Origin of oil leaks as per pictures?

[jeanbono]

Hi,
been reading this forum for a while. Got an automatic 80 series 1FZ from 1997 with 280,000km that leaks oil like all of them. It doesn’t really bothered me as just topping it off (4L over 8000km) but it’s been flagged during safety inspection here in Australia.

I am now in the process to get these oil leaks reduced. I do the basic servicing of my truck but not a competent mechanic so leaving that to the pros. The valve cover is definitely leaking so he will be starting with this one.
Now the (reputable and trustworthy) mechanic I brought the 80 to quoted me a rear main seal replacement, without doing a proper degrease to see where the oil is actually coming from. Is it pretty obvious from the pictures I attached the Rear is leaking? I know it’s not a very common one and aware of the pan arch seal etc as well.

Thanks for your help

 

[AussieHJCruza]

Rocker cover and upper sump are often diagnosed as rear main, I wouldn't pull the transmission for a rear main until you've done the rocker cover at least.

 

[jeanbono]

Thanks for the tip. Annoying that I need to remove my free anti rust treatment to pass a safety check but it is what it is.

 

[AussieHJCruza]

Thanks for the tip. Annoying that I need to remove my free anti rust treatment to pass a safety check but it is what it is.

Having said that, it might be rear main, but in my experience the 1FZ leaks a lot more from rocker cover, distributor O-ring, oil pump O-ring and the sump than the rear main and IMHO they're all much easier than a rear main so do them first.

 

[Broski]

Fix the know leaks first then clean it up to see.
Looks like oil is covering the hole motor blowing back onto everything.

 

[ppc]

Rocker Cover? Where are the rockers?

 

[jeanbono]

To be honest I have no doubt that my 80 leaks from these other spots but not too concerned about it. However to get registration rear main is what this mechanic came up with. I’ll mention all of the above to him but also keen to get back on the road asap so might prefer him to drop the tranny and deal with the rear main straight away (+ rocker/valve cover).

Anything I could ask him to do while he’s in there?

 

[Kernal]

That's a big leak, or multiple leaks.

IMHO/IME first wash off the bottom, lower front. and left lower side of the engine (avoid washing the top of the valve cover and the distributor).

Do not spray cleaner/soap water directly into/at the alternator but try to get around the power steering pump from the left side and the PS and ATM cooler
lines around the bottom of the radiator (the leaks may not be just engine oil, check ATF and PS steering fluid levels)

Do not spray high pressure water at the firewall behind the engine, the insulation is very fragile and is easily damaged/destroyed

Remove the splash pan under the radiator to get a good look at the bottom and lower front of the engine.

After it's all clean then start the engine and watch for where the leaks reappear. Take photos after cleaning then again
after running the engine.

Most common engine oil leaks with the 1FZFE (1FZ) IME:

Oil pump cover (gasket): located on the lower left front of the engine. May be difficult to see if covered in grime which is why removing the splash pan helps to see in that area, and if there's a lake of engine oil/grime on the top of that pan, that's another clue you have a oil pump cover leak.

There is pressurized oil behind the oil pump cover (obviously) so it can make a big mess if the gasket (O-ring) is cracked.

Valve cover gasket (replace spark plug tube seals at the same time) a big leak can drop down behind the engine onto the bell-housing

Distributor (housing) O-ring where it slips into the head (leaks down onto the alternator)

Rear arch of the upper pan, located less than an inch away but directly below the rear main seal and they both drip down (inside) the bell housing
and out the weep hole.

You can remove the bell housing inspection cover (it pops off) and look up and forward using a mechanics mirror (or inspection camera) via that opening to try to determine if the leak is from the rear crank seal or the arch of the upper pan. Might be too much oil splattered up in there to say for sure, so clean off
and recheck after running the engine.

Either way, seems like (at least in this forum) the vast majority of the time an engine oil leak is dripping out of the bell-housing weep hole more often than not it's coming from the upper pan and not the rear crank seal.

 

[mudgudgeon]

Degrease the beegeezus out of it, try and clean it up enough so you can drive it for 10-20 minutes and see if you can see where oil is coming from.

Maybe it is a rear main leak or pan arch seal, but any oil that runs down the block forward of the rear main is going to blow back along the engine and find its way to the back of the block.

