2020 SR5 Possible Leak

Ive had my 2020 Tacoma SR5 V6 a week with about 300mi on it. While under it looking at the AC drain, I noticed something on the transmission bell housing. I touched it and it was a tiny drop of brownish oil. No oil on ground or anywhere on undercarriage. It was on the very edge of bell housing next to one of the bolts.
Engine oil level is normal. No other issues noted

 

Wipe it off and monitor.

 

It’s brand new under warranty so bring it in to the Dealer have it checked out ASAP so they can fix it free N/C

 

Gonna watch it, if it happens again I'll take it to the dealer. Frustrating on a new vehicle, especially one that is supposed to be so reliable.

 

Everything has warranty when they are new so you don’t have to worry about it it was better when Japanese cars & trucks were built in Japan thank the USA for passing laws requiring them to build them here and that is one of the problems but still a better design than any USA brand company’s are going to give you fact.now Toyota wants to build all the Tacoma’s in Mexico don’t think that’s a good idea is one of the reasons I got one this year & it has the 5 in the vin made in Texas USA on the door jam just for that reason

 

Mine had a little wetness around the plastic access cover on the bell housing at 2500 miles. I cleaned with solvent and monitored, nothing so far. I somewhat wonder if it's from assembly grease.

Still, there have been cases of rear seals leaking prior to 3k miles.

 

Im hoping it was assembly grease too, that was my first thought. Not sure how there could be a leak there.

 

Yeah, usually there's some oils and things left on the engine and transmission from assembly. Heat usually burns them off over time. My fiance's 4Runner had a minor burning smell for the first few hundred miles but ended before the break in period was done. This was in addition to a loud power steering pump which also quieted down before the break in period was up. Just keep an eye on it, but I wouldn't worry too much until it keeps reappearing after 1k or so miles.

 

Break in is 1k, right? I expect it will be tight like my Honda, took 20k to losen up

 

Excited about new truck to frustrated about reliability in 300 miles. Relax a bit.

 

They come off the truck broken in, in the traditional sense of the term for us old coots. It's why they can now come with synthetic oil, which certainly isn't a 'break in' product.

 

I agree AJ, that was one of the must haves when I bought my 17. Vin has to start with a 5. I feel my SR5 which is an automatic is one of the few DC built in Texas. If you searcher the paint fading problem on BBP, it is limited to the Mexico plant. My next truck will be a Tundra and I am thinking they all are built in Texas.

 

Lay a piece of cardboard under it @ night to monitor.

 

There's no laws requiring vehicles to be built in the US. The only anomaly is the 25% tariff / chicken tax on import light trucks. The recent trade agreements exempt Canada and Mexico from that tariff.

 

Correct and the new agreement mandates Mexican government authorities to allow workers to for collective bargaining units and be represented by unions.

 

Yes. The owner's manual indicates that the break in period is 1000 miles and dictates what you should/shouldn't do up until certain intervals within that timeframe.

"First 200 miles- avoid sudden stops."
"First 500 miles- do not tow a trailer."
"First 1000 miles- do not drive at extremely high speeds. Avoid sudden acceleration. Do not drive continuously in low gears. Do not drive at a constant speed for extended periods."

Also, synthetic oil is engineered to be better for engines than conventional. This includes filtering of molecules to be of similar sizes which conventional doesn't allow for. For these reasons, you can run synthetic for far longer than conventional. Toyota even recommends 10k miles between oil changes. That being said, I stick to changing every 5k miles.

 

Because you are a severe duty user?

Because you are smarter than Toyota's engineers and tribologists?

Because it makes you feel good?

Just curious.

 

Because better safe than sorry. It's more one of those things "just because you can, doesn't mean you should." Lots of oils will claim up to 15000 miles but no one actually recommends that you do that regularly.

 

A single drop of what might be some type of grease or oil from an unknown source, sitting on your bell housing has you frustrated and questioning vehicle reliability @ 300 miles?

You're either easily shaken, or you've been living a charmed life, my friend.

 

If it makes you feel better put a little UV dye in the oil, it won’t hurt anything. Clean up what you see with some brake clean then drop the dye in the oil and drive it a week. Go under the truck with a UV light and check that area. If you see a leak then the dealership has no ground to use against you to fix it.