Oil leak check advice needed

Hey guys. I’ve been monitoring an oil leak on my 3.4 for a while now. Today while at work I took off my skid plates to see how it looked and I was wondering if I should start looking into replacing some seals, and if so, where should I start? Thanks!

 

invest in several cans of brake clean/engine degreaser
then power wash entire undercarriage
then monitor......look for fresh drips on clean undercarriage

remember, could drip in front....then get blown to rear
same premise applies top to bottom

some members like oil leak dye
u put into oil and then use a black lite to see where oil seeping from
IMO
i used this dye once.....bc i was being lazy

took 3 back to back to back oil changes to get that crap out of oil system
will never use dye again

 

takes skill / experience to diag an oil leak & correctly...
No cleaning required.....
cleaning is actually what you dont want unless in fact you have no idea where to start, where the problematic sources are, etc...

could be valve covers leaking down..
could be your timing cover....
could be just your front crank seal...

Nobody is going to have a clue which from that picture.

 

So right slater

when I took possession of my taco, was leaking oil like a stuck pig
Only seepage leaks, so no drops/puddles on driveway……..but that stuck oil/debris/rd grime layer was easily .5” thick on some accessory brackets

now that flaking “new element” crap that can’t be swept away….did stain driveway!

 

There’s leaks on the topside, I know that much. Some bolts were loose when I first got it, they’ve since been tightened down.

 

Remember gaskets don’t last forever
Start with valve cover gaskets/power wash and monitor

 

You are on the right path! Keep looking and pinpoint the leak source.

If you tightened a couple of loose bolts, say on a valve cover, you may have already inadvertently solved your problem.

I cannot emphasize enough to pinpoint the leak source before you just start replacing parts. Waste of time and money.

I tend to have a different mindset here with respect to cleaning your engine bay. I would personally clean it. To help identify where the leak is originating from, if it is still occurring.

In the meantime, you *must* be checking your oil level every single time you refuel.

GOOD LUCK!

 

doing VC gaskets first would be a total waste of time & money if the timing covers leaking....
Assuming they overlap, no idea what engine....

 

TROUBLE SHOOT THE LEAK SOURCE FIRST

And, then, and only then, take corrective action.

Which in all seriousness might be *add a quart of oil every 1000 miles*

 

VC gasket leaks are super common on these Tacomas (3.4L engine, pretty sure what OP has) whereas leaks from the cam and crank seals are close to nonexistent, at least to the extent on the leak shown. When I did my timing belt a few months back I debated doing the cam and crank seals and failed to find any instances on this forum where someone could show a meaningful leak from them.

You can simply look at the edges of your valve covers and see if it is oily or clean. If they’re oily it’s time for a change (along with the cam shaft plug seals in the rear and half moons up front). You can also grab the upper rear of the valve covers and feel if those cam shaft plug seals are leaking. It’s more difficult to tell if the half moons up front are leaking.

 

Yeah, im not pretending to know the product, just been fixing oil leaks on fords for 30+ years...
Its info like this that can be helpful...
if timing cover isnt a problematic source of a leak, toss a VC gasket at it...

 

I’ve been checking every 1000 miles and I’m never low on oil so I’m not sure. There’s also no spot on my driveway where I park.

 

3.4L as stated in the original post. I’m not sure if they overlap, I’ve never done any replacements like this before

 

They’re oily but I’m not sure if that’s from the bolts being loose or the gasket being bad. I might wash and monitor

 

tightning bolts does fix old high mileage gaskets, regardless if they were loose or not in your mind.
Assuming VC gasket is a rubber style worm gasket, with time & heat, they get hard, compressed, & brittle....

 

Yep



On most any valve cover
Rear leaks/shows the leak 1st

nothing horrible ^^^

but bc of gravity…..seepage gets lower
Plus blown to rear when vehicle in motion

 

Well you clearly have leaking valve covers, very likely to be the source of the leaks you’ve been monitoring. At the point where you’re at tightening the bolts is very much a bandaid and you risk cracking the cover if you’re not monitoring your torque. If you don’t have the time and don’t care about losing a little oil and topping off it isn’t really a concern or a problem that must be resolved. But if you want to fix the problem then replace the gasket, cam shaft plug seals and redo the half moons. This video explains it all very well. It’s an easy job, just a little time consuming. Hardest part is wiggling the drivers side valve cover out.

https://youtu.be/N5fAXAuGozI?si=3E34UgCjWRFh7FNl

 

I appreciate it, fellas