Major Oil Leak ??

[artie in miami]

My wife drives a 2000 camry with a 4 cyl engine...in about 50 miles of stop and go driving, it leaked out over 2 quarts of oil !! The entire bottom of the engine is soaked with oil...I checked the oil filter gasket and the drain plug...both are tight. Any thoughts on what I should check first...the car has been no trouble in all these years...all I did was change the oil every 3,000 miles, did the sparkplugs, air cleaner, and timing belt as needed. She left for work this am and got to the end of our street and the oil light came on...I had just changed the oil last Sunday, and noticed the oil on the bottom of the engine and some stains in the driveway...so it is not from the oil change. I am hoping that it is not something major as it really is a good car. Thanks in advance for any thoughts.

artie in miami

[AliRazoR]

did you check valve cover gasket?might be your oil pan gasket?
if possible take some photos.
97 2.2L Oil Leak Pics

[TOYOPARTSMAN]

Artie,
The area's that leak on that engine are as follows:
Valve cover gasket - 11213-74020
VALVE COVER GROMMETS - 4) 90480-30025
Cam plug on back of Head - 90339-36001
Front crank Seal - 90080-31022
Cam SEAL - 90080-31023
Oil pump Seal - 15165-74020
Oil pump O ring - 15188-03011
Oil Pan - 00295-00103
oil cooler o ring - 90301-52006
PCV VALVE - 12204-74030
PCV VALVE GROMMET - 90480-18001

Every 5SFE engine in its lifetime will need ALL of these replaced at sometime or another. So I am suspecting it is one or a combination of these. Other than that, it is a good solid engine with little or no trouble when maintained properly.

[artie in miami]

Thank you for the replies...gary, that list looks like lots of work...can you give me an idea of which ones would have priority...which should I attack first...I would think it would be the easiest (ha ha) !! There goes my weekend ! I think the car is worth it.

artie

[73sport]

Anyone run anything over that might have bent or disturbed the oil pan? That amount of loss seems heavy for such a short time.

Is the back of the car all spotted with oil?

Be wise. . .
Better park it until fixed or you'll be spending much more in repairs to fix a blown up engine! That oil light being on, means it had NO oil, which IS LIFE threatening to the engine.

Check it every drive and keep oil in the car (engine and trunk/back seat ect).

[TOYOPARTSMAN]

Actually Artie, a lot of that would be covered under one repair. But to answer your question and the person who posted something very interesting would be, where is the leak coming from?

Did the oil pan get damaged or drain plug stripped?

I would start by cleaning the engine with a good degreaser and check and see where the leak was originating from and then I can help you go from there.

Originally Posted by artie in miami

Thank you for the replies...gary, that list looks like lots of work...can you give me an idea of which ones would have priority...which should I attack first...I would think it would be the easiest (ha ha) !! There goes my weekend ! I think the car is worth it.

artie

[Pvt-Public]

In addition to the gaskets and seals already mentioned, I would check the oil pressure sending unit.

[artie in miami]

Thanks again...that is what I will do when I get home...I will degrease and see what I can find and maybe get some pics. My wife drives like a "fighter pilot" and could probably use a "G-suit" for some of her turns !! Very possible that she smacked something...especially since that year camry is verrrrry low (close to the ground). I noticed it when I went to change the oil...my drain pan would not fint underneath !! A far cry from my 1990 GMC Suburban...I can have a meeting under that baby. I will be back with more info this weekend. Have a great weekend everyone and thank you.

artie

[artie in miami]

Originally Posted by 73sport

Anyone run anything over that might have bent or disturbed the oil pan? That amount of loss seems heavy for such a short time.

Is the back of the car all spotted with oil?

Be wise. . .
Better park it until fixed or you'll be spending much more in repairs to fix a blown up engine! That oil light being on, means it had NO oil, which IS LIFE threatening to the engine.

Check it every drive and keep oil in the car (engine and trunk/back seat ect).

When you say "is the back of the car all spotted with oil", do you mean the top of the trunk and rear fenders...or do you mean under the car ?

artie

[73sport]

^^ under the car, bumper, tail lights. . . .

Dots of oil in those areas imply it leaks while driving vs dripping from the pan. Leaks under pressure usually increase with engine RPM and speed not just sitting. So its a tell tale sign.

HA! vv like where sig pix below says "Camry" on the deck lid. Is it oil spotted?

[artie in miami]

Well...there are no oil spots on the rear of the car. I cleaned the engine and the oil pan area really well with the spray engine cleaner and then hit it with the hose (did not get the wires wet). I changed out the valve cover gasket and saw that it needed the sealer at the four spots near the half moons etc. I am driving the car now so I can monitor the oil loss and my wife is driving my 1995 T-100...I have been very lucky with that truck...cost me $1,000 five years ago and all I have done is plugs, wires, and oil changes. It is such a great truck that the guy that sold it to me has offered to buy it back for the same amount of money ! He upgraded to a Tundra and is very sorry that he did...lots of little problems with all the sophisticated electronics on the new one. I am going to change the timing belt once the weather cools down here.

I will let you know how the oil leak situation is going...I was careful to be sure to clean the oil pan so I can see if it's gasket is leaking...most of the oil seemed to be dripping out of a piece of square tubing that looks like the frame (on the passenger underside) between the engine and the passenger floor...I guess it is leaking from above and coming off the car there....it does not look like the pan gasket would cause the drip there ?? Maybe I got lucky and hit it (the leak) with the valve cover gasket...the old one was really brittle...I doubt that I could be that lucky. The oil pan gasket sounds like a bear to replace...I peeked at the manual and it seems as though I would need to remove some of the exhaust components...does not sound like fun ! With all the rain we have been getting down here the last few days, I am having trouble getting under the car.

artie

[BamZipPow]

You also need to put some sealer on the cam plugs or it will eventually seep and leak from that area as well. You should be able to pull up the cover and clean the gasket off really well. Put down the sealer on the four corners as well as the 2 plugs fer a total of 8 points.

[TOYOPARTSMAN]

Artie,
As BamZipPow stated, seal those area good. Also, when you get ready to do you T/belt, remember that I offer TN members 30% off MSRP and only charge actual shipping costs.

[artie in miami]

I took the car to "pep boys" to get it up on the lift, and they said the oil pump is leaking and it is near the timing belt, so I should do the belt also..I have a belt that I bought since it is almost time...so I guess I will be doing the timing belt this weekend...is there a website that outlines the steps used to do the timing belt with the tools needed. I found one for my T-100 truck that listed all the steps and tools with pics ! If I remember...there are some other small things that need to be replaced while in the timing belt area...thanks for all the help.

Can it be leaking this bad out of the oil pump ?? (about a quart every 50 miles) or was pep boys looking to make a score on me ?

artie

[TOYOPARTSMAN]

On the Camry, and especially if you are doing a T/belt, there are four seals. Camshaft Seal, Crank Seal, Oil Pump Seal, and Oil Pump O ring. They are all infamous for leaking. I believe I pointed this out to you in an earlier post. If you are going to do the T/belt, get those four seal, water pump, T/belt, and driver belts.