Help with a LX450 oil leaking buy (1 Viewer)

[Rifleman]

I suspect this is what @skhochay is referencing. I'm not sure I would consider it 'typical' but not an isolated incident. I had cracks around number 2 and number 5.

External cracked cylinder head - Leaking oil!

Okay everyone, I have a new motor with about 2,000 miles on it. Everything seemed to be going fine. Motor was rebuilt by a reputable shop...head was rebuilt by someone who I thought was reputable. Now I do not really think this crack is something that could've been avoided. Just bad luck really...

forum.ih8mud.com

Hairline Cracks In Cylinder Head -- Advice Please!

Greetings, first off great site and forgive me if this issue has been covered. I recently bought a locked '96 with 73K miles (!!!) on it. Truck runs great, no problems, no rough idle, no power loss. The previous owner mentioned he'd replaced the head gasket. This seems to be pretty typical...

forum.ih8mud.com

Tom, thanks for the link to those threads they made good reading. I do have to admit that when Skhochay said these heads had a problem with cracking, i was thinking he was talking about cracks in, and around the combustion chamber, not cracks in the valve cover mounting rail.

After looking at those threads there is no way I'd replace one of those heads. I'd seal those cracks up and keep running the head.

I've used Loctite 290 for years in my shop to seal up small porosity holes, and cracks in Aluminum castings with great success.

So I'd clean off as much oil as i could around the crack with brake cleaner. Then I'd use a Map torch to heat up a small area around the crack to slightly expand it. Plus the heat will help evaporate any left over brake cleaner inside the crack.

Then I'd fill the crack with some Loctite 290 that will wick it's way deep down inside the crack, then let the Loctite cure over night before running the engine.

 

[TomH]

Tom, thanks for the link to those threads they made good reading. I do have to admit that when Skhochay said these heads had a problem with cracking, i was thinking he was talking about cracks in, and around the combustion chamber, not cracks in the valve cover mounting rail.

After looking at those threads there is no way I'd replace one of those heads. I'd seal those cracks up and keep running the head.

I've used Loctite 290 for years in my shop to seal up small porosity holes, and cracks in Aluminum castings with great success.

So I'd clean off as much oil as i could around the crack with brake cleaner. Then I'd use a Map torch to heat up a small area around the crack to slightly expand it. Plus the heat will help evaporate any left over brake cleaner inside the crack.

Then I'd fill the crack with some Loctite 290 that will wick it's way deep down inside the crack, then let the Loctite cure over night before running the engine.

I'm not sure I agree with the Loctite fix. I'll post a couple more pictures in the other thread.

 

[GSTMike]

I'm not sure I agree with the Loctite fix. I'll post a couple more pictures in the other thread.

I'd probably use JB Weld myself

 

[ZackR]

Woah buddy - this thread hopefully hasn't scared you to death!

That oil leak looks typical, its not hard to fix. Don't freak out if everything else looks good.

 

[skhochay]

I'd never heard of that, interesting read makes me want to inspect mine a little closer when it's daylight
[/QUO
my head does have a crack on 3-4th cylinder on the passenger side, it is not a significant crack, more microscopical, but oil is finding its way out. I wedge a sponge there to absorb the leak so it did not coat the block. this is very common that uncommon, people claim even after rebuilding engines that site can crack. hard to spot it unless you open the valve cover and run with your nail on the head then you will feel the grove.

 

[skhochay]

Hello there,

I’m about to get a 97 LX450 in fair to good condition and the one thing that immediately took my attention was the engine oil leak. All four sides of the valve cover and engine have a thick layer of dried oil, the front axle, mid portion and a bit of the rear axle are sprayed in oil and during the 1 hour checking the car a small puddle of oil formed under the mid portion of the body which makes me think that the transmission and oil pan are covered in oil and therefore, oil is leaking from the rear seal and valve cover.

I asked the owner about any engine problems in the history of the rig and it looks like nothing sinister had happened with it other than valve cover leaks. That seems to be a little obvious doesn’t it? By looking at the attached pics, could anyone shed some light about the leaks and what would be the average price to fix the problem?

Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

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here very, the same problem

Hairline Cracks In Cylinder Head -- Advice Please!

Greetings, first off great site and forgive me if this issue has been covered. I recently bought a locked '96 with 73K miles (!!!) on it. Truck runs great, no problems, no rough idle, no power loss. The previous owner mentioned he'd replaced the head gasket. This seems to be pretty typical...

