on my 02 3.4L there is oil sludge all over the transmission bell housing and the back of the engine. every once in a while i smell burning oil through the vents. i opened the hood one day and saw oil dripping on the passenger side exhaust. its a slow leak but i need to get it fixed. looks like its coming from the upper valve cover.

is this common? i havent looked at the haynes manual just yet on how to remove and reinstall this cover but it cant be too bad right?

 

If its your valve cover gaskets, then yes its a common issue. The bolts tend to loosen up over time. Try tightening the bolts and see if that stops, if not just keep an eye on them and plan to change the gaskets.

 

i'm pretty sure its coming from the valve cover. but i looked at the haynes manual and it looks like the hardest part is taking off the plenum. i was worried that the valve cover also held down the cams too. which is a pain. but it doesnt. at 130,000 mi. i'll just replace the gaskets.

 

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/show...=196737&page=3

 

thanks for the link. i tightened up the all bolts i could reach today. seems to have stopped the leak for now. they were loose. once i get the old 87 dodge up and running, i'll replace these gaskets and change the timing belt and water pump all at the same time.

 

I was going to say rear main seal....but how often do those go out on these engines?

 

nah the rear main seal would leak down below the engine. its the upper part of the transmission bell housing that is covered in oil. not sure about how often the main seal leaks. i've owned 2 toyotas in my life. my old one being a '96. and i have never lost oil out of either truck until this valve cover leak.