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There is always a fair amount of oil covering the bottom of the oil pan when I change the oil, but the oil is coming from up higher, not the pan. I can't really tell for sure where the oil is coming from so I took some pictures hoping someone might recognize something that is a probable oil leak location on these engines. The first picture is looking directly up from where the oil drain plug and the other pictures are from the right side wheel well area. Thanks for any suggestions.
its the timing chain cover. I had mine fixed at the dealership under warranty in 2022. (16 RX350), and now its leaking again! im screwed now because its out of any warranty.
Ill probably just end up trading this car in and thats it. Poor quality for a Lexus to be leaking around 50-60k miles.
I got it resealed twice at Dealer and the repair only temporarily fixed the leak. 5000 miles later, the leak returns. You can file complaint with NHTSA. I am hoping the more owners submit complaints, NHTSA will initiate investigation to force Toyota/Lexus to have a permanent solution.
What does the NHTSA, which stands for National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have to do with an oil leak? An oil leak is a mechanical engineering problem. The NHTSA deals with transportation safety.
NTHSA does investigate oil leak. Yet, whether it will determine a manufacturer's recall would be another issue. At least, it will get Toyota/Lexus attention.
It always niggles me that warranty work can be a band aid fix. Back in 01, I had a certain Acura that was prone to eat transmissions. When that happened, they replaced it with a refurbished one (not a new one). This seems like same. Instead of fixing leaks properly, they do a temp fix and along you go. Sigh!!
I got it resealed twice at Dealer and the repair only temporarily fixed the leak. 5000 miles later, the leak returns. You can file complaint with NHTSA. I am hoping the more owners submit complaints, NHTSA will initiate investigation to force Toyota/Lexus to have a permanent solution.
The proper way to reseal it is to disassemble the timing cover and reseal it. The question is if they resealed it from the inside or outside?
According to the bills, the dealer did disassemble the timing chain cover twice @49166 miles and @58821 miles. The second time, they even replaced Timing Cover and resealed. Anyway, less than 5000 miles later, it starts leaking again. And the car is no longer covered by powertrain or dealer's 1 year repair warranty.
I bought a 2016 RX350 with around 90k miles 6 months ago. The previous owner was pretty good with all the recommended maintenance. But, I ran into a little puzzle during my last oil change. I found some brownish fluid on a couple of the transmission bolts. I couldn’t find where it was coming from higher up. Based on the appearance and feel, it looks more like engine oil, but there’s too little to say for sure. Also, everything's clean and dry around the engine oil pan, drain plug, and filter housing. No drips on my driveway or garage floor, either.
The dealership is asking for $230 for diagnostics. Before I go down that road, does anyone have any DIY tips or suggestions I could try out first? I’d love to hear any advice or if you’ve seen something like this before. I’ve attached some photos to help show what I’m dealing with.
@jay5929 That could be ATF. At 90K, if it has never been changed, it could have a brownish look. Wipe with a white paper towel and see if there is a pink hue. If it is motor oil, it does not appear, to me, to be a timing cover leak.
I bought a 2016 RX350 with around 90k miles 6 months ago. The previous owner was pretty good with all the recommended maintenance. But, I ran into a little puzzle during my last oil change. I found some brownish fluid on a couple of the transmission bolts. I couldn’t find where it was coming from higher up. Based on the appearance and feel, it looks more like engine oil, but there’s too little to say for sure. Also, everything's clean and dry around the engine oil pan, drain plug, and filter housing. No drips on my driveway or garage floor, either.
The dealership is asking for $230 for diagnostics. Before I go down that road, does anyone have any DIY tips or suggestions I could try out first? I’d love to hear any advice or if you’ve seen something like this before. I’ve attached some photos to help show what I’m dealing with.
Thanks a lot for your help!
rear main seal. I had the same leak, but I was within warranty coverage.
Not worth it like I said wash the engine twice a year.* Leak on my RAV4 has stayed about the same for years and it has the infamous cam phaser rattle which hasn't become worse either.
*this is important or the various rubber pieces on the car will be eaten away for example CV axle boots.
When you wash your engine do you use an engine degreaser where you spray it on and let it sit then hose it off, or do you just spray some kind of solvent like brake cleaner on the oily area?
08-07-24 | 07:03 AM
