My daughters 1999 RX300 has dripped a little oil for years, but now it is leaving puddles. I am hoping someone can let me know the most probably place it is leaking from so I can be prepared next time she comes over to look at it.

It is leaking on the passenger side of the engine, I cannot see where and have not started taking plastic off.
When parked it would drip a little closer to the rear of the passenger side of the engine, but now it is leaving a puddle that seems like it is just under the alternator. We did replace the alternator a few weeks ago. When she drive an hour to our house and parks, it leaves about a table spoon or more on the ground.

Anyone know where these are most likely to leak from, my best guess if the front valve cover. So my plan is to get a new valve cover seal. How hard is it to take off the rear one, although I do not think the rear one is leaking, the puddles are more towards the front. I need this car to last just one more year to get her through college.

Thanks Chris

 

Front valve cover is easy, so it's probably the rear one because that's how life goes.
Other possibilities on passenger side are the camshaft and crankshaft seals.

 

First ensure which fluid is leaking.

If it is the valve cover, do purchase the spark plug tube seals as well. I can vouch for Felpro if you want non-OEM

You can worry yourself unnecessarily or wait till you examine it. Remember the oil will flow down but the wind while driving will push it to the back. Look for the highest point of leak first. Loose oil filter can be a culprit too. If you get after-market filter and specially if you go to a lube place for replacement they often fail to remove the old gasket and 2 gasket can leak.

Salim

 

It is 100% oil, especially since I have to keep adding oil.

Not worrying my self unnecessarily, but would like to have as many needed supplies that are cheap so once I can look at it I can fix it without waiting for parts. I will have the car for a day two at tops to see if I can figure out and fix. Ordered the felpro valve cover gaskets with spark plug seals and oil filter. Thanks, keep the tips coming. Valve cover is my bet, leaking around the alternator. But with the sudden significant increase oil filter also in play.

 

I cleaned it up, but this entire area around the yellow dot over to the missing nut was soaked in oil, always has been. But the new excessive leaking I think also coming from above this area on the front of the passenger side. So either cam shaft seal or valve cover is my best guess. I put in a new front valve cover gasket and new oil filter. Filter looked fine, valve cover gasket looked iffy but nothing obvious. I filled it up 2 days ago before my daughter had to drive 100 miles to a internship interview and 100 miles back. So in 200 miles on the highway she lost 1 full quart of oil. Could that much leak out of the cam shaft seal?

She will drive it back to her college tomorrow, 40 miles away. I guess we will know if she leaves a puddle there when she parks.

 

I had a big oil leak dripping off the right rear of the oil pan with signs of the oil coming from higher up on the engine. Of course it's all blocked by the timing cover so you can't see it.

I changed the rear valve cover gasket, didn't help. I also made my life extra crappy by missing reconnecting that blind ground wire connection behind the intake. As soon as the transmission started jerking I knew what I screwed up.

I took the timing cover off and saw oil up high in the upper cover so I changed the camshaft seals. Didn't help.

I took off the timing cover again and ran the car for a few seconds with a piece of PCV pipe bolted in place of the harmonic balancer. Oil was gushing out from behind the lower timing sprocket, getting flung all over the place by the spinning shaft, and getting carried up the timing belt to the area of the camshafts. That explains why the leak seemed to originate high up. Replaced the crankshaft seal and the problem seems solved. I don't know what's wrong with the old seal, it really doesn't look bad, but whatever.

With this big oil leak eluding me for a while I was was worn out and started shopping for a replacement car. Its got 371,000 miles now so I figured it's on its way out. But the leak seems fixed, and while I did the rear cover I changed the plugs too, so the car runs and feels great. I'm done with looking for another car.

 

I agree, as long as it runs keep it.

Salim