3FE Oil Leak (1 Viewer)

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Just came from a desert camping trip. Noticed the entire undercarriage covered in oil. Sprayed from front to back. Just don’t know where to start. Help!🙏

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Which fluid in which part is going low?

I would start there.
 
Take it to the carwash with a bottle of Simple Green and clean it as well as you can. Then go to an auto parts store and buy some UV dye for oil. Dump it in, give it a bit. and then shine a UV light down there and see where it shows it's coming from.
 
Good news is that's the Automatic Rust Mitigation option.

I would look at valve cover seals and such first.

@jonheld can give you the run-down on which 3FE seals leak first and foremost, but the main thing keep checking the oil level so you don't toast the engine, but it's OK to coat the underside to mitigate the rust. (I know....you don't have that where you are.....) It makes us feel better, though.
 
Start at the top of the motor and work your way down.

Places to check
Valve cover
Bell housing - rear main seal
Front main seal - Timing chain cover
Oil filter
Oil pan

Not sure if the 1fz has the oil galley plug like the 3fe. Worth a check.
 
Just came from a desert camping trip. Noticed the entire undercarriage covered in oil. Sprayed from front to back. Just don’t know where to start. Help!
The first thing is to give us some information on the vehicle. That looks like an A440F transmission, so let's assume it is a 1991/1992 US spec FJ80.

As previously stated, there is an oil galley plug between spark plug holes 4 and 5, or 5 and 6 (memory issues) but that usually results in a stream of oil being pumped out all over the passenger side of the engine bay. 2 gallons of oil makes more of a mess than you have.

You say your oil level is low after the trip. Did you check it before the trip?

What do you mean by "oil level is half"?? Are you showing low on the dipstick or did you have to put 4 quarts in to get it back to normal level? Be specific.

Clean things up under the hood and go from there.
 
The first thing is to give us some information on the vehicle. That looks like an A440F transmission, so let's assume it is a 1991/1992 US spec FJ80.

As previously stated, there is an oil galley plug between spark plug holes 4 and 5, or 5 and 6 (memory issues) but that usually results in a stream of oil being pumped out all over the passenger side of the engine bay. 2 gallons of oil makes more of a mess than you have.

You say your oil level is low after the trip. Did you check it before the trip?

What do you mean by "oil level is half"?? Are you showing low on the dipstick or did you have to put 4 quarts in to get it back to normal level? Be specific.

Clean things up under the hood and go from there.
Thanks @jonheld

It’s a ‘92 US spec FJ80.

I’ll check the galley plug when I get home from work today.

Didn’t check oil levels before the trip. (I should’ve! 🤦🏻)
It was reading half based on the dipstick when I checked last Sunday. I added a quart to bring it up.

I’ll do a thorough clean up this weekend. I’ll post photos of the engine top to bottom.

Thanks for the guidance 🙏
 
Start at the top of the motor and work your way down.

Places to check
Valve cover
Bell housing - rear main seal
Front main seal - Timing chain cover
Oil filter
Oil pan

Not sure if the 1fz has the oil galley plug like the 3fe. Worth a check.
Thanks!
 
Thanks @jonheld

It’s a ‘92 US spec FJ80.

I’ll check the galley plug when I get home from work today.

Didn’t check oil levels before the trip. (I should’ve! 🤦🏻)
It was reading half based on the dipstick when I checked last Sunday. I added a quart to bring it up.

I’ll do a thorough clean up this weekend. I’ll post photos of the engine top to bottom.

Thanks for the guidance 🙏
The oil sump holds 8 quarts of oil. If you're anywhere on the dipstick it's fine. 1 quart low is meaningless in terms of engine wear. You could run it 4 quarts low and she'll be just fine for normal use.
The oil galley plug tends to "blow out", not leak. If that happened, you'd know. Since it doesn't appear to be actively "dripping" from anywhere, it is most likely a minor leak that is simply getting blown back. Oil will spread on its own and look worse than it is.
 
I see a pool of oil on top of the front diff. I’m suspecting the hose above is leaking. I see oil on the end of the hose.

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