Timing Cover Leaking Oil !!!

I'll feel better when I hear ppl reaching 275k with no major repair issues lol!

 

Looks like this problem only effects me 2016s so far.

 

Oh please don't say that I have a '16

 

I would be fucking furious to see a pic of the oily valve covers on my dirty tailgate without so much as a paper towel under them to prevent a bunch of dirt getting back in to my engine. What a fucking unprofessional job. Not to mention the oily stains that will be left on the tailgate. I've seen much better from shade tree mechanics.

 

The tailgate will be cleaned up and no one will ever know except us

But I'm already thinking that if my timing cover leaks at 130k, no way I'm paying or let anyone perform that much disassembly on such a complicated and expensive piece of machinery and components. I'll just loosen the bolts and apply rtv and nip that leak in the butt!

There's got to be a better way, and usually someone finds it

 

Gun it and guide it, until Ya hear shit breaking.

 

That would be great

 

See and I'd agree with you, I'm also happy with the way the truck performs. But also, had this issue come up on an old truck that didn't have warranty, there is absolutely no way I would have proceeded with the repair. The leak was so minimal that it never even dripped, just a minor seep. I'm sure a whole lot of trucks on here are having this similar issue and just haven't even noticed.

As for complaints about dirty parts being set on the tonneau/tailgate.... it's a truck, she's seen worse.

 

You're right, no need to be concerned about a some minor seepage on an old vehicle, they all usually have some somewhere. I had an old Toyota truck with the indestructible 22R engine that had a front seal leak at 80k and as it turned out, Toyota knew about it and there was a new seal issued that superseded the old one to solve the leak but mine was out of warranty.
I did the repair by removing the cover, loosened the oil pan fasteners and dropped it just enough to apply rtv black all around. The hardest part of the job was removing the harmonic balance/pulley and drove the chit out of it for another 200k with not another drop or seep anywhere on the engine lol! .
But if this one leaks bad as the old one did after the warranty runs out and I can't fix it without doing all that work, it'll be the last 3.5l I'll ever own, so I best find another way cause I like this one better, more hp, great mpg

 

It took a few visits to the dealer and a long round of UV dye living in my oil but the dealer has finally determined my timing cover is leaking oil. They ordered parts and will schedule my service which they expect to take over a week to complete. The service manager seemed less than pumped to have to perform this repair.

 

Pretty sure mine is leaking too, but I am less than pumped about having it repaired, hopefully it won't get any worse.

 

Just took in my 2016 TRD OR for 35k mile service and they found the same leak. Service mgr said the 2wd version is easy to repair but the 4x4 needs to have the engine and trans removed. He said the new gasket is thicker with more material.

I'm not too happy about this. A 2 yr old truck needing such a major repair on something that could have been spec'd with higher a grade part that probably would cost 5-cents more per vehicle and prevented all of this. It will take 2 days. At least they gave me a loaner vehicle.

 

Dropped my truck off Tuesday of this week to have the cover re-sealed. Service writer kept mentioning how big of a job it was, etc. and seemed like they were apprehensive about this repair. Regardless, said it should be ready Friday or Saturday. Got a call this morning - said it will be ready today, Friday. Sweet!...

Got another call in the afternoon. They put a hole in my radiator trying to get it back into the truck. Said it was "a tight fit". New radiator might be in tomorrow but likely not getting my truck back till Monday.

Thanks for ruining my weekend...

 

Timing cover leaks are fairly "common" on Toyota 3.5s. I had one on my 2011 Highlander (2GR-FE) and they had to drop the engine cradle to fix it. So, it is a big job and if you have to pay it has a $1800 - $2200 cost. If you have a competent dealer and they are paying, I would not hesitate to get it done.

 

Got my truck back, finally. Engine and engine bay look nice and clean. Everything appears to be put back together correctly (this is my biggest fear). New radiator is a "bonus". I hope this sealant job lasts longer than 45K...

 

So it looks like mine is leaking as well. The last few oil changes ( I do my own ) I have noticed some dirt buildup were oil had leaked and just cleaned it off, however yesterday while on the lift doing 4.88 gears ( my story in 4.88 thread ) I could clearly see oil all over and dripping off PS pump. You can follow it up to the timing cover. So after I break in my gears it’s off to the dealer. Really hesitant about anyone working on my truck, but it’s under warranty and if they mess it up maybe I will get a new one LOL.

 

If anyone is interested in an update:

I'm about 9 month's after this re-seal job now with no signs of any leaks.

 

Quick update. Took truck in this month to a dealer I used to work for and was able to pick the master tech I wanted to work on it ( I new the guy and his rep for doing good work). They had the truck for 10 days, but he said most of the time was waiting for parts. He said he didn’t have to remove Radiator or AC and had enough room to get cover off. Of coarse he had to remove diff to get oil pan off. All good so far.

 

My truck has been at the dealer for 7 days now. They needed to order more parts... You’d think they would know what they needed for the job prior to starting. My truck was sitting in the parking lot Friday when I went to get something out of it. I’m assuming they didn’t even start yet. My big fear is them not assembling what they remove correctly and I only have a few months on the 3/36 warranty.

 

You could always ask them to offer you an extended warranty, worst they could do is say no.