manual gear oil leak??

[netguy7]

I have an 83 4x4 5 speed wagon that I stopped driving several years ago because it suddenly leaked a large amount of oil on the ground near the engine. I thought it was motor oil and did not do anything about it as I was not using the car but storing it in the garage. A few years later when I checked the oil level I was surprised to find it was still full. So I suppose it has to be gear oil. What could be the source of such a large gear oil leak that it appeared as if the crankcase had been drained on the floor? The transmission has only about 100K on a factory new replacement unit replaced by Toyota under warranty in the mid 80s. I'm planning on fixing this car and using it or will sell it to clear my garage space for a different car.
I also had a couple other problems with the car:

The clutch pedal would suddenly slip making a plastic tooth slipping type of noise and engage without warning almost causing me to run into things.
The brake lines seem to be leaking somewhere too as the pedal was going to the floor.
One other thing: I remember back when I used to drive it I smelled gas vapors in the back on the passenger side of the car - this would come and go. Is it likely I will need to change the tank or get it cleaned after having left it near empty in Wisconsin climate for about ten years?

Thanks much - its decision time regarding my much loved tercel of 22 years.

[Petros]

welcome to the list!

there are a few places the gear oil can leak, the most common is the axles seals, these are fairly easy to replace. The rear seal can also leak, and it is also fairly easy to get at and replace. But it sounds like it could be the trans input shaft seal is leaking onto the clutch assembly, this is not common but it does happen. It sounds like you will need a new clutch anyway, and you can install the new front seal when the trans is out. You should also install a new rear main engine seal while you are at it. Make sure you are indeed losing oil from the trans before you do anything, you check the level through the plug on the side of the engine. there are a number of threads about this and it is also in the factory service manual (FSM). there is an on-line version of the FSM elsewhere on this site.

It is very rare you get brake lines leaking, most likely the rear wheel cylinders are leaking from sitting too long, you can just replace the rear wheel cylinder with rebuilt ones, they do not cost much. the brake master cylinder may have bad seals as well, either of these could make the pedal go to the floor. The front calipers seals could also be leaking but usually caliper seals are pretty durable. Do not just replace parts, but inspect each of these items and determine where it is leaking and replace just the bad parts. Make sure you bleed out the system after you replace the bad parts.

There are some rubber fuel supply hoses on top of the fuel tank, sometimes they dry out and get cracked and seep fuel. this only happens when the tank is full, hence the intermittent nature of the fuel smell. Also, sometimes the gasket at the end of the full filler neck can leak. Neither are hard to replace, but both require the fuel tank to be removed. for now you can just not fill the tank past about half full until you can fix it. You can inspect the inside of the tank by removing the access hatch under the rear carpet in the cargo area, and than remove the gauge sender unit, and inspect inside the take with a strong flash light (do not use a match!).

all of these are fairly easy fixes, and well worth keeping the car. changing the clutch is a big job, but it is also a routine procedure that can be done on a weekend without any special tools.

[dlb]

i would advise not driving the car until you have checked the gear oil level. petros said

Make sure you are indeed losing oil from the trans before you do anything, you check the level through the plug on the side of the engine.

but i believe he means that you check the level of the trans oil on the side of the trans. just aft of the driver side CV is a 24 mm plug. clean around the plug first, then remove it. it will be tight so use a big breaker bar; however, the head of the plug is very shallow so be cautious and keep pressure on the socket. if the car is level and the trans is full, the gear oil should just ooze out the plug hole. if it doesn't, stick a finger in a reach down. if the level is just below the hole, it's ok. if you can't feel it, it's too low.

also, gear oil has a very strong smell. kind of like onions but way grosser. that's a giveaway detail for me when figuring out what's leaking.

ditto on petros's wheel cylinder and gas tank comments. you might also check the charcoal canister in the engine bay. if it is plugged, the gas tank will not be able to "breathe" properly and will build up pressure, resulting in brutal gas smells. super easy to test and purge the charcoal can, check the factory service manual (found here: https://tercel4wd.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=8103) under the emission control section. i would check that before the tank.

[Petros]

good call DLB, that should read on the side of the trans (not engine).

gear lube like onion smell? more like burnt garlic mixed with grease.

[netguy7]

Thanks so much for the immediate responses to my post. I was really surprised to see how fast you all responded! The info provided was very helpful and encouraging!!

The gas vapor issue seems very likely to be exactly what you said as I do remember I only smelled it when the tank was over half full. As soon as it gets a little warmer I plan to put the car up on jack stands and try to see if I can determine the exact source of the gear oil leak and gas vapor issue now that I have more specific places to zero in on.

