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

Discussion in '2.5 Gen Tundras (2014-2021)' started by jacob.jons.jj, Jan 5, 2018.

  1. Jan 9, 2019 at 4:25 PM
    #1021
    NjPro

    NjPro New Member

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    There are guys on this forum with leaks under 5k and it seems the motors made recently are the worse offenders. Unfortunately that service guy is either purposely bull shitting you or he has no clue what he is talking about. Good luck.
     
  2. Jan 9, 2019 at 4:39 PM
    #1022
    NjPro

    NjPro New Member

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    Yeah, that’s the best way to handle it. No need to challenge him. I had mine fixed and have driven about 1k, truck is strong. Again, good luck.
     
    Stroke250, TheBeast and OR18TRD like this.
  3. Jan 9, 2019 at 6:01 PM
    #1023
    Wolverine

    Wolverine New Member

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    Seems like these 18s are slapped together. On top of my cam tower leak I have had a bad catalytic converter, no AC charge in my condenser and a few rattles. Glad it’s a lease and has me second guessing my next vehicle.
     
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  4. Jan 9, 2019 at 6:16 PM
    #1024
    superslif

    superslif New Member

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    NE. Ohio
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    Firestone bags, Toyota tow mirrors, TRD sway bar
    Been following this thread for a few weeks...with great interest. In my court, an issue like this seems to be more of a nuisance, than a catastrophic failure. Meaning it doesn't put you on a flatbed or the side of the road to get the vehicle back to the dealer.

    In my case my Tundra is used to tow my RV trailer, which we do many long distance trips of 5-15 weeks over 3000-14,000 miles. I checked again this evening (actually easier to check it at night with a flashlight) I don't see any leaking, just gray caulk...Mine is a 2014 with 55k. At purchase I did buy the Toyota 8 year 100k "bumper to bumper"
    warranty ($0 deductible) Cost me $1750 which is prorated on a new Tundra, if and when they get the Gen 4 out of hiding.

    So 60% to 70% of my miles are towing a 6000-8000 lbs. RV. So if it's the added stress ( from towing) causing the gray sealant to let loose, it would have.
     
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  5. Jan 9, 2019 at 6:22 PM
    #1025
    Alloutdrs1

    Alloutdrs1 New Member

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    I think its hit or miss, My truck is a 2017 and I'm at 42k now with probably 90% of my miles towing and the bed always loaded with my tools and I had the leak at 21k. I work my truck, its a truck and I use it as such. You are correct its a nuisance, most just seem to seep. Mine was dripping onto the heat shield and burning of where you could smell it in the cab so had to get it fixed.
     
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  6. Jan 9, 2019 at 6:32 PM
    #1026
    Coryip

    Coryip New Member

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    B257B8A4-0ECF-4AFA-8C96-D41786B7CC01.jpg 16BA1359-4BB9-41F0-8169-1754F68555EE.jpg Was working on my truck tonight and figured I would check on cam seal leak. Unfortunately I think both sides might be leaking if I’m looking at the correct area.
     
  7. Jan 9, 2019 at 6:34 PM
    #1027
    Alloutdrs1

    Alloutdrs1 New Member

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    That's the correct area and looks to be leaking, man the more people are informed the more these are turning up. Toyota is gonna shut Tundras.com down lol.
     
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  8. Jan 9, 2019 at 7:22 PM
    #1028
    Waterboy45661

    Waterboy45661 New Member

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    My truck goes under the knife on the 28 th, kinda nervous. The quote the dealership gave me is $2600.
    Wish me luck!
     
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  9. Jan 10, 2019 at 4:02 AM
    #1029
    Greybeard

    Greybeard Retiree in training

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    I don't currently see any oil on mine but I also don't see the ribbon of RTV squishing out like the one in the picture. In fact, I can't see any RTV on the outside of mine.
     
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  10. Jan 10, 2019 at 6:59 AM
    #1030
    chadjamesr

    chadjamesr New Member

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    Fox 2.5 w/ DSC Remotes F&R Coach Builder +3 Shackles RW Wheels w/285/75/17 Terra Grappler G2 Interior and exterior changed to LED Retrofit headlights with DS2 4.0 Morimoto LED fog lights Morimoto 40" LED bar in front bumper Retrax PRO Tonneau cover RCI front skid plate Crystalline tint on all windows and windshield P&P Rock sliders and full skip plates
    Reading these cam tower leak threads always have me worried and paranoid. So of course I had to go out to my truck this morning to check. Luckily everything is clean around the cam tower and no signs of leakage. I also noticed a generous amount of RTV squishing out between the cam tower, so hopefully that is a good sign that they sealed it well. I only have 33k on my 2016 but hopefully it will not become a problem.

