wet engine + burning smell = Camry 98

[kokyaw]

Hello all,

I have a question regarding my camry 98 (V6, 142K mileage).

I've been seeing this since I bought this car 2 years ago.

The outside of the engine is not dry but rather wet. Seems some oil is leaking to the outside of the engine. But I don't notice oil drops underneath the car as far as I've checked.

And I have this burning smell when I open the vent to let the outside air in or when I turn on the heater during the winter time. I am guessing it is burning the leaking oil somewhere and I am getting the smell.

Has anyone experienced such issue? How much am I looking at to fix such oil leak? Seems some screws on the engine are lossen?

Thanks so much!

[BMR]

This is a *very* common problem as these cars get older. I think most commonly it's the valve cover gaskets leaking; the rear one in particular, as it drips down on the exhaust system and slowly burns. Unfortunately, the rear one is a whole lot more difficult to replace. The front bank's gasket is easy.

[kokyaw]

Originally Posted by BMR

This is a *very* common problem as these cars get older. I think most commonly it's the valve cover gaskets leaking; the rear one in particular, as it drips down on the exhaust system and slowly burns. Unfortunately, the rear one is a whole lot more difficult to replace. The front bank's gasket is easy.

Hi Thanks! kinda relieved to hear it is a common problem. Yeah, I think I need to replace the rear valve gaskets.

Is it very expensive to fix? I am gonna talk to mechanic tomorrow and I want to have a price range in my mind.

Thanks so much.

[Mike Gerber]

Don't guess at the problem. Although the valve cover gaskets are a common problem, the leak could be from other areas in the engine. It would be best to clean up the engine and then run it and try to locate the source of the oil leak or leaks, then to guess valve cover gaskets. You can do this yourself or pay your mechanic to do it. Then you will have a better idea of what to fix to stop the leak and the smell.

Mike

[kokyaw]

Originally Posted by Mike Gerber

Don't guess at the problem. Although the valve cover gaskets are a common problem, the leak could be from other areas in the engine. It would be best to clean up the engine and then run it and try to locate the source of the oil leak or leaks, then to guess valve cover gaskets. You can do this yourself or pay your mechanic to do it. Then you will have a better idea of what to fix to stop the leak and the smell.

Mike

Hi thanks for the suggestion.

Have you heard of other people fixing the similar problem? Any estimated cost?

Thanks!