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[Broski]

When I got mine it looked about the same. I covered the garage floor with cardboard pulled it in the next morning there were 13 oil spots on the cardboard. Like others have said its a great rust inhibitor.
There are zero leaks now . You well be fine just keep working at it.
And welcome to mud

 

[Dezein]

I just bought an LX450 with an engine bay that looked identical. It would leak a good softball size puddle of oil over the course of an 8 hour work day. 2 weeks ago I super cleaned the engine bay with a pressure washer and replaced the valve cover gasket, PCV hose, valve and gasket as well as the throttle body hose as these two were also contributing to the oil leak. I also dropped the oil pan and scraped out the old gasket and re-sealed. Also put in a new oil drain plug and gasket. It took a good part of a day as i'm not much of a mechanic but i'm happy to say it hasn't leaked a drop since I replaced those parts. I wouldn't be too scared of the oil. Just clean the bay and replace gaskets where the oil is leaking. Cheers!

 

[Rifleman]

I'm not sure I agree with the Loctite fix. I'll post a couple more pictures in the other thread.

Loctite 290 is a thin liquid that has very low surface tension, because of that low surface tension it has the ability to flow, and wick it's way deep down inside of pin holes, porosity in castings, and cracks.

Since this Loctite is an anaerobic (hardens in the absence of air) once it flows down inside a crack, it will start to harden, once it fully cures it will form a permanent seal/bond.

But before you use this product on your head, you'll want to clean, and remove as much oil from the crack as possible for the best results.

That's another reason why i like to use a map torch. The heat from the torch helps to burn off any excess oil, while expanding the opening of the crack just a little larger so the 290 can wick it's way as far in to the crack as possible.

 

[BlackMud]

Damn, haha funny stuff. Emotional too. Truly helpful though.

So, the truck hasn't been on nasty poor quality salt roads its whole life. It was owned by a lady for 18-20 years and that's why it's somewhat, excluding the oil bonanza and neglect, clean and rustless. Never in a major accident but for sure on small city bump(s). For a 97 with 220k on the clock, it is a fair candidate that I could work on. Inside, front and back seats need new leather, carpet and ceiling are good, dashboard is not cracked, wood is looking good too, electronics work and seats fold. Outside, windshield needs replacement, sunroof is not leaking so it is good, little dent on the driver fender, tiny ding on the lower trunk door and a bigger one on the front bumper.

I understand it doesn't worth much more than 3.5-4K, owner is asking 6.5 which was immediately debunked given the conditions but was curious if someone else found one with that much oil and what are people's experiences dealing with it. IMO, with the help of the FSM and even internet, I would do all the seals and gaskets except the transmission ones and then go from there. The posts from @BILT4ME are very helpful and will definitely use that list as a reference too.

I'll try to get some pics of the rig and share here.

Thanks fellas!

 

[BlackMud]

Ok, here are more pics.

 

[Kernal]

Looks like it needs a good cleaning and polishing. The fender dent maybe could be pulled out by one of those mobile detail services. Paint (clear coat) does not appear to be peeling which is fairly common. Stone guard recently removed, but that kept the nose of the hood from getting chipped. If you like the color, not bad.

Have you gotten an estimate for the repairs and used that as a bargaining
tool, will the owner come down on the price?

 

[BILT4ME]

All of these experience the same oil leaks in their life.

I bought mine at 196K and the PO didn't do any maintenance, so it needed all you have there.

I threw about $6000 in parts, brakes, tires at mine to turn it into a reliable DD. I could have done it for less if I knew where to buy parts.

If I would have had a shop do it, that would have been about $12-$14K to do that work.

That's why most of us do our own work. These are incredibly easy to work on or yo learn to work on, especially with this website.

Good luck!

 

[BlackMud]

If you want a healthy life, then just feed it oil and grease, check brakes, assess the cooling system. Repair what is broken. And never come back here, there is way more to be afraid of than what you have found so far.

 

[BlackMud]

All of these experience the same oil leaks in their life.

I bought mine at 196K and the PO didn't do any maintenance, so it needed all you have there.

I threw about $6000 in parts, brakes, tires at mine to turn it into a reliable DD. I could have done it for less if I knew where to buy parts.

If I would have had a shop do it, that would have been about $12-$14K to do that work.

