I wonder if an alternate easier solution, for those who can't afford it, is rigging up something like an expanding turnbuckle that puts firm normal force on the leak area with some soft rubber at the leak end, kind of like one would stop bleeding in an open wound.
_Yep. I cannot STAND it when there is so much LOUD background music (no matter the type) that I need to turn on Closed Captioning just to understand what is being spoken! To be clear, I'm always appreciative of someone that takes the time & effort to post a video... but it actually saddens me when they somewhat 'ruin it' by adding awful (and often too loud) background music!_ *OK. I feel better. LOL*
The way you are producing these in-depth repair videos with voice over is fantastic, we can see everything while you explain everything in a calm voice - outstanding!
Hi Mr CCNut, I love your videos. If it wasn’t for the fact that i live in Sydney Australia I would be a customer. Please if you can, 2009 rx350 6 speed when i put in gear or reverse i get what i can only describe as a ping sound driving no issues Cold or warm start from N to D or R ping. I suspect low auto transmission fluid but dunno. Regards mike.
Def one of my favorite AMD videos!, My wife has a 2011 Toyota Rav4 v6 with the 2GR-FE and I just checked- no leaks for now! AMD, much love from Southern Ontario for the high quality content. 👌
As a professional when you know what you're up to and do a thorough job, the public will GREATLY APPRECIATED rather than just DOING THE MINIMUM TO GET THE JOB DONE IS WHAT MOST AUTO REPAIRS AND SHOPS DO FOR THE MONEY!
This job was given to you because the owner of this car was impressed when you refused to change brakes that did not need to be changed. Honesty pays for itself. I You are a tremendous mechanic.
I've got a 2007 Sienna, has the 3.5L with 278,000 miles. Never had a SINGLE problem. If the thing blows up tomorrow, I am STILL amazed! And ready to replace it with ANOTHER TOYOTA.
Some bargain. Thousands of dollars in expense to fix something that shouldn't break in the first place. How'd you like paying $45,000 for a new Lexus and then have to deal with it leaking oil all over the place like a 1962 British motorcycle.
@@donjulio5045 Rrrrright. I should learn to code and remove the engine and transmission myself outside where I park on the street. ps please buy a V6 Toyota and enjoy yourself
Dude, I love you man! I only wish I could work in your shop with you. Professional, honest, knowledgeable, organized, humorous, and well spoken. Great video!! It's a shame there are so few mechanics like you.
I just found your TH-cam channel. Being the son of a retired auto mechanic (and a Television engineer) I can't help it but to admire the awesome production of the video and the complete and detailed content of it. Watching was a delightful experience. I don't own a Toyota or Lexus but if I did, I would bring it to you even when that'd require to drive 2 hours (I'm in South Bend).
Just took my mom’s 2007 es 350 with 126k in last week for service. My certified Lexus/Toyota mechanic pointed this out to me. Told me exactly the thing! Not worried about the small oil seepage it at the timing cover at this time but monitor it. A lot of labor involved.
@@jonc2914 last i checked toyota oem spark plugs are like $13 each. Bmw ones are like 100 each. Hoses on toyota are standard and can be found everywhere. On bmw, they are proprietary with couplings. Toyota used mostly metric bolts. Bmw uses torx, hex, etc. The list goes on and on.
Excellent video and description. I’m a 38 year Toyota Master Tech, recently retired and have to say, that was perfect. This audience can learn a lot from your videos. FYI we originally used the pallets from the truck frames with those heavy duty Harbor Freight caster wheels attached , to jockey the frames around,and then started using them for engine removal.
Agreed. I'm a Lexus Master tech myself, the main tech that performs this and the head gasket replacement, and lost count after the 10th cover I've done. I use a flat push cart and wood to support the frame. I prefer to put the engine on a stand to do it. I got tired of getting dripped on by the oil pans. My FYI, I recommend a water pump when I do this repair or head gasket replacement. My only tips I have are upon cover removal is to stick rags under the gears and to wipe all mating surfaces down with a lint free rag and CRC brand brake cleaner to clean the surface. There's a film still left if it isn't done.
Thankfully, my es350 hasn't had an oil leak. It just turned over 360,000 miles yesterday and is still rock solid with routine oil changes. The 3.5 liter is Toyota's best engine!
I would like to say it’s very impressive that you have to time to film, teach and explain everything while taking the engine out of a car. That requires a lot of time and energy while staying concentrated on the job. Your an amazing technician. I’m 18 and I would love be to mentored by you. So thank you for making these videos and teaching me things I would never hear from just any technician.
If only an honest guy like you was in my area....I always trade to newer when a vehicle gets 4-5 years....just because finding honest competent repairman is almost impossible...
I feel like this is the type of guy that while I’m over there crying, cussing and throwing wrenches he’d come over and be like “lemme help” then 3mins later it’s fixed and I’m like😱🫡 much respect to you! Subscribed with the bell!!
