3rd & 4th Generation (1992–1996 & 1997–2001)Toyota Camry Discussion for years: 1992-1996 & 1997-2001
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GEN 3 Started with a small leaky gasket.. now found oil under car.. WHATS GOING ON?
Problem started a month ago. Was getting rough start ups because i had a leaky head gasket affecting the middle back cylinder - Coolant was getting in there and causing problems.
Poured a bottle of ChemiWeld in my car and it stopped the rough start ups immedlatley so i assumed it sealed the leak.
Ever since then my Hydraulic fans come on much more then they ever did in the past which means cars getting hotter then before, but car temp guage is not overheating tho...yet.
Anyway i came home today and i noticed under my car there was a small puddle under my car, i checked it out and touched it with my fingers, its a light brown colour. seems to me like its engine oil, which is strange because of three things:
1 in 14 years ive had the car it has NEVER leaked oil
2 the small drops seem to be coming from right under where the A/C compressor is located (remember its a V6 setup)
3 the oil dosent smell like oil - it has no smell.
Can someone tell me what the hell is happening with my car latley? this car used to get me through thick and thin and im dissapointed at only 132,548 miles its starting to give me these problems.. these engines are supposed to last a heck of a lot more then that before they brake down... or so ive been told.
The coolant in radiator is super green. Clean as anything. I'm starting to think it has nothing to to with the gasket, might be a CV boot seal leaking again.
check the CV boot if you think that is what is might be. from my experience, ive never had a bad CV boot drip grease on the ground. it tends to fling all around the wheel well and suspension parts.
honestly, i never use those stop leak formulas in a bottle because its just a bandaid and you dont know what else could be effected. 14 years and no oil leaks, im guessing you just got your first. time to dig out the flash light and look up under the car to see where its coming from.
does it have the consistancy of oil? if it does then youve ruled out the coolant. its sounds liek PS fluid but the car wouldnt run hot. you dont notice any differances in steering do you?
if thats not it then it has to be an oil leak. even though the car may have only 130ish on it, a car that old is gonna spring leaks eventually, my old XLE did at 125K, just because it was old. it could be a HG or rear bank VC leak. take a close look under and behind the engine. if possible, wipre off as much of the crap under there as possible and then let teh car run a little and see where its leakin from.
now im very confused. i stuck my hand underneath and felt the substance on the ground and it seemed more watery then oily, but it has a dark dirty sence to it.. im not sure at all what it could be.
also a freind brought up a good point if it was oil, it would have a ring or some sort of stain on the ground which would be visible for days.. this sort of dissapeares quicker then oil.
and the position is sort of directly underneath the overflow bottle, not the AC condencer, but the oferflow bottle is not leaking.
if the engine is running hotter then normal then the AC condenser may be gathering more moisture on the outside. when you use the AC water condenses on the components and drips down and often looks like oil.
that makes sence, but i havent used the aircon in about 3 months. And after closer inspection, it seems to be approximatley between the power steering fluid and the overflow bottle. although inspection of both of these two shows no signs of leakage.
very odd.
On another note, how often does your Hydraulic fan power on to a higher speed when you drive your V6? Gen3 (Assuming you have one)
that makes sence, but i havent used the aircon in about 3 months. And after closer inspection, it seems to be approximatley between the power steering fluid and the overflow bottle. although inspection of both of these two shows no signs of leakage.
Here's a couple points I'd like to make:
As you know, anytime you have any type of fluid leak from your car, you need to determine what it is and where it's coming from. A good way to do this is to check and fill all your fluids (antifreeze mix in radiator when cold and in overflow tank to the specified line), oil in the engine, transmission fluid down dipstick tube if you have an automatic), power steering fluid - don't overfill, brake fluid, clutch master cylinder if a manual, and perhaps windshield washing fluid. Note the colors and smells of the fluids. Spend a few minutes cleaning the worst spills and years of fluid grime from and under your engine and tranny. (Wear goggles and use lots of paper towels).
Since fluids come in different colors, and can change depending on their use, get a big sheet of clean, (WHITE is best) cardboard, put it in your driveway, and let the car sit, maybe overnight. See if it leaks sitting, and also let it run the next day for 10 minutes, over the cardboard, before driving away. Some leaks depend on the temperature, weather, type of driving, and luck. Each time you find a leak puddle you have another opportunity to determine what it is and where it's likely coming from. Antifreeze used to be just green, but can be Toyota's red, the newer stuff is light yellow, and a mix of these can make it brown. Antifreeze can also seem kind of slick like oil, but it won't smell like oil or gas fumes- sometimes the only way to tell them apart.
1. Also, I don't want to get off the subject, but in many cars, (maybe yours?) the windshield defroster / defogger setting runs the A/C - which takes moisture out of the air, and also keeps the A/C from seizing up from non-use. Therefore, you may very well be using your A/C during the winter. Also, A/C systems have a special (thin?) oil in them (just several ounces -clear to yellow), and if it leaks out, your A/C compressor will die - that's what happened on my friends 96 Camry 4 cyl, and it's an expensive part to replace. So, your A/C could be a source of water (from air evaporation - more common in warm weather), or oil - if the A/C system is leaking it - though that usually leaks so slowly you never notice it as anything but an oily film build-up in the engine area.
