2002 Tundra Rear Main leak

Huh?

You have valve covers gaskets to keep the oil needed to lubricate your valves from leaking out the junction of your valve covers and your heads.

Because of emission and reliability reasons its desirable to vent the crankcase to remove blow-by, gasoline and combustion products from the crankcase, (as well as any water vapor that may have accumulated in your oil) For this reason engines have always used some type of crank case venting.

In modern engines the crank case is vented to the manifold to the blow by can be re-burned and sent through the CAT.

The crank case vent is effectively an intake leak from the point of view of the engine.

The PCV valve 'throttles' this air leak so that it does not effect the proper running of your engine. You can think of it like an additional throttle plate that automatically adjusts itself to help maintain a proper fuel air mix.

A leaking PCV valve will make your engine run lean. A plugged one will degrade your oil and hurt reliability and increase crank case pressures by not allowing blowby to escape.

But that is neither here nor there when it comes to why someone would think new valve cover gaskets would make their engine run better. I suppose if they where completely missing perhaps you would leak enough additional air into the crankcase to disrupt how the PCV works....but it would have to be major leak indeed as the PCV valve is self adjusting and reacts to the actual manifold and crank case pressures so the air leak would have to be so great as to overwhelm its range of adjustment....in which case I suspect the massive gushing oil leak you would have would be your real problem.

 

Huh?

I think you answered your own question.

Conclusion: Engine runs better with new VCG and PVC. Aerindel says so in his post.

 

Whatever lets you sleep at night man.

 

I sleep well. Good debate though. I’ve learned much from you so thank you. Still have your brake sermons in my history. Good stuff.

 

Ah, another PHM/Aerindel debate.

But yeah, the rear main goes on the very ass end of the motor around the crankshaft. It would be expensive on a rav4 due to it being a transverse setup. On my SHO if you replace the clutch, you replace the rear main. It's a hell of a job on a transverse setup. On longitudinal it shouldn't be bad at all.

 

Correct you are, so I corrected it...

 

I figured I'd clarify a bit PHM style. The seal goes in the retainer, retainer is bolted on the back of the block.

 

That’s a 1gr v6.. that’s a timing chain cover in the photo

 

All this talk reminds me I have a 17 tundra sitting on my rack at work for a rear main and cam towers... yay

 

Well what are you doing here? Get to work!

 

Makes us all want to run out and buy a new Tundra.

The latest 3rd Gen crybaby fest has been the leaky rear diff covers/seals.

 

Dont forget the widdle scwatches.

 

I don’t wAna! It ain’t fun. Lol pay is sheet and it’s ALOT of work. Plus I’m off till Monday

 

Hahaaha. And wack of technowogy.

 

I mean, I'd be pissed if my brand new $45K truck was leaking diff oil. Putting aside the fact that I don't even like the new Tundras, this cam tower and now rear diff problem is pretty disappointing for Toyota. I'd never buy one.

 

Sadly it’s prevelent in all the brands anymore. What once was just pan, block, head, valve cover is now pan, stiffener,block, head, sub head, and valve covers. A lot more places that need sealing.

 

Yeah you are correct about the ugly new Tundra. The rear diff is nothing. That cam tower leak is border line crybaby. The rear main seal is definitely crybaby stuff, of which I’d be head crybaby.

So glad, in retrospect, I didn’t buy the 2018 last year. Not sure what I’d do if I needed to buy a new truck in a spur of the moment. For now, no new truck appeals to me. All have this stupid huge rectangle grille that consumes the entire front. Weak payloads. Bro leans. Nannies and their recalls. The list goes on. That 5.7L is sweet though.

 

Not good.

Glad the 1st Gens are easy to work on and seems the earlier 1st Gens have lower cost reman’d transmissions and engines. Might make sense to hold these things for ever.