$50 worth of degreaser cans from Super Cheap Auto could save you hundreds in avoiding dropping the transmission unnecessarily.

@AussieHJCruza had you a good list to check out AFTER degreasing

 

[Marvelicious]

$50 worth of degreaser cans from Super Cheap Auto could save you hundreds in avoiding dropping the transmission unnecessarily.

I'm way too cheap for that personally. I keep one of those garden sprayers around that's dedicated for Simple Green use - the aluminum friendly "ProHD" formula. I mix it weak (like 10:1) and just go for multiple rounds: getting it saturated with the degreaser, letting it soak for a bit, hosing it off, repeat.

 

[BTLSHP]

I'm way too cheap for that personally. I keep one of those garden sprayers around that's dedicated for Simple Green use - the aluminum friendly "ProHD" formula. I mix it weak (like 10:1) and just go for multiple rounds: getting it saturated with the degreaser, letting it soak for a bit, hosing it off, repeat.

Why does everyone avoid hot water and TSP (the real stuff)?

 

[AussieHJCruza]

If you want a degreaser that works, hit up your local truck supplies place, this stuff is about the best I've found, especially with hot water

Allsteam Degreaser (prev. Alkasteam) | Omikron

The ULTIMATE Degreaser for the Workshop! Our most powerful degreaser that is an alkaline non-acid base, biodegradable and perfect for cutting through chassis and engine bay grease, as well as a workshop floor cleaner.

omikron.com.au

 

[mudgudgeon]

If you want a degreaser that works, hit up your local truck supplies place, this stuff is about the best I've found, especially with hot water

Allsteam Degreaser (prev. Alkasteam) | Omikron

The ULTIMATE Degreaser for the Workshop! Our most powerful degreaser that is an alkaline non-acid base, biodegradable and perfect for cutting through chassis and engine bay grease, as well as a workshop floor cleaner.

omikron.com.au

How does it go with aluminium parts?

Alkaline cleaners can cause havoc with aluminum

 

[AussieHJCruza]

Also forgot to say, if you change your own oil, you can replace the majority of the seals mentioned above. No specialist tools required except a timing light is beneficial for getting the distributor back in the correct place after you replace the O-ring.
Rear main is better with a transmission jack, but if you have a set of basic hand tools you can do the rest.

 

[AussieHJCruza]

How does it go with aluminium parts?

Alkaline cleaners can cause havoc with aluminum

Have noticed very light oxidation afterwards which I couldn't see before using, but never let it dwell long on aluminium. It is strongly alkaline so wouldn't recommend exposing aluminium to it for any length of time.

 

[Marvelicious]

Why does everyone avoid hot water and TSP (the real stuff)?

For me personally, I prefer to avoid washing phosphates into the drain because I have had waterways I visit closed, due to algal blooms - phosphate runoff being a key contributor to that. Simple Green isn't entirely free of environmental impact and the HD stuff is worse than the regular, but TSP is illegal in a lot of places for a reason. YMMV, but in this case, the less toxic alternative works just fine with a little patience.

 

[jeanbono]

Thanks all for the tips, I definitely know what to do in the next few weeks. Just annoyed this was flagged during rego here in Australia and I only have a few days left to sort this out. Thinking to try another mechanic and hope they can give me the paper, then start working on fixing these leaks properly. The car is driving so well, I’m not sure I want anyone to take my tranny down haha…

 

[AussieHJCruza]

Thanks all for the tips, I definitely know what to do in the next few weeks. Just annoyed this was flagged during rego here in Australia and I only have a few days left to sort this out. Thinking to try another mechanic and hope they can give me the paper, then start working on fixing these leaks properly. The car is driving so well, I’m not sure I want anyone to take my tranny down haha…

What state are you in?

 

[jeanbono]

What state are you in?

NSW. Failed first check because mechanics wrote “oil leaks” and now every shop sees it in the record. Oil leaks on a 30 years old car are rare right, will pressure wash it tomorrow and try my luck again on Monday explaining I’m keen to get it done asap but not in a hasty way.

 

[Kernal]

IME regular car wash soap works well (enough). Already mentioned but FWIW some of the super detergents can damage paint, rubber, harnesses, etc if applied too concentrated. Be careful if using a pressure washer, it's (too) easy to blast things apart in half a second, IME.
FWIW