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I've got oil leaking from the bell housing and the rubber boot for the throw-out fork on my '89 3VZE 5spd
It only leaks after it's been running for a while and leaks more when parked facing downhill.
Cleaned everything off with some degreaser ran it around the block for a bit and have narrowed down the leak to either the oil pan gasket and/or the rear main seal. Did the valve cover gaskets a few months back, so those should be good.
I'm planning on dropping the trans in the next couple of weeks to put in a new clutch, reseal the oil pan gasket and replace the rear main seal.
Is there anything else back there that could be causing the leak that's worth checking/replacing while I've got it apart?
Not sure about a 3VZE, but I had a leak right at the bell housing hole and dreaded it was the rear main seal which I just replaced during a clutch job. Ended up that the valve cover half moon plug wasn't seated right and the leak found it's way to the lowest spot before forming a drip. Feel around each side of your bell housing, that oil leak might be coming from above...
Hope Paul's answer is right, that's a much easier & cheaper fix, or that your oil pan "pans out". Other likely answers are rear engine seal, or front tranny seal. Any chance that oil is gear oil? ...luck!
"... leaks more when parked facing downhill: is a bit of a clue here, I think. I'd say Trans Input Shaft Seal. Since you are going to have the trans out anyway in the near future, go ahead & replace it, fairly easy fix.
Thanks for the info everyone! I'll give that valve cover plug and the trans input seal a check while I've got everything out. Rather be safe the sorry and not have to pull the trans again
Originally Posted by 13Swords
"... leaks more when parked facing downhill: is a bit of a clue here, I think. I'd say Trans Input Shaft Seal. Since you are going to have the trans out anyway in the near future, go ahead & replace it, fairly easy fix.
I was thinking it might be because the oil could be pooling up in the bell housing and then can drain out the front when facing downhill/not being blown towards the rear when driving??
90% sure the oil that's leaking is engine oil since it's a dark oil. Checked the trans oil and it's still at the fill plug level and has a nice color to it. Meanwhile the engine oil was about 1/2 qt low, seems to be losing about 1qt every 4-6wks.
How well did you seal up the rubberized metal caps at the rear of the heads when you replaced the cam cover gaskets? I had these spew after my engine rebuild and thought it was rear main as the block and bell housing will let the oil from these locations seep in and it looks like it's the main seal as the oil will appear to be internal to the bell housing. The flywheel and clutch makes a good bit of wind in there as you can imagine. TIMKIN Seal savor was placed on mine after I fixed the cams for good measure but it's still leaking. LC Eng has a properly trimmed seal saver for the crank if you need to go there on your 3VZ-E. I just hope it's not an oil gallery with a ball bearing that is press fit into the block. They are behind the sheet metal plate. My engine was a leaker when I got it and two rear mains later nothing has improved things even with the rebuild.
Circling back on this leak since I pulled the trans this past weekend and got a good look at everything.
Turns out the retainer bracket for the rear main seal had lost 2 bolts that hold it to the engine block and that was where the leak came from.
The rear main itself was in good shape. So I left alone the rear main, extracted the broken bolts and replace with new ones, then resealed everything back up with some FIPG.
Whelp, time told and it's leaking again. But looks like from a different part of the oil pan. I've ordered some of that UV reactive dye to nail down the leak location for sure.
My current suspicion is the windage tray (baffle plate??) although the UV test will tell for sure.
Was reading around and it sounds like if the oil pan bolts were done up too tightly in the past it could have warped them a bit and caused leaks over time. Mine was a bit bent/warped in spots, tried flattening it out and was hoping the RTV would be able to fill in the rest of the gaps.
My question is how crucial is it for the windage tray/oil pan to be perfectly flat?
A new windage tray is $30, an oil pan is $160+. The oil pan looked like it was still in pretty good condition, although I'll probably take it down to the parts washer at my local shop to give it a thorough cleaning this time.
When I rebuilt my engine I hammered the windage tray and oil pan flat with a hammer and a block of copper I use for welding against. Carb cleaner to prep, Right stuff gasket maker spread evenly and applied to all surfaces with flat washers used under all the screws and nuts sets the pan in place. Torque them up evenly with a 1/4" drive torque wrench so you don't get them too uneven. The right stuff gasket maker needs to be used sparingly and spread evenly so as not put big chunks of it into the the engine after it is cured and might get loose from the oil spray and wind inside the crankcase if you end up with a huge extruded lobe of the stuff when everything draws up snug!...
10-07-2019, 02:38 PM
