how much is too much

[nmt252355]

Cruisers are notorious for leaking oil...or so I have been told. I have a couple leaks on my engine. the first one, which is an easy fix, is at the valve cover gasket. I am waiting to replace this until my Toyota mechanic buddy can help me with checking my valves...might as well kill two birds with one stone.

NOW the question. the other leak is at the rear main/oil pan /tranny/engine juncture. I honestly can't tell if its purely from the oil pan gasket, the rear main seal or a combination....I just know oil leaks from this point. Last night I cleaned everything down with engine degreaser and had everything nice and clean. Today oil leak again. In fact, after parking at my office at 1pm I just went back out at 6pm and measure a fresh 2.25" circle of oil. That seems like alot to me. Knowing that its there I keep a sharp eye on the oil level, but I know its a problem...or is it?

 

[imabigbangkindaguy]

Any oil leak is a problem.

I just recently had my transmission serviced, and the guy at the shop said I had combination leak,

1st was from The torque converter, the PO said he had the tranny rebuilt, The shop told me that when you have an automatic transmission rebuilt, you have to resurface the the torque converter and when you re attach it you must bolt it back on in a star pattern, like you would do your lug nuts on a tire. Now I could not tell you if that is true or not, but 6 months later no leaks.

2nd The shop also identified a rear main seal leak. The rig has 175k on it, and the shop guy said he was pretty sure that was the original rear main seal, why it wasn't replaced at the time of the rebuild is beyond me.

I have had my 62 for two years now and my 40 for almost one. The 40 has never leaked, and that is the only leak(s) I have had with the 62. So once you get it fixed I dont imagine you will be bothered with it again.

 

[nmt252355]

I completely agree that any oil leak is a problem. However considering the age of this vehicle (88 Fj62), and provided that the majority of the engine is still original, seeing a leak on one should not be as alarming as say on my wifes new 4runner. 4Runner. I'd be immediately concerned seeing an oil puddle until a new low mileage vehicle.

I guess I am really asking how long before I know I have to dump money into replacing the rear main, oil pan, etc...? Is a 2" diameter spot in 5 hours alarming and should be addressed immediately or can I still drive the ol' girl a little longer until I actually have money in the piggie bank???

 

[cwwfj60]

I say just drive it. Watch your oil level of course and pay attention to where you park...(like your in-laws spotless driveway, not that i've done that or anything). But otherwise it won't hurt anything unless you start to dump out oil. Just pay attention to it. I just fixed my rear main but it was minor ( maybe an inch circle over night) but i was forced to with my throwout bearing making a lot of noise...but you won't have that problem with your 62. good luck

 

[imabigbangkindaguy]

I think you are at the point where you should have it checked out. Best case scenario the mechanic tells you, you are fine and this can be put off... worst case, well how deep is your pocket book? Cause it can get bad...

 

[VTCDN]

Think this way.
Gravity , were in it , HEAVY MAN,

Top to Bottom , drive forward , air back
OIL moves to the rear and down because of Gravity..

So SO , Start from the top , and then down to the rear.
NOW you know the bottom was not the worst.

You drive a box, EZ , keep it simple thinking , 2010 cars are the same , but we need magic eyes to see..

Start with the top valve cover , after thats done see how its less. , spill a cap of cookin oil and then see it after 2hrs , 3" in dia i bet.

If in doubt, park over a carpet bit with a plastic underlay till you figure .

VT

 

[boots4]

1st was from The torque converter, the PO said he had the tranny rebuilt, The shop told me that when you have an automatic transmission rebuilt, you have to resurface the the torque converter and when you re attach it you must bolt it back on in a star pattern, like you would do your lug nuts on a tire. Now I could not tell you if that is true or not, but 6 months later no leaks.

I know I'm being picky but a torque converter doesn't have anything to be "resurfaced". If an automatic is rebuilt it's a good idea to replace the t.converter so it does not contaminate the new tranny parts although many get away with reusing their old one. At least a decent flush should be performed to get as much old fluid out of the t.converter. Tightening up the t.converter to the flywheel evenly is important and if done incorrectly can lead to vibs and premature wear on bearings and seals.

For a manual tranny it's wise to resurface the flywheel when installing a new clutch so the new parts mate together better.

 

[Ducks]

That seems like a lot of oil leaking to me but I've never owned an FJ62. On my FJ60 with the 2F before I swapped it, there was a drop of oil that it leaked when it sat for a day or two. I think it was the rear main seal but never got around to fixing it.

 

[MolallaCruiser]

Its not going to destroy your engine if you don't fix it as long as you keep on top of your oil level. Just depends on how annoying it is for you. Just think of it as a way to constantly have new oil keeping everything nice and clean inside