Oil leak

zonian91 · 02-22-2015, 07:29 PM

Thanks a lot for responding and the advise. I'll check that out ASAP.

zonian91 · 02-23-2015, 03:09 AM

Looks like you were right. There is a lot of oil built up underneath the distributor and there was also a lot of oil around the spark plug wires on the head. I sprayed some purple power on it to clean it off before tearing it down, but now the car is idling rough! It was running perfect before?

btwilson86 · 02-23-2015, 01:53 PM

If the oil is around the spark plug wires, it seeps into the wire making a poor connection to the spark plug causing the spark to short at the cylinder head and not travel to the plug, resulting in misfires and rough running. I'm not sure how a degreaser could cause a rough idle, unless a lot of it collected in one spot and is basically doing the same thing the oil was

zonian91 · 02-23-2015, 02:02 PM

What do I clean the wires with? Is electrical wiring spray good enough? Thanks again for your help.

btwilson86 · 02-23-2015, 06:45 PM

I've never had any luck cleaning them off to try and get rid of the oil, to be honest every time it reached that point I ultimately replaced the wires because the oil soaked into the rubber and ruined it anyway. On my old '88 non turbo, I deleted the center gasket so I could see in around the plug wires, and just bought a set of ACCEL wires for a V8 and made my own. I'll see if I can find a pic, if so I'll share it on here. I thought it turned out nicely

CoosSupra82 · 02-25-2015, 11:04 PM

Is a Toyota dealer the only place you can buy the #3 cylinder cover? I have been looking online everywhere and can not find one.

zonian91 · 02-25-2015, 11:15 PM

Yes, there is, but why do you need that? The car should not be leaking oil anywhere. I took it to a shop today and going to go ahead and replace crank seals, distributor oil seal, timing belt and water pump. Better safe than sorry. Those motors cost too much.

zonian91 · 02-26-2015, 12:37 AM

Yeah, who ever had the car last removed that gasket, because you can see all the spark plug wires. After it gets out of the shop it should be good to go. I probably could have done it all myself, but I wanted to make sure it got done right and that way I will have receipts to prove the work has been done. It's going to be my son's car, so I want the car to last him a while. I probably will end up buying the car back from him later because he'll be off to college in a year and a half. I really like that car.

btwilson86 · 02-26-2015, 02:15 AM

Yeah, they're fun cars. I had a 87 N/A as my first car, and I'm on MK3 number 7 now

Glad to hear you're getting it taken care of, once you get past all of the neglect these cars (and most 25+ year old cars) have been through, they actually are quite reliable cars that treat their owners well.

CoosSupra82, I've only seen that no. 3 cylinder cover at the dealership. You may find it somewhat cheaper online through the various OEM Toyota parts retailers

02-23-2015, 06:45 PM	#5
btwilson86 Super Moderator Join Date: May 2007 Location: Billings, Montana Posts: 1,034	I've never had any luck cleaning them off to try and get rid of the oil, to be honest every time it reached that point I ultimately replaced the wires because the oil soaked into the rubber and ruined it anyway. On my old '88 non turbo, I deleted the center gasket so I could see in around the plug wires, and just bought a set of ACCEL wires for a V8 and made my own. I'll see if I can find a pic, if so I'll share it on here. I thought it turned out nicely __________________ 1989 7MGTE R154 Targa Top White Package w/Blue Interior Driftmotion 57trim CT26, Upgraded Intercooler, 2.25" Hard Pipes, 3" Turbo Back Exhaust with Test Pipe, HKS VPC w/GM 3 bar MAP sensor, APEXi S-AFC, Walbro 255lph fuel pump, ProSport EVO Series Boost / Fuel Pressure / AFR gauges, Lotek a Pillar Gauge Pod, HKS Type 0 Turbo Timer, Eibach Lowering Springs, Tokico Illumina II TEMS struts, custom powder coated Motegi Racing TrakLite wheels

