Fixing numerous oil leaks on the 3VZ-FE + tons of Qs

[SmogSUX]

So I finally found some time and decided to tackle the leaks my girlfriend's 93 Camry has...
I didn't realize it was this bad..I went to look for where it was leaking to find EVERYTHING on the underside of the motor area was coated in oil and grime. Did a quick cleaning with some simple green and brake cleaner.... ran out of both so I didn't get it as clean as I wanted.

Ended up finding a BAD leak from the oil pan gasket. Pretty much within 3 minutes of idling I saw it dripping. The valve covers looked to be leaking too from the oil and grime I saw before cleaning.

So I'm sourcing some parts and am going to dive right in and replace the valve cover gaskets and reseal the oil pan and throw a gasket on there. Looking around I've found a valve cover gasket set with spark plug gaskets for $50 and an oil pan gasket for $14... her motor also moved a good 4" when she put it in drive and I saw that her torque rod bushing was gone, so I found a generic one for $33.

So my question is this:
While taking off the intake plenum to access the rear valve cover, should I replace anything else since I've gone through the trouble of pulling all that crap off? I just want to know since this is going to be a one day job..my girl needs her car back by the end of the day, so I can't afford to have to wait on parts. Maybe some random coolant hose that is a PITA to get to and prone to breaking? Anything like that...

Also I think she told me the Penzoil (She gets her oil changed there....) guys said that she has an oil leak AND a transmission leak....I really couldn't tell where the transmission leak was if there even was one, since there was so much grime and crap under the car. Anyways I don't have the tools or time to pull her damn automatic transmission out and fix a leak if it has one, so I plan on just dumping a bottle of stop leak in there. Bad idea?

Lastly, what is prone to breaking on these cars? Her climate control panel already broke and air only comes out of the defroster vents..I think those are related, the outside driver door handle broke, her horn doesn't work, and the air bag light is on. Seems everything is breaking on the inside... but that's not too bad. I want to know if anything mechanical is prone to failure that I can take countermeasures against. The car's had its oil changed every 5k miles and the timing belt was done about 15k ago, the intake filter was just replaced, etc... so the car's been taken care of fairly well mechanically.

I just want to make sure the car lasts another 100K or so (she's at 159K now), so she can finish college and get a job to pay off her student loans without adding a new car loan to that list.

I appreciate any comments/criticism that I get from you guys. I don't own a Toyota, but I've seen how much abuse they can take and how long they last.

[EEngineer]

headgaskets on the 3VZ tend to go so you just gotta keep an eye on the color of the oil when you do the oil change see if it looks murky or not

everything else is pretty reliable but those gasket issues are really common. when u pull out the inteke plenum to get to the rear bank gasket...might as well change the spark plugs and wires and get another intake manifold gasket

[Novice_cardude]

What EEngineer said about plugs is true. Also were the cam seals changed with the timing belt? they tend to leak at that age, and require the removal of the timing belt and cam gears to change. You can tell if they're leaking by looking at the backside of the timing cover.

Rear main seals tend to leak pretty often at that age too. as for the transmission, if it's not the pan gasket it's probably axle seals or a porous case. i'd just keep putting tranny fluid in it unless it starts pouring out.

And if you replace the top motor mount, replace the front one as well. it's movement in the front mount that makes that top mount break.

When the timing belt was changed was the water pump and idlers and all that good stuff replaced as well? if you're trying to keep it going another 100k miles that wouldn't be a bad idea.

basically with a motor that old if you're tearing apart one side to replace one part (timing belt) you try to replace all the other parts that are around there at the same time.

[SmogSUX]

Thanks! I'll go ahead and pick up an intake plenum gasket to go with the list...and a front motor mount.

I'm not looking to make this the last maintenance for another 100k, just getting stuff out of the way, hoping the car will last another 100k with good maintenance. I'll also pick up some spark plugs as hers were replaced 50k ago with the timing belt, tensioner, plug wires and water pump.

I figure the plug wires will be fine. I don't wanna do the timing belt as it looks to be a major PITA...we'll just take it to a shop in another 30k. I also don't want to remove the transmission to do the real main seal until it actually goes...but by then we'll probably part out the car. Also I'll wait on the cam seals until we do the timing belt and tensioner. I'm just dealing with that's easier to get to with the intake removed.

[Novice_cardude]

Roger that. Invest in some vacuum hose stock or get the obvious pre-shaped ones from the dealer. Main ones to worry about are the little vacuum lines that go to the evap vsv's above the lower intake (visible without removing the intake plenum, but you do disturb them removing the plenum), and the pcv hose. that one always cracks on a car that old.

Also, if you just unbolt the plenum and the bolts in the back holding it in place, you can lay it over where the air box goes without taking the throttle body off, thus eliminating the need to buy that gasket as well. just be careful laying it over so you don't pinch any seemlingly insignificant electrical wires or hoses.

for what you got planned it really shouldn't take long.

One other thing to watch out for is the cam gears on bank 1 (against the firewall) when you're putting that valve cover back on. those gears will reach out and grab the valve cover gasket and it's possible to bolt it down without realizing what happened. just lift it up slightly and feel under there once it's in place to make sure the gasket is where it's supposed to be.

that's all i can think of. you should be golden now. take pictures to show off your handiwork!

[zppeacock]

If the horn doesnt work and the air bag light is on, youve probably got a bad clockspring.

[Novice_cardude]

Originally Posted by zppeacock

If the horn doesnt work and the air bag light is on, youve probably got a bad clockspring.

Thank you captain random!

wow i'm hyper...

And yeah that would make sense.