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

Why they put the CPO designation on a truck that was out of the initial powertrain warranty (68,xxx miles when I bought it) with a known issue is the head scratcher for me. If discovered, they are guaranteeing a warranty claim, and an expensive one at that. Mine was pretty obvious too. There is quite of bit of burnt oil on the heat shield.

I'm still glad I bought the truck. And honestly, as long as I keep an eye on the oil level I don't see it impacting the longevity of the engine. I came from an old Tahoe that needed damn near 2qts of oil between 3,000 mile oil changes and it was still running strong when I got rid of it at 260,xxx.

 

Update from monday: took mine in to have service look at it, they found both sides are leaking!. They contacted toyota and have authorization for repairs. This will take the rest of the week. I called the Toyota phone number and talked to the rep. about if Toyota will ever issue a recall, or service alert... Maybe if we all keep bugging them, they will repair these when they start leaking for those who are out of their warranty period.

 

My 2015 Tundra CM leaking a lot on passenger side. I have 71k but have the extended warranty. Will this still be covered? Should I call the 1800 number to file a claim or take to dealership first?

 

Toyota likes building engines so much that they will pay to do it again! lol

 

Just took my 18 CM with 11k on the odometer. Driver side has a droplet of oil. Confirmed by the tech in 5 minutes. I made a request to the service adviser that they fix both sides when it is in. He said "we do not want you back for the same issue on the passenger side" and are fixing both. My dealership is top notch.

 

I just checked mine..I think my passenger side has leak..now do I let my original dealer know about this or can I take to any toyota dealer?

 

Any Toyota dealer can diagnose and repair. Make sure they have experience with Cam Tower leak repairs though.

 

Thank you @Wolverine, it's very slight, going to wait till Jan 1st..

 

Driver side leak on a 2018 with 2,400 miles.

 

I'd be curious to see the numbers from a poll of the years that this issue has come up.

 

seems a lot of 2018s have it at really low miles.

 

My 2018 at ~ 9k miles is still dry as a bone. I check it about once a month. If it’s going to leak, I wish it would go ahead and do it already, just to get the repair out of the way...

 

Will they all leak in time? Maybe. All i know is that this forum is costing Toyota a shit ton of money for a know problem they should have addressed long ago.

 

I hope it does cost them, they should have fixed the issue instead of passing the buck onto the consumers.

 

Between myself and a friend it has already cost them the sale of 2 new trucks (I know that is nothing to them). I envy those of you who can look past this issue and still purchase it. I love the Tundra and have wanted one since my wife bought her 4runner limited. I just cannot pull the trigger with this issue, especially since Toyota has known about it for years. For now my time is spent keeping my 2005 Z71 in top shape.

 

I've read through all of this thread and others talking about the camshaft tower leak. What I'm trying to understand is what happens if it weeps for the life of the truck? Is there going to be something catastrophic that occurs? Or, is it simply one of those minor nuisances that everyone just wants corrected? From what I've read, this seems to be more of a minor irritant vice something that is going to cause engine problems down the road.

 

My 2018 is leaking on the driver's side at 3600 miles. I'll point it out at my first scheduled maintenance. Hopefully the dealer will take care of it.

 

This is very similar to mine, albeit a tick worse, and the dealership I took mine to told me there was nothing leaking on mine... Same situation, only my passenger side is leaking.

Now, I did take pics prior to having them look at it (they also did a 4 wheel alignment the same day) and when I got it back, the valve cover and corresponding area was cleaned up with degreaser.

Prior;




After;

 

Perhaps oddly, I find the information regarding the leaks to be comforting. There is a known issue, with a known path forward: the possibility of an oil leak. The probability of said leak is unknown. I’ll happily trade the potential for an oil leak over 1) Ford’s complexity and potential for major issues, 2) GM’s ever-present frame rust, and 3) Ram/FCA’s poor quality rep. Only other brand I’d consider is Nissan, which I’m sure also has some potential issues. Grand scheme of things, I’d prefer a known issue which I can find myself to the risks of any of the other players in the truck game.

 

Can anyone recommend a dealer for this repair in Los Angeles area? I’m in Torrance. 2016 leaking on passenger side at 35k miles

 

Mine is definitely a leak (also on the passenger side) and it is a little further back than the top picture you posted. You can see the oil puddled on the heat shield... Hopefully your dealer is correct, but I would keep an eye on it and maybe stick your head a little further back into the wheel well to see if you have the same pooling.

 

My 2014 that I had planned to keep forever has it at 112k miles. I just read about the issue this week and decided to look and there it was. I bought a Toyota because of reliability but this is disappointing, especially with the lack of action from Toyota.

 

You can still keep it forever. I wouldn't let this issue alone deter you. It's a small leak - and at high miles, most vehicles are gonna leak or burn oil anyway. Before my Tundra, I had an 03 Camry w/ ~275k miles on it & I had to add about a quart between oil changes (and that's for a 4 cylinder). Never caused any issues. Right now, have an 03 Solara for my daughter w/ 200k on it and same deal - valve cover gaskets (+ other gaskets most likely) are leaking & have to top it off every thousand miles or so. No big deal - it comes with the high mileage IMO. Besides that, my Camry was bullet proof - hardly any issues with it for 11 years & almost 250k miles. I expect the same from Solara for my daughter (only had it a year or so), and certainly expect the same from the Tundra.

Personally, it wouldn't keep me from buying another Tundra. Though it certainly is ridiculous that they haven't addressed the issue by now.

 

Is this why sometimes when you are turning on your truck, you will get some white smoke coming out of the exhaust? I have noticed that that happens when I turn my truck on first thing in the morning. It's not the normal cold exhaust that should be coming out.

 

New here,
Just got my 80k service on my 2014 Tundra and here’s the results:
Camshaft leaking $2600
Driveshaft $1700
4 door lock actuators $2300

Went in for an $80 oil change and left with a $7300 bill. Since I can’t find any info on defective driveshafts for my model, I’ll chalk that up to bad luck, but I’ve seen the camshaft and lock actuators are common problems. Should be recalled.
Called corporate and got the run around. Waiting on a call back from a supervisor. Owned for 4.5 years..shouldn’t have a $7k repair bill. Is Ford running Toyota now?

Jacob.jons, any advice on getting them to pay for this would be appreciated. May be the last Toyota I own....

 

No, this will not cause white smoke out of the exhaust. It can cause some smoke coming from the wheel well area. My truck used to spew a bit of white smoke when cold occasionally. I read something on it in another thread - something about if you do a certain number of things in order and then shut down, it will smoke a bit on cold start. I can't remember the details. Mine did it a few times in the first year that I had it. Hasn't done it in years now.

 

Had not heard of driveshaft or door lock actuator problems til now. What was wrong with the driveshaft?

 

I understand your disappointment. My 2016 PRO, with only 15K miles, has slow seepage on drivers side. Though this isn’t something that may necessarily cause a breakdown on the road (unless oil on manifold catches fire), it’s the idea of having major engine work done on such a new truck. Reliability my ass, and shame on Toyota to not address the mfg issue, and then when you point it out they only do one side? That’s beyond stupid, because the replicated labor to do the other side down the road is costing additional $$, and a big inconvenience to the customer. It’s high time Toyota mans up and gets their engine assembly clowns straightened out.

 

100% agree, I was one that they would only repair one side. Now I have to hope the other side doesn't leak on me, which it probably will after drivetrain warranty has passed knowing my luck.

 

Hope your luck changes and it doesn’t leak.