips under the front end of my truck. Kneeled to to see oil everywhere. Popped the hood right there and the top side of the bay is clean, except on the hood (just above the dipstick) where there is spray. Valve cover gasket is clean/dry, but at the base of my head, oil is everywhere.

Coolant is almost always low...really low, but I'm really never overheating. Interior heat doesn't get hot anymore, but I'm thinking that could be because I'm low on collant. I did a flush/fill a few weeks ago, and this is what I've got now. My exhaust is not plumes of white, my oil is not cloudy, oil level chekcs out ok...

Still sound like a blown HG?

The motor only has about 50k on it from brand new (PO) and when I bought it last march everthing was checked out by a Toyota dealer as being in prime condition (save the U/L balljoints...)

Engine idles/runs ok, and I have the same power as I did before this mess appeared.

Thoughts?

-Chris

 

soundsd like the top of the timing chian cover....below the head, th HG seals the timing cover to the head sometimes that seal blows, most likely due to a cracked timing cover where it bolts threw the head in that spot

 

PCV valve? Rings? Is the oil spray coming out of the tube for the dip stick? Is it trying to expel your dip stick?

I think you need to keep your cooling system filled. If it's leaking or otherwise losing coolant, it's very important to find out why and where and to fix it.

 

No oil coming from the dipstick, even though right above it (or pretty darn close to right above it, there is oil on the hood. I took a couple pics, I'm gonna try to get them up here in a few minutes... In the mean time, I filled up my coolant reservoir and wiped away some of the oil from the head/block mating surface, and from the front of the

 

That's odd. I've not seen it with a Toyota, but I have seen it with Volvo 240s -- the PCV valve being clogged resulting in excess pressure in the crankcase and the dipstick being the least pressure resistant "seal." Dip stick would sort of levitate and oil would spray out. If that's not your problem, then there must be some other leak as suggested above. But it seems odd to me that a different leak would give the same sort of spray.

 

hope these work...

 

Jeez, that looks like a lot of oil--more than I thought. Probably look for a leak at the timing cover/head gasket interface, as suggested by Lt Runner.

 

Front main seal in the oil pump maybe? I had one go bad and it blew oil out like yours. The oil above came from spatter on the belts.

 

Wash off the excess oil as best you can, run the engine a bit (if you don't have rod knock) and look for oil leaking from the front of the oil pump.

 

Have you done an oil/filter change recently ?
Maybe double gasketed the filter, or the filter is loose maybe ?




Fred

 

Yeah, I'm about to try to the wipe-and-watch. I need to pickup some more coolant, and when I get back from across town, hopefully (well, not hopefully, but...you know) some more oil will have pissed itself out and can help to guide me at least a little bit. I hope it's not something I can't do myself. F***ing winter without a garage, or another vehicle, or money. It's a good thing I love this damn truck so much

 

If it is your front main seal, you should fair well. Just have to remove the belts and crankshaft pulley. Although, it may be better to remove the radiator to prevent damage when pulling the seal. Good luck finding the source.

 

that really looks like a front main seal. Same thing happened to me on the old truck same moter. The main pulley had seen too many miles to the point where it wears out a ring in the pulley where it meat the seal. schmuks should have a front main seal w/sleave. You just clean up the pulley real good apply lock tite to the sleave and slide it over the puller and replace the seal as well. Worth a shot. First things first, give it a good hose down/ pressure wash it.

 

Yeah...I hear yah there.

 

from the pics, I'll agree with the others; looks like the front main. that leaks out onto the pully, and it slings oil EVERYWHERE...