faulty cam chain tensioner 2x with cam tower reseal

I have a 2011 tundra crewmax RWD 5.7 with about 130k on the clock. It had the dreaded cam tower leak, so I took it to a reputable shop that has experience with it to get it resealed. They recommended replacing cam chain tensioners and guides at the same time which sounded pretty reasonable so I agreed.

The truck has never given me any issue and ran flawlessly when I dropped it off, just smelled like burning oil all the time and let a little smoke out from the hood occasionally as the oil dripped onto the exhaust but didn’t seem to use any measurable amount between oil changes.

After the first attempt to fix it I went to pick up and it threw a CEL almost immediately (not sure exactly what CEL, but related to camshaft position for sure) and started running rough within a few minutes of leaving the shop. I returned it and the shop diagnosed a bad cam chain tensioner causing a timing skip (only genuine Toyota parts were used) and proceeded to tear it apart for the 2nd time at no charge to me obviously.

I was supposed to pick it up today, but they are saying the same thing happened again (skipped time during test drive after reassembly) and will have to be torn apart for the 3rd time and will hopefully get it back next week.

I can hardly comprehend the odds of two brand new cam chain tensioner failures in a row.

The shop has a stellar rep in the area and is known for its expertise on Toyotas in general and Tundras in particular, plus they have been very decent during the ordeal and definitely seem to be committed to getting it back to normal, so don’t have any reason to suspect they are purposely misleading me. Definitely not interested in disparaging their name by publishing it.

Was just wondering if anyone has ever had a similar experience with a cam tower reseal or cam tensioner replacement? I am starting to wish I had invested in nose plugs for the burnt oil smell and left the truck alone

 

FIXED!

Wanted to update with a better description of the issue and the solution in case this happens to anyone else in the future.

First off kudos to the shop the did the initial work for chasing it down and taking care of it regardless of the labor and parts costs they ate during the ordeal. Very refreshing to find an honest, ethical shop that really does care about doing the job right.

While the symptoms seemed consistent with a jumped timing tooth, it turned out to be an issue with the valve cover on one side. Apparently, the oil passage tubes for the VVT were lifting and not making a good seal after the engine was up to temp. When they lifted, the VVT went nuts, check engine came on, traction control was off etc. The final solution was a new valve cover for that side and now all is good. The cam towers are no longer leaking and the truck runs like new. Ready for the next 100K+ miles (currently at 128k, with the shop putting ~200 miles of test driving on it to make sure everything is good).

Honestly, I can't say enough good things about the pride they take in a job well done - the quality and value of the work at Ratchet Brothers in Ft Worth TX is exceptional.