[tamaralefebvre]

Hi There,

I have been trying to figure out where my leak come from. I knew the valve cover was leaking and I though that is why is was gunk everywhere I clean as much as I could since is was leaking for a long time before I bought it. I did change de valve cover , but I have more leak going on. I think the transfer case is leaking but there is also oil above the oil pan. I could also see some moisture where the cam seal is , but I never saw it dropping from there I think it's really minimal.

There is also a circular metal component that I don't know what is it ( You can see in one of the picture). There is also a drip there as well.

Let me know if you had a similar issue, that could lead me to the right direction. I can provide more picture.

Really appreciate

 

[new echo owner]

Rear main seal and engine oil cooler o-ring!
Take the inspection cover, you can check to see if oil is dripping down from the rear main seal area.
The round thing is the engine oil cooler; there is an o-ring between it an the block!
Transfer case is well further back of the vehicle, or are you referring to the front diff?

Suggest you pressure wash the engine top and bottom, put some oil dye in the engine, drive it for a short time, then check with a black light to see where the main oil leak is coming from!

 

[tamaralefebvre]

Ok that would make sense for the o-ring between the block and the block. But there is also oil on the passager side.
I the transfer case is the metal case next to the oil pan that you can see in the picture?


Thanks for your help

 

[new echo owner]

In your 1st picture where the two metal lines go into, looks like the transmission.
Your 2nd picture with the oil drip, the transmission bell housing.
3rd picture, looks like part of the front differential in the lower left part of the photo; but picture is not very clear, so can be 100%.

On your truck, you have the engine in the front with the front diff off to one side;, the transmission is behind the engine, then the transfer case in the back!

 

[tamaralefebvre]

So then it's the transmission housing, (sorry all that is new for me , I order the repair Manuel . I will do better next time ) . The last picture is terrible , hard accessible spot. What could leak on the passager side about the opposite of the oil cooler?

 

[new echo owner]

Oil leak get blown around when you are driving down the road, that is also why you should clean the engine top and bottom before attempting any repair; otherwise, you might do something that is unnecessary!

This is the front diff:

Differential for 1991 Toyota Pickup | Toyota Parts Center

parts.olathetoyota.com

Pretty good picture of an automatic transmission and transfer case:

Automatic Transmission 4WD 6 Cylinder SR5 Fits 91 4 RUNNER 8629355 | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Automatic Transmission 4WD 6 Cylinder SR5 Fits 91 4 RUNNER 8629355 at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

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[Handyman85383]

I concur with New Echo Owner, pressure wash the entire engine first then start from the top down and work front to back. I'm assuming you've got a 3VZ V6 3.0 based on the oil cooler position. If you've already done the valve cover gaskets three logical spots to check up top are the PCV valve grommet, the oil filler cap seal, and the cam plugs the valve covers sit on at the rear of the engine. Once the engine is clean drive it and check to see if you have any oil dripping down from the back of the heads. Also, if you didn't use Toyota or possibly Felpro (not sure of their quality these days but they used to make a good gasket) valve cover gaskets you may need to redo those if they are still leaking. I've seen several 3VZ valve cover jobs still leak after poor quality gaskets were installed.
Another easy thing to check is your oil filter and the o-ring on the bottom of the dipstick tube, both are easy and inexpensive fixes. Poor quality or loose oil filters can leak. Old dipstick tube o-rings get brittle and hard.
If you have any oil at the front of the engine above the oil pan you will need to remove your timing belt covers and check your camshaft and crankshaft seals.
Once you know the top and front of the engine are not leaking the oil cooler is an easy fix and there are two o-rings and a sealing washer that all should be replaced. After the oil cooler is resealed I would clean the engine again, that may solve your oil leak issues. I rarely see a Toyota 3VZ engine with a bad rear main seal.
That being said, the rear main seal would be a big job requiring either the engine to come out or the transmission to be removed.

 

[tamaralefebvre]

Oil leak get blown around when you are driving down the road, that is also why you should clean the engine top and bottom before attempting any repair; otherwise, you might do something that is unnecessary!

This is the front diff:

Differential for 1991 Toyota Pickup | Toyota Parts Center

parts.olathetoyota.com

Pretty good picture of an automatic transmission and transfer case:

Automatic Transmission 4WD 6 Cylinder SR5 Fits 91 4 RUNNER 8629355 | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Automatic Transmission 4WD 6 Cylinder SR5 Fits 91 4 RUNNER 8629355 at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

Oil leak get blown around when you are driving down the road, that is also why you should clean the engine top and bottom before attempting any repair; otherwise, you might do something that is unnecessary!