I'm 31 years old and have owned nothing but Toyota since high school. It's a family "tradition" that we've started since my grandfather bought a Corolla in the 70's and fell in love with it. I wanted to tell you that your content and what you cover is TOP NOTCH. Kudos.
Yeah except Toyota knew about this VERY expensive to repair problem for more than a decade and couldn’t be bothered to fix it like so many other problems Toyota has knowingly ignored for years. They even tried to ignore the throttle and brake problems on the Prius until the US Congress had to intervene. And, even then, they claimed it was a floor mat issue yet they reflashed the car’s firmware during the “floor mat” recall to fix the real problem which was a high software error. Now the wheels are literally falling off the incredibly poorly named BZ4X and the problem is so bad Toyota is forced to buy vehicles back from customers. Camry 4 cylinder head bolts pulled out of blocks causing catastrophic engine failure for years. The long list goes on of epic Toyota engineering failures. Toyota has had lots of serious reliability issues the Toyota fan boys love to pretend don’t exist.
@@sharedknowledge6640 I lost a good friend and her 2 young children when her 2009 Camry went to full throttle at a busy intersection. When the data from the engine computer was pulled it revealed implausible data faults from the accelerator pedal position switch. That discovery was a vital part in the wrongful death suit against Toyota. Toyota tried several times to take possession of that vehicle to "assess" the problem. No doubt if they had that information would have been flashed out of existence. Toyota also made shims to install in the APP to correct the sudden or unintended acceleration. Toyota was so arrogant with this deadly problem. They were found to have known about the problem and had to pay the largest fine ever for covering it up. They, in my opinion, also paid off the NHTSA and the enlisted NASA engineers to "find" that there was no fault with Toyota's products that it was pedal misapplication. So they recalled 8 million vehicles, paid the largest fine ever, engineered a shim to correct the sticking pedals, reflashed engine computers for nothing? Then have the audacity to blame the problem on Toyota's own loyal buyers as pedal misapplication and incompatiblefloor mats. What a shame. Toyota is as arrogant as a lot of their owners. Buy a Toyota, they say. It'll last forever and won't cause any problems. Here we have a repair that requires the entire power train to be removed for an oil leak! At less than 120K miles too! Then this guy says "This engine is very well engineered, trust me I know I've been in hundreds if not thousands" well that statement is a little contradicting. No offense to his ability as a mechanic. I can tell he is very capable and takes pride in his work. Well Toyota fans this little "Achilles Heel" of an oil leak just costed you thousands of dollars to correct. But at least the engine didn't go to full throttle against your will and cause a loss of life. I love what you do for me, Toyota!
Thanks for the diagnosis! After doing an oil change on my wife's 2011 Sienna (215k miles), I saw this leak and thought exactly as you described at 15:40 (banjo bolt leak). I had been looking for what that leak could be and how it can be fixed and, lo and behold, you pop out with this video. You, Sir, are no fluke. Your wealth of knowledge is priceless! Now I know it's a Front Timing Cover leak. On my wife's van it's not a "bad" leak. I cleaned it to see what would happen and it reappears slightly every month. I check the oil level every couple of weeks, and it has not gone down either. I might live with it but will monitor it regularly. May you continue to be blessed!
A leak like that is incredibly minor honestly. Especially at 215k. My 235k mile Accord has way more oil residue and doesn't use or lose any oil between changes. The best thing you can do? Change your PCV valve.
Your videos are usually a bit different than what you see from guys like Scotty and the Car Wizard. I really ENJOY seeing how you have given us a look at how this V6 would be dropped and repaired. Big thumbs up and subscriber here........ THANKS FOR POSTING!
Eric O on the South Main Auto channel shows you the whole repair in real time and he does it like I would pour a cup of coffee. Watch him if you want to see every detail.
I don’t work on Toyota so I can learn a lot from you. You’re one of the very best in auto repair business. Many try, nothing beats knowledge and experience. Just a professional
I have a 2007 Toyota RAV4 V6 (2GRFE) that I've been driving with the cold start rattle for over two years. Current mileage is 115K miles. Gradually, it got to the point that the rattle occurred with every cold start. No oil leaks; it still had that old VVTi oil line that needed replacing as well. Thanks to "The Car Care Nut" for these remarkable posts on the subject which helped me to intelligently understand the issue as well as approach my mechanic. The decision point on getting the 'time bomb' 2GRE cold start rattle issue fixed is one's overall view on keeping the car as well as the overall vehicle serviceability. Indeed, it is expensive because of the size of the V6 in the engine compartment requiring it to be removed. While the parts themselves are comparatively cheap (using ONLY Toyota OEM or AISIN), it's 20 hours labor to remove the engine, effect repair and replace the engine. In my case, this car is the best vehicle I've ever owned, and its 2GRFE V6 engine is probably the best V6 made by anyone ... ever. It's just that, unfortunately, the 2GRFE (and other 2GR variants) had the 'birth defect' of the VVTi problem from years 2006 through 2012. Otherwise, I've taken immaculate care of the vehicle and for its years, it is low-mileage. I am keeping this vehicle, no matter what other vehicle I might purchase, and on that note, any new vehicle I'd want to purchase equates to an eight to 12 month wait. So, rather than sit on the time bomb for upwards to a year, I am "repurchasing" my own 'quality pre-owned' car by having its repairs done. This includes new lower front control arms and front struts because they were due anyway, and insofar as the VVTi repair, since the engine is out, I'm due new spark plugs and a new water pump. I have a great independent repair shop, including a Toyota specialist with 40 years experience. The vehicle went into the shop on August 14th, and after waiting a week and a half for the VVTi gear assembly to be sourced and delivered, I picked her up on the 25th. Rattle gone, engine is strong, quiet and I can wait out the sh*t show of the new car market. How much did that cost? $6,800.00 for another 100k+ miles. These 2d Gen RAVs are among the best cars Toyota ever made; the V6 still gets around 27mpg hwy/24 city and I just couldn't rationalize, "skipping it" for the sake of infotainment, lane keeping assist and blind spot monitoring in something new at $40k and up.
