Hey all!

First time poster... Long time viewer!

I live on a remote island and have a 91 4 runner as a bush and sand basher.

Noticed a oil leak the other day around the oil pan. (Never had an issue before it). Assuming seals and gasket. Actually squirted oil all under the bottom from of the car.

At the moment i am trying to work out the best oil. I am not too sure what was in it before.

Should i go for a thicker oil? I do plan of replacing the seals and gasket if it is that however need to sort out the oil side too.

I have attached some pictures of the leak if someone could verify if it is the pan and what are my best options?






Thanks so much everyone

 

By the looks of that leak....it may be the front crank seal. Mine just started leaking and its slinging oil all over the engine bay.

As far as oil....are you looking for whats best for the 22RE or are you trying to find a bandaid that will slow down the oil leak? The owners manual and factory service manual spell it out best. It is really temperature dependent but the 22RE will run on just about anything.

Where are you located and what are the temps you normally encounter? For me in MA I run 10W-40 in the summer and 5W-40 in the winter.

For brand? I like Rotella T6. Its fully synthetic and costs about $22 for a 5 quart container at Walmart. It is marketed primarily towards diesel engines but its great for the 22RE. It has a great additive package and most importantly lots of zinc content.

The zinc is great for flat tappet engines and should help protect and quiet the valvetrain a bit better. If you are el cheapo you can buy the Rotella T5 (semi-synthetic) or just the Rotella T (dino version). They are the cheapest best oils you can get IMO.

If you are willing to get the best of the best.....Redline Oils are the way to go. One of the only true man-made ester based synthetics out there. Additive package is the best in the business and you can't go wrong...except for the $12 per quart price.

Go to bobistheoilguy.com if you wan't to geek out and learn a bit more on oil.

 

Rotella is a good engine. It is specifically made for diesels, but yes will work. Buddy of mine runs rotella in his landcruiser and its flawless...

I use Castrol high mileage 10w30. No problems. go 5k on changes, no problem.

 

I've had a few high mileage 22re's and used Rotella T6 in all of them, it was great.

Currently in my low mileage rebuild I'm running Castrol Edge 0W-30 (the german "european formula" stuff - it's well loved over at BIOG) When it gets over 100k miles I'll consider switching to the T6.

That said, the 22re can run pretty much anything as long as you change the oil regularly.

 

Here in the Hot Climate of Eastern Pa with the mild winters I run Castroil 20/50 in my 22RE engines

 

Good advice all around. I would add to resist the temptation to toss a quart of miracle juice into the crank case (STP, Lucas, stop leak, whatever).

 

Hey Wyoming...gotta a question for "yins", if ya don't mind...

Why you run such thick oil, esp. where it gets relatively cold in winter time?

Just wondering.

 

According to my owners manual you can run anything from 5w-30 to 20w-50 in this motor. If you have good pressure and no starvation don't worry about it and run what you want.

My thought on the 0-30 is that I'll get the best flow at startup, which is when most wear happens.

My engine runs the same temp whether below zero or above 100, and oil pressure is good as well whatever the season, so I run the 0-30 year round. it's nice on the sub-zero startups out here that's for sure.

Running the 20-50 to quiet an old, loose motor certainly works. But I don't think the 20-50 is necessary just because weather is hot.

 

+1
I run 5w-30 (dino) and will be swapping to full synthetic on my next change. if I keep this motor and rebuild it, I'll run amsoil and enjoy the long change intervals. unless wheeling prohibits that... I do try my best to keep water out of my motor though.

 

Thanks for the response guys.

Weather is very humid around 80% each day and roughly 28-33 most days.

Do you think i need to run a thicker oil to help with the leaks?

 

Unless the leaks are very serious, forget about them, and about using heavier oil; it would only slow the bleeding a little. I assume that your 28-33 is degrees C, not degrees F.
If you lose less than a quart (liter) in 800 or 1000 KM, your consumption is minor, in my opinion.
Consider the leakage a rust preventative measure or maybe, just repair the leaks.

 

Well the leak is probably 10-20 ml within a 2-3 hour period after the car engine has been cut off

Yes degrees C

 

Well you can make an argument that some of the premium High-Mileage and sythetics have a good additive package. Part of that package is seal conditioning chemicals if you have some dried up seals.

A slightly thicker oil than what your using now in a high mileage formula "might" help a little. I still vote Rotella T6, in your case 15W-40.

 

Toyota oil pan seals should only be a silicone bead.

From the looks of your oil leak, could be a power steering oil leak too... It's all splattered in places where it shouldn't be coming from your oil system.

Generally speaking, the only reason to run heavier weight oil is to slow oil leaks. The second # is the weight when operating. The first number only indicates the weight of the oil when cold. A lower # there is always better, except for with leaks. Running heavier oils only serves to reduce leaks and/or blowby. But in so doing, you're only adding wear and tear to your engine...

Head over to bobistheoilguy.com and read through his motor oil university series. I'd run 0w30 (north) or 5w30 (south) if I were you...