3.0 3zve oil smell when driving

[Suckapuss]

I got a 91 toyota pu 4wd w/179,000 miles on it. I recently started smelling a strong grease smell while driving, i've been regularly checking the oil smelling the fluids under the hood and can't seem to find where it is coming from. I deff want to change all the gaskets because it does have a small oil leak but never smelled before. Any sugestions?

[Hermit]

Over a period of time small oil leaks can build up puddles on your intake manifold and other areas of the engine. When you are driving and air is forced through the engine compartment the oil is blown down the back of the motor and on to the hot exhaust. Thats why you smell it only when you are moving.Even a very small amount of oil (a few drops) will create a big odor.

When the truck is parked the oil stays put in these pockets until you force air through the engine compartment again by driving. This makes it very difficult sometimes to pinpoint the exact location of the leak. You should be able to see burned oil residue on the exaust somewhere if you are getting a smell when driving.

I would recommend cleaning your engine and then take it for a short test drive to see if you can detect the exact location of the leak. Do you have to add oil to your engine at times? If so, how often? This is a good way of estimating how bad the leak has gotten.
Hope this helps! Post your findings and let us know what you find out.

*HERMIT* the T-TECH

[tr918]

I have the same engine with about the same miles (175,000). Do as Hermit suggested. When you are looking around the engine look at the rear side of your valve covers, and look at the rear main seal. These are two popular leak points for this engine.