07 Es 350 Timing Chain Cover Oil Leak

[Rod in Southeast]

I have a 07 ES with about 46k miles. I noticed a small amount of oil on the garage floor. I monitored the leak over several weeks. It would amount to about a teaspoon or two over several days. Looked under the car, was not the oil filter or oil pan drain bolt. Leak appeared to be just behind the oil pan.

Took it to the Lexus dealer. They called the next day and said they needed a extra day or two. That made me a little nervous. They actually kept it for about four business days.

The leak was at the backside of the gasket for the timing chain cover. Apparently, during assembly, the guy that was supposed to seal the timing chain cover was not having a good day. When I got the car home, I started to read the service ticket. The parts required included: oil pan plug, sealant, oil filter, 7 qts oil, gasket, coolant, O-ring, another gasket, brake fluid and transmission fluid. Upon inquiry, I learned that they had to remove the engine and transmission out of the car to make the repair. They dropped it down to remove the engine. Fortunately, my Lexus dealer service department has an excellent reputation. The TSB covering the repair is EG010-07. Had the engine been out of warranty, the repair would have cost about $2200.

I'm sure glad I didn't ignor a very small oil leak.

I also had the oil hose failure a couple of years ago. They fixed that as well.

[dubldoc]

I had my ES 350 spring a very sudden bad leak, lost 2 quarts of oil over a 3 mile trip home. Oil and filter change confirm no problems with the filter, pan, or pan bolt. The leak appears to be coming from the front of the timing cover housing, only happens when the vehicle is running..I assume this means a catastrophic failure of the oil hose (dealer recall item) rather than a timing cover gasket. Am I right here? My car has 56K on it so I assume I am likely SOL, even though it is a specified recall item.

Can anyone comment further on similar experiences? Will Lexus pay for the tow if it is a hose? What about the whole repair?

[RickC5]

Only a phone call to the nearest Lexus dealer will get you the answers you seek. However, given that 1) the engine falls under the extended drivetrain warranty, and 2) there's a TSB on this type of failure, you may be in luck! Let us know how this adventure turns out.

[curlywasastooge]

Interesting to see this subject timing cover leak etc. My 07 CPO ES350 is now at dealer for same problem. Thank goodness they honor the warranty. They advised me Friday they'd have to remove the engine to fix it. Imagine the labor on that one. Anyway, gave me a loaner till possibly this Wed.

Sure hope it goes back to together with no "new" problems created.

[Bmack13]

Mine is in the shop now and being told this is the issue-- I'm just over 70k and had the extended warranty -- they are trying to get an exception -- fingers crossed as from info here and research online it won't be cheap if I have to front this cost myself. From anyone that has had to pay out of pocket for this repair, what did it run you???

[Ricstrick]

I took my ES 350 (122.5K mi) to the dealer yesterday. They quoted me $2,525 to do this repair.

[stevegold]

My 2007 ES 350 has a timing chain cover sealant leak. With 60,000, it is out of warranty. Obviously, this is a factory defect on this model. Lexus will only give me $500 toward an almost $3,000 repair. OUCH!

[ScottA]

My 07 es350, ~75k miles, was just quoted $5k for the repair by a Lexus dealership in redwood city, ca. Had the repair increased that much in a year?

[stevegold]

I had the same problem last year at 66k. I had bought the vehicle in 2010 as a lease return with the extended 3 year warranty. Of course, it was about a year over the warranty, but well under the 100k mileage. After extended conversations with Lexus in Torrence, Ca. they agreed to pay for the labor which came to about $2,500 and I paid the parts of about $500. Of course they found other things wrong, mainly cv boot on one side which cost me another $450.

Since this repair is of a known defect in the silicon sealant of the timing chain cover at the time of manufacture, I would go to the mat with Torrance for them to pick up the labor, especially since you are under the 100k mileage part of the warranty. Then, you should be able to handle the parts, whatever that cost is. My $3,000 was at an agreed upon price between Torrance and the dealer, so there may have been some cost sharing there, as opposed to being straight "retail!"

Good lick!

[ScottA]

Thanks for the help! The dealership says the warranty for this issue is 6yrs or 60k miles, both of which I exceed. They did however revise their price to $3900 and it includes a rear engine seal. They also said they would replace the valve cover gasket and only charge me for the parts. The next time I talk to them I'll see if they can make a case for me with Lexus corporate to pay for a portion of the repair like your case. Thanks again.

[stevegold]

Good for you!. Just be sure that if the dealer does not support you (as mine did not!), you still should go to Torrance and make your case and don't take no for an answer.

[BAHappyFace]

I just heard from my dealership that I need this repair done on my 2008 ES350 (135K miles).  Quoted cost was around $3,000 and I'm unsure of the right decision.  Other than this issue and the fact that it will need new shocks badly  it seems to be in good working order and my plan was to keep it for at least a few more years.  I'm hesitant to put $3,000 into an 8 year old vehicle but at the same time, if it would give me a few more years, it might be worth it.  Has anyone had this done and if so, how did the car run afterwards?

