Timing chain Cover leak. Looking for advice

2021 with 34k miles. Owned from new. I just recently saw some oil from the driver side area at what looks to be the timing chain cover. Is it worth trying to get a warranty fix or am I looking at more problems by them tearing into it and putting it back together than I would be leaving it alone. Since my first oil change where they overtightened the drain plug and leaked a quart of oil in my driveway with 8k miles on the truck I get nervous getting it wrenched on at the dealer.

 

Tough call. That’s not a lot of oil on 34k. I’d Gunk it and wash off. Maybe snug the bolts? And see how fast it comes back.

 

I hate the dealer as much as anyone - I’d take it in if you aren’t going to do it yourself.

 

Are you using 5w-30 oil? If not, change oil, clean and watch. You might get lucky.

 

Purely anecdotal so I can't say if this is an apples-to-apples comprison but:

When I was searching for a new-to-me 2.5Gen over the past 6 months or so, I found one that I liked enough to take it in for a pre-purchase inspection at a Toyota dealer I trust. One of the very few things they found was a "weep" from the timing chain cover that looks like this. It wasn't enough that it was dropping oil on the ground and he cleaned it some and then ran the truck some more to see if any new oil emerged but it didn't. The tech that briefed me on their findings gave me an estimate of $600 - $800 (if I'm remembering that right) to replace the gasket, most of which was labor because there's a lot to move out of the way to get to it. He's a Tundra driver himself and said "frankly if it were mine I'd clean it, re-torque the bolts and keep an eye on it instead of automatically replacing the gasket but it's a good negotiating point with the seller". That one wasn't under warrenty but yours is - that may be a game changer for you. In my particular case, we were too far apart on price and I passed it up but if I'd gotten it I planned to take his advice.

 

Yea if it wasn’t under warranty I wouldn’t even consider fixing it. My fear is they rip it apart and I end up with a worse leak. I still have 1.5 years powertrain left. Maybe I’ll clean it and monitor it. Honestly I only found it because I went looking lol

 

Clean it, monitor it and then take it in to get fixed under warranty if still leaking.

Odds are that the person that changed your oil does not have the training and experience yet to be the one fixing a time cover leak.

 

Luckily I was under warranty so had the dealer take care of it. Was dropping more oil than I liked to see.
Dang robots don't put enough seal on it to begin with!

 

any issues since the fix ? How long did they keep your truck for to do it ?

 

Let me know which way you go on this. I was reading the thread and got curious, of course mine looks the same. 2020 Sport with 45k. I have basically zero trust in the dealership but would hope they’d put someone competent on a job like this.

 

yea since they screwed up my first oil change I’ve done all maintence myself. Motor Oil, transfer case and differential oils. Changed suspension and UCas. But obviously I draw the line at the engine. I’ve since switched dealers but so far just just got an alignment at the other one. I want to keep this truck for a long time so I’m a little conflicted. If it was not under power train warranty still it would be an easy decision, clean and monitor.

 

No issues since the fix. Have kept a drain pan under the truck for the last month or so and it's dry as a bone.
Truck was kept for 2 days. Service foreman drove it home one night (40 miles round trip) and brought it back to dealership to verify no leaks.

 

The more I think about this, the more I wonder if I may try cleaning the area and swapping out the oil to a heavier weight. I’ve got a little time before I hit the 60k/5yr mark. Seems like a good option to try since the 5.7 used to call for that before mileage became the primary driver for engineering decisions. If it clears up, I know the viscosity is behind the seepage, if not, I guess get it in to the dealer and cross my fingers they don’t make things worse.

 

What is your concern with 60k/5 year?

 

I was thinking that was the factory power train warranty numbers, I could be wrong. I do have an extended but I think it’s third party. I’d have to check my paperwork. So if the leak continued or got worse at least Toyota should cover it by 60k/5yr? I definitely won’t pay for a reseal.

 

Clean it and put in a heavier oil. If the leak continued, have it covered by Toyota.

 

I cleaned it up and I’m going to monitor it over the next 6-12 months. After watching what needs to be torn down to fix it on the car care nut channel I have a feeling cracking open that motor to fix a small weep has a good chance of opening up more issues. If that guy was the tech I’d be all about it but unfortunately we don’t get to choose our techs.

 

Please keep us posted. TIA!

 

Update : I had my truck in today for inspection and asked them to take a look. Master tech submitted it to Toyota and since it’s a weep and not a leak Toyota won’t fix it under warranty. I’m not too worried about it and wasn’t sure I even wanted it torn apart to solve a weep in fear of larger issues from the tear down.

 

Seems to have gotten worse. Going to push for the warranty fix again.

 

Keep us posted. I've heard dealerships deny it when it's a weep and not an active leak.

I need to closely inspect my '21 at my next oil change to see if I have it starting.

 

Mine was leaking here and my dealer took care of it under warranty. No question asked. Try a different dealer. They maybe more willing to help. They confirmed it was a timing cover leak.

 

I have the timing cover leak also according to the dealer. 2021 SR5 with 21.5k miles (I'm first owner). Took it to the dealer, and they said they submitted pictures to Toyota who denied fixing it under warranty because it was "normal seepage". They won't cover it unless it's got visible liquid buildup. My powertrain warranty is up in November, so that's extra convenient for Toyota. The dealer said to take it back to them at the end of the summer and they'll see if it's to the point where Toyota will cover it. They told me it's a $3500-$4000 job if I'm out of warranty (seems like a rip off - I won't be using the dealer after warranty). I'm going to contact Toyota and see what they tell me.

It looks to me like the "gasket" is oozing out of the engine significantly in the last picture below. You can also see that the gunk goes all the way up the engine along the belt path. That seems a bit odd to me that it would work its way all the way up there without dripping at the source. So maybe the dealer is BS'ing me and just doesn't want to do the job. I took the last picture after the dealer visit. They didn't clean it and recommended that I don't so that it can continue to build up before I bring it back in there. I think that cleaning it could allow me to see liquid forming better. I may try another dealer.

I won't fix it for a while if it won't be covered under warranty, but I plan to keep this truck for a long time so I'm sure I'll have to fix it eventually once it's bad enough to drip oil on the ground.

My 2004 Tundra had 3 rear main seals replaced under warranty, and then the leak came back at about 100k and kept getting worse. My Toyota luck is bad I guess, so this will be my last.

 

yea I had the same situation. I submitted a claim to Toyota USA online with pictures and the service slip stating it’s not leaking. I’ll let you know how it works out. If it wasn’t under warranty I wouldn’t care and most likely it would be fine but it has a warranty so why not right ? I stated that I believe engine oil is supposed to stay inside the engine


https://support.toyota.com/s/questions-comments?language=en_US

 

I am already working on my claim to Toyota almost exactly as you did. I agree with you that I wouldn't mess with it right now if it wasn't under warranty, but I'm mostly worried about it getting worse and eventually having to be fixed outside of warranty. I'll let you know how it goes for me, also. I'm very interested in what you hear.

 

yea I think it’s probably dependent on how much the customer pushes it too. Honestly most owners probably don’t ever notice it.

Quote from the service slip the first time:


GR MASTER TECH INSPECTED seeping TECH FOUND NO ISSUE WITH THE SEEPING

CURRENTLY NOT LEAKING

 

Below is what my service slip says. Seepage is "normal" - I can't say that I agree.

INSPECTED AND FOUND NORMAL SEEPAGE FROM FRONT OF ENGINE ON DRIVERS SIDE. NO REPAIR RECOMMENDED AT THIS TIME.

 

yea I feel like oil is supposed to stay inside the engine lol

 

Have you try another dealership?

 

I haven’t, but likely will.