ck-scooby

I'm about to purchase a '95 4runner. It's got the 3.0 and after having the mechanic inspect it, the only thing wrong is an "undiagnosed" oil leak. He said in order to diagnose it, they have to steam clean the engine, dye the oil and then you have to drive it 300 miles. It's got 117K miles on it and looks to be in nice shape. After placing a piece of cardboard under it for 2 days, there was a relatively small (size of a quarter) spot of oil under it. So what I'm wondering is this: How common (or serious) are the oil leaks on this type of engine (the 3.0 V6). For a variety of reasons, I don't have the luxury of having the leak diagnosed prior to purchasing it. I know it's impossible for anyone to really tell without having looked at the engine, but I'm just trying to get some general feedback on whether this is likely a serious problem or whether it's just the by-product of a 10 year old engine that's going to leak a bit. The price on it is pretty good (I negotiated it after the inspection to reflect of the leak) and I'm just wondering if I'd be crazy to purchase the vehicle without having the leak diagnosed. Are there any other questions I should ask or things I should want to know? Any ideas what it likely is? Oil has been changed every 3000 miles (have records) and there's no note of the oil being particularly low or off the dipstick. Owner says he checks it before long trips and he's never noticed low oil. Sorry for the somewhat "amateur-ish" question, but since you guys are the knowledgable ones, just figured I'd ask. I've been looking for a good 2nd gen 4runner for awhile and I'm hoping this one works out. Thanks a lot.

Elton

is it leaking around the oil pan ?

ck-scooby

I don't know. Didn't climb under there myself yet. But the Toyota dealership just said the engine was oily (had oil on it) and they'd have to clean it and dye it to find out where the leak was.

4mydogs

Difficult to diagnose the source of the leak without more info. Mine leaked at the rear of one of the valve covers. Cheap gasket, but labor intensive to replace it.

Check to see if it was subject to the head gasket recall, and if so, was it done? The dealership should be able to answer that question for you.

Happy buying, and good luck!

4x4Lamm

Could be the rear main, and those suck to replace!

Lamm

ck-scooby

Is the rear main seal one of the places it's most likely to leak? I was thinking either that or valve covers. What do these types of things cost to fix? Any other likely "trouble spots" that could be responsible?

Again, I know it's impossible to give real good feedback without better details. I'm just trying to get whatever general info / ideas I can. Thanks again to those of you who have replied.

phorunninduke

Front or Rear main or valve covers would be the like culprits. None are fun to replace, but they are cheap parts. My money is on the front main seal, mine went out and I know of many others that have too. They seem to make a big mess even when they leak a little.

Flamedx4

Mine leaks at the front, and I've cleaned it and watched it and it's coming from the front cover. Only leaks when it's running. Short trips (like to work and back) takes a month to drip. Long trip and it will drip when I park. Never a spot bigger than a dime. From reading I suspect it's a cam seal.

So you have oil pan, valve covers, cam seal, front main seal, rear main seal as possible culprits. But then a loose oil filter or a broken oil sender can leak too. Maybe the oil pump. Ya gotta clean it and see... Narrowed it right down huh?

phorunninduke

Yours is a front main. I garentee it.

Flamedx4

Know of an "easy" way to look in there and see?

phorunninduke

Not really. Once you get it appeart to see, you might as well fix it. I think the seal is like $7 from the dealership. Worth the time. I lost a 3.0 because I let it go too long. Mine was a small drip, then by the end of long road trip i was loosing a gallon every 100 miles.

bike4miles

I would say no big deal. My 3.0 leaked about the same. I would presure wash the engine and if it isn't obvious after that whare the oil is coming from then it isn't serious enough to worry about.

bike4miles

O yea, I just remebered, mine leaked BAD from the front main when I got it. Got oil all over the timing belt so I replaced the belt and the main seal. After that it sill had a slight leak at the valve cover that was very minor and I never did anything about it.