06 Tacoma leaking timing cover and upper oil pan leak

Hello everybody, I recently joined the Tacoma nation as I bought a 2006 TRD off road (manual).

Before purchasing I noticed a considerable amount of old, but mostly dry oil built up around the timing chain seal. I’ve been doing a good deal of reading online how these leaks are expensive but fairly manageable as long as you keep your head on straight and maintain levels. Anyways…. I ended up purchasing the truck and got it inspected by a local dealer and was correct. They wanted to reseal the timing cover and upper oil pan. But my issue along with everybody else’s is the price that is associated with that job. It’s not an easy job by any means and this truck is running fine as is. I just want to keep it running good and have seen various threads of people avoiding it by using pertex. Even saw a couple threads about how the power steering pump is mostly responsible for these leaks and apparently pushes on the timing cover.

How many people can vouch for these jobs? I know there’s urgency whenever a leak appears but realistically, I’d like some time. Does the upper oil pan require more attention or is it a “higher tolerance” leak like the timing cover? Vehicle has 140k.
Photo attached, I plan on cleaning the gunk that I thought the dealer would’ve cleaned off tomorrow when I go and save myself 230 by replacing a belt myself

 

I mean you basically have 3 options:

Live with it and check your oil often.

Clean it off and band-aid it with RTV.

Fix it.


If it was mine depending on how bad it was leaking I'd probably just pull the engine, pressure wash it, throw it on a stand, reseal the whole thing, and replace anything else that needed replacing while I was there but that's just me.

 

Fix it, but only if the truck is worth it.
If the truck is beat to hell, just add oil and drive it until it blows up.
Good luck with your truck.

 

I have just done this myself a few weeks ago and got a bunch of good advice from here. First thing first though (and you already mentioned this), clean up all the gunk really well and see where the leak is coming from. Take your time and enjoy the process.

 

Mines been seeping for years 184000 miles. I'm just going to do the rtv route since it is so slow.

 

Don’t know. If I need to rebuild a motor, then I rebuild a motor.

Why not start by doing the timing cover inspection port and re evaluating.

if you do the whole cover it will need cleaning beforehand anyway to avoid introducing dirt into the engine.

if I had over 100k, which I do, I’d consider throwing a PS pump or rebuild at it as well, to ensure it’s not leaking in that area and getting flung around. That’s about the lifespan of a steering pump in general.

you could also start with resealing the valve covers and lower oil pan because they’re easier. Not sure how involved the upper oil pan is on these trucks.

this post makes the upper oil pan look not hard.
compared to other cars that require supporting the engine from above or dropping the whole drivetrain out.


only reason I’d temporarily not fix an oil leak is in order to be able to take the time to figure out exactly what is leaking to determine repair.

leaks damage other components, lower fluid level, and degrade into more severe over time. Not something to ignore.