TY Sir for another awesome video, as an owner with a 2GRFE this was brilliant to watch but scary as well, I have never had an oil leak issue as my car is maintained very well but now I know what could be required if I am unfortunate to experience a leak. Ty mate I have posted a link too this on our Australian Toyota Owners Club site for all of my fellow 2GRFE owners to watch. Keep Safe Keep Strong 🦘🦘🦘🦘👍👍
I had a 2007 ES350 with this oil leak and I just watched the oil level and added maybe one liter every 4000kms. I now have a 2012 ES350 and no leaks so far at 95,000km. If it does develop a small leak, I will live with it.
I agree it’s not worth the effort to fix. That is a very minor oil leak. All engines leak a little oil especially if they get overfilled and/or run hard.
Did you ever have any transmission issues with your '07? I have the same car with the same leak and also a bit of a slip on the 3-4 shift when the trans is cold.
@@markvanderlee My transmission would sometimes slip when shifting down from 5th or 4th to 3rd when merging under full throttle. The 2012 I have now has a much smoother shifting transmission.
try cleaning the area around the head - block - timing cover joint from the outside and smear gray rtv over it , there's no way i would spend 20 hours without trying that first!!!
You can change the plugs and coil packs without pulling the engine. Remove the top suspension brace. Park car in front of a workbench so you can place a piece of plywood on that and your top engine mounts to lie on. Remove bracket over #1 coil pack. Plugs coil packs and wires other things behind engine are now completely accessible for servicing. 2007 ES 350!
Great video, now I understand why my car was in the shop for over a week getting this done. Sad part is that I bought a CPO 2022 Lexus ES350 with 12,500 miles. The CarFax that came with it said that the timing cover gasket had been replaced. Within a week of owning the car, the bottom of the engine was covered with oil and it was leaking on the driveway. Took it in and they took almost a week to replace the valve cover gaskets. Less than 500 miles later I thought I saw oil on the driveway again but could not see anything under the car but checked the oil level every morning just to be sure. Was driving it one afternoon and the low oil level warning came on. Had it towed back to the dealer and over a week later just got it back. They said the technician who had originally replaced to cover missed an o-ring! Sure hope it is fixed now.
Great video. I don't even own a Toyota but I can appreciate watching a masterful professional Technician yourself doing what you do. May the Lord bless you and keep you as well. 👍
As a long time Lexus/Toyota owner, I find your videos both informative and fascinating to watch. I had this exact repair done on my 2016 RX with 28,000 miles on it. The warranty had expired 2 months prior to my discovering the leak, however, Lexus did the repair free of charge anyway. I had no idea how involved it was. I now have a new 22RX and I’m hoping they they have corrected this problem. Thank you for making these excellent videos. You are a true professional at your craft!
I just bought a 2016 RX with 83k miles. First Toyota product for us. No entry on the CarFax report for this repair. In fact, the one-owner car seemed to have been self-maintained. Fingers crossed.
@@spicydogsoup no, every one of them do. Eventually the oil starts dripping on the passenger side axle and slings oil everywhere. There will be oil all over the fire wall and back side of the engine. And all underneath the undercarriage. While driving, the oil is blown towards the rear. This is usually evident on Toyota brands if you are behind them on the road. You can see oil on the lower part of the rear bumper cover. Especially if it's been a while since it was washed.
Your videos are simply mesmerizing!! Your skills with a wrench, a camera and the spoken word are quite impressive!! It's your honest open discussion about issues like these that will have me drive 1000 miles from Florida if I ever need this level of repair. Yeah, it'll cost more for the travel, but it's hard to put a price on piece of mind. Thanks for this channel, sir!!
As an owner of a 2015 RX350 and having changed the spark plugs recently, this definitely is a plan C for spark plug replacement. Its a great video on going what is all involved, Luckily mine isn't leaking oil yet, but I know where to go if I ever have to. Lots of great info as always, Thanks for the great video !
