Cam Tower Reseal

Hey guys. Confirmed today I have cam tower oil leaks on both sides of the engine. I know there have been other threads about this, but just wondering if any of you have had this reseal done recently. If so, how much did it cost? Water pump, belt, belt tensioner are all basically new so might save some money there. I’m thinking of calling around. A few good Toyota specialist shops in my area. Will try and avoid going to the dealership. Any thoughts would be appreciated. 2010, 198k miles, 5.7 V8

 

5k I think is what I have Read.

try a thicker oil before doing anything else. For many it severely slowed the leak or even stopped it.

it would really have to be leaking bad if I was Going to spend 5k on a 15 year old truck w 200k

 

Thanks for the input. Definitely not going to do something about it tomorrow or right away. I am running a lighter weight oil currently. Will definitely give heavier weight oil a try. The leak is just a bit of seeping towards the back of the engine. No drops on the ground or anything.

 

If it’s not dripping, I wouldn’t do anything other than try thicker oil. The dealership told me that mine is seeping. It took me a little to find it. It runs fine and doesn’t drip. My truck has 130k. I can spend that money elsewhere.

 

Thanks for the input. I am running I think 0w 20 or 40 weight oil at the moment. Next oil change is in about 1,000 miles. From what I’ve read from other guys on the forum, 5w 30 would be a better choice. And yeah. Thousands of dollars to reseal it is a big chunk of money to put into a 15 year old truck like mine. Need that money to repair the rust holes in my bed instead. lol

 

About 4800 was what I was quoted from a Toyota master tech who runs a Toyota only shop in SoCal said it’s about a 3 day job

 

Do you have visible wet drips of oil leaking into the manifolds?

is it just a residue?

if it’s just a residue, it’s probably been leaking for over 100k miles and I wouldn’t even worry about it.

 

if the engine is already pulled might as well do it if he plans to keep it long term

 

Who said anything about his engine being pulled?

 

oh shit my bad there’s a guy who just posted saying he pulled his engine and what he should do it while it’s out I thought I was replying to that one

 

Haha. All good. Even I went back to make sure I didn’t miss something.

 

I paid around $5K at the dealership last year.
They gave me a new Tundra platinum loaner for the week they had my truck.

Mine was dripping, it had been seeping for years..
I couldn't see the drip with the cat shield on..

https://youtu.be/vhxa092g8W4

 

Mainly just residue. One day I got out of my truck and noticed a burnt smell coming from the driver side wheel well. Thought maybe my belt was rubbing on a frozen pulley or something. Took a peak and saw some wetness on the side of the block, lower down. I can go grab a pic or two of it real quick. Again, no noticeable dripping on the ground.

 

Man. Trying to get a pic of it is a pain. lol Tried as best as I could. Not sure how long it’s been seeping. I say confirmed because I pointed it out to a tech at my local shop, to take a peek. They said it was cam housing leaks.

 

I have a shop like that in my area. They specialize in Toyota and Lexus models. I’m sure they must’ve seen this before. Maybe they can give a number/estimate right away.