01 Corolla 1ZZ VVTi leaking oil

[jp233]

so this 01 Corolla CE (118K miles) has started losing oil, and it's gotten worse over the past few months.

it seems to be coming out on the passenger side, rear edge of the block, where there is a little plate bolted to the engine (plate faces rear, has two nuts that thread onto studs facing rear). Its just above a pulley so the oil slings around behind the engine, onto the underside of the hood, etc.

I noticed this leak several months ago, so I cleaned up the whole area, and tightened the nuts on this plate as best I could. Now, it seems to be leaking worse as the other day I had to put a full quart in the motor to get it to halfway between the fill lines on the dipstick

what is strange though is that i *never* see oil spots on the floor of the garage where this car parks, so I am assuming that it really only weeps out the oil when the engine is running and under load (driving)

I am wondering if anyone has had the same problem, if that little plate can just come off with those 2 nuts - and get a new gasket or some RTV, or if there could be more major engine work in store. it just doesnt seem like its coming out of the head gasket or the valve cover gasket. The car does not smoke, runs great, doesnt stumble or idle rough, so I am not thinking that any oil is being consumed, just spit out of the motor. Although recently I changed the factory iridium spark plugs, and they were all ashy white and looked like crap (the car runs no better or worse with the new plugs in it, but I sure feel better).

I will probably clean it up good tonight and snap some pics, if anyone wants to see...

[c_green38]

Before my aunt gave me the 98 that I have now, she had a problem similar to that. Get someone to check your piston rings. The previous motor in my car had the same type of problem, and the crank ended up seizing from oil starvation.

[jp233]

I would never let the oil get low enough to starve the bottom end, that bad to seize. (Now that I am aware... it will be checked frequently)

What do you mean, "check the piston rings"..... check the ring gap, just pull it apart and look for blow-by, somehow measure the spring tension on the rings, ????????

I just fail to see how the oil is getting to the outside w.r.t. the rings. If the rings were getting blow-by, it'd be consuming oil in the combustion chamber and probably by now running worse. Motor still runs like a top.

Hell if the head is going to come off I'd just hone the cylinders and get new rings altogether, it is simple and pretty academic at that point. Since its already got 118k, I would think if it was going to consume oil it'd be because its eating it, not leaking it out. I would think this motor should have much more life in it as-is without having to pull the head.

Not that I think it's related, but this stupid freakin car has been throwing the notorious Evap codes for some time (if I remember correctly, P0440 -- tossing that code for over 40k now). Valves seem ok, tubes ok, everything seems in order but I cant get the damned CEL off for more than a few hundred miles.

[c_green38]

Now I dont' know the specifics of what happened to the car when my aunt had if before me, but that sounds about like what happened. I found out that it is a known issue, and you're at about the mileage for it to be a concern. Just looking out for a fellow 8th gen.