Amazing instructional video. Outstanding way to keep those Toyota mechanics and engineers out of trouble. Your safety concerns are a plus and that's usually ignored. True the oil leak issues were overlooked in the engineering design phase, but there's no such thing as perfection, especially when the car is exposed to environmental conditions. Your instructional production, both video and audio aspects are excellent. Never a boring moment. So glad you left out those overbearing and unnecessary background music additions. Kudos to you, your coworkers and that pristine shop.
I'm always so impressed with your skill level. You make difficult jobs seem easy when we all know they are not. If I ever need this work done I know where I'm going. The 75 mile drive to your shop would be well worth it. Keep up the great work.
@@eleanormassaro5195 And I'm about a 125 miles from his shop. I will never go to a dealer again and I don't even need to explain why since I'm sure most people understand.
Oh how I wish you were in UK as I would drive to anywhere in the UK that you had set up your workshop. I would trust you with my car as I know you put EVERYTHING into doing your job right. You are a rare individual, I have never come across someone so devoted to your trade and empathetic to your customers. Your engineering mind is quite beautiful to watch in your videos.
Thank You for the informative content. It educates owners as to what they are dealing with and who should do their mechanical work for them. I help people in home improvement for the past 34 years and I can go anywhere in my community and have people walk up and thank me for the sound advice I’ve given them. As I’m sure you know It’s very fulfilling to know you’ve had a positive impact on other’s with information and confidence for them to make educated decisions so they don’t waste their time or hard earned money for poor results.
I've been eyeing a Toyota Crown from 2009 with the 2GR-FSE engine (non-hybrid one), but got scared after watching this video. Oh man, I was so hyped for that car - and still am, to be honest. People still praise this engine and it was not like it was bashed in this video either. I just tend to end up with the cars that happen to have the worst possible problems hidden inside of them. But the video was great: it was informative, thorough and literally showed the whole process from end to finish and even shed some light on the potential costs. Love it!
I worked for the Toyota Powertrain plant in Georgetown Ky. that builds this V6 engine and the area with the leak in this video is what we called the 3-point mating surface and If cleaned properly before the cover is installed they would not leak. The problem usually happens when team member handling the part touches that area. The team members have alignment jigs to prevent touching. I own a 2016 Avalon with the V6 and it is a great engine with very good MPG. I have since retired from the plant after 33 years and 10 months of employment. I have made this same repair on new engines in the plant that failed testing and had a leak before even being installed in a car.
Thanks for a reply from somebody truly in the know about this issue! My question is - since this area was so sensitive to a leak happening - why did Toyota not just specify replacing with a gasket AND sealer, instead of just the crappy sealer??? I know this wasn't your call to make, and when it comes to pinching pennies every automaker is acutely aware of the least increased expense. But I'm thinking adding in a gasket PLUS sealer would have cost them $1 per car to do. So why didn't they? A fix that only bounces back a few thousand miles later is not a fix!
Great job. I was first hesitant to spend 45 minutes on your video but I enjoyed myself much more than watching the latest Hollywood blockbuster CGI movie on Netflix. Your editing, narration, confidence and film making has improved fast and significantly. There is just something about an honest mechanic that makes me happy and gives me faith back in humanity. PS And thanks for mentioning the Car Wizard. Another one of my favourites.
2GRFE is a great engine, I've had 3 of them. Never a problem with any of them. No leaks either. If I do have a problem, I will drive up to have you do it for me. LOL.
You are a true professional sir. I am glad you are making these videos so you are teaching people how to do things correctly. There are so many mechanics out there doing things extremely poorly that give mechanics a bad name. But you are extremely top notch and I would feel confident bringing my car to you. And trust me I don’t let anybody touch my vehicles. Thank you again keep up the fantastic work.
This has got to be one of the best videos on a repair I’ve ever watched. Very knowledgeable and your shop looks to be very clean. I wouldn’t think twice about bringing my car to you. It’s hard to find a shop like yours. Great job!
Thank you for addressing when this may not be necessary. I typically clean something like this and recommend keeping an eye on it. You're often taking a risk of damaging hoses, connectors, running into a seized ball joint, rusted out exhaust etc that will add to the customer's expense if the car is a little older.
My son and I really appreciate your videos, he was a entry level tech at our local Toyota dealer. He has moved onto to another brand. Enjoy watching him grow in his abilities. I wish you were closer to me, would love to have has a mechanic. Side note it was funny you mentioned the Car Wizard's RAV4 video. I watched it and went to your video list and reviewed Rav4. I was going to send it to his channel, I figured he would find it though. Just kinda funny. Keep up the good work and thank you.
I haven't worked on my Lexus in a while, found a local independent guy who we like, but I really enjoyed you disassembling this and talking in detail about various things. Excellent job! New subscriber
I’m an owner of a 2016 Avalon. Over 130,000 miles. Still have the original brake pads. Oil change very 7,000 miles (synthetic). At around 30,000 miles, under warranty, the dealer made some adjustments on the transmission (jerky between 1st and 2nd gear). As of now, it runs great.
