Oil leak near oil filter, halp!

[apk919]

Originally Posted by Demonized

Alright, thanks again, apk919, tesprit, and fishguy.

Will go to Toyota and ask about the part, go to some auto-shops to look for a brake bleed screw, and pick up some RTV sealant tomorrow.

And wait for a PM about the $30 sandwich plate!

Good Luck! Let us know how it works out. I'm not sure if Toyota can help... I don't think they use the sandwich plate on their applications of the 2ZZ-GE.

[TimMullen]

Originally Posted by apk919

Good Luck! Let us know how it works out. I'm not sure if Toyota can help... I don't think they use the sandwich plate on their applications of the 2ZZ-GE.

Correct, it's not a Toyota part, it's something that Lotus adds to install the oil cooler lines.

Me, I'd skip the RTV it's only going to be a mess to clean up later, and it's not really made to withstand pressure (it seals gaskets, but not oil line with 80-100 PSI of pressure.

Maybe get a new washer and try that until you get the new proper bleed screw.

It might be leaking because the bolt is bottoming out in the hole. If it's a bleed screw like a brake bleed screw, the end would come to a point that seals into a tapered cone. If you screw a bolt in there too far, you could mess up the "cone". A stack of copper washers MIGHT seal things up while preventing the screw from bottoming out in the hole.

But I would get the new bleed screw or the whole sandwich plate (especially sine there is one for sale cheap on LT), and fix it right.

If you didn't notice the oil leak 4 months ago because of the grime, the grime is from the oil leaking collecting the dirt. It's been leaking for a while. Get it fixed properly. I wouldn't worry about it suddenly letting go (it's been like that for at least 4 months now), but I'd get to it sooner rather than later.