Oil leak? Warranty cover this?

bjohnston115

New member
So I just noticed what looks like the aftermath of an oil leak. See the pictures below... This is the front passenger side of my engine by the oil dipstick. Do I take this to the dealer? Think they will cover it? If I take it in I would want them to steam clean it then find and fix the leak. Should I clean it myself and see if anything comes back? What are your thoughts? I have a 2011 with about 45000 miles on it. Extended Toyota platinum warranty which should cover just about anything the factory warranty covered.

Thanks!

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If you have an extended warranty, and you didn't do anything crazy that caused it, you should absolutely take it in.

Don't worry about HOW they will fix it, that is their responsibility. However, if it gives you heartburn, you can always "recommend" how you'd like it to be fixed.
 
I mentioned steam cleaning because I wasn't sure what the process would be and how they would find the leak if it was still caked with crud.
 
Yes, all oil leaks are covered under warranty. Oil leaks or any kind of leaks are a big deal now as some states will fail that for emissions.
 
What was the final outcome? I just dropped my 2011 Trail off for the same leak (timing cover). It should be covered under my extended warranty, just looking for your experience.
 
What was the final outcome? I just dropped my 2011 Trail off for the same leak (timing cover). It should be covered under my extended warranty, just looking for your experience.



Still not resolved. Brought it in when I first noticed it and the dealer told me it was just mud and did nothing. I told them it's oil and to clean it to their liking so we can see if it comes back. They cleaned it off and the oil seeping from the timing cover is visible again. Haven't had a chance to bring it back but need to soon. I am out of all warranty periods but when I brought it to them originally I was under warranty.


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Thanks for the update. I have mine at the dealer and am expecting a call tomorrow with some news. All the research I've done has pointed to issues in the past on Tacoma and FJ's, but none (that I can find) on 5th generation 4Runners. We both have 2011's...wonder if there's a correlation? Either way, it's a $3K fix if looking around the various Toyota forums is any indication.


For anyone else following the thread; reference this thread:http://www.toyota-4runner.org/tsb/77295-eg049-07-12-05-2007-engine-oil-leak-timing-cover.html for the oil leak.

Picture of mine:
AD589CF7-DE50-4B48-A23E-803E1A2A0884_zps0nfjaawl.jpg~original


Discovered it 15K miles ago and it's been steadily getting (seemingly) worse. I'm at 42K miles at the moment.
 
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What was the final outcome? I just dropped my 2011 Trail off for the same leak (timing cover). It should be covered under my extended warranty, just looking for your experience.

My 2010 TE had the same timing cover leak and thankfully I found it just before the 100k extended warranty ran out a couple years ago. Dealer fixed it under warranty as expected but the engine has to come out to fix the issue so be prepared to be without the truck for a while. I'm at 130k now and she's been running fine since. Good luck!
 
Thanks for the update. I have mine at the dealer and am expecting a call tomorrow with some news. All the research I've done has pointed to issues in the past on Tacoma and FJ's, but none (that I can find) on 5th generation 4Runners. We both have 2011's...wonder if there's a correlation? Either way, it's a $3K fix if looking around the various Toyota forums is any indication.


For anyone else following the thread; reference this thread:http://www.toyota-4runner.org/tsb/77295-eg049-07-12-05-2007-engine-oil-leak-timing-cover.html for the oil leak.

Picture of mine:
AD589CF7-DE50-4B48-A23E-803E1A2A0884_zps0nfjaawl.jpg~original


Discovered it 15K miles ago and it's been steadily getting (seemingly) worse. I'm at 42K miles at the moment.

That picture looks almost like the VVTi line is leaking, not the cover. Both your picture and [MENTION=129513]bjohnston115[/MENTION] are tough to really make any real determination with (honestly just looks like his dipstick is coated in old oil that's been baked/caked on there, I can't see much else except some really shadowy spots).

But an oil leak from the entire should be covered under the factory 5yr/60k Powertrain Warranty (easily under extended warranty). It's just hard to say it's a timing cover leak from these pictures. The TSB you mentioned is talking about the joint where the Cylinder Head, Engine Block, and Timing Cover meet (a common leak point for a timing cover if it is leaking), you'd be able to see where these three large pieces come together and notice that they leak there. I haven't seen this as common on the new Dual VVTi 1GR-FEs (but I have seen it once or twice) as it was on the old Tacoma engines.
 
That picture looks almost like the VVTi line is leaking, not the cover. Both your picture and [MENTION=129513]bjohnston115[/MENTION] are tough to really make any real determination with (honestly just looks like his dipstick is coated in old oil that's been baked/caked on there, I can't see much else except some really shadowy spots).

