Minor leaks on my 2001 tacoma

Amateur hour here so sorry for any informalities but here goes:
Hello, I have recently purchased a 2001 Toyota tacoma prerunner 3.4 L v6, and looked at the owners manual and saw that my trucks set up could tow 5,000-9,000 total pounds. Just hoping for some clarity.


Also it has a small slow leak
Ive dealt with leaks on other trucks and this one doesnt seem as bad. I probably took too many pictures but I figured ill let them do most of the explaining

Thank you and have a wonderful day.

 

How are your valve cover gaskets doing? Front main seal perhaps? Rear main?

 

Yea I'm leaning towards valve cover gaskets being your culprit, but difficult to say. Try to use an inspection mirror to look at the underside lip below the valve covers and see if its saturated along that edge.

 

Welcome to TW...start at the top..

 

Follow reverse gravity.

Tow weight includes the truck's weight + you and equipment. Can tell you from experience to keep it under 3,000lbs unless you have trailer brakes.

 

For more details on towing, see: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-tacoma-towing-bible.4031/

Edit: Be aware that trailer harnesses are a cause for a lot of headaches (as most of the switches and sensors switch to ground, and the trailer harnesses mess with that). I asked the question of which one to get that doesn't suck- The thread is here: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/a-trailer-harness-that-doesnt-suck.790712/#post-28310455 I went with the Curt as suggested, and I haven't had any issues, but it also hasn't been long enough to be conclusive.

I'll also suggest that it's likely the valve cover gaskets. They leak and coat everything below them in oil. I would also suggest cleaning the oil with a foaming engine degreaser and hard bristle brush, and a very thorough rinse (at a car wash that captures the water before it runs off). Once it's clean, it will be a lot easier to spot the source of the oil as opposed to the current state.

 

Hey guys thank you for the help!! Im going to look into the valve cover gaskets and main seals. As for the towing the only thing im really gonna pull is a 2200 pound sailboat (trailer included) but was very surprised about the amount it can actually tow. The insight about the brakes is very nice thank you guys again. Sorry for my tardiness in response