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

Do these leaks also happen on the 4.6 liter tundra? Pardon my ignorance. Thanks in advance.

 

Yes they can, there have been a few members with a leaking 4.6l.

 

I typically don't reply to these threads... But this one I had to weigh in...

My thought on vehicles... They all will eventually seep, ooze, or leak. If you say your vehicle doesn't leak, you are naive. Just pointing out the obvious, materials used to make gaskets and seals don't last forever, they just don't last regardless of anyone's opinion. Nothing is made to last without maintaining or fixing it (i.e. replacing a seal because it LEAKED). So its crazy to me, to think anyone wouldn't buy a vehicle because they have been known to leak or might leak.

That said.... If that is your belief then walk or cycle everywhere. Be cautious with cycling the tires may leak

 

You have a valid point, but what your talking about usually happens once the vehicle is at higher mileage and over 100k miles. I can accept that as I have had vehicles over that range and yeah they leaked and you just check oil more often no biggie. But when you buy a brand new truck so you don't have to worry about this for a long time out and it leaks, that's a whole different issue. My trucks gasket failed at 21k, that's unacceptable to me...if it was 200k different story.

 

The deal is that if this leaks you're looking at breaking the engine open to replace the gasket. For the people with fairly new trucks, the idea of having their engine dismantled so early is a scary thought. For the people with older trucks outside of warranty, this is a very expensive repair. This isn't just simply replacing some gasket to stop the leak. A lot of people choose Tundras over the Big 3 because of perceived reliability, so when something like this is known to happen it might make people consider their options a bit more, especially with Tundras lacking in other areas.

 

Agreed. I get a kick out of the comments that come in saying "all vehicles leak". Yes, eventually everything will leak. But, it shouldn't happen to a vehicle that is a year old with 14,000 miles. As I have stated before, I have several vehicles that had over a 150,000 miles that didn't leak at all.

 

So your telling me all new vehicles should be problem free?

In a perfect world I agree.

I get a kick out of people thinking everything they buy especially expensive shit won't or shouldn't have any problems because they dropped 50k. hmmmm... I see this discussion going no where because of lack of understanding of how materialistic shit doesn't last these days

 

Yes, all new vehicles should not need the engine broken into so early. We get that there are one-off examples where an engine might fail or something, but when a fairly widespread issue that Toyota is undoubtedly aware of goes unfixed for 11+ years, it's a little frustrating. A low percentage of trucks have this issue, but it's understandable if prospective buyers are concerned about the possibility of having their engines taken apart early in ownership.

 

Wow... I'm at a loss here... This was fun guys, thanks for that!

Spoiler alert: nothing bought nowadays will be problem free regardless of price. The fact you guys feel everything should be perfect and problem free, I am sorry you feel that way but harsh reality is nothing is problem free.

 

I dont believe that the issue is rooted in some naive notion that “mechanical thing X” should last forever; everybody on this forum understands that their truck will eventually have problems. They also understand that, statistically, this issue is affecting a very small number of trucks. That having been said, there’s something counter-intuitive about a year old $50k vehicle leaking oil, and it’s even more counter-intuitive given that the 5.7 and 4.6 (which is really just a de-stroked 5.7) are long-in-the-tooth engine designs. For those people that are impacted, it’s just basic frustration of not getting what they paid for, which should be completely understandable.

 

Who is saying that everything should be problem free? Calm down and read what people are saying. Most people can deal with some issues on a new vehicle, but I'm just pointing out that having an engine cracked open might be a deal-breaker for some people.

 

Do you feel better now that you’ve belittled us mere mortals and our stupid expectations? We’re supposed to be more collaborative than this. I’m out...

 

"belittled us mere mortals and our stupid expectations" hahaha you crack me up. If you took it that way, its on you.

collaborative thread? this one is far from that, not just my comments.

Bye.

 

Going to miss you......

 

I agree. My ‘03 Tacoma 3.4L V6 had no leaks whatsoever when I sold it with 205K miles on it over three years ago. With the exception of the infamous 3.0 V6 head gasket fiasco, that little truck was the epitome of Toyota’s legendary reputation for building tough, reliable, dependable and mostly trouble-free 4x4s.

Also, it’s not only the disappointing cam shaft tower leak failure on V8s with comparatively low miles, it’s also the frighteningly high cost of repair on these modern engines after having to finance a $40K to $50K vehicle. Many of us chose to buy a Tundra because of our faith in Toyota’s reputation for building vehicles that are supposedly more reliable and trouble-free than its competitors. I still believe that’s the case. However, the high cost of repair for a failure that appears to be not so uncommon puts into question Toyota’s commitment to continue in its efforts to provide vehicles that are supposedly more reliable than its competitors, much to the disappointment of us Toyota fans.

 

Can't....resist....replying.....

2016 4Runner: No problems yet.
2005 4Runner: No problems for 10 years, 110,000 miles (shouldn't have let that one go).
2006 Honda Accord: No problems for 11 years, 120,000 miles.
LG Refrigerator purchased in 2016: No problems.
LG washer and dryer purchased in 2016: No problems.
Hyatt Regency HI400 woodstove purchased in 2016: No problems.

We just went through a house re-model in 2016-2017. We have purchased a lot of crap for it. I could go on for pages and pages with stuff that I have purchased and have had no problems with. Maybe you are just used to purchasing garbage products.