...Absolutely love your channel and content! We just bought our second RX350 (2022 V6). We bought our first one 15 years ago. It is still a great vehicle and still running strong! I will most definitely follow your maintenance recommendations moving forward with the new one!
Another impressive video for those who, like me, are not car mechanics. We feel your great experience, in the calm and the concern to do well that you implement at each intervention on a vehicle, whatever the problem to be solved. Even without being directly concerned by this kind of operation or by the vehicle concerned, I always have great pleasure in watching your videos, solely for this constant state of mind that you show. Thank you and continue to give us this fine example of professionalism. From France.
Professional quality videos Mr. Care Car Nut. I am not a mechanic, will occasionally do the simple repairs on my cars, but you present information in a clear, articulate, calm and easy to understand manner. I also enjoy your sense of humor. Hoping for many more years of your videos.
Every time I watch one of your videos, the first thing that comes to mind: competence is a wonderful thing! You make it all look so easy 😃 Your videos are awesome!
Excellent video AMD! I purchased a 2005 Avalon when I retired from the military. Around 78,000 miles, it began to leak at the timing chain cover. Ironically, I purchased an extended warranty and it covered the costs of this repair. As an automotive technician, I was impressed with the performance of the 3.5. I replaced the oil hose on Bank 1 and used a metal line BEFORE Toyota came up with their all metal line solution. At 82,000, I sold the Avalon within a week, the car was impeccable, but I didn’t want the issues in the future. I’ve repaired several of these engines for other issues (suspension, water pumps, etc)
As a Toyota Tacoma owner ( a 2010 with the 2.7 liter engine, RWD, automatic, standard cab and a 104,000 miles on it) I have really enjoyed your videos. The one issue that I am concerned about my truck is the plastic coolant bypass pipe. I know there is a metal pipe that Toyota has as a replacement for the plastic pipe. Should I be proactive and replace the plastic pipe or wait to see if a problem develops with the plastic one. I have seen videos on how to replace the bypass pipe and it looks like a DIY project. Thanks for all the good work.
Preventative maintenance is key. I wouldn't want to wait for it to start leaking because you'll lose oil pressure really quickly and could possibly seize your engine if gone unnoticed.
excellent video, you just gained a subscriber. Love the straightforward approach, your descriptive narrative, and no bs attitude. keep up the good work!
Regarding the previous "sludge" engine. I think one really needed to abuse it by not doing oil changes. I had 2 of those, and was doing oil changes with synthetic every 5-10K miles (a lot was going on in life) and didn't have problems for over 200K miles. Nor did I do the recall. The 1997 Avalon was given to a friend, at about 215,000 miles 10 years ago, and he is still driving it (close to 300K miles now).
Fantastic! Couldn't be done better. Love all of your videos, and love your professionalism. As a fellow mobile technician, I pray that because of your work ethics more people appreciate the hard work of honest mechanics and shops, that sadly have been stained by dishonest dealerships and independent shops than only care about money, and not the customer and their trust. May the Lord bless you as well!
Great video, I'd let you work on my vehicle any day! However, as a 35 year veteran master technician, I did see one fault with your process. The red shop rags you used to clean all of the sealing surfaces usually have an oily residue in them. This (as you also stated in the video) can compromise the ability of the "form in place" gasket material to make a good seal. I normally will use a lint free disposable shop rag to do this type of cleaning as to assure a perfectly clean surface.
Your are a rare breed of mechanic; honest,talk directly to the point. I have a es-300 with a 3.0 V6 and besides cover gasket and suspension replaced , ah and a charcoal canister. My car (2000).with 212,000 miles still running like a kitten!!!!!!
I own a 2013 Rx350 and thank you so much for the knowledge. This why I love your channel, and one of the reasons I bought a Lexus. You sir are a national treasure. God Bless
Finally finished working my way through this video, what a great in depth breakdown. I also watched car wizards video but wasn’t aware of this problem. So many cars in Toyota and Lexus land could be affected by this, glad to have a heads up. Thanks!
Another classic! My favorite part is the voice over explaining how to judge the seriousness of the oil leak, whether to make the repair, and who to get to do the repair. Hard to get this info anywhere else. Invaluable for me as an owner of two vehicles with this engine.
Once and done I love that ethic! Do it right the first time, even if it is more work.. I totally agree. It is nice to see the 3.5 in the flesh and up close like you have done here. If I am not mistaken I believe you covered this issue and told us how to check that particular spot in your 2014-2019 Highlander video. Thanks for all you do, being so thorough and keeping us well informed, you are the best Mr. Care Care! edit: Any Toyota/Lexus mechanic I encounter out there I'd be interested to see how many of those "trophies" they collected. 😅
I hope you can do a video for those who cannot afford a $3k repair bill or want to get rid of their Toyota/Lexus but can clean the leaky spots with a brake cleaner and treat the leaky area with a RTV type sealant that is oil/gas resistant such as Mopar RTV gasket, JB Weld gasket and similar. This would obviously apply to those leaks that are minimal.
