I need some help here. I have the 3.0 v6 and have an oil leak I can't figure out. I took off the skid plate, cleaned the engine and drove it and this is where the oil is again. It seems to be coming from the middle to bottom front, passenger side of the motor. Oil all over the passenger side wheel well also. The oil is almost entirely on the passenger side bottom and lower side of motor, around the a/c unit and on the front sright suspension. Has anyone seen this before and have any suggestions? It's a V-6 so my filter is on the other side, it's not the valve covers, although, they leak a little too. This looks serious.

 

Are you positive its oil?

If its a black goo all over, it could be a split CV boot (if you are 4WD).

 

That was my first thought too.

Otherwise I've never heard of oil getting on the wheel well without it spraying or something slinging it on there.

 

I'm sure it's oil, and it looks sprayed or blown (probably by fan) into the wheel well, shock etc. But it looks like the sorce is from the front of motor

 

Sounds like the same mess I had after my power steering pump started leaking. If that's not it, it's pretty hard to see the engine block from the front, so you'll have to try and figgure out if it's coming from behind the timing belt cover.

 

Not pwr str fluid, its been full. What else?

 

Check the oil cooler lines. they run up the pass side and under pressure would spits oil pretty good. just my 2 cents though.

 

Check your front main seal. I had that same problem with my 22re. The oil was leaking from behind the pully and the fan was blowing the oil everywhere.
Hope that helps.

 

on my 22re i blew a oil sending unit where it taps into the block.... i dont know aobut hte 3 slow but it could be that??

later
wade

 

I want to say the OSU is on the drivers side of the 3.0 block. He is getting oil on the passenger side front of the engine area. Makes me think it is within the fans reach to blow it on the passenger side. I think Pirate Fins saying the front seal or my oil cooler line may be on the right trail but who knows. Depending on if you do all of your own work or if you take it into the shop this may or may not help you. If you take it in ask for them to throw engine oil die in to the engine oil. You will have to drive it for a day or so and then take it back for them to throw a black light on it and that will say exactly where its leaking. Or if you do your own work get a can of solvent and spray away all of the oil and then drive it. You might be able to find your leak that way. Have fun.

 

I've got the 3.0 and that's what happened to me, oil every where.

 

this is what i have, except for the wheel well problem. its all over my shocks and front differential, all my hoses underneith, everything. its an oil pan gasket leak, i just keep an eye on my oil level/pressure, and i dont want to spend 400 bucks right now to fix it, so i just let it occur. the oil is just waterproofing more than anything, isnt hurting any of my components. so my guess its an oil pan gasket leak, at least thats what mine is.

 

I changed the hoses and clamps for the transmission cooler lines and gunked it again, will see what happens.
If that dosen't work back to the shop.

Is $400.00 for a timing belt and all the seals and water pump replaced a fair price? Actually that was without the price of the water pump added in.

 

The dealers here in AZ have a special going right now for $219 on 6 cylinder timing belt replacement - that includes the belt.

(So you have something to compare to)

 

Funny thing is the fan blows it the the other side Just gotta look around, Sounds like the front oil seal to me..

 

I just thought I'd say..... this sounds like a widespread problem. I don't have this problem with my 3.0(guessing because the engine was completely replaced 50k ago), but I have two friends with early Runners with the 3.0 and they have the same exact problem. Oil all over the passenger side engine/wheel well area. I thought it was incredibly strange that BOTH of them had the exact same problem..... Sounds like it's not coincidence but a design flaw or something.

 

I give another vote for the steering pump leaking. When mine first started leaking it was ALL OVER the passengers side suspension, wheel well etc. as you describe looks like black oil. And the fluid didn't appear to be low in the resevior either. So I ignored it for about a year until fluid started dripping on my new concrete driveway and the pump started groaning when I started up the truck. It is very hard to see where the steering pump leaks from but mine was near the AC unit and the fan blows the oil all over down the passenger side of the engine. Get some power steering leak stop and problem solved in about a week (for me anyway. I could be wrong but this is a relatively cheap quick fix. Hope if works!