who has had coolant leak around valley plate?
#121
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Ok please bear with me and pardon my ignorance. So to be clear the leak isn't caused as a result of performing the elf recall for the fuel pressure sensor gasket but simply should just be noticeable while everything is taken apart? Also everyone's opinion is this should also be a recall as a result of Lexus using an inferior sealant from the factory instead of using a traditional gasket?
No worries. Just beg forgiveness with your SA and cross your fingers for your warranty.
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mikersoft (02-27-17)
#123
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The kicker is the shop manager called me earlier and said they are still unable to find a leak, without starting to tear the car apart which they will not be doing for free. He said they've checked everything high and low and can't find anything by using flashlights and mirrors after the pressure test came back good. Since it's a closed system he said if it were to leak they would've seen it. They didn't see any dried coolant on the back side of the transmission nor did they smell any coolant which he said should still be noticeable even within the valley plate.
If they tear it apart to check it out with a borescope as you suggested earlier in this thread and don't find a leak I'll have to eat the cost of the diagnostic fee. If they find coolant there then it's up to the warranty adjuster if they want to cover the repair or not.
Either way I want closure to this as I'm not willing to settle for just having them top it off when it goes low time and time again. So the warranty company told me to have Lexus call them directly tomorrow and get the ball rolling with this. Dealer said my other option is to have them start removing injectors and plugs etc which they said would be less invasive but more time consuming.
#125
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They will need to lift the manifold to see if it is leaking at the valley plate. However, if it is passing a pressure test, there is something else going on. There is no way you would pass a pressure test with a valley plate leak. The other thing to do is take an oil sample and see if there is coolant in the oil. I would have suggested sending it to Blackstone labs, but recent conversations in the RC F forum make me suspicious of their ability to do a good analysis. It is possible there is a crack in one of the heads or one of the cylinders and it is spraying coolant slowly into a cylinder. This would show up in a UOA as coolant in the oil because it would wash down the rings into the sump, but would not show up on a pressure test with the engine at room temperature.
If I were you, this is what I would do next - take an oil sample, send it to Polaris, Analyst, ANA, ALS Tribology, Test Oils, Tribologik or another lab with ISO 17025 certification. This is really important. Blackstone is not and will likely never be certified so I would not trust their results and analysis for something this important. If there is coolant in the oil, you have a seriously compromised engine and it needs to be fixed or replaced. Lots of things can go wrong on a production line, so it is always possible your engine isn't quite up to snuff. A good UOA will help immensely in determining root cause of the issues you are having.
If I were you, this is what I would do next - take an oil sample, send it to Polaris, Analyst, ANA, ALS Tribology, Test Oils, Tribologik or another lab with ISO 17025 certification. This is really important. Blackstone is not and will likely never be certified so I would not trust their results and analysis for something this important. If there is coolant in the oil, you have a seriously compromised engine and it needs to be fixed or replaced. Lots of things can go wrong on a production line, so it is always possible your engine isn't quite up to snuff. A good UOA will help immensely in determining root cause of the issues you are having.
#126
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Depends on how much you have spent in the service department. I get nothing because I've paid nothing, but when I had ELF done, there were no signs of a valley plate leak. I am certain if there were, I would have got a phone call about the "issue" with my engine.
#127
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If I were you, this is what I would do next - take an oil sample, send it to Polaris, Analyst, ANA, ALS Tribology, Test Oils, Tribologik or another lab with ISO 17025 certification. This is really important. If there is coolant in the oil, you have a seriously compromised engine and it needs to be fixed or replaced. Lots of things can go wrong on a production line, so it is always possible your engine isn't quite up to snuff. A good UOA will help immensely in determining root cause of the issues you are having.
It's funny you mention that it could be a crack in one of the heads/cylinders because my SA rambled something off about them thinking that when she originally told me they were gonna need to pull the motor to find where it's going.
It doesn't show on my end anymore but I remember reading the service history once. At the time of the ELF recall the previous owner mentioned something about a possible crack in the coolant reservoir as he was low on coolant. They also couldn't find a leak but said there was "blow by" on the front of the motor. I'm assuming that was when the water pump leak was first noticed. That was back in May '15 at 26.5k. When I had the water pump replaced it was at 37k in December '15 it's currently at 42k.
#128
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If it is leaking substantially, it won't matter how recently the oil was changed. There will be coolant in the oil and it will be obvious there is an issue - blown head gasket, cracked cylinder, cracked cylinder head, etc.. These things don't necessarily show up on a pressure test if the engine is not at operating temperature. Cracks are funny, and if you've ever chased a boost leak, you know what I am talking about.
#131
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If it is leaking substantially, it won't matter how recently the oil was changed. There will be coolant in the oil and it will be obvious there is an issue - blown head gasket, cracked cylinder, cracked cylinder head, etc.. These things don't necessarily show up on a pressure test if the engine is not at operating temperature. Cracks are funny, and if you've ever chased a boost leak, you know what I am talking about.
#132
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I got my car back yesterday, not sure how I feel this morning about the valley leak plate. The whole process went without a hitch. The dealership gave me no problems whatsoever getting this fixed. This morning I checked the reservoir tank and its sitting in low. Also, my wiring harness cover is gone...I think I read it breaks easily when removing it. Instead I got black tape covering the wires now. I do have coolant to top it off, just wondering if I should do it or not? I haven't turned the car on at all.
#133
I got my car back yesterday, not sure how I feel this morning about the valley leak plate. The whole process went without a hitch. The dealership gave me no problems whatsoever getting this fixed. This morning I checked the reservoir tank and its sitting in low. Also, my wiring harness cover is gone...I think I read it breaks easily when removing it. Instead I got black tape covering the wires now. I do have coolant to top it off, just wondering if I should do it or not? I haven't turned the car on at all.
#134
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The real answer is you shouldn't be paying anything. It should be covered under the powertrain warranty. If you're out of warranty, some have paid anywhere between $500-2k range. That's including some with goodwill assistance from Lexus and some without. On that note, I would get Lexus Corp. involved if you're out of warranty. In my case it was on their dime, since I'm still under warranty. They also didn't list the costs on the invoice. Everything listed is zeroed out.
#135
The real answer is you shouldn't be paying anything. It should be covered under the powertrain warranty. If you're out of warranty, some have paid anywhere between $500-2k range. That's including some with goodwill assistance from Lexus and some without. On that note, I would get Lexus Corp. involved if you're out of warranty. In my case it was on their dime, since I'm still under warranty. They also didn't list the costs on the invoice. Everything listed is zeroed out.