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

I have heard of plenty in that time range that had the issue.

 

Add me to the list. 2018 with 5,300 miles. Not sure how long it has been leaking but this is completely unacceptable. I am the type that does my own maintenance and skip the free oil changes to do it myself. The thought of having the engine torn apart is unsettling. I regret this purchase.

 

damn that's like 3 or 4 2018s on the forum with very low miles and having the cam leak.

 

17 tundra grey. Dry
18 sequoia grey, Dry

I've never owned a vehicle that didn't seep somewhere at some point. If its not enough to smell of leave its mark, I'm not worrying about it.

 

My co-worker has a 2012 tundra 5.7 and we were discussing this issue and sure enough at 90,000 miles his passenger side after looking was soaking wet with oil and he was never even aware of it and the drivers side was bone dry.. That made his day

 

seems like the dealership never tells you about it unless you ask and point it to them.

 

To me that is unacceptable. $50,000 new truck should be sealed and dry. My 1997 Ford Escort and 2008 Honda Accord are bone dry with 300,000 miles combined.

 

Meh. Nothing is perfect. Show me one thing that is.

Life is too short to get worked up about material shit.

 

Same exact spot mine was leaking, I'm just like you with doing my own maintenance and skipping the dealer oil changes. I was sick when I saw this and figured out how much the engine had to come apart.

 

My extended warranty just covered the cam tower leak. ‍♂️

 

Don't make me regret this purchase! LOL... perhaps it's time to go back to a GM if this occurs, there's no reason to buy a TOYOTA. This reminds me of the Subaru Foresters with the 2.5 liter that has head gasket problems and oil leak. Why o why!

The good thing ( I think ) is that I have a limited lifetime warranty that came with the truck. Unlimited miles, unlimited years as long as I am the registered owner and do my maintenance as scheduled (per owners manual). I wonder if this is good enough to cover it, I should probably contact my dealership.

 

GM? Heck no for me... both gm suvs i owned fell apart, burned oil, leaked oil. They just turned to garbage, I’d take a leak from Toyota that they will cover and fix any day.

 

I only found out about the cam tower issue yesterday and scheduled my 2013 V-8 Tundra for dealer service to check it (I already did and yes there were leaks). Took it in this morning and I have 58,600 miles on the car but its 5 months past warranty. The service advisor at first said I wasn't covered but then called Toyota and they are going to cover the repair and two other leaks. The dealer said it was close to $5,000 in repairs and I'm only out the price of an oil change... I'm not gonna complain one bit as I plan to have this truck a LONG time.

 

And that is why I'm staying with Toyota, I've had the big three and they NEVER will do the "Right thing" unless they are backed into a corner. Case in point, my last two Cummins both had rear main seal weep, nothing that would drop onto my driveway, but it was there. One of them finally dripped enough to hit the driveway, anyone that knows how oil from a Diesel likes to stain, knows you gotta nip that in the bud. Even though they knew of the weep, and had it documented, they pushed back hard. Eventually it was fixed, but it was by a Cummins shop, not a Ram shop.

BTW, I have 2 yota's with the gray sealant, dry as a bone.

 

Hey guys thanks for the great forum and all the info..

I just went to my local dealer to look at a used 14 CM 80k highway miles and one owner that traded it in from new. Its dealer maintained and has all service records, it has a 12m/12k warranty and is fully serviced. Its been on the lot for a bit and I stopped by and gave it a look a month earlier, dealer was closed. I went in today not knowing about the issue of cam towers started it up stepped out and walked around giving it a good look. I stuck my head in the wheel wells to give a good listen to the manifolds, valve train and bearings. Everything sounded good but I noticed right away the smell of burning oil on drivers side and was thinking valve cover. Climbed under it and saw oil on the exhaust manifold cover. Salesman had nothing to say about it. Told him I would think about it and get back to them.

After getting home I researched it and came to this with 28 pages of nightmares from good people that work hard to enjoy their trucks. I'm a bit stumped a Toyota dealer selling a dealer serviced truck off their lot with this problem and not even acknowledging it or fixing it and trying to pass the buck to someone else.

