How hard is it to replace the oil filter bracket gasket o-ring in the 3RZ-FE engine?

I'm not totally sure but either the oil pan is leaking upward, or the oil filter bracket gasket is leaking downward - as shown by this photo below.

It looks straightforward to fix either - but I ask, for a 2WD manual 1997 4Runner with the 4cylinder engine, how easy or hard is it to fix either of the two?

 

Does anyone have experience replacing these two o-rings in the oil filter bracket housing?
(I can not find a DIY for these two o-rings.)

 

I've got the same issue and have searched this site with no results.

 

Did you get it fixed? My 2RZ Taco has done the exact same thing. Dealer filters every 3k and I know the oil pan is sealed.

 

bump.


OP, i searched the web and found that you presented this question elsewhere, did you find anything?

i'm going to attempt to tackle it in about a week but some advice beforehand never hurts

 

I added a little rtv to my old one when I had the motor on the stand but now it developed a slight leak to ill be tackling this soon. 3 12mm bolts and its out in one piece. you can remove the header and have more than enough room but im going to try it with everything in place.

 

Mines been leaking for like 9 months and she's getting a decent puddle now. Everytime its on the lift it points to this housing as the culprit. Gonna call the Stealership and get the o-rings and have at it. I'm getting a small antifreeze puddle in the oil as well so it's w/pump time as well.

Mines got 172k on it.

 

Called the local dealer and they get 12.00 for the (2) orings. I asked if they had a water pump and got a price of 136.00...

Looked on Rock auto and they have the OEM pump made by Aisin, and gasket for 52.00.
My local Napa wanted 85.00 for a pump or 65.00 for a rebuilt.

 

Hey y'all. I know this is old but how did this job go for ya. I need to do this to my 4Runner. Any tips or tricks? I noticed the leak a couple weeks ago when I changed my oil. Can I change that gasket and o-ring without losing a bunch of oil or do I need to drain the oil first?

Hope to hear back from someone soon.

 

Hey, joined this forum just to respond to this question....

This is super easy. I have a 97 2.7 with 261,000 on it and its been leaking for a bit, replaced the oil pan gasket (which was a total pain.... didnt stop the leak... after some sleuthing i determined it was this Oil Filter Bracket O-Ring... replaced, problem solved

How I did it... (it was easier than expected)

Tools Needed
1) 10mm socket
2) 12mm socket
3) 15mm socket (for drain plug)
4) 3" and 6" extention
5) Oil Filter removal tool
6) Philips Screwdriver or 5/16 for Air Filter Hose Clamps
7) I needed a breaker bar for ONE bolt so you may or may not need this.

1) Drain Oil
2) Remove Oil Filter
3) Remove Air Intake System
4) Remove Exhaust Manifold Heat Shield (4 10mm bolts)
5) Remove Oil Filter Bracket (2 12mm bolts, 1 12mm nut)
5) Remove Old O-Ring, Replace with new (I got my new one from RockAuto.com for i think 8-10$ after shipping)
6) Put back together with new oil filter (DO NOT ADD OIL YET)
7) Copiously Spray formally leaky areas with degreaser and get as clean as possible!
8) Add oil, run truck for a few minutes. Check for leaks!

This whole process took me start to finish (including clean up) about 2 hours in my drive with the few tools I previously listed

I Hope this helps some of you out there!!! Enjoy!

- Jordan

 

Jordan, I know it's been a while since you posted this but I'm wondering if you needed to drain the oil at all for this. I'm about to do it and can't find an answer to that, but to me it seems like all the oil would drain down into the pan with the engine off. Am I wrong about that?