JPMorno

Hi! Anybody has an opinion on what to do with this report from my dealership? They found dried pink coolant on the side of the rear cylinder head gasket, not much they say, a small patch. My car never overheated, no warning sign ever, is running fine, the overflow was low but not empty, i've never noticed any leak on my driveway. It is a 2012 RX350 with 130000k (80000 miles), new suspension, new breaks, no rust, and totally paid. So my dilemma, do i keep it, because it was my intension to keep this car for many years to come? Or it is a no-no, it will fail soon and i should get rid of it? Repairs for head gasket, I've seen 3000-4000$ (CAD). Thanks!

Dried Pink Coolant Visible Top Left

Dried Pink Coolant Visible Top Left

Aegean

You could try Blue Devil Head gasket sealer. For a minor leak like this one it would likely permanently solve the issue.

Clutchless

A low overflow tank does not mean anything. If it gets low again in a month then you can start to worry. Mark the present level with a Sharpie pen and check it weekly.

I read somewhere but cannot relocate the source, that dried coolant at the rear of the engine block is not nearly as serious as them finding dried coolant in the valley between the cylinder heads.
That the rear block leak is usually indicative of just a small or past external coolant leak from the head gasket and that it does not usually get mixed with the oil, which is the sure sign of an internal head gasket failure.
I see so little coolant in your photos that I would just monitor the coolant level and check that the oil is not contaminated. When coolant mixes with the oil it will get muddy or grayish looking. Then monitor for the continued growth of the coolant leak residue at the back of the engine block.
You should also get a second or third opinion from an independent repair shop. I would never trust a dealer on an expensive diagnosis. This dried coolant could have been there for years.

An independent shop can run other tests to detect a blown head gasket that are more accurate than what they did for a diagnosis. One is a cylinder leakdown test.

Look at this for technical information http://carspecmn.com/toyota-and-lexu...aking-coolant/

JPMorno

It's been a month. Coolant level is the same, but i only did short trip, no long hours of driving at highway speed. Oil wasn't muddy at oil change. They didn't do a system flush of the coolant, so i don't know if the coolant was ok, or oily. Like you said, this patch of dried coolant may have been there for many years, and nobody noticed, it is well hidden. I did push that engine many times with good acceleration over the years at street lights, don't know if that could be the cause of the leak. But i did all the recommended services. Second opinion would be a good call I think. But putting that much money, if it is a blown gasket, i'm not sure it is worth it.

LeX2K

It is far more likely one of the hoses connecting to the metal bypass pipe are seeping coolant. If your car has a block heater that's a common leak point.

RX in NC

^^ Agreed. I would suspect a hose leak, clamp leak, etc. before assuming a head gasket leak. Especially if your engine oil remains uncontaminated. Monitor your fluids for the next couple of months and if anything changes, seek a second opinion from a well-respected indie shop.

afpj

You could put some uv dye into the coolant and check if the dye shows up at that spot. If it does show up and no other run down from another location, then you have more info to make a decision.

salimshah

I would say, just leave it be. Don't try to scrape it. The leak has healed. Do not make the situation worse by preemptive actions. Simply check the coolant every weekly [the engine needs visual inspection every week].

Salim

Felix

I concur^^^^^^^^ How many times have you heard 2gr's w/ head gasket issues? And on top of that, the block is a open deck design......