 

[stevegold]

The timing chain cover oil leak was the result of a manufacturing defect in the adhesive that attached it to the engine. This is well documented. If I were you, I would fight like hell with Lexus (not the dealer) to reimburse you for the repair. Most of the repair is labor and there is some room in the rates. Also, they found a problem with one of the CV boots and had to replace it, costing me about $450.  I did this thinking I would hold onto the car for a few more years. The car ran fine after the repair. But, later when the other CV boot had to be replaced at a cost of $650, I decided that this car was not worth the additional investment and traded it in.

[Jack p baggelaar]

I have a 2006/7 Lexus ES 350.took it to a Toyota dealer and they said front engine cover was leaking and would cost 2550.00 labor plus parts for 3188.00.original owner and love the car but disappointed in cost to repair.seems it a known problem and factory defect.any suggestions would help.

 

[Dddd111]

What is the color of the leak? My 2007 ES350 has red liquid leak in the front, passenger side. What this liquid is?

 

[michaelkies]

Dddd111, that's likely either antifreeze or transmission fluid.  There are lines from the transmission to the transmission oil cooler that is part of the radiator.

[Chucky P]

Lady friend has an almost spotless, fully loaded 2013 ES 350, 115k miles, book value between $15-20k.  She followed the 120k service recommendation and took it to dealer for servicing.  After $1,100 in charges, they also discovered a slight timing belt cover leak problem in the checklist - quoted $5200 to repair it.  Full workup - drop engine, repair, etc.  She is going to do it since a used dealer certified RX would cost 35k and up, meaning $6-7k annually till paid off.   

[Chucky P]

Update:  Dealer highlighted what appeared to be a timing cover leak on the ES 350 and quoted $5,200 repair.  Took it to a Christian Bros shop for second quote.  Manager said he was familiar with this "common" issue on the 350 engines as his wife's (RX?) 350 is also leaking.  Quoted less to fix, but wanted to check if there was an actual leak before dropping engine.  Added dye to oil, ran it hard. Tore down part of the engine to get a closer look and examine.  Did not find a leak anywhere.  Put it back together, checked it all out, ran it hard again (1/2 tank gas used), etc.  No leak was found, and said car runs excellent.  Said to run it 400 miles and bring it back to recheck for any leaks via visible dye test.

Upside - three techs working on it all owned a 350 also.  He didn't charge her anything for all that work.  Seems there is a common problem in the 350 engines with a leaking timing belt cover.  The good part is the 350 engines have a metal timing belt that DOES NOT need replacing every xxx miles or years.  Which is a good thing as it is buried in the lower engine, not easily accessible unless you drop the engine basically. 

However, the weak link is the timing belt cover leaking since there is no physical gasket, rather a silicone sealant was used for the gasket.  There is no easy or temporary fix as many have tried.  Main problem is access to several bolts on the timing cover are buried under the oil pan which requires the engine to be dropped to remove oil pan to fix.  Not sure what the final resolution for this 350 engine issue is that is also found on other Toyota models with the 350 engine.

[jjdees]

I have a 2008 ES350 that I bought new in May of 2008.  I've never kept a car that long.   It has 154,000 on it and looks and runs like new except......... the timing chain cover leak.  It became evident at 140,000 miles.  Interestingly, I've never had to add oil due to the leak.  I placed a piece of cardboard underneath and saw the spots but never saw a drop on the dipstick.  A friend who builds high horsepower engines called it a nuisance leak.  For the last 5 years I've driven it about 3,000 miles a year at most due to my wife's difficulty in getting in and out of it.  We're both elderly so it sits in the garage.  I like the car so I'll probably keep it.

[Chucky P]

Update on the ES 350 that Lexus wanted $5k to fix.  First was the dealer misdiagnosis of the problem as they thought they saw some oil by the timing cover.  Christian Bros did everything but drop the engine and could not find a leak anywhere on the engine.  They put some blacklight dye in the engine oil, and after a 500 mile recheck, the car still passed with flying colors.  The warning to other owners is to watch for oil drips, and monitor the oil level.  As one poster said, it is a nuisance leak.  Should you notice lots of oil drips, or excessive oil level dropping, then it likely needs to be fixed.  Hard to imagine that Toyota/Lexus would have used a silicone sealer for a gasket on a critical piece that is so ridiculously hard to replace or fix.

[tak06]

 Purchased '08 RX350 with 64k miles (102,500 km's) so far so good no timing cover leakage, just for good measure I replaced the PCV to ease any potential crankcase pressure buildup which may put pressure on the internal gaskets and RTV purhaps that'ssomething that's overlooked.