Oil leak - 2023 TRD Sport

Hi all. Since I had oil leak issues with the brand new Frontier I had a few years back, I crawled under my brand new Tacoma yesterday just to ensure everything was dry. To my surprise, I found what appears to be a pretty substantial oil leak that appears to be originating from the oil filter housing area. Truck has ~700 miles on it.

I'll let the dealer deal with fixing it, but my question is - is this a common trouble area for these trucks? I've been browsing the forums the past couple weeks, haven't seen any other posts about leaks in this area. I've seen plenty of discussion about the timing chain cover leaks, but this doesn't appear to be that.

Also, how in the world do I get a good reading on the oil dipstick? Every time I pull it out of the tube, the ridiculous bends end up smearing the oil along the dipstick.







UPDATE: Dealer says it was an oil filter seal not properly seated. We'll see if it leaks going forward. This is my first experience with cartridge oil filters.

UPDATE 2: Got it back from dealer and it's still leaking from the same spot. Guess I'll be making a trip back to the dealer. Best I can tell, all they did is remove the oil filter, reinstall it, then top off any oil lost.

UPDATE 3: Tentative resolution in post 14

 

That's unfortunate. Thankfully no, that leak is not a common problem at all. Probably a simple assembly issue in your case. The timing cover is definitely a far more common issue.

As for reading the dipstick, it can be quite difficult at times, especially with new oil and it's low viscosity stuff so it can be hard to see in general. I don't really ever check mine because of this. I just pour in 6 quarts and call it good.

 

If it’s coming from the oil filter cartridge check for cracks around housing it might have been over tightened and cracked the housing .

 

Maybe it was just loose? I don't recall seeing a lot, if any threads about oil leaking from that area.

I'd say just make sure the dealer handles it and documents it, get err fixed up, and be on your way. If the oil level looks fine, I wouldn't make a huge fuss about it..shit happens, unfortunately.

 

Maybe the o-ring isn’t seated right from the factory

 

Thanks guys. Hopefully this will be a simple fix, have an appt with dealer tomorrow.

Just for grins, I pulled up the oil leak thread for my 2019 Frontier - man, what a doozie that one was. Had to pull the engine to fix it. https://www.clubfrontier.org/threads/fluid-leak-on-2019-pro-4x.362420/

 

THIS. I'll add 6 qts, and a swig, and call it a done deal...same as my gen1 tundra 4.7

 

You have to scuff up the end of the dipstick with sandpaper to be able to read it consistently.

This should go without saying, but obviously wipe it off really well after the sandpaper treatment before re-inserting…

 

What he said. ^^^^^^^^^^

 

I think it's just a loose filter. On reading the dipstick, I've found that letting the truck sit for at LEAST ONE HOUR (not the 10 minutes or whatever the manual says) takes care of the smearing issue and provides a good/solid read. Anything less than that seems frustrating!

 

Sorry I’m a little SLOW. Does this help with reading this hard dam dip stick ? Thanks

 

Yes, it allows oil to stick to it easier.

 

Think of it this way. As it sits right now, your dip stick has a rather shiny surface. Trying to see where the end of the oil is on that shiny surface is a little difficult.

The idea behind the sandpaper is to scratch up or dull the surface. I went about a half an inch past the full mark. I applied some masking tape. I scuffed up the dipstick from there down on both sides. I then removed the tape and used some parts cleaner to ensure the tape residue as well as any metal debris were removed.

The dulled surface really makes a difference in accurately seeing where the oil stops on the dipstick. Give it a try I think you’ll like it.

 

UPDATE:

It took two trips to the dealer, but I think it's resolved. They say it was the oil cooler assembly, and it was replaced. It appears to be dry so far.

 

Hopefully that was the issue