Oil leak...seems to be getting a little worse......

[BBC]

I have a 1991 Toyota Dolphin V6 3L

 

45,000 miles.

 

It has an oil leak...small, but getting worse, especially after the last trip I did.

 

I spoke to one person who told me to keep an eye of the oil level and keep topping it off.....but I'm wondering if that is wise. I'm also wondering how long one can drive a vehicle with such an oil leak for before something happens.......what does happen to an unattended to oil leak?

 

Thanks for any input.

[MaineJed]

Depends on where it is and how much you’re losing.

[BBC]

5 minutes ago, MaineJed said:

Depends on where it is and how much you’re losing.

I'll try and be specific with location, but it's hard to determine. I will also try and catch the oil over the next 24 hours or so and report back.

Thanks for your time.

[fred heath]

Sounds like maybe a bad crankshaft oil seal. These are common fail items on the 20/22R engines.

 

Check the area directly behind the crank pulley. If it’s oil saturated, that’s most likely the cause of your leak.

[Ctgriffi]

In my opinion, if you’re keeping an eye on the level and able to add 1/2-1QT occasionally to offset leaks and stay in the safe range on the dipstick… well, you can do that for a LONG time with no serious repercussions to the engine itself. (Although, yes, it’s messy, a pain to monitor, and NOT ecologically responsible to do so long term.)

[WME]

Clean the front of the engine and pour some UV oil leak dye. A short drive and check things with a black light. 

Most car part places have the UV dye kits. 

[IdahoDoug]

There is an oil leak fix in a can that works.  I have had a bunch of classic cars, and friends who do.  Out of town but if you PM me, I will take a pic on return. It swells rubber seals just a bit.

[IdahoDoug]

[IdahoDoug]

We had to stop back home for something, so here you go!

[BBC]

14 hours ago, IdahoDoug said:

Thank you! I'll give it a try! 

[thewanderlustking]

Figure out where the oil leak is coming from on that 3.0…. They have several common spots.  Two spots can have minor drips that can quickly go to blowout all the oil status. The back cam seal plugs, and the oil cooler/heat exchanger on the side of the block (oil filter bolts to it). 
 

If you are handy, neither of these is horribly hard or expensive to fix. The oil cooler is more likely to cause a cursing fit though.