Steam cleaning engine/tranny to determine source of oil leak(s)??

[Arya Ebrahimi]

I've got an oil leak somewhere. I'm losing about a quart of oil every 2 weeks and it's coming down right where the bellhousing/engine meet(I think I'm losing some and burning some). It is getting oil on the swaybar as well for reference. In order to determine the source of the leak I thought it would be good to clean up the motor so that the leak is easy to spot. I have had 2 engines steam cleaned in the past and had no issues, but is there any reason a LC would be different? I did do a search and I can't tell if it's the Valve cover, HG, Rear main, or Pan arch.

A bit of history. About a year ago the truck overheated due to what I think was a heater hose failure. In retrospect it may have been the PHH, but I was not involved with the truck at that point as I was away at school, so I am not sure. This makes me suspect the HG as the culprit, but obviously would like to look at other possibilities before I undertake that task. I haven't noticed any coolant in the oil, but I haven't checked for oil in the coolant. I will do that when I see the truck next. Any other ideas?

Ary

 

[informationjunky]

https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=25668

 

[MoJ]

Of course it's always easier to spot it if everything is clean. However, I bet if you make further efforts to narrow it down and post a pic that someone on here would be able to lead you in the right direction. If you do suspect the HG try Robbie's bubbles in the jar method to determine if that's the problem.

To help pinpoint leaks (providing the happen when the engine is shut off) I've used paper towels rested in various places in the engine area and leave them for a few hours. Helps you to see how far up it's coming from. It's a one banana method but hey, I'm a one banana guy.

 

[concretejungle]

ary, i have the exact same problem as you describe. I have pressure cleaned the under-side to try and find the culprit. It was still tough to tell. I think mine is coming from the valve cover, but not 100% sure. Mine also overheated about 6 months ago due to a failing PHH. I tried the bubble in the jar method, and had no bubbles. Also changed the oil trying to see if there was any trace of Toyota Red, but didn't see any.

On a side note i feel that pressure washing may have knocked off the caked-up oil sludge that may have been holding the leak at bay. Now that it's cleaner, it seems to leak a little more. Go figure.