Aron9000

So the car in question is a 2000 Avalon. I know, not an ES, but same v6 motor/chassis, same car under the skin.

Car is a spare car in our family, we've owned it since new, it now has 233k miles on it. Runs/shifts/drives great, hell it still looks nice, paint/interior are still really nice.

Anyways, I've been driving it this past week back and forth to work, and I will occasionally notice a burning type of smell in the cabin. At first I thought it was somebody else's pos, until I noticed it a few different times in stop/go traffic.

Popped the hood, noticed that on the front bank of cylinders, there was some grunge built up along the valve cover gasket, looked like it might be barely seeping some oil onto the exhaust manifold. The way crap is so crammed into that engine I couldn't get a good look at the back bank of cylinders to tell if there was a bad oil leak from the valve cover gasket.

Anyways, I was kind of worried about oil leaking onto the hot manifold and starting a fire. Is this a legit concern? Like I said, its just been a faint burning smell. Nothing like the intensity of that smell(and smoke) when I spilled almost half a quart of oil on the exhaust manifold doing an oil change because my funnel broke.

You know how on an old car you let little things like this go. Judging from how crammed in this engine is, its going to be $200-500 labor to change both gaskets(ie remove the intake manifold to get at that back bank of the engine). If I do this, I think the mechanic might as well change the plugs and wires since he has the whole engine apart.

Anyways, thoughts on spending the $$$ on this???? Right now I think its just a minor oil seepage problem.

tomf

The 1MZ-fe engine is prone to oil leaking from the rear valve cover gasket due to the tilt of the engine. The engine is turned sideways in the engine compartment and tilted toward the back of the car. One way to check for a leak is to use your hand and run it along the backside of the valve cover and see if there is any oil. If I had to guess I'd say this would most likely be the cause of the burnt oil smell. Other sources of oil leaks would be cam and crankshaft seals or oil pan gasket.

I'd say your guess on the cost is correct. Yes, replace the spark plugs while you have the intake manifold off.

In the past, I've lived with a leaky valve cover gasket for years. When I was searching for a car for my son, almost every car with the 1MZ-FE engine had a leaky rear valve cover. I don't think the cost is outrageous. If you are worried, I'd get if fixed just for the peace of mind.

I personally don't the the risk of an engine fire from a leaky rear valve cover gasket is very large. But there is always a possibility. If you don't think your car is worth a $500 repair, park it outside, so if it catches fire you don't burn down your house. Financially you'd still come out ahead.

If your car is as nice as you say, I'd be willing to pay an average of $2000 per year in repairs to keep it running. What's the annual cost for a new car? $4000 to $6000 per year. Of course, any Toyota I ever owned has never come close to averaging $2000 per year in repair costs.

If you are mechanically inclined, this is a repair you can do yourself. That said, it is challenging (due to the limited space) and if you've never done it before I'd allow a whole weekend to do it.

PFB

At the same time you should also change the coolant bypass hose.

its in the same area, its relatively inexensive, no additional, or very minimal additional labor, and it's prone to leaking as well.

Phil

speedkar9

To figure out where the car is leaking from, clean the engine bay thoroughly with some engine degreaser. Then observe where the oil is coming from.

If your handy, you can fix it yourself. The engine isn't nearly as cramped as a 3MZ or 2GR with a plastic intake manifold. Just keep track of things when you take it apart.

Here's how I did mine:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/es3...placement.html

You can also check out some of the suggestions in this thread:
http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/10...y-problem.html

It'll cost you $20 for the valve cover gasket, $8 permatex gasket sealer, $50 for spark plugs and a day or two of labor .

Aron9000

Yeah, the car is kind of at that point to where you invest some $$$$ into it, or let it go out to pasture. Paint still looks good, but the clear coat is coming off the mirrors, front end has a million chips, shocks need replaced(they aren't that bad yet), cv joints are making a noise in low speed, right off idle, 5-10mph turns, headlights are fogged over with UV damage(not too bad, I might be able to rescue them with some polish), the climate control only blows out the dash/defrost vents(no feet heat, so your feet freeze in winter), it uses about a quart of oil every 2-3k miles.

IE it might make it another 100k, but unless its going to catch on fire, I hate throwing $$$$ at it.

Aron9000

Well looking back at the service history, the 1mz-fe requires a timing belt service every 60k miles. We are pretty religious about maintenance on this car, I have records for 60k, 120k, and 180k. Next timing belt/water pump service is 240k.

As damn good as this car runs/drives/shifts/looks, plus it has a pretty damn new A/C compressor on it put on a couple years ago around 210k, I'm thinking its worth dumping some more $$$$ into it.

What sort of bill should I be expecting to do a complete timing belt service(this usually includes the timing belt, water pump, idler pulleys, accesory belts), spark plugs, wires, and replace both valve cover gaskets.

I found this nice package of everything you need for that timing belt service with OEM Toyota parts for $325

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/390584820189?lpid=82
I'm thinking to fix the leaky valve cover, do the timing belt service, spark plugs, wires, should run me somewhere between $700-900 parts, labor, tax, etc

Honestly I think this car would make it to 300k, and it feels/looks like a solid enough car to make it worth investing the $$$$ into it.

EDIT: Correct me if I am wrong, but this motor is an interference engine, so letting the timing belt go will result in catastrophic engine failure, a problem that I know for a fact means doom for great running, but neglected high mileage Honda engines.