Is this cam tower leak or valve cover gasket?

And is this normal frame rust?

 

Maybe it's just the pics, but I'm not seeing anything that's actively wet.

 

It wasn’t actively wet, but there was oil and dirt residue on the valve cover. It was a used truck I looked at. I didn’t buy it, but am wanting to figure out exact what I would see.

 

Hard to tell for sure in those pics but that looks to high to be the cam tower leak. Also, more rust than I would want to see here in WA. My wife's 04 Sequoia has a lot less weld rust than that 3rd gen.

 

That's too much weld rust IMO.

 

That’s what I thought in the rust. It’s Alberta truck. This is a 2014.

So the oil is likely a valve cover gasket? That was my initial thought, particularly given the oil on the front of the valve cover and alternator.

 

If it was a leak, it looks like it's an old one. Looks more like someone spilled something and it's just been collecting grime. Could always re-torque the bolts for peace of mind, clean those areas up and see if there is anything new there in a couple of weeks.

 

yeah i agree a very slow VC leak. Many times the bolts are a little loose, don't over tighten, check torque but it's very low. Luck on future hunts.

 

Thanks guys. So a cam tower leak will show more oil? Is this true even if it’s just been sitting in the lot?

 

Similar amount. But the cam tower almost always lands on heat shields. You can see some/parts of those shields by looking just above and around each front tire towards the motor of course, will be the shields. There you'll get an idea of if they're leaking and about how much.

Cam leaks are not the worst oil leak to have, I mean it doesn't land on hoses causing deterioration of rubber like A/C or coolant hoses or engine/tranny mounts.

I doubt they leak while stationary, same with VCs. VCs will leak onto the exhaust manifolds most likely and then down all over the sides and back of the engine onto the tranny, keeps the rust off, haha.

Rarely does each of these two types of leaks reaches the ground. Unlike say a front or rear engine or tranny seal, you'll see that every morning. Luck in the search.