    I agree with everyone here that Toyota should have done something about this. Making a V8 engine that doesn't leak isn't rocket science. I"m sure a minor change with how the cam tower fits together would solve this, so it is disappointing that a revision hasn't been made. I have owned a lot of Toyota cars/trucks but honestly they are really slipping in quality and innovation. It is almost like they hired too many GE engineers and they just make things Good Enough these days.
     
    equin likes this.
  11. Jan 10, 2019 at 7:10 AM
    #1031
    Alloutdrs1

    Alloutdrs1 New Member

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    They seem to let the issues they have linger forever instead of investing the money in making the product better, look how long the AIP issues were around in the Tundra and Tacoma, Tacoma frame rust issues as well model years just keep getting added to this. It doesn't give you a good feeling when a company lets a known issue plague its product for so long.
     
    equin likes this.
  12. Jan 10, 2019 at 7:39 AM
    #1032
    Tundrablue

    Tundrablue Winner, winner, chicken dinner

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    Man that sucks. I would push to have a new engine put in! Good luck.
     
  13. Jan 10, 2019 at 11:28 AM
    #1033
    JRTundra

    JRTundra New Member

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    My truck has been at the dealership since Monday getting fixed. They put me in a Dodge Caravan rental just so that I would wish I had my Tundra back, even with the leaking cam tower seal. The Caravan is a piece of :censored:. I know it is a rental and everybody who's ever rented it has driven it like they stole it, but the transmission already feels like it is failing (20k miles) and the sliding power doors only work intermittently. The only nice thing about it is the heated steering wheel.

    I know we bitch and moan about the cam tower leak (and I agree it should have been rectified by now) but driving other manufacturers makes you appreciate the overall build quality of Toyota.
     
    Last edited: Jan 10, 2019
  14. Jan 10, 2019 at 11:44 AM
    #1034
    chadjamesr

    chadjamesr New Member

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    I can agree with the above as there are so many things that Toyota did right with my Tundra. I come from a manufacturing background, so it just annoys me when I see something wrong with a design that could be easily fixed. If Toyota hasn't fixed the cam tower leak, it is because it would cost more to fix it then it costs for the few hundred they have to fix. Although I understand this logic in business, I'm still very disappointed with it

    For instance, a company I worked for was having problems with their electronics in product sold to Puerto Rico. Our defective rate was under 5% in the USA mainland but it was over 15% in Puerto Rico on the same exact product. After looking into it, we found that Puerto Rico electrical grid was poor and the voltage fluctuated more then normal and our electronics couldn't handle it and would burn out. The solution was to add a $0.50 filter on the electronic part but because we couldn't control what product went to Puerto Rico and what went to the mainland, the change would have to be on all product we manufactured. The total cost was estimated at over $500k to make the change but the projected cost savings for the Puerto Rico market was only around $125k. Guess what we decided to do.

    Needless to say that doesn't keep me from being upset about the situation. If my cam tower does start to leak once out of warranty I'll have to seriously consider a different brand in the future. Granted the Tundra is the only one that fits in my garage though, but that is another story.
     
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  15. Jan 10, 2019 at 12:07 PM
    #1035
    NjPro

    NjPro New Member

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    When are you getting your truck back ? It should only take 2/3 days. Mine was completed at the end of day 2 , but they wanted to keep it over night and check the fluids on the morning of day 3. I picked it up late morning on day 3. They did both sides.
     
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  16. Jan 10, 2019 at 12:21 PM
    #1036
    Greybeard

    Greybeard Retiree in training

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    All my vehicles have heated steering wheels during the summer :rofl:
     
  17. Jan 10, 2019 at 5:18 PM
    #1037
    PA452

    PA452 New Member

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    Didn't read the whole thread. But even if I saw some oil residue around the edge like I've seen in some of the pics here, unless the smell was really bugging me bad, I think I'd just live with it personally. If it was literally dripping it would be different though. I just can't see letting the dealership tear my engine apart over that.

    ETA: Just went and looked at mine. 2018 with a little over 5k miles on it. Passenger side looks fine, driver's side I do see a small accumulation of oil collected on a low point. I'll keep an eye on it to see if it gets worse, but I just can't see letting the dealership tear my truck apart for it.

    I'll be taking a better look another time though. I don't have a garage and it's pretty cold out there.
     
    Last edited: Jan 10, 2019
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  18. Jan 10, 2019 at 5:26 PM
    #1038
    FXFormat

    FXFormat New Member

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    ^^^Yup, wayyyy too many things that can go wrong with a repair of this caliber, unless mine is spewing oil and i'm adding oil every week, i'd just live with it. Eventually there'll be a class action lawsuit for this i reckon, way too many people are having issues with low mileage trucks. You'd be covered later on, no worries.
     