I think that it is well understood that statistically speaking, every line of things will experience some type of issue - even early in it's life. However, this one is a known problem that has been around for over a decade. It is a poor design that could easily be fixed. I guess that I am mis-guided in thinking that when I pay money for something to expect it to work according to you. However, I have countless examples where exactly what I expected happened - I buy something and it performs like I think it should. Of course, I have also had examples of having stuff break early after purchasing. If the company I purchased the stuff from doesn't make it right, or if they do replace and it keeps breaking/failing, I generally go try to find a similar item from a competitor to see how they do.

 

HAHA talk to me in a couple years. I paid $2500 for LG fridge and I got exactly 6 years out of it before the compressor gave out. What a POS

Also, my expensive LG washer wont stay level and it sounds like a helicopter landing in my house whenever it spins.

Meanwhile, my cheap GE fridge is going on 18 years old and works just fine

 

Fair enough, but I am talking about problems with "newer" units. I would agree that 6 years for a fridge is pretty new. But, the implication was made that anything bought "nowadays" is going to have problems. I am not sure what qualifies as "nowadays", but I have several examples of recent to fairly recent purchases that are doing fine. I also have examples of stuff that I bought a really long time ago that have been trouble free and are still working great.

 

glad you live a problem free life with what you listed and didn't list.

If it was a "well known issue for decades" a recall would be created (i.e. Tacoma frame recalls- they saw a consistent trend with said issue and boom recalls happen). i spent 35k on my Tacoma and didn't fuss about having the frame replaced with 45k miles on it. In a perfect world my frame and truck would be perfect but life happens nothing is PROBLEM FREE.

I am going to go out on a limb here, that you don't have access to Toyota's database and your stating a "well known issue for decades" from information you read on the internet forums? If you have factual data to support showing is a trend of the cam towers leaking due to faulty manufacturing, I suggest getting off here and present it to toyota. FYI forums with guys and gals fussing about a problem won't do a darn thing.

**This conversation can take many avenues. I am done because we all can talk holes in everything someone posts. My whole intent behind commenting was shedding light on nothing will be problem free in any vehicle hints to why warranties are offered and how a potential leak shouldn't sway ones decision. These are solid trucks end of story. I wasn't belittling or anything just being a realist and everyone here didn't like it (i.e. you)

 

My point exactly how this will be endless ridicule. your comment about "nowadays". I too have stuff that last and is problem free. My statement was anything nowadays (current, today, within a couple months) isn't problem free. Does that mean EVERYTHING is problematic? no (I didn't say that)

You guys have fun. Kudos to you guys living problem free! I wish that was the case for everyone

 

You didn't fuss when your $35K truck had to have it's frame replaced? Wow, you are one level-headed guy. If you don't mind spending money on stuff that doesn't work, I have some that I need to get rid of. I'll give you a great price on it!

Actually, you did say that:

 

FYI I didn't say everything will have issues and be problematic. My statement indicates that regardless of what you spend you can still have problems.

Based off your comments here I wouldn't even consider a free hammy down from you. Especially since your claiming everything is problem free. That's just naive

 

And no I didn't fuss about it, it wouldn't do anything. You buy a vehicle and are at risk of potential ISSUES. It didn't sway me away from getting a tundra

You have fun here. This conversation is going no where.

 

Nothing in your original sentence says "can have problems". It says "nothing will be problem-free". That is "will"....not "can". I know I am being an ass and just picking at semantics here, but I get tired of those that chime in to a thread like this saying that there isn't really a problem because it isn't statistically significant enough for Toyota to do anything about. A simple web search will show that several have had this problem. Is it statistically significant compared to the number of Tundras sold? No, probably not. It doesn't mean that people shouldn't take it into consideration when looking to purchase a new vehicle.

And who said everything is problem free? I never said that. I said that I believe it is ok to assume that when you buy something, it should be problem free. Then I gave several examples of times when that has happened to me. But, I also have examples where that hasn't happened. Of all of the current vehicles in my family, my Tundra has been the worst in the reliability department. I have had more issues with it (including the Cam tower leak) than our current 2016 4Runner, my daughter's 2001 Xterra, as well as our previous 2006 Honda Accord, and our 2005 4Runner. I never said that everything that I have is problem free. I just don't agree with your statement about expecting things to have problems when purchasing them.

 

You might be surprised. I fussed about my Cam tower leak and got a free 100,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty.

 

Live life thinking nothing can go wrong. Great idea

 

Just a recap from page 5 for those that don't want to sift through the thread. Post given by a Toyota Master Tech. As it mentions in the post, it is a "known" problem, but very small compared to the number of Tundras that he sees. It also gives a hint of how extensive the repair is:

https://www.tundras.com/threads/cam-shaft-tower-seal-leaking-please-read.20102/page-5#post-487196

 

Lol!
Was snowing earlier this month but not in my area. But close to it! And now, up north of me has snowfall warning this week.

 

Wow this got interesting quick, I agree with the others no one expects there vehicle not to have issues. But once an issue has surfaced, it should be fixed, Toyota has let this issue go on for two long now.

TED4311 You mention that if Toyota knows of it they should issue a recall, those are only if its a safety issue like your frame. Don't get me started on the Tacoma frames, Toyota should figure out how to build a frame by now that doesn't rot away...it's pretty embarrassing that they haven't figured this one out by now.