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

Thanks. You know I look at it this way. Stuff happens and as long as it's rectified, then we all win; including the dealer and manufacturer. I know Toyota is spending a lot of money to fix these. I'm still a loyal Toyota owner and always will be.

 

Agreed, stuff happens. Mine is getting fixed and they gave me an '18 Tacoma to use while it's in the shop. The only pain in all of this was moving my sons damn car seat.

 

I had the same philosophy, but I was nervous about having my engine opened up. I know it ends up fine for most people, but mine was an example of what can go wrong when a tech opens up your engine and has to put it back together.

 

Nope. This dealer has had quite a few come in. Was told they only allow close to 6 hrs for this now, but don't hold me to that.

 

I, personally, would want the motor out of the truck. The tech can then make the best possible application of the sealant and set the cam tower squarely, and evenly on the cyl head. The timing case is critical too; lots to leak if not sealed correctly. Having built many motors, that’s how I would do it, but they are working against the clock. No harm, no foul, if they get it right without causing any other issues in the process.

 

They aren't offering me anything. Told me I can get a free rental car if the job is over 8hrs or the vehicle is unsafe to drive. I think I may need to call Toyota Corporate; I need a vehicle to get around and to work.

 

Service told me motor stays in.

 

It's not like they are cracking the cases, so I'm okay with this being done.

 

I would call them and demand it. They were originally going to give me a Corolla. The service manager then saw me and called back and said - bring this guy another Tundra - he's not going to fit in this car (I'm 6'8"). We'll see if they do it again this next time when I get around to taking it in for the driver's side which just started leaking on mine.

 

I'll ask them nicely.

 

My dealer gave me a dodge ram for a rental while having it done. I use my truck for work so I insisted I needed another truck. Toyota IMO is the worst when it comes to service/setting people up with rentals, seems like its always a battle. This could just be my dealer I don't know, but when I had a Silverado and made an appointment there was another Silverado waiting for me to take.

Mine to was repaired with the motor in the truck, they didn't even remove the timing cover to complete my repair. I have seen others where they will remove the cab instead of the motor.

 

‘16 with just over 46,000 miles and seeping on both sides towards the rear


Just checked in to Huntington Beach Toyota. Wish me luck

 

They tried to give me a freaking Yaris when I dropped my truck off. I'm 6'4" and said "no way". The biggest they had (my dealer uses Hertz) was a Nissan Frontier, which was fine, but they really should give you something of equal size to whatever you're dropping off.

 

Yep....all types of gaskets fail...o rings fail... I'm guessing over 1 million Tundra made since 2007. Can't go by what's reported on forums for actual empirical data. Apparently enough AIP issues to extend warranty. Toyota seems to be at least addressing this issue. Clearly not bad enough to be considered a safety issue. Different ball game then. I'm curious if any forum member has failed one of the 50 states safety checks???? Crickets......

 

The AIP is an emissions issue, which is why Toyota addressed it. This is just a PITA issue, which until a fire starts or someone gets injured, will not be addressed on anything but a case-by-case basis.

 

I never said other types of gaskets will never fail. However, using a different type of seal design will reduce the variability that comes from operator/installer error. FIP gaskets have a time window, and if the installer (robot or human) does not put the bead down correctly (a little too thin, miss a spot, etc), then the seal will not function correctly. Using an actual gasket will reduce this variability/error function. You can still have material variability issues with the gasket, and you could still have failures that occur because something was installed incorrectly - however, installation errors would be lower with a pre-formed gasket and a well-thought out design on the mating surfaces. Or, like others have mentioned - just eliminate the joint altogether.

 

Yep...AIPs an emission issue that had to be addressed. Too many documented failures. Costly too. Some members here paid in excess of $3000 and should have been reimbursed. A poor design. Not a safety issue. The cam tower issue up to this point hasn't been deemed a safety issue. Not so much a design flaw but a sealing flaw that has affected a lot of owners. This may play out in the long run like the AIP correction. Extended warranties for this specific issue. A costly repair too but Toyota may have to address it. That's all I'm inferring.

 

I agree. It needs to be addressed.

 

Or do what I did and have a trailer with you. When they try to give you a car, mention that the trailer may weigh more....and scratch the roof. Drove off in a 3/4 ton Dodge Cummins...

 

After three hours at HB toyota, they confirmed the issue and said they will reseal the passenger side since its dripping but not the driver said since its just weeping. I let them know my concern that the weep would eventually drip and the service advisor is saying he's going to try to talk to the regional service person and have them reseal both sides.. hopefully that goes through. Will be dropping it off next week and he is giving me a loaner for the two or three days I won't have my tundra.

 

^^ 2 or 3 days? Wow. Only took 1 day for mine.

 

Pretty sure itll take a day.. drop off monday noon, perform work wednesday, and then pick up thursday.. i don't have time to drop it off in the morning

 

My passenger side was dripping and the driver side was weeping. They did both sides. I would take it to another dealer if they won’t do both. They had mine for a week but it was around the holidays. Has been running strong since the repair. It’s a big job I wouldn’t want them to rush it. Brand new Camry for a loaner.

 

My 16 took 4 days, Sienna rental. 18 was 5 days, dropped off Monday picked up Friday, RAV4 rental. Gave me 8yr 100k Platinum warranty on the 18 with no hassle whatsoever. I’m good.

 

There wouldn’t be a seal necessary had they designed the OH cam cradles/journals as an integral part of the cylinder head. The two piece design is, in hindsight, a flawed design. The black silicone is the fix on a case by case basis. Toyota’s philosophy: Don’t ask, don’t tell.

 

either on this site or somewhere else, someone mentioned that maybe the seals are failing due to excessive movement ... if that's the case, I wonder if off-roading aggravates it. I don't think anyone has this data! Like off roaders are failing more than city queens if we had a very large sample.

 

Could be, but the only "off-roading" I ever did in mine was drive through a muddy pumpkin patch parking lot at about 5 mph and I still got the leak.

 

Don’t think it could be movement, nothing can really move. I strongly suspect it is surface contamination, very unforgiving seal in regards to surface ra, and more importantly both surfaces have to be perfectly clean.

 

Nice! I like the Camrys, been looking at them for the next wifey mobile. Please let me know your thoughts on it.

 

Tundras are a little too big for off road ing and a lot of them are used in the city and for towing. I prefer Tacoma for off-road.