14 Trail Oil Issue

[Lester Lugnut]

Update. I brought my Trail back to the dealer to recheck for any oil leaks after about 800 miles. Good thing I did because the oil mess was back under the engine. After further investigations by dealer tech, they found the issue, a failed VVT oil line . Jeez, after only 10k miles! I have read online about major recall for same problem but for earlier model Avalons and Highlanders. The deal rep says he's never seen or heard of this problem with 4ruuners. Lucky me I guess.

Yep...the 2GR-FE engines in the 2 models you listed plus a couple of others had their vvt-i oil lines burst. Oil pressure dropped like a rock and the engine was done if the owner didn't catch it quickly. This eventually became a recall issue.

The vvt-i line was replaced by an all metal version; then it seemed Toyota went back to a combo metal/rubber line. The rubber portion(my term) had been enhanced.

 

[tamerunner]

Update. I brought my Trail back to the dealer to recheck for any oil leaks after about 800 miles. Good thing I did because the oil mess was back under the engine. After further investigations by dealer tech, they found the issue, a failed VVT oil line . Jeez, after only 10k miles! I have read online about major recall for same problem but for earlier model Avalons and Highlanders. The deal rep says he's never seen or heard of this problem with 4ruuners. Lucky me I guess.

Good thing it was caught soon. Keep in mind it's not necessarily an indication of Toyota's quality going down. I don't care what business your in and whether you use the best of the best all the time you will eventually have a failure of something. It should be the last for a long time. So enjoy for many miles to come.

 

[Whiplash Willy]

Yep...the 2GR-FE engines in the 2 models you listed plus a couple of others had their vvt-i oil lines burst. Oil pressure dropped like a rock and the engine was done if the owner didn't catch it quickly. This eventually became a recall issue.

The vvt-i line was replaced by an all metal version; then it seemed Toyota went back to a combo metal/rubber line. The rubber portion(my term) had been enhanced.

I found a DIY Replacement on the VVT-I Oil line. It is for a Highlander, but it should be close enough for those interested in learning more about this part.

http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/122-2nd-generation-2008-2013/432008-diy-replacing-rear-bank-vvt-i-oil-line.html

It seems pretty lame Toyota would go back to the rubber/metal combo line that has a recall out on it because of failure. I wounder how much they are saving by using the cheaper part, vs the all metal line. I would say using a cheaper part that is more failure prone should be considered a decline in quality.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. If it is broke, don't fix it either, unless a lot of people complain.

 

[Lester Lugnut]

It seems pretty lame Toyota would go back to the rubber/metal combo line that has a recall out on it because of failure.

I thought so as well, but wondered if that "all metal" line was subject to cracking from vibration. Funny how they seemed to disappear.

I believe the metal line you show is a TRD part that sweeneyp(toyotanation Highlander member) used in a write-up he did on DIY replacement of that part.

 

[Whiplash Willy]

I thought so as well, but wondered if that "all metal" line was subject to cracking from vibration. Funny how they seemed to disappear.

I believe the metal line you show is a TRD part that sweeneyp(toyotanation Highlander member) used in a write-up he did on DIY replacement of that part.

I never thought about the metal line cracking, I wounder which is better? Maybe we have the "Enhanced" Combo rubber line.

Yea, that is where I pulled the pic from.

Just for fun, I am going to see if I can spot this line on my 4runner during my lunch break. It should be easy to spot thanks to our Longitudinally mounted engine! LOL@ Transverse Mounted Engines!

 

[CJB01]

Part number

I called Toyota corporate and reported my issue with the Leaky VVTi oil line. They took all the information and check for any recalls or service issues with 14 model and nothing was found. They even contacted my dealer to see what part was used for the repair. The dealer said that the oil line used in the repair was an upgraded part. I cNt say for sure if that's true. I'm going to post the part number that's listed on my repair bill for anyone that would care to investigate further. I can say for sure we're the line is physically located. The dealer rep told me that they had to remove the alternator to replace the oil line. Sounds to me a bit labor intensive for a DYI... I thinking since the truck is new and under warrant and it happens again, I could be covered under the Virginia Lemon law. I hope that never happens. I really enjoy the truck!

 

[Lester Lugnut]

The dealer said that the oil line used in the repair was an upgraded part. I cNt say for sure if that's true. I'm going to post the part number that's listed on my repair bill for anyone that would care to investigate further.

That would be nice to have for future reference. Thanks.

 

[1engineer]

I thought so as well, but wondered if that "all metal" line was subject to cracking from vibration. Funny how they seemed to disappear.

I believe the metal line you show is a TRD part that sweeneyp(toyotanation Highlander member) used in a write-up he did on DIY replacement of that part.

Yep. Running fluid lines, rigid or flexible, have their own challenges. Rigid lines are prone to vibration and cracking. Flexible lines should never be run straight but should have a slight bend for contraction and expansion. Also I would say the line with the rubber hose cost more to produce than the all metal line so it wouldn't be for cost.

 

[Whiplash Willy]

I called Toyota corporate and reported my issue with the Leaky VVTi oil line. They took all the information and check for any recalls or service issues with 14 model and nothing was found. They even contacted my dealer to see what part was used for the repair. The dealer said that the oil line used in the repair was an upgraded part. I cNt say for sure if that's true. I'm going to post the part number that's listed on my repair bill for anyone that would care to investigate further. I can say for sure we're the line is physically located. The dealer rep told me that they had to remove the alternator to replace the oil line. Sounds to me a bit labor intensive for a DYI... I thinking since the truck is new and under warrant and it happens again, I could be covered under the Virginia Lemon law. I hope that never happens. I really enjoy the truck!

I would be interested to know the part number as well. Since they removed the Alternator, they must have replaced the driverside line. I wasn't able to get a pic of the driverside line, because there was too much stuff in the way to get a good angle of it, I got the pass side one though:

It looks like they are all metal lines. I believe these are the parts: (15771 &15772)

Link To Parts Diag:
Engine oil cooler. Fits: 2013 Toyota 4Runner 4000CC 24-VALVE DOHC EFI, AUTOMATIC 5-SPEED | OEM Toyota Parts Group, Powered by LaGrange Toyota,Lagrange Ga.

I wounder which part failed, the Line, Union Bolt, or Gaskets...

 

[CJB01]

Oil line Repair parts

He's my repair bill for the leaky VVTi oil line. The million dollar question is are these upgraded replacement part or same as the leaky part??

 

[Whiplash Willy]

He's my repair bill for the leaky VVTi oil line. The million dollar question is are these upgraded replacement part or same as the leaky part??

It looks like they replaced each piece, so it is hard to say what exactly failed...Looking at the parts diagram:

2013 Toyota 4Runner. #1577131010: PIPE, OIL, No.1. PIPE, OIL, NO.1

15771-31010 is the part number listed for the oil line, so unless the part diagram is showing the "Upgraded" part, then I would say it is the same part your 4runner came with. It looks like the part numbers for the Gaskets and Union bolts are the same as well, which makes me think there is no upgraded part, but I don't know how to confirm this. So, I wounder if it was a part defect, or maybe an assembly issue.

 

[CJB01]

Oil line Part

Part specs. I was surprise .This part is inexpensive fix for a problem that could cost thousands!


ttp://partsfactory.camelbacktoyota.com/oe-toyota/1577131010?search_str=15771-31010

 

[Whiplash Willy]

Part specs. I was surprise .This part is inexpensive fix for a problem that could cost thousands!


ttp://partsfactory.camelbacktoyota.com/oe-toyota/1577131010?search_str=15771-31010

That could just be the stock part your 4runner came with though.