Oil leak timing cover

Changed the oil and filter the other day and noticed a drop of engine oil on the timing chain cover. There's no sign of oil dripping onto anything below, so from day one, and for 1,900 miles, this has probably been slow seepage that cumulatively became a drop.
I inspected everything above with a mirror and flashlight, and no traces of oil coming down to the bottom of the cover.
This is a tough call for me, as I know that breaking into a new motor can bring on a multitude of other issues. The repair is only as good as the tech doing the job.
So the next time you change your oil, check the timing cover for leaks/seepage and hopefully you have none.

 

yep they had to do mine already also , been about 1k miles now so everything seems good

 

Glad that yours turned out well. Drove mine about 50 miles today and no sign of any drip? Go figure.

 

I’m sorry to resurrect this but I was told today by the dealer I have a timing cover leak. The dealer did an oil change and noticed it, one thing to note last time i did an oil change the dealer in their infinite wisdom forgot the oil filter o ring and i leaked about a quart before they fixed it, they did clean it up or at least they said they did. Anyways after going to the dealer I went home took the skid plate and there was some oil just a drop but some grease and grime as well so i cleaned it up along with the valve covers just to check them as well. I let it idle for 10-15min and nothing no drop no film no oil. Drove about 10-15miles and checked again, still nothing.
Has anyone else seen oil collect here slowly? I’m starting to think it was just some dirt and what not kicked up that collected there.

by the way i’m 128k miles never had any issues. Guy told me not uncommon to see oil leaks now but my old 4Runner had 198k miles before it leaked and even then it was just a worn out seal on a oil cooler not a major gasket.

 

Ok well I crawled under there again today and let the thing idle for an hour. no drops nothing. Clean as it was yesterday. Now their was some oil on the filter housing. Got myself convinced it was just residual oil on the bottom of the timing cover.

 

FWIW I have read about a couple timing cover leaks on 14+

 

It does happen. There was a problem during assembly where the robot wasn't putting enough sealant on the timing cover in one area. If it leaks just get it done, it's not that bad of a job to do.

What year is your truck?

 

Mines a 2014. Is it really not too bad? Dealer said $1500-2000
I ran it today in the driveway for an hour and then drove it maybe 10miles and couldn't see any oil at all.
Any ideas in how to confirm that? Dealer said they saw it in the corner down low and there was oil after i got it home at first but the dealer also forgot an o-ring on the oil filter on the previous change and it leaked about a quart and a half from there.

i’m driving to montana next week (800miles) i’ll check again then I just can’t imagine 1hr of idle and 15-20miles wouldn't show the leak.

 

I would take the skid plate down and clean it up with brake clean ( cold engine). Look and make sure its clean then drive it for the next thousand miles and have a look. If its clean, good to go. They are always small leaks and takes some time foe them to show up. It's not going to hurt anything accept your driveway.

 

Good to know! Thank you! I cleaned up the bottom pretty good i’ll be sure to clean up the whole front of the motor tomorrow.

 

I would have asked them to show you where. If the tech can see it they can show you.
Otherwise, if you don’t see anything, I wouldn’t worry at all even with that upcoming trip. It sounds like if it’s actually leaking then it’s a really slow leak. These engines can burn a quart between oil change intervals. A drip from the timing cover isn’t going to ruin your trip.

I’ve driven cross country with bigger issues. It is a Toyota after all..

 

yeah I hear that used to have a 1995 4Runner leaked out the rear main and valve cover and drove it from spokane to seattle all the time.

i did see what he was talking about on the bottom of the timing cover when i first pulled the skid plate after the oil change. He clearly didn't bother to wipe it up, and there was no sign of the oil coming down the front or side so that’s what leads me to think it was residual from the last time they missed a o-ring.

any ideas on how much it should cost me in case it’s a leak? $1500 seems awful high. I assume pulling valve covers and all the drive belt accessories but still seems high.

 

It's actually a time consuming job. It usually takes the take 4-6 hours to do. Remember the water pump has to come off with the valve covers. AC has to be moved and the cover is a pain to get off the block. The oil pump lives in the timing cover and there are a few O ring that have to be put in place. I've watch one of the other techs do the work but never tackled one myself. I'm the suspension, front end and alignment guy.

 

I see well with prices here maybe that’s not too off base. maybe if it comes to it i’ll check with a local mechanic.

Lets just hope there is no leak! I’ll update this in a week or so.

 

Made it to Montana (800miles or so)
Bone dry under it all. Did notice a small amount of coolant around the water pump but no oil!