I love that stand you used to set the engine assembly on .... wish I'd known about that 15 years ago ... I spent a whole day building a 4 foot tall 4x4 tool table chest on industrial castors that I used to do this job on many vehicles. 😅
Commenting on my girlfriends account because my phone died. I was just thinking how could I build this out of wood. Can you make a video going over your and how you built it?
My Highlander has been diagnosed with this same oil leak and I've chose not to do this repair as the dealer wants $4197.16 to do the job; and that was quoted from Nov 2021. It was a joy to watch you in action and see what is required. I wish your shop was in Folsom, CA. Thanks.
This is very impressive and amazing content. I own a vehicle with this V6 engine and it's great to get educated on these engines. Thank you for making these videos!!!
Great video. Here's my take. If the leak isn't 'too bad" I can replace a lot of oil for the cost of installing new gaskets. In my case, my car has 260K miles and runs like a top. Some lifter noise but otherwise very strong engine. IF I have to pull the engine, I am going to do a complete rebuild or swap used engines.
Checking in: 2008 Lexus RX 350, just about 120,000 miles. Not sure if to jump for joy or cry after this video 😁 So far no problems at all with the engine; all the maintenance AMD has recommended is up to date. Drove from Georgia to New York and back - smooth as silk sailing, no oil consumed, and no other problems at all to report. I’ll keep a hawk’s eye on that axle though! Well, it’s time to change that oil…
So much for Toyota and Lexus engineering. Yes, the cars can last a very long time, however, the manufacturers of these two vehicles knew fully well that rubber pieces rot out quickly and the oil leaks that resulted could be catastrophic leading to consumers having to pay for new engines, often over $11,000. This along with under carriage rot, exploding sunroofs, unintended acceleration problems et al, keeps me hesitant about purchasing one of these suv's wondering what's next to go wrong and cost an awful lot of money to repair. Consumer videos on you tube have been very informative in this area as is this excellent video from Car Care Nut. Thank you for all the pertinent and valuable information. It is truly appreciated.
Very clever 👍🏼 👍🏼 I would not get this fixed though, because I guarantee the bill would be double or triple the amount you stated here getting it done at a dealership, and I would not trust anyone other than a dealership to do this. Cars leak oil, that’s just what they do. Put an oil tray on your garage floor and check your oil level every month.
This is a very well detailed documented vlog. Thank you sir for that and more importantly your honesty and fairness. I will highly recommend you to anyone who needs repairs on their Toyota Lexus vehicles.
That was awesome. Thank you for your in depth description of the problems with the engine and how to make sure the repair is done correctly, along with your estimate of time and parts. Great shops, like great kitchens, don't have a lot of yelling and screaming or other BS because the people working there are experts at what they do and do things properly the first time around. That saves the customer time and money.
At my job we remove the entire powertrain w/ the front axle all the time. We have a heavy duty metal table with a scissor lift under it to lower the whole thing away from the car and move it around. We actually made this table ourselves. It was worth it.
I owned a 2009 Avalon with this engine. I maintained it religiously. Other than scheduled maintenance, I never had to put a dime into it. My best car ever
It's a good video and very informative. That said, the 3.6 V6 has proven itself to be a very dependable and durable power train. High mile vehicles with this engine are not uncommon
The rubber line mentioned blew off on my mom’s loaded RX350 and she was on a road trip. By the time she got the CEL checked the engine was burned up internally. Lexus couldn’t get her a replacement engine so she had to accept low $ for it in trade to a used car dealer for a lesser model of RX than hers. Her original was so much nicer. Oh, and she had very recently gotten the oil changed at the Lexus dealer. So when people harp on about how great the engine is, I can help but think that the weakest link in containing the oil is a rubber hose! Glad you mentioned it in the video, you do thorough work.
And clearly the dealer is not good enough or care enough to warn her about the issue, because they are the ones who have access to the TSB technical service bulletin that tell them about any non-recall problems with the car. They should have been able to check the TSBs to learn about the oil line issue and then check if it had the rubber lines. But maybe it's not their fault. I'm not sure how many tsbs they get, maybe too many to read through, or Toyota never released a TSB to get the lines replaced.
if you have the engine with the rubber oil lines get it updated to the steel oil lines. my wife's car got a pinhole in the oil line and she lost a lot of oil! thankfully she was home in the driveway. I bought the part and replaced it. not easy
Thank you for the detailed video that really gets to the nuts and bolts of the problem. The problem with our 2016 Avalon was a leaky water pump which cost $1200 to fix. Only 64,000 miles.
That is crappy, I have 2 cars with this engine and one sold at 220k miles no issues with water pump and 13 Lexus ES 104k miles. I gotta say I think Toyota from what I seen has gotten worse the last 5 or so years.
