Radiator cap leaking + lower oil pan concerns

Hello everyone,

I know there are a few old threads on this, but I decided to start a new one rather than resurrect an old one.


I bought a 2023 SR5 about a year ago currently has about 36k. While doing a routine oil change and checking fluids I noticed pink crusties coming down from the radiator cap. I took the cap off and cleaned the seal and checked the hole going to the overflow tank. I spotted what MAY have been a piece of something blocking the hole to the overflow. I say may because I poked it and it went away, so I'm not sure if it was pink film I was seeing or it dissolved. Either way It's been 2 days now and a several drive cycles later and it appears to be fine.


A little backstory to this earlier this year I bought it to the Dealer for just an inspection before my warranty ran out. The overflow tank when I bought the truck was at the green line that I marked. After the dealership service they filled it to full. There was no leak prior to this. Currently the fluid is back at the green line and the cap isn’t leaking anymore. Is it possible FULL is just too much for the system and it was finding it's way out through the cap?

I did order a OEM cap that I haven't received yet. Should I replace it anyway? Or save it for a spare if it’s not leaking.


Lastly this truck had TWO oil changes prior to my ownership, and a shop managed to bugger the oil pan threads for the drain bolt. It's almost impossible to unscrew with fingers once it's broken loose. No issues sealing or torquing, but I'm looking to replace the drain pan.


Anyone have any experience in this with 3rd gens on replacing the oil pan? It seems fairly straight forward and easy to access. I know getting all the sealant off and cleaning mating surfaces is important.


The OEM sealant I was looking at using is “Fipg Oil Pan” (

$21 00295-00103 Formed-in-Place Oil Pan Gasket - 3 oz. Tube

00295-00103) my only concern is the working time with this sealant is very short. It's like 3 minutes to set the pan and 15 minutes it must be torqued. I also found Toyota Sealpacking (08826-00080) but the Fipg seems to be the better one for this application.


Thanks in advance!

 

At 36k I wouldn't be worried about much at all but..

Toyotas are notorious for spitting some coolant past the rad cap. Doesn't necessarily mean there's a problem anywhere. Its just getting hot and doing work. It can handle it. Nothing wrong with replacing the cap though if it bothers you.

My 2015 with 187k always has a little "hot splatter" around the cap and reservoir. The level never really drops and the temp gauge has never budged in 10 years. I'm not worried about it

Replacing the lower pan should be easy. Take it apart in the evening, let it drip overnight, put the new pan on in the morning and tighten it down. Wait a couple hours and then fill the oil. It will be fine

 

If the oil pan itself is not leaking simply replace the drain bolt with a Fumoto valve.

 

Thanks for the insight and suggestions. I'll probably just keep radiator cap as a spare and keep an eye on it.

I had thought about the Fumoto it's definitely a good option.