But an oil leak from the entire should be covered under the factory 5yr/60k Powertrain Warranty (easily under extended warranty). It's just hard to say it's a timing cover leak from these pictures. The TSB you mentioned is talking about the joint where the Cylinder Head, Engine Block, and Timing Cover meet (a common leak point for a timing cover if it is leaking), you'd be able to see where these three large pieces come together and notice that they leak there. I haven't seen this as common on the new Dual VVTi 1GR-FEs (but I have seen it once or twice) as it was on the old Tacoma engines.



I will get some new pics of mine up soon.


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My 2010 TE had the same timing cover leak and thankfully I found it just before the 100k extended warranty ran out a couple years ago. Dealer fixed it under warranty as expected but the engine has to come out to fix the issue so be prepared to be without the truck for a while. I'm at 130k now and she's been running fine since. Good luck!

Yeah, I'm very glad I have the extended warranty as I'm over both the 3/36 and 5/60 warranties. I took it to Tony Divino in Riverdale as they've done a few FJ's in the past. Hope that was a good decision; we'll see tomorrow!

I like your silver trail; I've only seen 1 other around the area.
 
That picture looks almost like the VVTi line is leaking, not the cover. Both your picture and [MENTION=129513]bjohnston115[/MENTION] are tough to really make any real determination with (honestly just looks like his dipstick is coated in old oil that's been baked/caked on there, I can't see much else except some really shadowy spots).

But an oil leak from the entire should be covered under the factory 5yr/60k Powertrain Warranty (easily under extended warranty). It's just hard to say it's a timing cover leak from these pictures. The TSB you mentioned is talking about the joint where the Cylinder Head, Engine Block, and Timing Cover meet (a common leak point for a timing cover if it is leaking), you'd be able to see where these three large pieces come together and notice that they leak there. I haven't seen this as common on the new Dual VVTi 1GR-FEs (but I have seen it once or twice) as it was on the old Tacoma engines.

Originally, when I saw it, I was under the same impression of it being a line. Unfortunately it's not. Its leaking from the same location as outlined in the aforementioned TSB. Toyota called yesterday and indicated that they had to order a few parts and that it would be ready for pick-up late today. I won't pick it up until tomorrow, but she did indicate that the tech agreed with the location and cause of the leak. I'll post tomorrow when I have the actual tech notes from the repair.
 
This will hopefully be the last update for my issue.

Got the truck back tonight and everything appears to be in working order. I took a thorough look at the engine bay before driving away, and everything seems right. As UtahSooner mentioned above, the engine does have to be removed in the 4Runner to fix this leak. However, the cost wasn't overly crazy.

Labor @ 14.8 hours: $1554.00
Parts (4 total with oil/coolant): $170.25
Total for those math challenged: $1724.25

No tech notes of appreciable help to the actual issue. Just noted that the leak was verified from the timing cover.

I'll be watching it over the next few months to (hopefully) not see any leaks either new or old. I have the extended warranty until 2019, so that's good; hope to not use it.
 
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This will hopefully be the last update for my issue.

Got the truck back tonight and everything appears to be in working order. I took a thorough look at the engine bay before driving away, and everything seems right. As UtahSooner mentioned above, the engine does have to be removed in the 4Runner to fix this leak. However, the cost wasn't overly crazy.

Labor @ 14.8 hours: $1554.00
Parts (4 total with oil/coolant): $170.25
Total for those math challenged: $1724.25

No tech notes of appreciable help to the actual issue. Just noted that the leak was verified from the timing cover.

I'll be watching it over the next few months to (hopefully) not see any leaks either new or old. I have the extended warranty until 2019, so that's good; hope to not use it.

thanks for the update on this. I am so busy with work, need to get into the dealer to get this taken care of ASAP. I am out of warranty as mentioned but brought this in for the issue when i was under warranty and they called me crazy.
 
This will hopefully be the last update for my issue.

Got the truck back tonight and everything appears to be in working order. I took a thorough look at the engine bay before driving away, and everything seems right. As UtahSooner mentioned above, the engine does have to be removed in the 4Runner to fix this leak. However, the cost wasn't overly crazy.

Labor @ 14.8 hours: $1554.00
Parts (4 total with oil/coolant): $170.25
Total for those math challenged: $1724.25

No tech notes of appreciable help to the actual issue. Just noted that the leak was verified from the timing cover.

I'll be watching it over the next few months to (hopefully) not see any leaks either new or old. I have the extended warranty until 2019, so that's good; hope to not use it.

So the repair was covered under your warranty, right? How's it been driving since?
 
So the repair was covered under your warranty, right? How's it been driving since?



Just an FYI. I called my dealer and they said that an oil leak should be covered under the power train warranty. So even if your comprehensive warranty has expired , like mine has, this should still be covered.


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