Even with having to do this every 150k at $3500, it's still much cheaper over the lifetime than just a couple years of routine maintenance with the other German brands and their multitude of gremlins
The 2GRFE drop out is an excellent video as an owner of a 2007 Lexus ES 350. Supplied me lots of tips and funny I also changed control arms, all new struts, tuneup with new plugs& coils on mine, (DIY well worth it). It really is an excellent engine, body & interior overall. I am grateful to be driving an older model Lexus and still enjoy pride of ownership. Lots of notes taken on this video and appreciate your excellent presentations.
Amazing video! I cannot express how much I appreciate the intricate detail of the procedure and the honesty when it comes to the urgency of repairing this leak. I happen to have an '08 Rav4 with this engine and this leak. It's good to know that it won't become catastrophic because I think I will buy a new vehicle before spending the $5k that the dealership wanted for this repair. Thanks again for all the excellent videos and knowledge!
Hi Amd, this is a great video. I commend you on your high-level of integrity helping everyone understand what is recommended and what is necessary. If I ever have that engine and need service, I will contact you since I'm in your area. Stay healthy and happy!
I do not understand the love of LEXUS after seeing the removal of the engine and transmission for a simple fix. How much does a mechanic ask for this fix? 3-5K?
Thank you, I enjoyed this very much. One thing that might work is to fabricate and bolt on a thin metal barrel 'roof' or cover (almost like a heatshield) between the leak point and the driveshaft to prevent oil dripping directly on it and so getting spread all over the engine bay. Just a thought. A gutter style design might work too, to help channel oil drips away from the axle.
No stupid music, no flashy editing, simple and informative. Keep up the good work Sir !
Agree!
I wonder if an alternate easier solution, for those who can't afford it, is rigging up something like an expanding turnbuckle that puts firm normal force on the leak area with some soft rubber at the leak end, kind of like one would stop bleeding in an open wound.
Where do you see music, flashy editing and no auto information on TH-cam?
_Yep. I cannot STAND it when there is so much LOUD background music (no matter the type) that I need to turn on Closed Captioning just to understand what is being spoken! To be clear, I'm always appreciative of someone that takes the time & effort to post a video... but it actually saddens me when they somewhat 'ruin it' by adding awful (and often too loud) background music!_
*OK. I feel better. LOL*
Amen. Hate the LOUD music when you open their video and just stop viewing their channels.
The way you are producing these in-depth repair videos with voice over is fantastic, we can see everything while you explain everything in a calm voice - outstanding!
He is the man!!! This was a great video! I need to get my hands on a 2022 highlander before they switch to the 4 turbo
Hi Mr CCNut,
I love your videos.
If it wasn’t for the fact that i live in Sydney Australia I would be a customer.
Please if you can,
2009 rx350 6 speed when i put in gear or reverse i get what i can only describe as a ping sound driving no issues
Cold or warm start from N to D or R ping.
I suspect low auto transmission fluid but dunno.
Regards mike.
Def one of my favorite AMD videos!, My wife has a 2011 Toyota Rav4 v6 with the 2GR-FE and I just checked- no leaks for now! AMD, much love from Southern Ontario for the high quality content. 👌
As a professional when you know what you're up to and do a thorough job, the public will GREATLY APPRECIATED rather than just DOING THE MINIMUM TO GET THE JOB DONE IS WHAT MOST AUTO REPAIRS AND SHOPS DO FOR THE MONEY!
Get to the CHoPPa!!!
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Fantastic Lmao
This job was given to you because the owner of this car was impressed when you refused to change brakes that did not need to be changed. Honesty pays for itself. I You are a tremendous mechanic.
I've got a 2007 Sienna, has the 3.5L with 278,000 miles. Never had a SINGLE problem.
If the thing blows up tomorrow, I am STILL amazed!
And ready to replace it with ANOTHER TOYOTA.
Depends on the person that was applying the sealant at the factory
$2600 is a bargain. Finding a knowledgeable and honest mechanic is almost impossible these days. Great info as usual.
Some bargain. Thousands of dollars in expense to fix something that shouldn't break in the first place. How'd you like paying $45,000 for a new Lexus and then have to deal with it leaking oil all over the place like a 1962 British motorcycle.
@@skymningforelsket1302become a mechanic and stop crying.i did 13 years ago... This is all easy to do now
@@donjulio5045 Rrrrright. I should learn to code and remove the engine and transmission myself outside where I park on the street. ps please buy a V6 Toyota and enjoy yourself
@skymningforelsket1302 cry louder bud, get a prius and take the torment in stride if you're so butthurt over it
@@skymningforelsket1302 be a man...soycucboi
As a TH-cam user of 15 years this is the first video I have watched without annoying garbage music during the time lapse scenes. You’re the best
I have 2 of these engines a RX and a ES. I love em. Never seen a engine surgeon like this fellow. Hats off to knowledge like he has
Too honest to be a millionaire.