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  19. Jan 10, 2019 at 5:39 PM
    #1039
    Alloutdrs1

    Alloutdrs1 New Member

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    The issue is that if it is leaking it could get worse and then you might be out of warranty and the repair cost for a cam tower job is expensive. Some seem to just seep and others get a drip, mine was dripping onto the passenger side heatshield and burning off so for me it was either get it fixed or smell burnt oil in the cab of the truck. Just keep an eye on things before your warranty is up.
     
  20. Jan 11, 2019 at 8:57 AM
    #1040
    WrigglingWilly

    WrigglingWilly Well used Member

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    There is another new Tundra manufacturing Issue. If you have a 2018, look at the underside of the steering wheel. You may see a large defect in the seam at the very bottom of the steering wheel. The outer layer of the wheel is missing at this spot, and may compromise the integrity later on. The wheel was not designed to be made like this, it is defective. So far, my dealer pulled my original wheel for this defect, AND PUT ON A WHEEL WITH AN EVEN BIGGER CHUNK MISSING!!! Evidently, all the new Tundras in their lot had the same defect. Now the dealer says(after they replaced the wheel) since the defect is "on the bottom, you cannot see it, so it in not a cosmetic issue, and no further repair is needed", yet they replaced it already for that defect(with an even more defective wheel). Let me know if anybody else is bothered by this, as Toyota makes $5,000,000,000 in profit every 3 months, they owe me, and you, a decent steering wheel.

    20190111_095550.jpg
    20190111_095506.jpg
     
  21. Jan 11, 2019 at 9:00 AM
    #1041
    PA452

    PA452 New Member

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    Saw that before on mine. Didn't set off my care-o-meter enough to do anything about it though.
     
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  22. Jan 11, 2019 at 9:04 AM
    #1042
    WrigglingWilly

    WrigglingWilly Well used Member

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    I almost did not, but dammit, this will only get worse, and, if and when anything does start to peel or come apart, the warranty will be long over. They need to make a new batch of wheels for us. It should be a simple job, no excuses for Toyota on this. These are expensive trucks, not KIAs.
     
  23. Jan 11, 2019 at 9:51 AM
    #1043
    PA452

    PA452 New Member

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    I actually forgot about it until this post. Went out and took a pic of mine. Being it's on the underside, I hardly notice it. I'm just going to keep an eye on it the next couple years while I'm in warranty. If it looks substantially worse then, I'll reassess. If it looks the same then, I'm not going to worry about it. But for now, it's not bothering me any, it's cosmetic but I almost never see it, and it's not worth having the dealer monkeys working on it to me. The more I keep it away from their hands the better, but that's just me. Hell my dealership gave me free oil changes for life with the truck which I don't use because I don't trust them.

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Jan 11, 2019
  24. Jan 11, 2019 at 9:54 AM
    #1044
    WrigglingWilly

    WrigglingWilly Well used Member

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    If you decide to get it fixed, rest assured, I know first hand the wheels are very easy to replace. They need not touch anything else!
     
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  25. Jan 11, 2019 at 9:58 AM
    #1045
    BuckWallace

    BuckWallace Ball don't lie.

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    I'd see if you guys can have them replace it and then pitch in a few extra bucks for a leather wheel...
     
  26. Jan 11, 2019 at 10:01 AM
    #1046
    PA452

    PA452 New Member

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    I was actually just at the dealer this morning for a recall of the airbag deployment software. While I was there I asked if they could disable the seat belt chime. They said it would be $49.99 to disable it, I said forget it. Wish I'd have gotten them to throw that into my purchase.
     
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  27. Jan 11, 2019 at 12:38 PM
    #1047
    Alloutdrs1

    Alloutdrs1 New Member

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    That's crap, I wouldn't accept it. How does stuff like this get past Quality control? To those who are saying there not to worried about it or it doesn't bother them etc. Toyota bets on that, that is why stuff like this gets let go into the public hands because to fix them all cost$ but if they go ahead and push the trucks out with the defect and say 75% of people say they don't care well now they saved money. Until they are held accountable they will not change things, bother you or not its a defect and they should be held accountable for such.
     
  28. Jan 11, 2019 at 2:29 PM
    #1048
    jeremyd

    jeremyd 2014 Crewmax SR5

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    Damn ! I'm thankful ! Just hit 46000
    IMG_37365.jpg
     
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  29. Jan 11, 2019 at 2:54 PM
    #1049
    sbxx312

    sbxx312 New Member

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    My 2018 has that circular imperfection on the steering wheel. I noticed it right away because it's at the top of the wheel. Irritating enough that I sanded it down a bit. I thought it was just my truck.
     
  30. Jan 11, 2019 at 5:24 PM
    #1050
    Alloutdrs1

    Alloutdrs1 New Member

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    This is how mine looked but only on the passenger side. Both sides of yours are leaking on a 2018, wonder what the heck is going on with these 2018 motors.
     

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