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Valve Cover/Cam Tower Oil Leak

97K views 247 replies 75 participants last post by  Wynnded 
#1 ·
I've got a 2012 CM with 17,000 miles and was checking over the engine after I got back from a long trip and noticed oil leaking from the gaskets on BOTH side cam towers (or whatever is between the engine and the valve cover) WTF?! :mad: Taking it to the dealer on Thursday. The passenger side is worse than the driver's, but there's definitely oil leaking out of both sides.

If you haven't looked in this area recently take a peak through your wheel wells and see if yours is leaking. From the search I've done I wouldn't go so far as to call this "common" but there's plenty of threads out there on this issue...
 
#3 ·
i am going in today for the same exact problem appointment at 3 noticed it through the wheel wells what is going on ~~!
 
#5 ·
So what seems to be the problem? Did the dealer tell you what the cause of the leak is? I was looking at my truck today and mine is also leaking on both sides, my truck only has 5,500 miles.

I'm a Mercedes Benz tech so I see oil leaks almost everyday, I just want to know what the dealer did to fix the leak? I will be bringing mine in to the dealer soon.
 
#7 ·
Yep, the sounds like the cam shaft tower leak. From what I know, I had it too, it has to do with "bad mating surface" or an insufficient amount of sealant was used. It is a big job to fix. The dealer had my truck for about 5 days.

Needless to say, I was an unhappy camper. I expressed my "disappointment" with Toyota and I was able to negotiate a platinum warranty (7yr/100K).

It may be worth posting/adding/taking a survey on this matter to collect some data on it. Tracking things like the following:
Manufacture date of Tundra
Engine Size
Mileage
Oil Type (conv. 5w20, syn 0w20)
 
#10 ·
What foes this involve?

My 2011 DC/RW 5.7l went in for its 25k service, I told them for the last week I had smelled burned oil, but couldn't find it.... The dealer said it is leaking on the passenger side camshaft housing and dripping on the manifold. Is this the same as what everyone is describing on this thread?

My wife and I are worried about the warranty issue as well, what email address is everyone using to get there warranty extended?
 
#11 ·
My 2011 DC/RW 5.7l went in for its 25k service, I told them for the last week I had smelled burned oil, but couldn't find it.... The dealer said it is leaking on the passenger side camshaft housing and dripping on the manifold. Is this the same as what everyone is describing on this thread?

My wife and I are worried about the warranty issue as well, what email address is everyone using to get there warranty extended?
I am not sure what email address you are talking about. I purchased a 7yr/100k extended when I got the truck CPO. The leak was fixed at around 17k miles and about 10k later it is leaking again from the same spot. It looks like I am do for another trip to the dealer...what a pain in the ass this Tundra has been.
 
#12 ·
I've had the repair done and not a problem since. Also, I've had the oil analyzed after 10K miles and all is well.

When I contacted Toyota, I went to the Toyota site and used the provided email form.

I was able to negotiate a 7yr/100 K platinum warranty.
 
#13 ·
Hell yeah, good on ya for getting something from them! I am going to go the same route after having to take the truck back in for the same thing within a 12 month period.

I also had an oil analysis done by Blackstone and the first report came back with high levels of silicone. I am assuming it was due to the came deck being resealed because the next sample after that was down to normal levels.
 
#14 ·
When my steering rack blew I took my '10 CM 4x4 w/ 27k miles into the dealer and also had them look at a passenger's side oil leak (what appeared to be coming from the valve cover). When the repair came back they had confirmed with oil dye there was a leak coming from the "VVTI solenoid O-ring", which they replaced under warranty. I'll keep an eye on both sides now that I know this is a common issue.
 
#16 ·
Part of the engine needs to be dismantled. Take it to the dealer you bought your Tundra from.
 
#18 ·
I have to exact same problem with my 2013 Rock Warrior 5.7. Only 6 months old and 3k miles!!! I called the dealership where I purchased the truck and explained I have a slow leak from the passenger side Cam Tower and they told me over and over to absolutely NOT drive the vehicle, so the truck was loaded on a flatbed and taken to the dealership. The fact that they were so adamant about the truck being towed leads me to think they know something else about this issue. Potential fire hazard? Only reason I noticed is because I constantly smelled burning oil. Not really happy about a partial tear down of an engine with 3k. Will see how this pans out.
 