02-26-2015, 02:15 AM	#9
btwilson86 Super Moderator Join Date: May 2007 Location: Billings, Montana Posts: 1,034	Yeah, they're fun cars. I had a 87 N/A as my first car, and I'm on MK3 number 7 now Glad to hear you're getting it taken care of, once you get past all of the neglect these cars (and most 25+ year old cars) have been through, they actually are quite reliable cars that treat their owners well. CoosSupra82, I've only seen that no. 3 cylinder cover at the dealership. You may find it somewhat cheaper online through the various OEM Toyota parts retailers __________________ 1989 7MGTE R154 Targa Top White Package w/Blue Interior Driftmotion 57trim CT26, Upgraded Intercooler, 2.25" Hard Pipes, 3" Turbo Back Exhaust with Test Pipe, HKS VPC w/GM 3 bar MAP sensor, APEXi S-AFC, Walbro 255lph fuel pump, ProSport EVO Series Boost / Fuel Pressure / AFR gauges, Lotek a Pillar Gauge Pod, HKS Type 0 Turbo Timer, Eibach Lowering Springs, Tokico Illumina II TEMS struts, custom powder coated Motegi Racing TrakLite wheels

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02-22-2015, 07:29 PM	#1
zonian91 Stock Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Newport News, VA Posts: 8	Thanks a lot for responding and the advise. I'll check that out ASAP.

02-23-2015, 03:09 AM	#2
zonian91 Stock Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Newport News, VA Posts: 8	Looks like you were right. There is a lot of oil built up underneath the distributor and there was also a lot of oil around the spark plug wires on the head. I sprayed some purple power on it to clean it off before tearing it down, but now the car is idling rough! It was running perfect before?

02-23-2015, 01:53 PM	#3
btwilson86 Super Moderator Join Date: May 2007 Location: Billings, Montana Posts: 1,034	If the oil is around the spark plug wires, it seeps into the wire making a poor connection to the spark plug causing the spark to short at the cylinder head and not travel to the plug, resulting in misfires and rough running. I'm not sure how a degreaser could cause a rough idle, unless a lot of it collected in one spot and is basically doing the same thing the oil was __________________ 1989 7MGTE R154 Targa Top White Package w/Blue Interior Driftmotion 57trim CT26, Upgraded Intercooler, 2.25" Hard Pipes, 3" Turbo Back Exhaust with Test Pipe, HKS VPC w/GM 3 bar MAP sensor, APEXi S-AFC, Walbro 255lph fuel pump, ProSport EVO Series Boost / Fuel Pressure / AFR gauges, Lotek a Pillar Gauge Pod, HKS Type 0 Turbo Timer, Eibach Lowering Springs, Tokico Illumina II TEMS struts, custom powder coated Motegi Racing TrakLite wheels

02-23-2015, 02:02 PM	#4
zonian91 Stock Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Newport News, VA Posts: 8	What do I clean the wires with? Is electrical wiring spray good enough? Thanks again for your help.

02-25-2015, 11:04 PM	#6
CoosSupra82 Stock Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Oregon Posts: 1	Is a Toyota dealer the only place you can buy the #3 cylinder cover? I have been looking online everywhere and can not find one.

02-25-2015, 11:15 PM	#7
zonian91 Stock Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Newport News, VA Posts: 8	Yes, there is, but why do you need that? The car should not be leaking oil anywhere. I took it to a shop today and going to go ahead and replace crank seals, distributor oil seal, timing belt and water pump. Better safe than sorry. Those motors cost too much.

02-26-2015, 12:37 AM	#8
zonian91 Stock Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Newport News, VA Posts: 8	Yeah, who ever had the car last removed that gasket, because you can see all the spark plug wires. After it gets out of the shop it should be good to go. I probably could have done it all myself, but I wanted to make sure it got done right and that way I will have receipts to prove the work has been done. It's going to be my son's car, so I want the car to last him a while. I probably will end up buying the car back from him later because he'll be off to college in a year and a half. I really like that car.