Toyota Tacoma 2.7 4cyl motor oil leak

[RichardZ]

Hi - My son has a 2010 Tacoma 4X4, with a 2.7 4cyl motor, 165,000+ miles. It has a minor oil leak on the back of the engine that appears to be coming from the head gasket. It’s enough to wet the back of the engine below the head but not leave oil stains on the ground. No coolant in the oil.

Should the head gasket be replaced at this point or is it safe to run the truck until if or when it gets worse.? He is in no hurry to fix it.... or is there any easy fixes he can do ?

Overall the truck is in great condition with a new frame put in under a recall. Owned since new. Maintenance always up to date.

Thanks,,!

 

[AutoMechanic]

For now it should be ok wait until it gets a little worse. If you are planning on doing it on your own it maybe best to go ahead and have the gasket ready so if it goes quickly then you will be ready. Also how much oil is it using? Usually if the head gasket is bad then it uses a lot within a short period of time.

 

[wpod]

Clean the oil from the engine so it is spotless then inspect the area. Flash light and mirror

 

[Trav]

Clean it with brake cleaner and use a dye in the oil to find the exact source of the leak, it could be just a bad VCG.
the GM dye is very good and harmless, you will also need and black light.

Amazon.com: Genuine GM Fluid 88861206 4-in-1 Fluorescent Dye - 1 oz. : Automotive

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This type or similar works well.

Amazon.com

 

[92saturnsl2]

There are lots of other possible sources for oil on the engine block that are much higher on the probability list than a head gasket. I'd put leaking head gasket somewhere near the very bottom.

This is one of those cases where you want to use some UV dye and be absolutely sure your suspicions are correct before tearing into a motor.

 

[Amkeer]

It is probably the valve cover gasket. When they age they get hard and brittle.

 

[RichardZ]

Thanks for the tips.. we’ll try cleaning the engine and do an inspection as recommended.

 

[Randol]

I have also used spray powder to isolate leaks. I first saw that trick in IHI's F110-GE-100 engine shop in Mizuho Japan.

 

[mehullica]

Look at the “cam plugs”. 1/2 circle aluminum plugs that are sealed with FIPG on back of the head where they machined the camshaft bore at the factory

 

[Lyman]

VCG leaking is common on those. Very easy to replace. I would clean it real good and double check where it is coming from