HPMotors, est. 1977
864 947 9989
  • Home
  • HP Motors
    • Testimonials
    • Example Projects >
      • 1987 Mazda B2000 Heater Core
      • 1990 Mazda RX-7 Water Pump Housing Repair
      • 1993 Mazda Miata R-134 A/C Conversion
      • 1998 BMW 318i Head Gasket Replacement
      • 1999 Cadillac Seville Head Gasket Replacment
      • 1999 Toyota Tacoma Oil Leaks
      • 2001 Mazda Miata Broken Valve Spring
      • 2002 Buick LeSabre Intake Manifold Gaskets
      • 2004 Mazda RX-8 High RPM Hesitation
      • 2004 Mazda Tribute 2.3l Engine Rebuild
      • 2005 R52 Mini S Contaminated Gas/Fuel Pump and Filter
      • 2007 Mazda 3 Engine Replacement
      • 2007 R52 Mini S/Timing Chain
      • 2007 Saturn Sky Redline Engine Removal and Install
      • 2008 BMW 535xi Turbo Replacement
      • 2008 MazdaSpeed3 Engine Replacement
      • 2008 Mini Cooper S Engine Rebuild
      • 2008 Mugen Honda Civic Si Head Gasket Replacement
      • 2009 Mazda RX-8 Clutch and Flywheel Replacement
      • 2009 Mini Cooper Oil Filter Housing Leak
      • 2012 Mini S Head Gasket/Engine Rebuild
    • Common Failures and Weak Points >
      • Long Oil Change Intervals
      • BMW E46, E39, E53 Crank Case Ventilation System Issues
      • Buick/Pontiac/Oldsmobile 3800 Intake Manifold
      • Cadillac Northstar V8
      • Ford 4.6l Intake Manifold
      • GM Vortec Intake Manifolds
      • Mazda Miata Crank Wobble
      • Mazda Speed3 Oil Smoke/Bad Turbo Seals
      • MINI/MINIS Timing Chain
      • MINI and MINI S Crank Damper
      • MINI S Intake Gunk Build-Up and Oil Leaks
      • MINI S/R53 Supercharger/Waterpump Maintenance
  • Sports Cars, Etc.
    • Upcoming Events/Monthly Meetings
    • Past Events >
      • 2019 Miata Tech Day/Swaptoberfest
      • 2017 Swaptoberfest
      • 2016 Tech Day
      • 2016 Swaptoberfest
      • 2015 Tech Day
      • 2013 Ladies' Tech Day
    • Projects >
      • Classics and Rarities >
        • 1957 BMW Isetta 300
        • 1965 Ford Mustang - 250ci Straight Six
        • 1968 Sunbeam Alpine Build
        • 1972 Citroen SM
        • 1973 Triumph GT6
        • 1975 Fiat 124 Spider
        • 1985 Mazda RX-7 GSL-SE
        • 1991 Lotus Elan M100
      • Street Performance >
        • 2015 MINI Roadster Hidden Hitch
        • 2012 Mitsubishi EVO X Clutch Upgrade
        • 2006 - 2015 "NC" Mazda Miata Supercharger
        • 2006 - 2015 "NC" Mazda Miata EFR Turbo
        • 2000 Miata Roll Bar Installation
        • MSM Turbo Swap into '95 Miata w/ECU
        • 1996 Mazda Miata Megasquirt and JDM 1.6l Swap
        • 1995 Miata Engine Swap, with Supercharger and ECU
        • DIY Autotune/Megasquirt 1990-1993 Mazda Miata
        • Odds and Ends
    • Specialties
  • Dread Nought Racing
    • Photos
    • Videos
    • Race News >
      • 2017
      • 2015
      • 2014
      • 2013
      • 2012
  • Store
    • Parts >
      • '90-'93 Miata (NA6)
      • '94-'97 Miata (NA8)
      • '99-'00 Miata (NB1)
      • '01-'05 Miata (NB2)
      • '06-'15 Miata (NC1/NC2)
      • '16&Up Miata (ND)
    • Vendors >
      • Fidanza
      • Racing Beat
      • Robbins Tops
    • Used Parts/Unusual Parts
  • Contact Us

1999 Toyota Tacoma Oil Leaks

Not every job that HPMotors sees is an engine rebuild, or other large job. Sometimes, it's several smaller jobs combined into a big job. Here's a good example.

This Toyota Tacoma still ran great and seemed to be in good over all condition, but being a higher mileage truck there were several oil seals that had become very hard with age that needed replacing. They were leaking severely, which meant the underside of the engine and subframe were coated with years of oil, grease, and dirt.

The first oil leak is a classic. The leaking valve or cam cover gasket right on top of the engine. This vehicle had a major leak at the back of the cover which was causing oil to leak down the back of the engine and onto the exhaust. The cover also has four separate seals to go around the spark plug tubes. These were also incredibly hard. Oil seeping into the spark plug tubes can cause misfires and other running issues, so it's important to get the valve cover seal and those individual tube seals.

The picture to the right shows the top of the engine after the air intake, spark plug wires, part of the wiring wiring harness, and cam cover have all been removed. Now is a good time to highlight why modern engines have cam covers as opposed to valve covers. The valves are underneath the cam shafts in this layout, meaning that the top cover to the engine is actually for the cams first. You can also see the four spark plug tubes in a row down the center of the top of the engine. Four new seals will be installed in the cam cover to go around those tubes along with the cam cover gasket which will go along the outside of the top of the engine.

This was the most basic seal to replace, and was wrapped up quickly.
Picture

The next seal that was leaking is called the front crank seal, or the front main seal. This is the seal that goes around the crank shaft where it exits the front of the engine block, and is behind the crank damper pulley. That means the grill, radiator, A/C condenser, fan, fan shroud, and belts must be removed first before the damper pulley and the seal can be accessed.

Often times the worn seal on a very high mile motor will actually put a groove in the crank damper pulley. This means that even if you install a new seal, it may not completely take care of the leak. A repair sleeve is installed over the worn groove in the pulley to make sure the new seal has a nice, flat surface to seal against. Follow along with the pictures for details, and a better explanation.
With a new crank damper sleeve and a new front crank seal both installed, it's time to move on to the oil pan.

The oil pan is another classic seal that fails with age. On certain vehicles access to the oil pan is good, keeping the job relatively cheap. On other cars, it can involve completely removing the engine. Fortunately this Tacoma has good oil pan access, and it's not that big of a deal. Since it's the bottom of the engine, the oil pan and block were both covered in a very large layer of dirt and grime. We'll clean up the area as best as possible during the repair.

Follow along with the pictures.

So we're all wrapped up, right?
With all those seals take care of, it was believed that all the major leaks were taken care of. That's not always the case. Especially with vehicles that have many leaks, and are very dirty, it can be difficult to find all the leaks the first time.

So it's time to get that oil filter housing o-ring and gasket. Fortunately, this is another component with decent access, so not a labor heavy job.
With the oil filter housing seals replaced, all the major, observable oil seals have been replaced. The truck may still have a few other drips or drops associated with the transmission or power steering that need be cleared up, but these major oil leaks were the most important. With them taken care of, the truck can be driven for quite a while longer with no worries about running low on oil.

Hours:  8AM - 5:30PM Monday through Friday - Weekends by Appointment
 Located on the Highway 29 Frontage Road near the intersection of Highway 29 and Highway 8.