I am really liking the truck but after this read I don't know. I don't even know where too start with the dealership, should I just walk away?

Sorry for the first post banter. I just hope others don't end up with a 3k fix on a truck that should run 200k miles.

Thanks

 

derp

 

Just walk away from that one unless you can get them to fix it.

 

have them fix it and give you a discount on it

 

Thanks guys!

The dealer called back 2 days later and I talked to the manager. He claims no problems with the truck.. Said he had not heard of this problem. Said they do excessive check's on used trucks to ensure a good reliable vehicle.

I asked them if I came up to the invoice price would they take care of cam towers. He said no, nothing wrong and was pretty rude about it. Then told me maybe I need to look at a different brand of truck. Ugg... Whats up with these dealerships. I was being nice.. I can't imagine trying to get them to warranty this issue if I purchased it. I guess I'll walk from this one. Leaves me pretty unsure about keeping up the search.

I hope you guys all get them fixed.

All the best

 

Talk to the service manager, the sales side only cares about a sale, that's it. Most dealerships the sales and service folks won't even talk to each other. I always say, sales is a one night stand, service you live with.

 

That's who I talked to SM. He said they could check it again but I'm leary. Claimed the oil change could of made the smell. I smile cause the oil has not been changed. It has the window sticker claiming it needs to be changed in 4k miles. It has I think the 0/20 synthetic in it 10k change interval.. I'm sure they just checked it and put her out on the lot. Its a big Toyota dealer here where I'm at. It does have a 12k/12m warranty but they claim no issue and the warranty is thru the dealer not Toyota USA. I'm not in the mood to hassle after the fact. I was going to pay up front for the truck.

Thanks for the help.

 

yep look for another one.

 

damn, yeah, not a dealer you want to have in a relationship. I don't care what make/model you have, if you don't have confidence in the service/warranty side of things, you won't be happy. Post warranty, all bets are off i you have someone you trust.

 

It's disappointing Toyota has not corrected this. Kudos to them when they stand behind their product.

For what it is worth, I ran a 2010 with a cam tower leak for about 150,000 miles. The leak never made a spot on my garage floor. The service department at the dealership wanted to fix it, I wouldn't let them. The only repair on that truck was a water pump, 220,000 miles. Traded it for a 2018 and looking forward to another 200,000 miles. No cam tower leak yet.

 

Did you not trust them (lol, I had to laugh at myself for that), or did you think that the leak was insignificant to do a repair that would take awhile?

 

Mine has the beginnings of a leak (seepage), and dealer says no on reseal because it’s not an actual drip, even though I get an occasional burnt oil smell off of drivers side bank.

 

Take it to a different dealer. Unless you are one of those that doesn't mind a new truck leaking oil.

 

I can see that. When I got a new Transit, I saw seepage and was kinda worried. Wiped it and never came back.

 

There are so many Tundras around here. I didn't know about the cam tower leak until I joined this forum. Now I want to go up to everyone's Tundra with a flashlight and see if they're leaking.

It makes me wonder what I would find if I did. Would a lot of them be leaking or kinda leaking? Does it matter if they are? I own a 2018 and understand the frustration. But, does it makes sense to bust open your truck if you're not leaking much? I think I'm now of the opinion, like you, that it doesn't.

I also had a Land Rover Discovery and that thing leaked constantly. Maybe I'm jaded. After reading this entire thread, I think if it happens to my 2018 and it's not leaking on the garage floor, I'll wait until I'm almost out of warranty to "notice" it.

 

Looks like I have cam tower leak on my 2018 with 4k miles (passenger side), not even to first oil change. Bummed as these types of issues are why I passed on F150 to give Toyota the benefit of the doubt as the drama free ownership option since it has been in production so long. Crazy they have not changed the process, like a grooved oring or one piece cast for the towers. Frustrating and from what I have read in this thread Toyota is starting restrict coverage to just the side that is leaking and not adding additional warranty to those that have new engine opened up (unless you harrass Toyota for it). I guess we shall see how my case is handled by the dealer I purchased from when I go in for first oil change. Any words of wisdom from those that have had this handled recently?