Hi,

My '91 4Runner (SR5-V6, 3VZ-E) has a few issues. It has 152,000 miles on it. I was in and got the oil changed today. When they were done, the service person informed me of the following:

1. Oil pan leaking. $700 for repair, mostly labor.
2. Power steering hose leaking, $400.

I know it leaks a little (was told this a year and a half ago) from a different dealer, however, I check the oil on a somewhat regular basis, and usually never have to add oil between changes. Can it be left as is?

On the power steering, this was "news to me." I has always been OK before. They were talking about pulling the pump, etc. I am not very mechanically inclined. I would rather not have to put this money into the Runner at this point, but if I have to, can it wait a few months?

I should probably take it somewhere else for another estimate. Unfortunately, I do not know of a non-dealer that I trust (not that I exactly trust this dealer). I may have to go back to the other dealer where we bought our van a couple of years ago. I have had other service on the 4Runner performed there, to my satisfaction. That dealer is 80 miles away.

Any thoughts? Thanks in advance.

 

go see an independant shop, see what they say.

 

Which power steering hose is leaking?

The front diff is mostly labor. You need to lower the front diff to allow the oil pan to drop.

My advice, find a good backyard mechanic. Talk to their customers and see what they say. 9x out of 10 you can find a guy who does good work for a much better price then the stealer...

p.s doing the oil pan gasket on my girlfriends runner took no more then 2 1/2 hours..

 

as Jay351 said, do the oil pan gasket yourself, if for no other reason than the learning experience, but saving yourself 700 bucks should be motivation enough... considering form-in-place-gasket material is chump change.
same for the power steering leak.
otherwise, if you keep an eye on the fluid levels, you could probably go years without fixing them.
and most any mechanic should be able to fix either problem.

 

Simply tighten all the pan bolts and it will probably stop leaking. The PS pump lines do decay over time but there is an "O" ring under the reservoir that is bad for leaking. $0.50 part and about 30 minutes of time to replace. May want to check the pump to see if its wet, if so, its that little "O" ring and not an expensive line.

My $0.02

 

those prices would be about normal for a high rent district like Northern Virginia.

That said, If the leaks aren't that bad you could let them slide for some time, just make sure that you really keep an eye on the fluid levels.

Oil pans generally make a mess when they leak, but don't usually cause much in the way of oil loss.

Sometimes oil from removing the oil filter runs down and along the oil pan making it look like it is leaking or at least a lot worse than it actually is.

Power stering pressure hoses can get real bad in a hurry.

You may want to clean up the mess and see just how bad the leaks really are.

If it is leaking and you are considering a DIY project, but you are not very mechanically inclined, I'd suggest getting a friend that is to oversee any project that you may be inclined to undertake.

and as an after thought, there is an oil cooler on the side of the block that has an o-ring seal. I've seen these leak and it could easily be mistaken for tha oil pan. This make an even better argumant for a good clean up and check for leaks.

 

If you don't have to add any oil between changes then I wouldn't worry about it at all. Only thing that matters is if you mind the oil dripping onto your driveway and garage floor.

Power steering leak, depending on how bad it is, I would probably get it fixed. Although one time I had a power steering fluid leak and poured a little M1 synthetic atf into it and it hasn't appeared since.

 

Thanks for the replies. I was a little disappointed that they didn't invite me to see the problems, but that is an afterthought. I do not have any oil on the garage floor, but I think the big guard that is under the vehicle (can't think of the name of it) catches any dripping. But as I mentioned, it does not leak enough oil to actually have to add to it on a regular basis. I suppose I can try to tighten the bolts and see what happens. For the power steering hose, can I just follow the hose from the little reservoir to find the leak? I did buy a Chilton (sp?) manual a while back for this vehicle, so I will start by looking at that.
Again, thanks for the advice

 

2 links to help you out later down the road are stickied at the top of this forum section:

"1990-95 4Runner Service Manual Link"
"Links To FSM's & Part Numbers"

Both of those will yield you more info and better diagrams than your Chiltons will offer you.

 

Don't reef on the bolts, if they are loose, snug them up. It sounds like your "leak" is VERY minor. If it can't pass through the skid plate then its not much to worry about..

Clean off the oil pan area, and check back after you run it to see where its leaking from. Like Vic said, oil dripping down from oil changes can be mistaken for a oil pan leak.

If the bolts are loose, snug them up and watch for a leak.

 

Can't you just take the hose off take too get another made! Do it your self!