This is the front diff:

Differential for 1991 Toyota Pickup | Toyota Parts Center

parts.olathetoyota.com

Pretty good picture of an automatic transmission and transfer case:

Automatic Transmission 4WD 6 Cylinder SR5 Fits 91 4 RUNNER 8629355 | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Automatic Transmission 4WD 6 Cylinder SR5 Fits 91 4 RUNNER 8629355 at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

Thank you for all your help I try to clean it as much as I can, but what is at the bottom for the engine is pretty hard toi access, and some places, and some place I did't want to use the pressure washer since there was some wire. The transmission bell cover is definitely leak as well as the oil cooler. I when I poke my hand under A arm on the passager side , there is a lot going on higher up . I wonder what that could be ? I dont't think there is any issu with the transfer case or the diff. but thanks for the picture , I know my components now

 

[new echo owner]

Leave the skid plate off when you take the truck to the car wash, that will allow you to spray the pressure washer from the bottom. The wire should be fine, just snap some pictures of the areas that you plan to wash, if anything is off you have something to getback on to compare.

Without looking at the vehicle in person, it would be difficult to say what is leaking. I can only speculate from the location on what it might be, and high possibility of being in correct.

On the lower control arm, A arm, my guess is the axle or the diff. axle seal, since those are the items that comes to mind at that location. Like said before, oil gets blown around......!

 

[Thomas Azzara]

I own a 2005 Toyota 4runner V6 from new. All my cars developed a leak eventually, but the 4runner only drips a drop (oil) or two a week. Still starts up and runs like a new 4runner. No misses. No oil consumption.

During the first 10 years of ownership, there were no leaks. OEM water pump is still good, but expect that has to fail soon.
Replaced the radiator after 17 years with a new one from Amazon for $100 (part) and $300 labor at the shop - although the OEM radiator didn't fail. I wonder how long a Toyota vehicle can last. I was going to buy another new 4runner but decided to wait until this one fails, blows up, gets stolen or catches fire.

Did I say I have zero rust?

Toyota builds the best engines - along with Honda.

There's absolutely zero rust on my 17-year-old 4runner. I find that amazing. I owned a GMC Jimmy from new and sold it for $800 when it was 10 years old. It ran OK, but the rusted-out body made it feel like a pile of junk.

I own only Toyotas in my family because like Hondas they are the best-built and most long-lasting cars and trucks in the world. Toyotas cost more (about $2000) new - than a comparable GMC JIMMY or Ford Explorer.

Did I say the body on my 17 year old 4runner is 100% rust-free. Even the door jams and back hatch are rust-free. The back hatch on my 1996 GMC was about to fall off in my hands when it was opened - one of the main reasons I got rid of it. The JIMMY was 10 years old when I dumped her. Still started and ran ok!

 

[tamaralefebvre]

Leave the skid plate off when you take the truck to the car wash, that will allow you to spray the pressure washer from the bottom. The wire should be fine, just snap some pictures of the areas that you plan to wash, if anything is off you have something to getback on to compare.

Without looking at the vehicle in person, it would be difficult to say what is leaking. I can only speculate from the location on what it might be, and high possibility of being in correct.

On the lower control arm, A arm, my guess is the axle or the diff. axle seal, since those are the items that comes to mind at that location. Like said before, oil gets blown around......!

Update : the transmission leak was coming from the back of the tank , as well as the back of the engine oil tank. There is also a leak coming from behind the belt either cam seal or crank seal . I need to open it and see.


Thanks for the help!

 

[new echo owner]

Tank? Do you mean the oil pan? Transmission leak? Red fluid?
So the rear main is leaking! There are a few ways to deal with the leaks on your engine, depending on how you want to approach it.
Are you going to do the work yourself, or are you going to take it to a shop? How many miles on the truck?
To replace the rear main, either the engine or the transmission needs to come out.
Since the crank and cam seals are also leaking, pulling the engine would be better, since everything will be out in the open.

 

[tamaralefebvre]

sorry I mean the transmission oil pan as well as the engine oil pan and the rear main. There is only 160 000K .
I will give it a try for the cam and crank myself. But I don't know about dropping the transmission pulling the engine. It is getting pretty cold here and I don't have the tools. I will most likely bring it to the shop for that. The pan can probably wait.

 

[new echo owner]

No need!
Have you ever replace a timing belt before? Because that is basically what is involved in replacing the cam seals and crank seal on your truck.

At the same time, there are also a few thing you might consider when replacing the seals; water pump and thermostat!

 

[tamaralefebvre]

Never done it before , but I am sure I can manage. Tank for video by the way


But I was talking about the pan and the rear man seal, I need to drop the the transmission. And that part I don't feel to confidente .

 

[new echo owner]

How familiar are you with working on cars? It will help in determining what is the best approach to tackle the repairs on the truck!

 

[tamaralefebvre]

Beginner but ambitious I own few tools only to do easy job, but I can either rent or borrow.

 

[new echo owner]

Nothing wrong with that, but you do have a steep learning curve on your truck's oil leak repairs!

How much oil is the engine leaking now? And the transmission?

You did clean the engine and transmission, correct? Can you take some more pictures of where you find the leaks?

 

[new echo owner]

This is similar to your truck for the transmission pan:

 

[DCM]

I’m on a work layoff til the end of next week, want a hand with it? 😂