2.2.L 5SFE engine sudden oil leak 1999 Camry 4-cyl

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Never had a drop of oil on the garage floor for years and suddenly today I noticed a saucer plate sized oil puddle where the car was parked overnight. It was definitely not there last week. From what I can guess, the puddle is middle of the engine and more towards the passenger side. The last oil change was done few Kmiles ago, so we can rule out improper torquing of drain plug or oil filter.

Usually most of the age related oil leaks would start with small drops and that is why this is somewhat peculiar. As you can guess, the car had already left the garage when I noticed the puddle and will not get a chance to look at it until evening.

These engines are known to leak from valve cover gasket and/or plug where distributor used to be and/or "half-moon" thingy. There are also cases where oil pump gasket or oil pump o-ring leaks and those would involve lot of work to get to.

It must be the oil because it was definitely not transmission fluid. It could be power steering fluid but it was too dark of the color.

Any first hand experience with this particular engine?
 
Jack it up with stands , get under it and have a look . You may have to run it .

PS fluid would likely have a slightly burnt smell to it and if tranny type fluid would be red .
 
I will be able to look at the car in the evening. I am just trying to speculate and wanted you guys to join me in taking intelligent guesses.
 
Just found this on the web
Quote:
O-ring oil pump
distributor O-ring
valve cover gasket
spark plug tube seals
oil pain gasket (maybe but need to do above before I attempt oil pain gasket)

if you never changed your timebelt,

crankseal oil leaks, too
cam seal oil leaks, too

and your half-moon are know to leaks, too... you find half moon under the valve cover on the edge under valve cover. u need to remove valve cover, then you see the half moon on the side edge.
 
If its leaking that much you'd better check the oil level before you start it up again.

I had a 5s-fe that leaked from everywhere but the biggest leak was from the oil pump "o-ring" which is an oddly shaped gasket that seals the oil pump to the block. It would drip oil while running.

The valve cover, distributor, oil pressure sender and oil filter/housing are easy to check. Cam, crank, main seals and oil pan take a little more digging.
 
makes me think. I've never met another bitog'er in person. but if I knew one... can you see the prank?

A saucer-sized puddle of used engine oil.... poured beneath his car at work, daily... but say... from the wheel well. or under the fuel filler door. or beneath the back door....

"hey guys... I have this leak...."

sorry. no help. check it before you leave, make sure the drain plug/filter isn't about to drop before heading out.
 
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OK, now I have the car at home safely in my garage, I checked all the fluid levels and they are all good. From initial investigation, it sure looks like oil is coming from the base of the oil filter. On this engine the filter is right in front and easily accessible. As far as I could make out below the filter base, fresh puddle of oil and above the filter line no shiny oil. I cleaned the whole area and started the car. It is definitely NOT pouring out there, at least not at idle speed! I will take it on short trip and check it again. Since the level is not dropping, I am not too worried about it. I did gently tried to see if I could feel the filter for being loose but seemed to be not moving on its own. I did NOT try to tighten it up. It is probably better just to replace the filter rather than monkeying around it. It is a generic gas station filter that my mechanic stocks. Could it be unbranded Purolator? Is there anything else that could cause the problem? ( don't say "block could be cracked" :)

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The valve cover seepage is minimal and does not seem fresh

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This is after cleaning up and 10 mile trip.

Notice the nice puddle underneath the filter.
xsbaxid.jpg


Notice the left upper portion of the filter base is dry. The left of the filter is the A/C compressor. Is the oil pump anywhere in the vicinity?
2NUolOI.jpg
 
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A puddle of oil with a trail up to the filter...Occam's razor would point to...wait for it...your block is cracked.

Seriously the filter is leaking, just change it, the process couldn't be much easier on this car. Two minutes, $3 and 4 paper towels.
 
A new oil filter fixed it. This was my first oil filter change after taking a hiatus on doing it for last twenty years! I guess it is just like driving a bicycle (or manual transmission) You never forget.
 
Originally Posted By: Vikas
A new oil filter fixed it. This was my first oil filter change after taking a hiatus on doing it for last twenty years! I guess it is just like driving a bicycle (or manual transmission) You never forget.


So how tight (or loose) was the old filter?
 
I had to use the wrench and had to give couple of wacks to the ratchet before it freed. Surprisingly, once it started turning way easily. I think the gasket was fully crushed and had hardened. I talked with the garage owner. He suspects the kid who did the oil change did not clean the base well enough and he said if that was the case, it will leak after few thousand miles.
 
It sounds to me like your garage owner has had this happen a few times before is making excuses for a cheap oil filter that uses a crummy sealing gasket.
 
Originally Posted By: Vikas
I had to use the wrench and had to give couple of wacks to the ratchet before it freed. Surprisingly, once it started turning way easily. I think the gasket was fully crushed and had hardened. I talked with the garage owner. He suspects the kid who did the oil change did not clean the base well enough and he said if that was the case, it will leak after few thousand miles.

That sounds like a load of baloney. I've yet to see a single car that has "crud" built-up on that base. Sure, I do a quick wipe, but all I get is dirty oil. In fact, most techs I know just leave the base wet so they can screw a new filter on (without having to lube the gasket).

Originally Posted By: Vikas
The filter was made by Purolator.


Every mfg makes lousy cheap filters. With that said, I suspect that filter was just not tight enough. This is why I always aim for 3/4 to 5/6 of a turn. If a filter is installed on the loose side, it may work loose during the course of a longer interval.
 
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