Topic: 22RE oil leak between tranny and motor

[oldblue]

1988 toyota 4runner all stock 22re 5 speed.just replaced the motor and clutch. drove the 4runner about 100 miles on the freeway. got home found  a fairly large spot of oil under neath the 4runner.  my buddy and i began to look for wet spots around the engine, could not find any. i had the same oil leak with the old motor. with the old motor i replaced the rear main seal, and the oil leak was still there. running out of ideas.  i checked the oil level of the tranny, it was fine. the oil leak seems to be coming between the motor and tranny. the boot on the side of tranny is soaked with oil. i hope its not the rear main seal. any one out there have any ideas what else to check before i remove the tranny. Yes i did check the half moon on the valve cover rear/front.
 

[Sparkplug]

Ive seen countless oil pan bolts leak, and plenty of people dont install rear main seals correctly. Even when installed correctly, they still tend to leak a bit.

[emsvitil]

Check the rear half-moon plug on the valve cover.

A leak from there often looks like it's the rear main seal as it drips straight down from the top.

[oldblue [OP]]

i checked the rear half moon plug on the valve cover, and its dry..

[yotatough]

can you pull the starter and see if the back of the flywheel is wet? just a thought to make sure before you go diving into it.

[2manytoys]

If it's black engine oil, all ya got back there is the oil galley plug behind the tin plate, the gasket for the rear seal carrier, the rear seal, or the pan gasket.

You said you already checked the valve cover seals and it's not running down from there. Can you tell for sure if it is engine oil or gear oil?

The tin plate should keep leaking engine oil between it and the block and allow it to drip out the bottom.


If your clutch fork boot is soaked and you have a lot of oil in the bellhousing, it's probably the front seal of your tranny.

If it is your rear main seal you may have to put a speedy sleeve on the crank if it is grooved too bad.

[Gear Jammin-Dog Chasin-Yota Man]

Make sure your clutch slave isnt leaking, that could be it too.

[Gear Jammin-Dog Chasin-Yota Man]

 check all the fluid levels in the suspected problem areas (like engine, tranny, clutch cylinder, etc.)
Which ever one is getting low should eliminate the non problem areas.
 

[oldblue [OP]]

thank you all for the replies. I pulled the tranny out this morning. the inside of the tranny was soaked with oil. i will be changing the front seal on the tranny. Has any one changed the front seal on the tranny( 5speed). I have never changed the seal on the tranny. waiting on parts to arrive to get back wrenching. i will update you guys once im done..
Thank you all for your help....

[emsvitil]

On W56s the front oil seal is real easy..........

I use the gasket with hylomar to seal the front plate that the seal goes into...

Clean the bell housing before you remove the seal holder so no dirt gets inside the tranny.

[oldblue [OP]]

took the tranny out, come to find out the front seal on the tranny was bad, and the gasket as well. i checked the rear main seal on the engine, it was dry. was so glad to see it dry. i replaced the seal, and the gasket on the tranny. got a long day tomorrow, putting it all together. once again thank you all for your replies...