Crank Seal keeps leaking after off-road trips (1 Viewer)

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I dont do any hardcore trails and the last two times i have been on the trails i have had a leaky crank seal. I have replaced them twice now and have cost me the price of a timing belt job. Im at the point of not goin on trails any longer as this is costing me to much. Does anyone have an insight as to what may be causing the leaks? I have the factory skid plate so i dont think im damaging anyting except for getting alot of sand and dirt in that area.

I do climb hills and do some off camber climbs at times...but i dont feel as though they are 'hardcore'.
 
Photos of leak? Which crank seal - front or rear? Could be leak from above that mimics a leaky crank seal.
 
Are they using OEM seals?

How much leaking: small drips or worse? Can you tell if its leaking from the seal where crank shaft comes through or at the outer edge by the race? If the race has been damaged during removal of the seal - it could be one reason.
 
Photos of leak? Which crank seal - front or rear? Could be leak from above that mimics a leaky crank seal.
I dont have pics but this is the front crank seal. I took it to my mechanic and he said it was the crank seal for sure.


Are they using OEM seals?

How much leaking: small drips or worse? Can you tell if its leaking from the seal where crank shaft comes through or at the outer edge by the race? If the race has been damaged during removal of the seal - it could be one reason.
I believe my mechanic is using OEM seals as i typically request OEM parts only. It does not appear to leak all the time but when it does it leaves a small puddle on the driveway. I cant tell where its leaking from, just that i see it from the crank dripping down.

I think i will take in to the dealer to have it looked at.
 
Maybe check your last invoice to make sure its a Toyota part number he used for your seal- seems like aftermarket seals are hit & miss with leaks. It's not a difficult job to do yourself- just time consuming. Dealer will be expensive and prob suggest things you dont need.

I'd thoroughly clean the area with a good degreaser and closely monitor where the leak is propagating from. Did you ever have some troubles with CAM seals leaking after TB install in the past? You might pull the cam covers and have a look at the seals to rule out if those are leaking.
 
There is no reason off road driving specifically would cause a crank seal to leak and more than any other type of driving would cause a crank seal to leak.

Something else is afoot.
 
There is no reason off road driving specifically would cause a crank seal to leak and more than any other type of driving would cause a crank seal to leak.

Something else is afoot.

X2
 
Thanks all! I dropped it off at the dealer this morning to see what they say. Will post diagnosis later.
 
Dealer called and they dont think a OEM seal was used; they also found one the drive belts cracking. Gonna have them do the TB job as i only have 25k miles to go before the next one. Hopefully this will resolve my issue. At it will be warranted for a year. Thanks for all the feedback on this one.
 
Had a complete timing belt job done at dealer. $1498 total cost. I now know everything is OEM and warranted for a year.
 
Ask the tech or service manager at the dealership if they applied die electric grease around the outer side of the crank seal, that helps the crank seal slide inward and seat to an almost if not perfect seal to the front crank case shaft.
 
Had a complete timing belt job done at dealer. $1498 total cost. I now know everything is OEM and warranted for a year.
Dayum. Glad you have the peace of mind.

Now, befriend some folks who have the space to allow you to do it yourself next time. Invest in the tools. Enjoy a quick vacation to Jamaica with the cost savings next time.
 
Resurrecting this thread. Oil leak is back. Any ideas? I have been driving this thing normally since the dealer did the timing belt in January and the oil leak is back.
 
Resurrecting this thread. Oil leak is back. Any ideas? I have been driving this thing normally since the dealer did the timing belt in January and the oil leak is back.
Same spot or different?

Check valve cover gaskets as the first stop.
 
263k miles on engine.

Seems to me like your options are:
1. They put the seal in wrong again, likely.
2. Someone dinged the crank and it has a burr or a rough spot that keeps ruining seals, likely but they should have inspected.
3. The crank has wear and doesn't seal properly due to its diameter not being to spec, likely but they should have inspected.
4. They aren't using OEM equivalent parts: due to going to dealer, unlikely but who knows.
 
The crank seal rides on the crankshaft and not on the pulley.

The mechanic you used earlier, might have damaged the crank surface by using some sort of a seal puller tool or while drilling the seal out. The crank surface is bit into the engine and hard to see the complete surface. This is probably why the dealer didn't catch any damages to the crank surface.

It could also be the outer mating surface is damaged and is leaking. This is an easy fix compared any damage to the crank.
 
Seems to me like your options are:
1. They put the seal in wrong again, likely.
2. Someone dinged the crank and it has a burr or a rough spot that keeps ruining seals, likely but they should have inspected.
3. The crank has wear and doesn't seal properly due to its diameter not being to spec, likely but they should have inspected.
4. They aren't using OEM equivalent parts: due to going to dealer, unlikely but who knows.
Im betting on 2 or 3.
 
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Picture for reference when I did mine about 5,600++ miles ago (red: old, blue:new) btw I applied by hand a thin layer of Aisin gasket maker around the outer diameter of the crankshaft oil seal (just for added insurance so it wouldn’t leak) when I seated it in the bore. I then used a pipe of the same diameter like the oil seal and gently tapped it towards the engine until I felt it was fully seated.
I would agree with @AlpineAccess that he may have (hopefully not) damaged or scored either the bore surface or the crankshaft end itself possibly ruining an airtight seal. Not ruling out the idea of the possibility that the component may have not been installed properly -and by that I mean it did not seat tight and flat enough (has a slight angle on it). Uncleaned dirt may and can be a contributing factor.

The part of using it off-road is something I will look on to later as that component (crankshaft oil seal) is not subjected to the elements of suspension articulation/vibration. But rather low level engine resonance and heat (from idling) and temperature management by the engine’s cooling system (oil circulation and coolant management by the coolant system eg radiator, thermostat, leaks, blockage, etc).

Was the job warranty-covered?
 
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