Camry oil leak.

[mxnerd]

My old Camry got oil leak between Part X and Engine, it seems there is gasket between Part X and Engine.

Can I fix it myself? Is it hard? Anyone know the name of part X? Thanks.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Unless your engine is reversed from the I-4s I've seen, Part X is probably a heat shield over your exhaust manifold. There shouldn't be any oil there. (At that point in the process, everything should have been set on fire and exploded.)

However, the thing that says "16 Valve" is your valve cover, and there's a gasket there that will drip some oil when it's dried out.

Fortunately, valve cover gaskets are easy to replace. And they cover the "low" pressure side, so any oil leakage will be slow and not-scary.

I would spray the edges of the block with brake cleaner to clean off the old oil, drive it a bit, then double check to see where the oil looks like it's coming from. But I bet it's your valve cover gasket. You can get a replacement gasket for about $30, typically, and they're fairly easy to replace.

 

[mxnerd]

Thanks. This is not my Camry's picture, I took it from Youtube. The part X or exhaust cover top side is smoking badly since there is a layer of oil after I drive. So you think its valve cover gasket is bad so the engine oil is forced out to the front and lands on that cover?

 

[PottedMeat]

oil is smoking on the top of the exhaust manifold shield? sounds like the gasket isn't even there. maybe there's even oil sprayed on the bottom of your hood

 

[mxnerd]

oil is smoking on the top of the exhaust manifold shield? sounds like the gasket isn't even there. maybe there's even oil sprayed on the bottom of your hood

The problem is that when I park it in the garage, open the hood and turn the engine on, I can't see where the oil comes from.

There is oil at where arrow points at too.

This Camry is near end of life, I don't want to spend big bucks.

 

[PottedMeat]

The problem is that when I park it in the garage, open the hood and turn the engine on, I can't see where the oil comes from.

There is oil at where arrow points at too.

This Camry is near end of life, I don't want to spend big bucks.

just try what dave_the_nerd said - should be cheap and fairly obvious once you start poking around there. and get a can or two of 'brake cleaner' or 'carb cleaner' at walmart to shoot in the area so you can see clearly.

 

[mxnerd]

just try what dave_the_nerd said - should be cheap and fairly obvious once you start poking around there. and get a can or two of 'brake cleaner' or 'carb cleaner' at walmart to shoot in the area so you can see clearly.

OK, I'll do what you guys suggested, thanks!

 

[Rifter]

Start with tightening the valve cover bolts, over time the gasket can dry up and shrink making it not seal as good, sometimes you can stop the leak by just tightening it a bit. Obviously not a permanent fix but its cheap and will take 2 min. Do be careful though not to over tighten the bolts.

 

[jlee]

Start with tightening the valve cover bolts, over time the gasket can dry up and shrink making it not seal as good, sometimes you can stop the leak by just tightening it a bit. Obviously not a permanent fix but its cheap and will take 2 min. Do be careful though not to over tighten the bolts.

Valve cover gaskets are $4 (or nearly $20 if you're a big spender). I'd replace it.

 

[Rifter]

Valve cover gaskets are $4 (or nearly $20 if you're a big spender). I'd replace it.

I agree, but some newer vehicles can be a real pain to replace, i had to take the whole intake off my 4runner to do the valve cover gasket which may be a real challenge for some people depending on their skill level. The pic in OP does not load for me at work so i was unable to verify if that would be an issue for OP. I agree though that if there is nothing in the way and changing the gasket is going to be a 5 min job then yes replace the gasket.

 

[jlee]

I agree, but some newer vehicles can be a real pain to replace, i had to take the whole intake off my 4runner to do the valve cover gasket which may be a real challenge for some people depending on their skill level. The pic in OP does not load for me at work so i was unable to verify if that would be an issue for OP. I agree though that if there is nothing in the way and changing the gasket is going to be a 5 min job then yes replace the gasket.

Assuming it's a 5SFE (older 4cyl Camry engine), it's easy.