The infamous timing chain cover leak...

Well this is not encouraging. I have a 2023 as well and would like to monitor for this leak closely so if it does happen, I can get it resolved under warranty. I haven't looked closely, but is there a specific place to look for this leak? Is it easier to see from above or below?

Sorry for your dealer experience @spacecadet123. I had a similar experience with a leaking oil cooler on my brand new truck. Took 3 visits and over a week in the shop to resolve. I'll also be trying a different dealer for any future issues.

 

It normally shows itself behind the power steering pump. Thats where mine starts then drips down on some lines and my steering column. There's a film of oil/dirt that has developed on my steering column.

 

Find the power steering pump pulley and look behind it.

It's not that common, but is worth checking while in warranty (5 year 60,000)

 

I mean hey if they didn't clean it then there is no excuse next time for the oil they'll find in the area. Should be "clearly" leaking eh

 

Yeah, exactly. They did me a solid by leaving it so when I take it to a different service center they will actually diagnosis the issue and not put their head in the sand. Just checked this morning to see what it looks like and I got a nice big drip waiting to fall from behind my power steering pump. It drips about twice a day.

 

Well, when it's out of warranty and starts leaking; is it possible to get to that specific area leaking; degrease it, and then apply an epoxy like JB Weld to the seam? That should stop it without having to pull and disassemble the entire front of the engine.

 

That's not a great idea especially if the timing cover does need to come off at some point.

 

Not epoxy. Rtv, sure

 

I bought a new 2016 Sport on January 4, 2016 with hopes of keeping it for my entire retirement years. I was not naive and did expect some new model 1st year issues. To my surprise, and disappointment, that truck was in the shop many times for warranty work over the 1st 6 or 7 months. Nearly every issue required me to contact Toyota Corporate for resolution. Things like failed tpms and squeaking radiator support bushings were immediately not handled by the dealer. I even provided video proof to the dealer that accomplished nothing so I posted them on youtube and sent them to Toyota Corporate. That was the ONLY way to get the dealer to fix the issues. Other than the lame powertrain I really had no more major issues over the remaining warranty period. Then I started reading reports of timing cover leaks as well as an occasional rear main seal leak. After the warranty expired I had serious doubts about the truck and didn't have confidence that it would provide 200k miles of good service like my previous pre-gen, 1st gen and 2nd gen. I sold the truck at 5.5 years and 25k miles. There was no way that I was going to pay for a timing cover leak repair. Every previous issue that I had was a known national issue that the dealer denied existed. I may come off, in 3rd gen forums, as a hater. I am not a hater. I love my Toyota vehicles. The timing cover potential leak was just the final straw in selling my 3rd gen. The week after I sold it I got the recall notice for potential frame perforation. My current 2008 Tacoma Off Road just tripped 87k miles and my 2003 Camry just hit 97.5k miles. I expect to keep them until I die or they reach 200k miles. I will never buy another 3rd gen Tacoma. Knowing that 2023 models still have the potential timing cover leak just proves that Toyota has not changed anything in their manufacturing or assembly processes.

 

I think the rate of occurrence for the timing chain cover leak is quite low overall. Sounds like no more common, if not less, than the second gen issues. I think this forum causes a ton of undue panic by its followers. Maybe I’ve missed it, but a poll for all the 3rd gen owners on here asking if they’ve had the dreading timing chain cover leak would be very interesting. I’ve had zero major issues with my 2017 and I’m riding this sucker to the junk pile.

 

I would not have noticed my timing chain cover leak if I was less mechanically inclined. It is not noticeable on the dipstick and does not reach the ground. How many people are getting under their vehicles with flashlights inspecting a specific and not so visible location on their engine?

This has been an ongoing issue for many years across many models using the 1GR/2GR configuration, it's not some over thinking on this forum's part. Its a real manufacturing issue that Toyota has and won't address. Sure, it may be a fraction of engines produced, but if every single 2GR engine out there was inspected for it, I'd imagine those numbers would go up.