2. On my 96 Camry 4 cyl, the plastic antifreeze overflow tank has tiny cracks in the top where it is squeezed - attached by a metal "clamp", and that would sometimes leak - until I took it out, cleaned it, and sealed the cracks with silicone. Also, make sure the rubber overflow hose is in good shape and connected from your radiator to the overflow tank. This is especially important if your car is getting hotter than normal, as the coolant will expand, and try to go to the overflow tank - but if yours leak, it will then not be sucked back into the radiator (by vacuum), where it's needed for another cycle.
Yeah - A red colored leak can be particularly frustrating, depending on your vehicle, since Toyota factory antifreeze is red, since power steering fluid can be red, as well as transmission fluid. Which reminds me, I think you said yours is a manual, but as you may know, many automatic trans cars route their transmission fluid through metal tubing up to a small, radiator-like cooler in the front (before returning again).
With a little patience and work, you will surely find your leak menace. Good Luck and let us know what you find!
Okay, now im very worried. After driving around for about 20 mins my fan came on at a high rate as its been doing ever since tihs problem started, so i pulled over to the side of the road and i saw drops of coolant dripping again. This time, i felt it with my fingers and the color was very green, but it felt a tad sludgey...but the coolant in the reserviour and radiator does not feel sludgy at all, and the oil on dipstick does not look milky...
Help....
Last edited by GRANDE,GRANDE!!; 02-21-2010 at 12:12 AM.
Grande - In your first post, I too quickly dismissed what you wrote,
"Problem started a month ago. Was getting rough start ups because i had a leaky head gasket affecting the middle back cylinder - Coolant was getting in there and causing problems.
Poured a bottle of ChemiWeld in my car and it stopped the rough start ups immedlatley so i assumed it sealed the leak".
(Guess I was too focused on helping you find out what was leaking recently.) I don't know a lot about engines, and I'm not being sarcastic, but if you know you have a leaky head gasket, that's what you need to permanently and properly fix - and you don't do that by using something from a bottle!Be realistic and I think you will come to accept that. If your fan is coming on, your engine is getting hotter, and you risk doing more damage.
Now, I did a quick search for Chemiweld - and yes, some say it works, but most that do deem it a temporary solution until you can do a permanent, proper fix. others say it can cause other problems, like clog up your radiator. My guess is that you still have a head leak, have wasted money on an iffy product, and may have decreased your system's cooling capacity.
Hello, I am a little confused, if that was true, wouldn't my car still idling rough at start up? because what my mechanic said was that coolant was getting into the middle back cylinder which was causing rough start ups - so in effect, thats where the leak was. Now that it dosent idle bad AT ALL, dosent that mean that the chemi-weld has stopped the gasket leak?
I agree with you however about the fan issue, seems like that stuff has restricted my cooling system in some way.
Hello, I am a little confused, if that was true, wouldn't my car still idling rough at start up? because what my mechanic said was that coolant was getting into the middle back cylinder which was causing rough start ups - so in effect, thats where the leak was. Now that it dosent idle bad AT ALL, dosent that mean that the chemi-weld has stopped the gasket leak?
I agree with you however about the fan issue, seems like that stuff has restricted my cooling system in some way.
Thanks for helping me.
Yes, I think I see your point, (that if the head leak caused the rough idle at start, and it's gone after adding the ChemWeld, the head leak may be "fixed" and you have a new / totally unrelated issue?) However, since you apparently have coolant leak from somewhere, and coolant was an original factor, I think you're still wishing hopefully.
So, if you have a 2nd car to drive (or bus service), use them and consider fixing the head leak yourself. Otherwise, sell the car at a loss (tell the Buyer about the worst case diagnosis - don't sell someone your problem) and perhaps you can find another Toyota like yours, that doesn't need major engine work.
Properly fix it or sell it before it causes more damage! I had a cracked 350 block from a previous owner in my Firebird, and the crack was hidden - couldn't see it until the engine was out. Engine block cracks can make the core unusable for engine replacement. So, driving it like this can in fact make things worse, even if you're ready to get a "new" engine. good Luck!
I visited a friend who has a good knowledge of mechanical aspects of cars... and he seemed to find white spills around the thermostat gasket, which directly under that, is where it leaks.
He seems to think whats happening is when i poured the chemiweld and didnt remove the thermostat, it might have clogged it, and now its not opening as fully as it should, so its not regulating enough coolant through system when it requires it (specifically at High RPMS or hot days because he said it requires more coolant flow then) and the pressure around the thermostat is making the gasket expand when it gets hot and spit out from there. which would explain why when the car is off, it wont leak.
He said this is why my fans are coming on aswell, becuase theres not enough coolant flow when it reqiuires it.
Whast do you guys think? has he hit the nail on the head? or is he mistaken...
I Really hope its that simple...
Last edited by GRANDE,GRANDE!!; 02-22-2010 at 06:45 AM.
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GEN 3 Started with a small leaky gasket.. now found oil under car.. WHATS GOING ON?
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