2006 Toyota Tacoma 2.7L 4x4 Cab Scent

Hey there I have recently acquired a 2006 2.7L 4x4 tacoma with 82,000 miles on it. Recently I have noticed that when I start the truck or it sits idling for a moment when I am out of it I can smell some sort of gas fumes with maybe a touch of oil in the cab of my truck. I am not real savvy when it comes to mechanics but know a small bit. Before I got the truck I got Toyota to do a good pre-purchase check over to make sure everything. The guy I got it from took his truck to this particular dealer luckily enough. The dealership knew the truck well and had it in for about an hour looking things over and just came back with the reasoning for the tire sensor switch being on with the only thing wrong with the truck. So I guess I am asking if anyone has any thoughts on what may be the reasoning behind the gas/small oil smell that comes in the cab while idling. When I start driving the truck instantly the smell goes away. Also it isn't every time it sits idling or every start that this smell appears which has thrown me for a loop. Also I had just changed oil recently but I believe the smell was happening pre-oil change.So I appreciate and advice in advance and if there is any other info you would need to assess I can provide it to make my situation more clear. Thanks again this site is great!!

 

Check connection at catalytic converter for leak, check everywhere between the head and there for holes or compromised welds. Make sure manifold is tight.

 

05Taco4x4 thanks for the info I will crawl around under there to see what is up!! Would there be any noticeable sounds while running if there were compromised welds or the catalytic converter was having issues? I am just spit balling here have no idea what to look for hahaha. Also is there any obvious signs outside of welds that looks bad that I could look out for?

Thanks again!

 

Mine did that. Valve cover leaking oil on the exhaust manifold, then burning off, the smoke got sucked into the outside air vent for the cab. I guess if your cruising down the road the wind blows it out the back or away from the vent so you dont smell it.

 

yea that does sound like a very similar situation to mine, is that an expensive fix? I am not great in the mechanics department lol. Thanks for the reply

 

I got a valve cover gasket from rock auto. Got a felpro brand I think it was about $25. Might as well install new spark plugs at the same time since itll take an extra 10 minutes. That's an extra $20 get the denso iridium's no matter what the guy at autozone says get denso or Ngk
I'm not sure of your skill level but it's possible to do at home. There might even be a video on YouTube. It took me maybe 2 or 3 hours to do. It's not super complicated but more than changing your own oil. It doesnt involve any specialty tools just normal metric stuff.
Before you jump in id get some simple green and degrease everything so you can verify that's what's leaking. You'll also thank yourself later when working on it that it's a little cleaner

 

Yea ok that is awesome advice thanks so much!! I had looked at a video and it does seem quite simple. Yea and pulling spark plugs after I saw video seemed like a no brainer for sure. I did check around top part of engine where gasket is and sure enough oil buildup and you could see where alittle bit had been dripping from near exhaust and what I am guessing my transmission casing? Nothing to bad, but enough to create that smell. I think I will tackle this one at home seems like if you take ur time it is no as big as deal as it sounds. Thanks again for the great post!!

 

Update: I have checked over engine and I can see some oil residue around back corners where valve cover gasket is. I am glad I have figured out the smell when idling now gotta find sometime to pop cover off and replace it. Thanks again for all the great advice tacomaworld is awesome!!!!

 

I'll be doing the same repair soon. I found a video that's pretty clear on the how-to. One question though, he mentioned two studs in the valve cover he had to remove that I'm not seeing on mine, are these studs only visible after you remove all the air intake parts and if so what type of socket/wrench do you use on them? I'm the type to make sure I have all the correct tools that work before starting something.

Here's the video just in case,
https://youtu.be/Fzm_W5PUCbI

 

Yea I saw that vid looks great very thorough, I think I am gonna tackle it this weekend I will keep you up to date on what I find. Thanks for the post

 

I may have the same leaking valve cover as you on my 2006 2.7L engine. I read a post where someone had luck just retorquing the bolts on the valve cover before he replaced it, so I will try that before replacing the gasket and see if that stops the leak. Good luck, Mark

 

I tried that a year ago but no luck for me

 

Same here, tried retorquing on my 06 with no luck. When I finally replaced it it literally crumbled in tiny little dry rotted pieces as I removed it.

Not too hard of a job though once it is said and done.

 

Did you have oil in the tubes?

 

negative, no oil in the tubes but I did have the same issue as the OP with a constant burning oil smell in the cab when sitting still.

 

I think that's everyone with a leaky gasket that drips on the manifold

 

Yea my gasket came out in hard dry rotted chunks when I did it

 

Hey There figured I would update anyone interested. I replaced the gasket and the video is bang on for a reference. It is not a difficult job by any means just have to make sure nothing falls into engine was my main concern. Follow the video step by step and you will have that gasket out and a fresh one put back in. My gasket was pretty compressed and has next to no "squish" left for sealing purposes. Overall I took my time and got it done in about 2 hours I am sure someone who is well versed in mechanics likely can do it a lot faster but I wasn't in a rush so it is all good now no smell!!!