That's why most of us do our own work. These are incredibly easy to work on or yo learn to work on, especially with this website.

Good luck!

Thanks for sharing the info! It sounds like lots of folks out there are starting to find more and more of these with a ton of leaks. Well, 20 or so years have passed, makes sense.

Great to know how you worked around the problems to get what you wanted. Both Toyota and Wits End on line shops as you mentioned seem to be the best option for OEM parts, indeed. Will be getting my parts with them.

Got 1 quote so far for the engine work. To pull out the engine, wash it, do all gaskets, seals and distributor the price is 3-4k. Not touching anything else like radiator, spark plugs power steering etc. If i bring the parts, that might be considerably cheap as I would only pay by the hour of service. Still, I'm planning to do some of it myself and let the rear main seal and perhaps transmission check to the local shop owner.

Thanks for the words, these rigs are definitely a joy to own and work on.

 

[BlackMud]

Looks like it needs a good cleaning and polishing. The fender dent maybe could be pulled out by one of those mobile detail services. Paint (clear coat) does not appear to be peeling which is fairly common. Stone guard recently removed, but that kept the nose of the hood from getting chipped. If you like the color, not bad.

Have you gotten an estimate for the repairs and used that as a bargaining
tool, will the owner come down on the price?

Yes, it definitely needs attention inside and outside. I'm trying to get it fully inspected today or tomorrow but already mentioned to the owner that the price is high given the current status of the rig. One quote to fix the engine, 3-4K and we are at 6k on the price so far. I'm still looking for a 97 LC/LX though until I get this sorted.

Thanks again! This forum is amazing!!

 

[BILT4ME]

Thanks for sharing the info! It sounds like lots of folks out there are starting to find more and more of these with a ton of leaks. Well, 20 or so years have passed, makes sense.

Great to know how you worked around the problems to get what you wanted. Both Toyota and Wits End on line shops as you mentioned seem to be the best option for OEM parts, indeed. Will be getting my parts with them.

Got 1 quote so far for the engine work. To pull out the engine, wash it, do all gaskets, seals and distributor the price is 3-4k. Not touching anything else like radiator, spark plugs power steering etc. If i bring the parts, that might be considerably cheap as I would only pay by the hour of service. Still, I'm planning to do some of it myself and let the rear main seal and perhaps transmission check to the local shop owner.

Thanks for the words, these rigs are definitely a joy to own and work on.

I doubt your rear main seal is leaking. It's usually the valve cover, then the rear oil pan arch seal.

You do NOT need to pull the engine to do what we're talking about here.

 

[BlackMud]

I doubt your rear main seal is leaking. It's usually the valve cover, then the rear oil pan arch seal.

You do NOT need to pull the engine to do what we're talking about here.

Ok, thanks for the heads up on the rear main seal. I haven't done any rear oil pan arch seal yet. Is it challenging to do it or same as most of the gaskets on the front?

I'm still trying to figure out why there is oil dripping from the middle portion of the rig. Never seen that happening on a LC/LX450 but with that amount of oil all around, will have to clean it to really see the leak source.

I understand that the easiest way to work on these gaskets and seals on the front of the engine would be removing the headlights, grill and radiator so we get that nice clear space on the front and easy access to the distributor, oil pump cover and those nasty cover screws, correct? Thanks for confirming that the engine doesn't need to be pulled.

I think when the local shop guy saw the engine pics that I sent to him, he probably thought that the whole engine was leaking everywhere, which could be the case but hard to tell without cleaning, right? Agree that If I work on some of the items that were mentioned on your lists, the price would be way cheaper. So now, just waiting to have the inspection done and go from there. If there are cracks on the heads as mentioned on this thread, then i'll pass the rig altogether.

Thanks again for the info!! Much appreciated.

 

[Kernal]

Take some photos of the general area of the leak in the middle of the vehicle
and post them up. What color is the fluid? Is it an oil or is it coolant/water?

 

[BILT4ME]

My engine looked just like yours when I started.

I did exactly what's on the list in that order.

I went 100% leak free for 3 years after that. Now, my truck is starting to rust, so I'm considering spraying oil all over under it (Fluid film).......

The small leaks I have now are PS related, or oil pan seals. Not significant enough to me to warrant really digging into them.

All of the oil leaks can be done in frame except the rear main seal (or you pull the transmission which is a huge PITA.)