Timing cover leak, easy fix

'07 here with 380k on my motor and I've always had this leak from 70k. Valve covers finally started to leak and well, it's a huge mess I'm cleaning up. Planning on sealing this area as it's always been an eye sore with all the oil and dirt caking up on the pump. Will change the little window gasket as well. The leaks were so bad , I couldn't even see it. I should have taken photos, but the pump was always covered with an oil/dirt like you'd see heavy frosting on cake. Looking forward to a dry/clean engine once I clean all this up.

 

I put an external bead of RTV on my timing cover 5 years ago and still the leak has yet to return, highly recommend!

 

Dude! Thank you for that encouragement!

 

Just clean everything up REALLY well before applying RTV. When you think it's clean...clean it again.

 

This is exactly what I was afraid of. Gotta make sure it's super clean. I'll probably spray and brush the seam with brake cleaner to finish it off.

 

I did the same same, brush and brake clean. My final wipe down was with acetone on a shop rag.

 

Welp! Wound up pressure washing the whole engine and got it 98% of the oil sludge cleaned off the engine. I Picked off the excess factory FIPG, used carb cleaner and nylon brush to clean the seams and used permatex the right stuff grey one minute (it actually starts to set in 5 minutes) on the seams. Went from the top of the timing cover down just over the water pump passage. Also went a bit along the head and block. I hope this works!

Interesting thing was that after pressure washing the engine clean, I could see oil start to leak out of the area behind the water pump. The leak had to be bad because I wiped it up often over the coarse of two days. This area was also particularly wet with oil before all the clean up. It was easy to spot where the oil was leaking so I did some extra credit and went far outside the leak area.

Next up! Exhaust cam gears and valve cover gaskets. Also changing the crank seal and oil pan gasket for good measure. It would be nice to look at a clean block every time I open the hood. I'm hoping I don't find any surprises when I drop the pan though.

 

Nice job, pressure washer really got that area clean!

 

Very clean! Great pictures of the area for others to see

 

How long did everyone let their RTV dry before re-filling with oil and driving?

 

24 hours is the rule of thumb depending on the RTV used. I would simply follow the cure time listed on the packaging.

 

This by no means is an easy fix. Actually a lengthy fix. Since the topic is fresh, and I just did this, I may as well share.

https://rumble.com/v6u661b-1gr-fe-toyota-tacoma-timing-cover-leak-fix.html

 

Did everyone drain the oil before you did this? And how long did you wait after the oil was drained until you made the RTV repair? Essentially, how long did it take to stop seeping oil before you made the repair?