Four other things came to mind when reading your responses:

1. The first being I don't actually think it needs a clutch job as the clutch itself seemed fine last time I drove it. The issue seemed to be in the clutch cable or pedal mechanism. I seem to remember a mechanic telling me it was just a small inexpensive plastic part that was worn that was slipping and allowing the cable to spring back to engage the clutch and make the car move suddenly even though the pedal was depressed. You would feel the pedal mechanism suddenly slip and make a quick toothy noise (kind of like saw teeth sliding quickly over plastic). It had nothing to do with the internal components of the clutch. Anyone know what that part might be and how to replace it?

2. Though I used to start and drive the car a couple times a year I don't think I have actually run it since about 2000 or so when the gear oil drained out (as I originally thought it was motor oil). The car had just had a compression check and carb/choke work completed in '97 when I stopped using it regularly. It had never run better at that time but I'm concerned that gaskets may have dried up or that the little bit of fuel left in the tank, carb and lines has become gummy over the years. Is there anything I can/should do regarding this matter to minimize possible complications? Maybe some type of fuel cleaning additive? How hard is it to drop the tank (if this is necessary), without a hoist (in the rust belt region)? If it needs a tank or other fuel delivery components are they available?

3. The drivers door handle had seized up many years ago and I had to use the back door or keep the window down to open the door from inside. Are there parts available to replace this and how difficult would it be? Also, the front passenger door handle and rear hatch lock were becoming sticky too but not frozen yet. I took to leaving the rear hatch unlocked because I could not get it unlocked if I locked it with the key.

4. Finally, even though the gear shifter handle looks great (like the rest of the interior), it has become very, very sticky to the touch to the point where it seems as if the plastic or rubber material seems to be decomposing. The car has NOT been left in the sun as it has been in a garage all these years. Anyone else experience this and can just the handle be replaced or perhaps treated with something to eliminate the stickyness?

THANKS MUCH!!

[Petros]

1. sounds like the cable auto adjust might be worn, that is an easy replacement. I do not know about getting new parts, you might have to go to a wrecking yard to get replacement parts. it is easy to inspect with a flash light, look up under the dash at the clutch pedal. It might just need a new spring, inspect and you should see why it is behaving badly.

2. put freash fuel in it and see if you can get it to run. a cleaning addative might be useful, but internal corrosion can be an issue. It is not difficult at all to remove the tank, more of a hassle because you have to lay on your back to reach the fasteners and fuel lines.

3. usually you can fix the door handle with lub, or at most, reattach the handle push rod. sometimes when people try to open the door with a slim-jim type device they pop the handle push rod off (I did it). remove the inner door panel (remove the clip off the window crank, than some screws and the panel pops out), and inspect it, lube it with qualithy dry lub, and than see if the push rod is still attached. It is not too hard to replace the handle if necssary, but it can be tricky and access is a pain.

4. remove the console (several phillips screws), remove the rubber boot cover, and the inner boot, and a large circlip. the shift lever should pull out (it will be sticky). Clean out the rust and moisture, put grease on everything and put it back together. If the plastic bushings are damaged they are easy to replace. likely it just needs fresh grease.

[Ace]

I also have an '83 4x4 wagon. On the clutch linkage issue, it may be the auto-adjuster plastic rachet off the pedal under the dash (which Petros has already mentioned). When I first got my car in 1984 the clutch linkage had a slight slip and click when the pedal was first depressed. After inspecting the auto-adjuster feature I decided that it might work better if the spring was connected differently, and I fixed it with a slight adjustment. That was ages ago and I don't remember details, but it has worked fine ever since. My point is that you want to look at that clutch auto-adjuster feature - it sounds like it's slipping, and may have some plastic teeth stripped.

I had an elusive fuel smell problem for years, finally discovered a seeping fuel pump and a probably plugged carbon canister.

Best of luck with fixing your other problems ...

[Petros]

And do not assume that either the adjuster on the clutch, or the vac tube routing is correct just because a full time mechanic worked on it last. Very few mechancis have experiance with systems as old as these cars, and many were not even born when these cars were being made. Check the FSM to verify the clutch adjustor and the vac routing.

[ARCHINSTL]

There is a thread from just the other day on clutch pedal adjustment, with an FSM page reference. See: https://tercel4wd.com/forums/viewtopic.php? ... tch#p62636

If you have a Federal car, there are simplified and color-coded vac routings as a Sticky in the Repair Guides Forum. Easy to copy and save.
Tom M.