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

Unfortunately, what’s needs to happen is to have a lot of engine fires (oil on exhaust manifold) with bodily injuries, and then, maybe, NHTSA gets involved and forces a recall. Until then, Toyota is handling this issue as a case by case complaint. Mine has the leak, and the Toyota tech that I trust at the dealership says, “you don’t want to go there.” Why? Because of the extensive tear down etc. My theory on the leak is this: the factory sealant is applied in an automated engine assembly process, and how applications can it make before refills in the machine are necessary? When the machine operator refills the reservoir, or whatever, air is then pushed through and there ends up being a small gap in the sealant bead. That gap equals cam tower leak in someone’s new truck. Mine!

 

You would think they would have it programmed to push some out to get rid of this gap before starting to apply again if that's the case.

If you have the leak you might want to have it fixed before you run out of warranty as its expensive if your not. If yours is just seeping that's not so bad, mine was physically dripping onto the exhaust manifold and burning off so I didn't have a choice in the matter.

 

I agree. Just thought I’d mention, though, that the rotting frames were made under contract by Dana Corp.’s Tennessee plant, in the same facility where F150 frames were made. Rumor I read is that the rust was due to either a misapplication of rust inhibiting/preventive coating or a misunderstanding of Toyota’s specs for steel treatment and rust prevention of the frames. Who knows? But Toyota’s Japan-made Landcruisers, 4Runners, Prados and Hiluxes didn’t have that issue.

As for the gasket issue concerning the cam shaft tower, it seems reminiscent of Toyota’s struggles with head gasket failures with past engines (i.e., 3.0 V6, 22RE and some Landcruiser 80 series engines). For whatever reason, Toyota seems to struggle with gasket reliability issues when it comes to mating dissimilar metals together.

 

New on here. I have a 2012 Smoke Grey Tundra 5.7 MaxCab .. LOVE MY TRUCK!
Brought it to the dealer for an oil change. They called to inform me of a Valve cover leak. Then called and said, "No, sorry it is bad news, it is a cam tower leak 2700.00. I took it to an Independent Toyota mechanic and he said," the valve cover is defiantly leaking, but it is dripping down over and onto the cam tower so how could Toyota tell which repair is it going to be?" He showed me, through the wheel well, the leaking areas, driver side rear=larger leak, the passenger side rear= much smaller.
He then told me that in order to tell if the cam tower was leaking I would have to repair the valve cover and then put pressure load on the engine to see if the cam tower was leaking below. He didn't recommend this as the cost was too great.
I do not want to ruin my engine .... Taking it up over Utah and Colorado I-70 in October .... How do I tell which is leaking?

 

This fucken blows. Decided to finally check and of course it’s leaking and I’m at 62000. Gonna see if the dealership will help me out.

 

That's the same spot mine was leaking and dripping into the manifold. Good luck with the dealer.

 

https://www.tundras.com/threads/diy-leaks-detection.18151/

 

do you have extended warranty ?

 

2 in a row....now, where is the guy that says it never happens ?

 

Has this issue caused any damage to anyone's engine, or is it more of a nuisance wet spot?

 

haven't heard of damage, more like a nuisance...I drove with the leak for over 15,000 miles without being aware of it....ymmv

 

I haven't heard of actual damage because of it. They are usually slow leaks. But, it is more than a nuisance when it starts dripping onto the exhaust and burning/smoking. Then it also stinks (that is how I discovered mine - I could smell it and see small puffs of smoke occasionally) and poses a possible fire hazard (although I haven't heard of anybody's rig catching fire).

Right? I especially liked the post from the Toyota Master Tech that said he had repaired quite a few of them. But, they never happen. Or, as another poster said - you just need to be an "adult" and accept the risks and live with the consequences.

 

So looking under the hood, and wiping off any oil that has leaked out would probably make this a non-issue for most. Right?

 

if it leaks very slowly, most of the people never know about it and they get their oil change every 5K anyways.

 

Yeah, so I spray a little car wash soapy water then rinse, all low pressure. Since I started doing that the puff of blue white smoke from the wheel wells is gone. My actual oil volume loss at 7500 mile changes is basically unmeasurable, so I'm not losing sleep.

I am still pissed that I bought the truck used from a toyota dealer and noticed it about 4500 miles later only to be told to pound sand by the dealer.

 

I guess it depends on your tolerance level. If you don't mind having a leaking vehicle - then I suppose it would be a "non-issue". I couldn't do that - it would drive me nuts. I've had a few of vehicles that sprung leaks after many miles - and I fixed every one of them (or had it fixed in the case of the Tundra since it was under warranty). But the real issue is that this happens on fairly new Tundras. That is just not acceptable.

 

I took a closer look at what I believe is a heat shield or whatever is right under that spot and it’s been leaking for hella long now cause that drop created an inch to inch and a half wide shit stain that runs all the way down. Lol. Plus it looks old as hell. I’ll take a pic tomorrow and you can be the judge. Anyway. Spoke to Toyota dealership that I always go to and since I service with them they are going to do a goodwill ticket and see what Toyota has to say. My service advisor seemed very confident that they will take care of it cause I’m so close to the warranty and looks old. We’ll see, I’ll give update when I go in on Monday. Shit happens. That’s life and my fault for not checking earlier. Hopefully it works out. Good times.

 

I'm not going to complain if it's not dripping on the driveway or causing any unnecessary wear & tear on the engine, and if I can keep up with it by wiping the area with a rag every now and then. I try and keep the engine bay relatively clean, but it's no show truck so it will never be spotless. Besides, I have more important things to concern myself with.

 

The second time mine started leaking it was smoking like a mthrfckr

Toyota gave me an extended warranty because of it. But initially corporate said no. I had to elevate above the donkey that told me no before they would give me anything

 

Did you mean one that is VISIBLY leaking? Because IIRC there is only 1 sealed system on our vehicles, therefore...ya' know, physics and all that...;-)>
B

 

Does anyone know how long this takes to fix? Or an estimated time of how long they will keep my truck?

 

3 days max.

 

My truck was In there for the repair for 2 days, they also had to schedule it around the master tech for when he was able to work on it for 2days straight.

 

Awesome. Thank you.

 

I have been looking at tundras the last couple of weeks after mine was totaled. So far I have found 4 that have the oil leak all with the 5.7
2012 with 50k
2015 with 120k
2013 with 115k
2011 with 140k

I even had a dealership tell me it would be hard to find one that doesn’t have the leak. Guess I will keep looking for now.

 

it is annoying but it won't grenade your engine. like you mentioned, 2011 with 140K. probably had the leak its whole life.

 

I guess if it’s a slow leak, I’d rather live with it than pay a few thousand to get it fixed. I suppose if I were shopping for one, I’d negotiate having it fixed right first as part of the deal or have it discounted correspondingly to pay for it yourself or live with it if it’s a small slow leak.

 

Its a bad design, your asking a lot of the sealant in that area to keep it sealed up. What's even more frustrating is Toyota really hasn't put any emphasis on a fix and just handle them as they leak. If the black sealant they use for the repair is much superior then the gray they use at the factory then they should be coming to us from the factory that way. Tired of manufacturers pushing there error's off on the consumer so they can pinch a few pennies. Heck if Toyota would of said "Hey your trucks gonna cost $50 more for better sealant" I would have gladly paid it to keep from having my engine torn down at 21k.

 

Agree