#19 ·
Cam Tower Leak Update

Just got off the phone with my dealership. Low and behold not only one side is leaking but both sides. Master technician will be tearing down the Engine tonight (Friday) and he hopes to be finished by Wednesday evening. Just called corporate and opened up a case. Corporate actually called the dealership and got all the details from the service department of the dealership as well as my explanation. I am expecting a call back from the case manager on Monday. Will continue to update.
 
#20 ·
I've got 15,000 miles on mine since it was repaired (both sides were leaking) and the engine has been running great and no signs of the leak returning.

See if you can get an extended warranty out of this ordeal. Explain to the them that it's totally unacceptable for a brand new truck to be torn down to the extent that it has to, to fix this issue.
 
#22 ·
Update

That sucks emerica9138...I only had the one side to contend with. Good for you getting a case number. Let me know how it goes. So far my truck has been running well since the repair. Toyota should throw us a bone we spent a lot of money on these rides. Meanwhile I am waiting for my new smitty bumper and winch to show up. Gotta luv it.
 
#23 ·
Cam Tower Leak Fixed... Band Aid?

So I got my 2013 Rock Warrior 5.7 with 3k miles back from the dealership after two weeks. The dealership was great. They inverted my tires for free because I hate the white lettering. They had trouble getting the parts to fix the cam tower leak but that is not their fault. No leaks but it looks like the tech got in a fight with a case of black silicone and lost (click link below to see pic). I guess Toyota's fix is to simply throw tons of silicone at it. If this much squeezed outside of the cam tower, I wonder how much squeezed inside that comes into contact with the oil. Speaking from my luck with cars, eventually the silicone is going to break down, come apart, end up where it doesn't belong and blow my engine. Just heard back from Toyota Corporate, since I already purchased an extended warranty they are reimbursing me one monthly payment. Weak, I put 25k down and my payment is incredibly low. Would have rather had them add another two years on my 8yr 100k platinum warranty.

http://i871.photobucket.com/albums/...8-047C-4A88-9E21-966A6F7E2689_zps1tcnur9w.jpg
 
#24 · (Edited)
On a trip home today I kept noticing a slight oil smell whenever I was climbing a steep grade. I remembered hearing about this problem a while back on the forum, so I checked the wheel wells, and sure enough, my passenger side is damp with oil right below the cover. 2013 5.7 CM with only 14K miles.

I have had bad luck with trucks my whole life, it seems like. I have had a string of real headache pickups over the years. The best luck I had with a vehicle was a 2005 4Runner. Had that thing for 105,000 miles and never had a single problem - not one. So, I decided to give the Toyota trucks a try. Having to take it to the dealer for warranty work after only 14K miles is pathetic. I have an appointment for Thursday morning. We will see what becomes of this. Maybe I should just go back to running really old trucks that are cheap to work on - since it seems that the newer ones, while they may break down less, are much more of a PITA to deal with when they do.

Rant over.
 
#25 ·
Took the truck in today. They believed that the leak was coming from the valve cover gasket. They wanted to put some oil dye in and confirm. I asked them "why - the engine is spotless except for the spot where it is leaking?" The tech insisted that we do the dye and that I drive it for a while. So, I made sure that he printed out something telling me to drive it around after the dye injection with his signature on it. He obliged and I drove the truck home. Wants me to drive it for ~500 miles.

I have had a lot of experience working on a vehicles and I don't understand the point of this. The engine is very clean - you don't need to do an oil dye test to see where it is leaking. This warranty stuff is sort of frustrating. Wish I could just fix the stupid thing.

Whatever. Really disappointed with this. Sent a complaint into Toyota corporate. We will see how this pans out.
 
#27 ·
They did the same thing to me, this is AFTER they did the valve cover gasket. Problem was my leak is so slow, it doesn't show up after 500 miles. I've gotten to the 'eff it point and am just going to live with it being slightly damp. I'm tired of messing with it. I will probably address it again before the 3/36k is up.
 
#32 ·
Just another quick update. I brought the truck back to the dealer after the 500 mile drive with the oil dye. The service manager said that the tech verified that it was a cam tower leak. I was annoyed that we had to go through this, and the manager seemed to sense it. He was a lot "nicer" this time, and apologized for having to do it, saying that it is standard procedure. Anyway, parts are on order. Truck won't be fixed for a while though - I head out of the country for 9 days this Friday. I was hoping to have the truck fixed before I left, but it doesn't look like it is going to happen.
 
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