Possible Timing Cover Oil Leak

I bought a 2016 Toyota Tacoma TRD Sport 3.5L 2WD with 197kish miles. Only bought it because of the history of reliability of Toyota. Did a dumb thing and bought it before taking it to a mechanic. Saw there was some old oil from under the hood but wasn't super worried.

Just took it to the mechanic and they said it has an engine oil leak, so I looked into the forums and it seems like I have the dreaded Timing Cover leak. There is oil all over the PS reservoir, oil all underneath the passenger side of the vehicle. I haven't noticed any leaks on the ground and the mechanic said that the leak was not active or aggressive, but simply soaked.

Since it seems the average cost for repair on this is 3.5k, is it even worth fixing? I am brand new to Tacoma and not extremely savvy with cars. Do I just regularly check the oil level until this becomes a major issue, or do I just spend the money to have it resealed?

Other than the leak, the truck is mechanically sound. I appreciate any insights.

 

I personally would fix it. A small leak can turn into a big leak at any time. Some have had okay luck letting it leak but it's a gamble.

 

ugh,, that stinks, but at 200k miles, things like this are expected by most.
To start; I would clean the underside really well, then monitor how much is on the ground (if you have that option?) and how much you are having to add to it. That will give you an idea of how much is truly leaking.

You will then have an idea of how bad it is, and can look at your own situation,, as everyone's is different. To some; this is a newish truck they saved and saved for years for, or financed. To others; this is an old farm truck sits most of the time, that gets beat on for one weekend a month.


EDIT: personally, I would not attempt a workaround seal, until I know how bad it is leaking,,, that way if it doesn't work or last long, that is part of the question above.

 

Definitely clean the area well and determine where exactly it comes from. There are posts here where people have had good luck with Permatex/ RTV smear on those areas to stop or slow the leak. I believe it TW member Vlady who had good posts on the subject.

 

Personally I would wipe up the mess every time I changed the oil. Unless it was leaking so bad that if left a trail I would just ignore it.

I bet Air Force one has a known oil leak. There is probably a FAA standard on what is acceptable and it is not zero.

you can buy a lot of oil for $3500.

 

On a truck with that many miles just put some sealer on the outside of the timing cover. Been lots of posts about this working for people out of warranty. What’s there to loose by doing it.

 

Can I see "all" these posts and threads about RTV stopping the leaks. I've been on here since 2020 and have never seen one.

 

Ill clean it up and see where the leak comes from. The mechanic wrote on the inspection form "valve cover leak", but the whole engine bay is coated in oil and they didn't clean or run dye so I dont know how he could deduce that.

I guess it makes sense to just put sealer on it and see if that solves it. @Gfenza89 youre right, nothing to lose. Either the leak stops or it doesn't and then im just in the same boat.

 

Luckily my 2016 Tacoma has not started leaking yet. But if it was, I would not bother getting it fixed. I would just monitor the leak and live with it. Why? Because I believe that most mechanics that work for the dealerships are not actually qualified to do a job like this and it's also not worth the cost. My 2005 Jeep Wrangler was leaking out of the rear main seal. I took it to the dealership to get fixed. They charged me $1400. It was still leaking so I took it back. They did the job a second time under warranty. This time, they happen to notice a crack in the engine block at the edge of the rear main seal. They tell me that is likely why it's leaking. They took pictures of course to show me. I got several other professional opinions using the photos they took and every one says without a doubt that the dealership had to of cracked the engine block while doing the rear main seal repair. No other way for it to crack like that. Of course the dealership would not own up to it, but I did convince them to at least give me a 50% refund on the work. So basically, I paid $700 to fix a leak and ended of with it still leaking and a cracked engine block.

 

I’m learning that unless something is drastically wrong with a vehicle even under warranty to just leave it alone . Every time I bring a vehicle in for warranty something else gets broken or misplaced leading to me having to return

 

I’m confused the tech said engine oil leak and you are assuming it’s the timing chain cover ? Did the technician actually tell you it’s the timing chain cover? It could be something else if not valve cover .. oil fill neck … oil pan … rear main seal .. I would get a definitive answer on the “oil leak “. Even if it is the timing chain cover no reason to sell the truck if it doesn’t have any issues . Now if repairs are constant then yes it’s time to get rid of it .

 

I went to inspect myself and it’s mainly bulked up on the power steering pump. However the most fresh oil I could find is on the very bottom picture.

 

What you can do is get several cans of brake cleaner and spray down that general area.

Then power wash it clean. Lay down a piece of cardboard on the ground and let the oil spots lead you to where it's leaking from.

And then start calling around for front timing seal quotes..

 

I would get some engine cleaner and clean that all up to see where the oil is coming from . It’s hard to tell from all that oil .also a picture from the front of the engine would help also .

 

So the leak (if the timing cover) is right behind the PS pump. This is where the block and head are joined. This is the common area for 2gr engines to leak. The area about 1 inch long and requires 6 mm diameter sealant bead.
You may remove the pump, clean the area well , perhaps tight bolts and smear the rtv along the seam of the cover.

I do see some grease on my pump in the exact area, but not like yours.

 

Go to a good shop that has people working there that you know, or ask friends if they have any mechanics on phone. This job you have to almost always pull the engine by dropping the front end drivetrain. Wonder how much easier it is for the 2wd vs 4wd. Friend of mine had his 16’ done 3 years ago. It started leaking immediately after and worse…
Turns out the dealer tried to do this fix with the 3.5 still inside the truck rather than pulled out. Expensive mistake.

 

In the first picture there is old oil right where the light is shining. Second is just the power steering fluid reservoir. Third is the ps pump from the front and the fourth is behind the ps pump. Definitely gonna go clean the oil off this weekend, or pay a mechanic to do it because it’s gonna take a lot of work to get to all of the oil and I don’t have some of the tools to do it. After that I’ll drop the super sick UV dye in the oil and see if I can’t find the leak. Not sure if I should just let a reputable mechanic find the leak at this point honestly. I get everyone has to start somewhere, but I’m very novice with car stuff (can replace serpentine belt and filters and change headlights and whatnot). Just don’t want to get in over my head and end up making more problems than I started with.

 

If you look through your passenger side wheel well at the engine you can see the spot where the timing cover, engine block, and valve cover all come in contact with each other.
That’s apparently the weak spot on these applications.