Sadface.

[Loganwiththe'93]

So, I decided to put my car up on some blocks today so I can take a peek at it, and see if I could find the elusive oil leak. Got it up on the blocks just fine, and I popped my head under it. The entire engine block from the Head Gasket down, encompassing the entire front end, was covered in oil. There was oil dripping from wires, from the exhaust pipe, from every angle I could see there was oil.
I had my father go under and investigate.
The first few words out of his mouth:
Holy $h!%.
He thinks it is coming from the head gasket, and if it is, It would cost more than I can afford to put into the car. He told me that we should consider trading it in now before It blows up in my face. So, I regret to say, I may be getting rid of my baby
1993 Toyota Camry LE I4
133,920 Miles.
We will be taking it to the family mechanic and get the final prognosis.
On the good side, there are some sexy BMW's and Chrysler's in the area for sale.. Oddly enough, all of those cars are in the 1997-2000 range, and KBB lists them as worth the same as my 1993. Hmmm.

[Venom_5]

its more than likely the valve cover gasket ... get pics of the engine bay if possible

if it were the head gasket, you would have more problems than just a leak ... and a valve cover gasket is a 30 min job that costs $20 for the part from the dealership

[Loganwiththe'93]

Originally Posted by Venom_5

its more than likely the valve cover gasket ... get pics of the engine bay if possible

if it were the head gasket, you would have more problems than just a leak ... and a valve cover gasket is a 30 min job that costs $20 for the part from the dealership

It's off the ramps now, So I can't show you what I saw. However, I do have pics of it, in old threads.
Continuing work on my Camry
Theres some pics from the bottom, not a very good one. But you can pretty much tell the entire area is wet. At the time of that pic, I did not realize how much oil there was.
Odd fluid on engine
Top view. This was taken before I knew there was oil in the Spark Plug tubes.

[RichieRichJP]

With oil all the way up on the spark plugs, it probably is the valve cover gasket. No biggie

[Loganwiththe'93]

Originally Posted by RichieRichJP

With oil all the way up on the spark plugs, it probably is the valve cover gasket. No biggie

I hope so. But it seems that the leaks in the spark plug tubes are separate from the leak on the bottom of the engine. The leak on the top is confined to the spark plug tubes, and from there to the header it is dry. From the header down, it is soaking wet.
It could be another month before I get it to our mechanic. My dad is in no rush. xD

[96paseo]

Did this happen right after an oil change? If so, you should remove your oil filter and check for the dreaded double gasket. Since you said the oil is everywhere under the header, this is a good place to start. If the gasket from the old oil filter stuck to the housing and the new oil filter was cranked on on top of it, it could spray everwhere. This rarely happens but just a thought.

[Loganwiththe'93]

Originally Posted by 96paseo

Did this happen right after an oil change? If so, you should remove your oil filter and check for the dreaded double gasket. Since you said the oil is everywhere under the header, this is a good place to start. If the gasket from the old oil filter stuck to the housing and the new oil filter was cranked on on top of it, it could spray everwhere. This rarely happens but just a thought.

Hm. I don't remember when the last oil job was done. My aunt said when she had it done (It was not too long ago as far as miles are concerned) she also had all of the seals replaced, specifically the valve cover gasket, oil pan gasket, and a few others if I recall. As I said, I'll just wait till I take it to the mechanic. Nothing me and my dad can do right now.

[Sniperdude]

It could be a combination leak, valve cover gasket, spark plug tube seals, PCV blockage, oil pressure switch, and possibly your oil pan gasket.

The valve cover is a breeze to do. If you're inexperienced, then don't attempt it, but the more expensive job of the two is the oil pan gasket, if necessary.