Sudden, massive oil leak. Cracked filter housing!

Coming home a couple weeks ago, my Tacoma started making a bad grumbly noise from the engine. I was almost home, and as soon as I pulled in to my parking spot the oil light came on. Crap!

stopped the engine immediately, and checked the oil level. No oil on the dipstick and a mess on the front of the engine. The offending part appeared to be the oil pressure switch as oil was coming out from around it. This photo is from the shop, after cleaning.




From above


Unfortunately, the sensor was not the culprit:


The actual housing was cracked.

It took two weeks to come in, but now everything seems ok.

 

It cracked where the pressure gauge is located? Bizarre but glad you got it all sorted out.

 

Yep, cracked at the pressure switch. Bizarre for sure, and damn lucky I was close to home. I had to add 4 quarts to get oil on the dipstick again…

 

good thing you parked it soon David. Can’t figure out how a crack like that would suddenly appear, doesn’t look like it goes all the way to the threads in the photo but you saw it so you would know.

 

Did it crack because you got the metal filter housing? Not trolling, genuinely curious if that has some affect?

 

Doubtful. It’s been -20 to -40 out after an ice storm. Our roads are ROUGH right now, like 4” deep cracks in the ice down to the pavement every hundred to couple hundred yards.

 

I run metal housings on my FJ and Tundra, but I dont let anyone but me change the oil. I have seen the guys at the dealership spin them on with impacts, and in that scenario I would want a plastic housing. I would rather the plastic housing break.

 

Roads are terrible in MT, I can only imagine in AK. Definitely take their toll on our vehicles.