Engine Oil Leak 3rd Gen

Hey guys. I'm posting because theres a decent oil leak on a 2017 Toyota Tacoma TRD sport 4wd. it's coming from the back of the engine and it has oil running down the bell housing. My main line of thinking is the rear main is leaking but I didn't think it would be weeping from the top of the bell housing if that's the case. I know the PCV is up there but I didn't see any oil on the valve or hose when I was digging around. is there anything else on the back of the engine that could be leaking oil? and it is engine oil, I know the smell of ATF when it's nearby haha!

 

How many miles do you have?
And I’m assuming it’s an automatic

 

Yes it's automatic, the truck as approximately 140k on it right now

 

Well before you make yourself crazy check everything on the back and rear corners of the motor . If so inclined maybe degrease the motor paying attention to the rear parts and like I said really look around even the back of the valve covers . It Could be anything. Once everything is clean I think you’ll be able to see where it’s coming from . Now with that mileage it could very well be a rear main seal , but don’t go to the dark side just yet .

 

I'll definitely take a more thorough look tomorrow in the light, I'm really hoping it's anything but the rear main. something I could fix in my own garage haha

 

Usually the rear main should leak from the bottom , but with the motor spinning who knows . Like I said look around with a good light and a mirror. If it turns out to be the seal it’s not the end of the world . Just make sure you find a good shop to do the work. What makes it a pain is having to back out the tranny so you need stuff for that.

 

Not get your hopes up....but my 17' had a rear main leak as well. At 74k miles.

 

Clean all the oil off and trade it in....

 

If it turns out to be a rear seal it’s not the end of existence lol. If the truck runs well, which it sounds like it does, replace it with a new Toyota part and move on . A good shop should be able to do it for less than a grand or close to it

 

bummer

 

Can’t a bad PCV cause the rear main to leak? Might be worth swapping that if you find that the leak is coming from the rear main.

 

Rear mains are one of those 3rd gen issues that Toyota refuses to admit is an issue. So it could definitely be that. Mine's got a pretty good leak going, but I ain't looking forward to dropping the transmission (or paying a few grand to have someone else do it), so I've just been keeping an eye on my oil level and feeding the beast when she needs it.

If the leak's only a few drops, don't sweat it too much. But if you're making a good sized puddle of oil in the driveway every day, get 'er fixed.

Could start with the PCV valve if you want to hope for the best. But definitely prepare for the worst.