7mgte Oil Leak, Lucas Oil Treatment or Not?

[755hp]

Keep in mind, I'm a newbie.

Alright, so I finally got a Supra. Its a 1988 Mk3 Turbo Targa 5sp w/ 107,000+ miles completely stock. However, its leaking oil. The previous owner said he stopped driving it over the summer so maybe the cam seals or front main seals swelled up or something. He gave me the valve cover and oil pan gaskets when I bought it. So being that it leaks, I've been topping it off with high mileage synthetic 10W-30 oil as I drive to and from school.

Someone recommended lucas oil treatment as a temporary fix. Should I try that for now till I can find where its leaking from? Also, its really cold where I'm at (upstate NY) and I've been reading about how 10W-30 oil is too thick on start ups; any recommendations on oils for 0 to 30 deg F weather?

 

[jetjock]

Oil of snake is not recommended. For the cold use as thin an oil as possible. A winter rating of 5 or better still 0 is good...

 

[atmperformance]

I'm say maintenance > chemical treatment. clean up the engine find what's leaking, replace needed seals.

 

[755hp]

I'm say maintenance > chemical treatment. clean up the engine find what's leaking, replace needed seals.

I'm definitely in favor of maintenance but I'm a little worried about power washing the engine as water can seep into unwanted areas. I'm guessing its the front main seal or cams seals. There seems to be a lot of oil around the crank pulley.

 

[SideWinderGX]

Remember: the first number dictates the weight of the oil at cold temperatures (32*F), the second number dictates the weight of the oil at operating temperatures (~212*F). Like jetjock said, something with a lower weight (5-30 or 0-30) would be fine for winter.

Doh, I lied earlier...I use 0-40 Mobil 1.

I see you've made a post in the oil subsection, there's tons of useful information there. jetjock knows his stuff and has posted enough in that section alone to keep anyone reading for a few days.

 

[3p141592654]

Could be any of the front seals, CPS o-ring (or internal seal), or the cam covers. You really need to clean the engine than use some fluorescent die and a blacklight to find the source. CPS O-ring tends to be a high-failure item, but these cars are so old now you probably have multiple leaks.

 

[DeMoN2318]

Don't use that additive stuff man. I had an mk2 back in high school, I got an oil change from the dealership then put in an oil additive (think it was zmax)...~2600 miles later...BOOM!!! Figured out after tear down that there was only ~1 quart of oil in the pan, took a hard turn at high RPM, oil went to one side of the pan and starved the 2nd cylinder...

 

[super51fan]

From the looks of your pictures those have been leaking for years. Unless you have oil pouring out and running on the ground you can still drive it.

Most cars that go low on oil and get the 'dreaded rod knock' are burning oil..

People now days are to dumb to check oil level on a regular basis.
If you don't believe me about burning oil. Pour 1 quart of oil on your garage floor and wait. Oh you have a 8 foot diameter circle of oil. Now take that times 4 or 5 quarts.

Your car is due to replace lots of wear items. Cam cover gaskets, valley cover plate and reseal core plugs. Sparks plugs and wires. Cps "o' ring. Cam seals and reseal the front cam caps with cam covers off, crank seal and oil pump drive seal, timing belt. I would replace accordion hose and all hoses going to it and would thinks about changing out all the old coolant hoses. IMO good luck. BTW I forgot you also need the 3 "pcv" hoses and the one big Breather hose on drivers side cam cover behind alternator. This is a good starting point.