Joined
·
113 Posts
Any ideas? Oil cap O-ring?
PCV Valve area also seems oily.
![295070]()
![295071]()
PCV Valve area also seems oily.
What is this leak?
1 - 20 of 27 Posts
Doesn't look wet, though, like this is a previous leak or perhaps just a spill. Usually oily mess by the oil cap is spilled oil.
Joined
·
113 Posts
I last changed the oil over 9 months ago, this just started a few weeks ago. So it's not from adding oil or snything. I cleaned the cap off and after a little while it's all oily again.
Joined
·
9,606 Posts
Do this. Start engine and warm it up.
Then, remove oil cap. Either use hand or take piece of paper and place over the oil filler neck. Do you feel strong air blow OUT of the neck? Sometimes, cap is left loose on the neck and starts bouncing from air flow.
If that is going on, there is serious exhaust blow by leak. Normally, sign of worn out engine. Then, pressure build up pushes oil droplets past the oil cap seal.
It's a cheep way to diagnose a worn out engine. Normally, it should suck air INTO the filler neck.
Then, remove oil cap. Either use hand or take piece of paper and place over the oil filler neck. Do you feel strong air blow OUT of the neck? Sometimes, cap is left loose on the neck and starts bouncing from air flow.
If that is going on, there is serious exhaust blow by leak. Normally, sign of worn out engine. Then, pressure build up pushes oil droplets past the oil cap seal.
It's a cheep way to diagnose a worn out engine. Normally, it should suck air INTO the filler neck.
Joined
·
113 Posts
Worn out engine with 94k miles and no oil burning would surprise me, but I'll try this.
Joined
·
113 Posts
Hmmm.. at the same I have an oil leak around the crankshaft pulley area... Could this be related?..
Yes. This keeps indicating pressure in the crankcase, pushing the oil out. Age and miles don't necessarily correlate with clogging in PCV or EGR circuits.
Joined
·
113 Posts
What would you or anyone with the adequate knowledge do to test this theorie? Other than what @ukrkoz suggested. I cleaned the PCV around 3 months ago with penetrating fluid, it was rattling loosely.
The rattling PCV valve sounds healthy enough, but that's just the beginning of the vapor flow from the valve to the intake. Follow the tubing from the PCV and EGR all the way to the intake -- there could be a clog anywhere along the line.
But do the paper/hand test first to see if you really do have positive pressure in the crankcase, that is, whether air/vapor is significantly pushing out of the filler neck. If using the hand DO IT WHEN THE ENGINE IS COLD otherwise you could have scalding oil attacking the palm of your hand.
But do the paper/hand test first to see if you really do have positive pressure in the crankcase, that is, whether air/vapor is significantly pushing out of the filler neck. If using the hand DO IT WHEN THE ENGINE IS COLD otherwise you could have scalding oil attacking the palm of your hand.
I don't think the two are related. The seal on the oil cap can go bad.
Have you been losing oil? It's possible that the seal lost its ability to seal even though it's on tight.
Joined
·
113 Posts
Let's hope for this option. Right now at 5.500 miles with 5w30, no oil consumption.
Joined
·
113 Posts
EGR valve on a 03 corolla?
Can anyone point me in the direction of the EGR valve on the 03 Corolla? My computer is throwing a PO420 code. Im hoping It's just a clogged valve and not my cat!
www.toyotanation.com
That's my confusion. Ignore any comments of mine about the non-existent EGR...
Maybe it's the photo, but it looks rather dry, not wet like it would be with oil blowby or leaking. You've stated that you have no oil loss, so I'll ask you when you did the oil 9 months ago, did you spill any at that time? You said this is recent and that after wiping off the cap the residue has come back, so I'll ask you with what did you wipe the cap? Just a paper towel? If so, it will still have an oily film and I wonder if you've been driving around on dirt roads recently or perhaps have had recent strong winds around dusty conditions? This would stick to the oily residue and create what you have there. Assuming your PCV valve and hoses aren't plugged up, I think this is road conditions clinging to whatever oily film you had on there.
Do you normally not use the plastic beauty cover that covers the engne? I don't, and at 387K miles I don't have oily blowby out the cap or PCV valve or leaking with a residue like that. I do have a fairly new cap, though. You could experiment and try cleaning everything very well with something like brake cleaner and put the beauty cover on and see if the situation still repeats itself. You could also inspect the seal on the cap.
Replacing the front crank seal is an easy job, btw.
Do you normally not use the plastic beauty cover that covers the engne? I don't, and at 387K miles I don't have oily blowby out the cap or PCV valve or leaking with a residue like that. I do have a fairly new cap, though. You could experiment and try cleaning everything very well with something like brake cleaner and put the beauty cover on and see if the situation still repeats itself. You could also inspect the seal on the cap.
Replacing the front crank seal is an easy job, btw.
Another thing you should consider doing, is degreasing the engine. Then, you watch for evidence of possible blowby. If it were blowby, you wouldn't see a spill perse. Instead, it's be more droplets rather than overflow. So it's possible the cap wasn't installed properly at some point.
It's rare to find the seal failure in the oil cap. If no oil loss, then I'd say don't worry about it at the moment. It is possible it's a very old stain and you only noticed it recently.
I know I miss from time to time when refilling my oil. But I clean it up with a microfiber towel or a terrycloth towel.
It's rare to find the seal failure in the oil cap. If no oil loss, then I'd say don't worry about it at the moment. It is possible it's a very old stain and you only noticed it recently.
I know I miss from time to time when refilling my oil. But I clean it up with a microfiber towel or a terrycloth towel.
Joined
·
113 Posts
So yesterday I tried this with a cold engine. I'm not sure what to make of the result. I put a paper on the opening, and at one moment it seems to suck in but it also blows the paper off. Maybe I'm just not doing it right.
The shop actually changed the oil, not me. But 95% of the driving we do is dirt roads, so any oil spills are noticed immediately, this is why I'm sure it's recent. Maybe a month. I wiped it with a normal cloth. I'll try cleaning it more and observe it.
Yes the "stupid beauty cover" (copyright Scotty) is always on. Is there supposed to be some kind of soft rubber on the seal?
Any household products that would work to degrese eveything? I'm worried I'll damage something else driving it like this if it is due to high pressure.
Joined
·
762 Posts
you can follow this video, he shows you how to not damage stuff. He has a list of basic things you can use to clean.
I don't see anything abnormal in your pics, where do you see an oil leak...?
(besides all the dirt in your engine bay...)
Joined
·
762 Posts
your pcv valve hose looks wrong btw.. should look like this i think? this is a 2zz but there is a hose over the actual pcv valve with a clamp. not sure why yours looks like you can see the actual pcv valve.
![295140]()
1 - 20 of 27 Posts
