Possible Front Crankshaft Seal Leak (1 Viewer)

[FJ60Driver]

I have a stock ‘84 FJ60 that has developed a significant oil leak. I had taken “Old Blue” into a local shop to address the oil leaks that I purchased the Cruiser with. They replaced the oil pan gasket and the rear main seal. I drove it from Montana to Nebraska and noticed an oil leak coming from the front of the engine. The oil level dropped about a quart over the 1,000 mile trek.
I had been driving Blue daily to work but the leak has gotten much worse. I decided to park it after adding 5 quarts over two and a half weeks of city driving.
I understand that there is a timing cover seal that is a common issue but I’m guessing that due to the volume of the leak it is most likely the crankshaft seal.
I’m wondering if this is a project that I can tackle in my driveway and if there are tips and tricks that I should be aware of before dive in.

I have the maintenance manual but I get the feeling that this job is not for the timid.

Any advice would be appreciated!

 

[3_puppies]

I think to start, you need to figure out exactly where the oil is leaking from
if it is the crank seal, it can be done in a driveway, hardest part will be breaking the crank nut loose. don't drive the seal in with force as it can damage the timing cover, if removing the timing cover, the bolts are location specific and need to go back in the same place.
bar puller may be needed to remove the crank pulley

 

[fjc-man]

Not trying to jinx you, but once in a while a unsuspecting person with good intentions gets the harmonic balancer off only to find the key way in the crank nose destroyed. Now the crankshaft needs to come out to either be repaired or replaced and down time just exploded. So hopefully Murphys Law doesn’t bite you in the ass. Have a backup ride.

 

[FJ60Driver]

I think to start, you need to figure out exactly where the oil is leaking from
if it is the crank seal, it can be done in a driveway, hardest part will be breaking the crank nut loose. don't drive the seal in with force as it can damage the timing cover, if removing the timing cover, the bolts are location specific and need to go back in the same place.
bar puller may be needed to remove the crank pulley

I will plan to degrease the underside of the vehicle because everything is covered in oil. It seems to leak a lot more when it is hot, so I’ll try to get the engine warmed up afterwords so that I can determine where the leak is coming from.

How will a timing cover leak differ from a crank seal leak?

 

[bcolvin]

Timing cover from the bottom of the cover and crank seal from where the crank and harmonic balancer come out . When everything in the front is covered in oil it is a pain in the butt to tell. If it was me I would be doing the timing cover and the gasket while I was in there. I would be pretty annoyed with doing the gasket and it still leaking.

For me the water pump, fan clutch, timing cover, timing gasket, and misc coolant lines/hose clamps would all get attention. Maybe I just hate draining the radiator so I would do all the crap that needs that to happen.