CAM SHAFT TOWER SEAL LEAKING ** PLEASE READ***

Took the Tree to Toyota, I get they have to verify themselves but (A) who makes up a spark plug tube full of oil & (B) who opens a valve cover to damage the gasket?

They determined it needs to be replaced & gave me a '24 Highlander loaner. (last year it was a '23 Tacoma)

 

2010 Tundra 5.7 117000 miles,just wanted to post pics to confirm my suspicions.
Wasn’t leaking when I bought it 11000 miles ago,passenger side only.

 

It probably was leaking but cleaned off before you bought it.

 

Is it possible that a bad pcv valve could cause this leak? I decided to check mine, and it was bad! I’m 62 and I’ve never found a bad PCV valve before, but then again I’ve probably only checked 5 or 6 through the years.
Has anyone ever tried any kind of oil leak fixer in a can to try and stop these leaks?
I’m thinking about trying Auto -rx on mine,truck has 118,000 miles on it.
I replaced the PCV valve and cleaned up the oil, I’ll keep an eye on it and see how it goes. Here are before, and after pics.When I say front,that means toward the front of the engine

 

How toasted am I? 220k

 

That's been leaking for many many Moons it seems, check the oil, and drive it until its intended death in the far away future.

 

Is this something that’s going to leak more over time or “if it’s made it that far, it’s fine.” And if sometime I do get it repaired, does opening the engine on a 200k+ truck open up more even more possible issues?

Seen 43 states in her!

 

Too old to open it up. Let it leak.

 

It is fine, completely healthy

Considering it has seen 43 states
Tighten some bolts and continue

 

Same here 346000 on it.

 

I'm too old and also too broke to pay someone to do it. Mine's a little more than a seep unfortunately, at only 48,000 miles!

Does anyone have the TSB, or the repair procedure for this? I guess I have a winter project now... damn it.

 

To anyone who has had the cam tower leak (sounds like a lot you), do you have leaks on the front of the engine or just on the side beneath the valve covers? The front of my engine is covered in oil and there is too much crap in the way to pinpoint exactly where its coming from... I am just assuming it is the cam towers. It's seeping not dripping, at least for now.

 

Might be the timing chain cover.

 

I said it a while back on this thread. I had a 78 chevy with a 350 that leaked like a sieve. I had to put a quart in every other fillup. It marked territory everywhere it went but it ran like a scalded dog.

 

Soooo... I was doing a post trip inspection as I usually do after any romp in the mountains and I stumbled upon this leak on the drivers side. There is a LOT of crust in this area and some fresh oil that smells new. I don't think this is the cam tower because of how low it is... but I wanted to ask here first if anyone had any idea what this might be.

Truck is a 2021 with 40500 miles. Oil changes every 5k since new. Does not lose enough oil to make a difference on the dipstick at any point between changes and I don't smell anything when the truck is running.

Seems minor to me but the excessive amount of crust all over the place has me interested in chasing it down.

First pic is where it seems to be leaking from. The fresh oil is circled in blue. Second pic is the cam tower seal that looks dry to me. Passenger side is fully dry.

Is this a Cam tower leak?

 

That looks to be at the bottom of the heat. Probably the timing cover leaking

 

I’ve been experimenting with the idea of buying a tundra for years. Never gone through with it for various reasons.

a 2015 with 120k miles showed up locally so I went to check it out. I took a peak behind the front steering wheel and saw a boat load of gunk. The previous owner had an immaculate service history.









This seems like a lot. Is it the cam tower leak or does it look like it’s too much for that?

either way, I think the old man who traded this sucker in bamboozled the dealer. Probably didn’t wanna pay for the fix and flipped it to a BMW dealer.

their loss is my gain tho because I might be able to snag a 1794 edition on the very cheap. Just curious if yall think this is a cam tower or not. Appreciate it!

 

The cam tower may be leaking there, but it looks like there's oil coming from higher up as well, possibly from the valve cover.

 

it certainly does look like there's moisture up higher on the cover rather than just the seam. i'm assuming the valve cover would be a simpler fix?

 

Yes, if it just needs a new valve cover gasket that's 100x easier than resealing the cam tower.

 

If it's only valve covers, then you have a much easier problem to deal with.

 

2012 with 121,000 Miles. Looks pretty clean to me. Truck has extensive service history, doesn’t seem to have ever had this fixed tho! Maybe I got a “good” one.

 

Yeah, cars when I was younger (ok a lot younger) I was happy if it did not leave a puddle under it. The fix was a piece of cardboard u def the car. If it really bothered me I might get the engine cleaned and tighten the head gasket and other bolts. LOL.

 

I appreciate the feedback! I’ll let you all know what it turns out being. The dealer has a Toyota dealer in network so I think they’re sending it over there for a look. I’ll report back just for an added data point here with the reference photos.

Whoever took a peek at the truck for their used car “inspection” is probably getting a talking to. Pretty embarrassing to miss a leak that obvious. Alternatively, they saw it and didn’t care.

If they fix the leak and I still want the truck I’ll certainly send to a different Toyota dealer nearby. Thankful that I have some contacts there in their shop so I’ll get an honest used car report.

 

Are you past the 5 year / 60,000 mile warranty ?

 

Has anyone else has luck with getting the cam towers fixed by Toyota USA when the truck is outside of any factory or extended warranty coverage? It seems to be hit or miss from what I have read on this and some other threads but they are mostly older posts.

Went and looked at a 2018 Limited 5.7 with roughly 85K at a non Toyota dealer for a family member. Dealership claims they are going to fix the leaks once they inspect it but I am hesitant to see what they are going to say or do about it as they are probably unaware of what this job involves. Truck was a recent trade in at this dealer & I believe it was traded due to the leak. Passenger side has a drip and visible staining on the heat shield plus the burning smell after your drive it for some time. Driver side is not a drip but a heavier sweat and definitely has some residue.

 

Just let them fix it before purchasing the truck. Might wanna make sure you get a copy of the dealer invoice...

 

That's what we're hoping for. Before he decides to move forward on it I would want an invoice stating the cam tower leak on both banks has been repaired. I was able to get photos of it prior to them taking it back to be inspected so we'll see what they come back with.

 

2019 with 40k miles. Think I'm good for now. I see a little gunk built up but not enough to be concerned about. Will keep checking every few months.

Passenger side:




Driver side:

 

Looks good!