 

The really bad thing is that, by the time it becomes a real noticeable issue, these vehicles will be out of warranty leaving the owners to fork out big bucks for the repair. I have no regrets selling my 2016 Sport soon after the warranty ran out. If it happens on my 15 year old Tacoma then I can live with repairing it. I just didn't want to worry about it on a truck with 25k miles, out of warranty, that had such a high value. I did not buy a new Tacoma thinking it would have so many issues from manufacturing. I expected better from Toyota. Every issue I had with my truck was immediately not covered by the dealer. I got tired of going through Corporate for repairs that were known issues.

 

A co-worker has had the timing cover leak repaired twice and it's due for another repair (3rd time). They aren't going to do it and are going to trade it on a non-Toyota. The vehicle is a White (with massive paint issues) 2016 Off Road with less than 40k miles. Literally an old couple own it (in their mid 70's) and has never been off roaded or beaten on. And this isn't the only problem they've had. ALL of these things happened out of warranty BTW. When they found out I was buying a 2023 they got really upset. THAT is how bad the truck has been for them. And they aren't on TW or any forums.

 

I completely understand that. I am a huge Toyota guy but, in all honesty, I would buy a new Ford Ranger before I would buy another 3rd gen Tacoma. And I hate the Ford Ranger.

 

My 2023 Tacoma should be here any day now.

I almost went with the Nissan Frontier but liked the Tacoma better.

 

I don't dislike my Tacoma and don't regret purchasing it. Its a solid truck even with the timing chain cover leaking. Almost every single truck manufacturer has been struggling to make reliable trucks, so pick your poison I suppose. I am a bit disappointed in Toyota, but I don't plan to sell the truck.

My Tacoma is a bit rough around the edges, but every time I take it offroad, it reminds me on why I purchased this machine to begin with. Enjoy your new truck! Just keep an eye out for the timing chain cover, so you can get it covered under warranty, if applicable.

 

I'm not an "off roader" but I do go camping, live in the midwest with pretty shitty winters, and take it off road for hunting/fishing. The one thing I learned from my friend (and this forum) is if I plan on keeping the truck a long time I should get the extended warranty at some point. Because of the high resale value I can always trade it in if it starts to show all of the signs of upcoming expensive repairs. Obviously I'm hoping it doesn't and I plan on keeping it a long time otherwise. But it's nice knowing that I could trade it in 6 or 7 years and get a good penny for it on a different vehicle. If that weren't the case I'd have gone with the Frontier without question.

 

Man between the plastic coolant pipe leaks, timing cover chain leaks, anemic down low power, etc. It seems obvious why they still use the 4.0 in their more expensive and more premium 4runners, land cruisers, GX400 etc....

 

Just another prospective on the timing cover oil leak. I work on a commercial vehicle fleet. We have almost exclusively modern Cummins engines of various types in the fleet. These engines use the same RTV sealant style of timing covers and bellhousing seals. In a run of 105 vehicles, we saw almost 50% with oil seepage and several that were bad enough to require repair. These repairs were a 3 day job requiring removal of the hybrid drive motor and generator system to access the bellhousing seal. So this is a common problem with this type of sealing system. It is not unique to Toyota or the 2GR-FKS engine.

This problem occurs when there are variations in the injection process. Typically at the time the sealant product needs to be resupplied. There is too little sealant injected into the area that commonly leaks. It also is common where the mating surfaces are at there thinnest.

Now for repairs, prep and letting the sealant cure are very important. I clean the mating surfaces thoroughly and then clean with rubbing alcohol before applying new sealant. After assembly we typically wait 12 to 24 hours before starting the engine to allow adequate cure time.

 

Looks like on the next gen TT 3.4 they’ve addressed this issue.

car care nut (YouTube) has an episode where he goes over the new engine design. Crossing my fingers. Leaky timing cover is a pain to fix for the DIYer.