The transverse mounted engine is supposedly way safer also, it’s really remarkable how many models it’s used in
Dude, I love you man! I only wish I could work in your shop with you. Professional, honest, knowledgeable, organized, humorous, and well spoken. Great video!! It's a shame there are so few mechanics like you.
I'd be happy sweeping floors jst to witness in person.😂🤣🤓
I second that comment. You are a pros pro. Thank you.
Same for me am not professional mechanic but I do oil changes and brake changes.
@@erds6579 and sweep and scrub his floors.
his shop is as clean as any NASCAR professional race car shop.
Agreed. Competent, reliable, and honest mechanics seem to be about as rare as common-sense is these days.
I just found your TH-cam channel. Being the son of a retired auto mechanic (and a Television engineer) I can't help it but to admire the awesome production of the video and the complete and detailed content of it. Watching was a delightful experience. I don't own a Toyota or Lexus but if I did, I would bring it to you even when that'd require to drive 2 hours (I'm in South Bend).
Just took my mom’s 2007 es 350 with 126k in last week for service. My certified Lexus/Toyota mechanic pointed this out to me. Told me exactly the thing! Not worried about the small oil seepage it at the timing cover at this time but monitor it. A lot of labor involved.
"Toyota reliability"..... none of my jeeps or bmws ever had this big of a repair.
@@jonc2914yeah right. The parts on bmw would exceed it easily
@@asadb1990 then you don't dont know how to buy parts
@@jonc2914 last i checked toyota oem spark plugs are like $13 each. Bmw ones are like 100 each. Hoses on toyota are standard and can be found everywhere. On bmw, they are proprietary with couplings. Toyota used mostly metric bolts. Bmw uses torx, hex, etc. The list goes on and on.
Excellent video and description. I’m a 38 year Toyota Master Tech, recently retired and have to say, that was perfect. This audience can learn a lot from your videos. FYI we originally used the pallets from the truck frames with those heavy duty Harbor Freight caster wheels attached , to jockey the frames around,and then started using them for engine removal.
Agreed. I'm a Lexus Master tech myself, the main tech that performs this and the head gasket replacement, and lost count after the 10th cover I've done. I use a flat push cart and wood to support the frame. I prefer to put the engine on a stand to do it. I got tired of getting dripped on by the oil pans. My FYI, I recommend a water pump when I do this repair or head gasket replacement. My only tips I have are upon cover removal is to stick rags under the gears and to wipe all mating surfaces down with a lint free rag and CRC brand brake cleaner to clean the surface. There's a film still left if it isn't done.
@@marcesposito2587 you recommend buying any GS or ES 350 LEXUS years?
Do you gentleman know if this issue is just as prevalent in the 2.5L models? Thank you in advance.
@@denverwynn4 it is not
@@GeoMo52 thank you!
Thankfully, my es350 hasn't had an oil leak. It just turned over 360,000 miles yesterday and is still rock solid with routine oil changes. The 3.5 liter is Toyota's best engine!
What year is it?
Damn!!! what year is your ES350? Wow!!!
I own a es350 08 with 286k still runs great 2grfe bullet proof 100%
Wow what year is your Lexus?
Wow that gives mine hope
I would like to say it’s very impressive that you have to time to film, teach and explain everything while taking the engine out of a car. That requires a lot of time and energy while staying concentrated on the job. Your an amazing technician. I’m 18 and I would love be to mentored by you. So thank you for making these videos and teaching me things I would never hear from just any technician.
Definitely someone whom I want to study or work for and be mentored by too.
If only an honest guy like you was in my area....I always trade to newer when a vehicle gets 4-5 years....just because finding honest
competent repairman is almost impossible...
I feel like this is the type of guy that while I’m over there crying, cussing and throwing wrenches he’d come over and be like “lemme help” then 3mins later it’s fixed and I’m like😱🫡 much respect to you!
Subscribed with the bell!!
I'm 31 years old and have owned nothing but Toyota since high school. It's a family "tradition" that we've started since my grandfather bought a Corolla in the 70's and fell in love with it. I wanted to tell you that your content and what you cover is TOP NOTCH. Kudos.
Smart family
Yeah except Toyota knew about this VERY expensive to repair problem for more than a decade and couldn’t be bothered to fix it like so many other problems Toyota has knowingly ignored for years. They even tried to ignore the throttle and brake problems on the Prius until the US Congress had to intervene. And, even then, they claimed it was a floor mat issue yet they reflashed the car’s firmware during the “floor mat” recall to fix the real problem which was a high software error. Now the wheels are literally falling off the incredibly poorly named BZ4X and the problem is so bad Toyota is forced to buy vehicles back from customers. Camry 4 cylinder head bolts pulled out of blocks causing catastrophic engine failure for years. The long list goes on of epic Toyota engineering failures. Toyota has had lots of serious reliability issues the Toyota fan boys love to pretend don’t exist.
That is why chevy, ford, and chrysler owners switched brands to Toyota.
@@sharedknowledge6640 I lost a good friend and her 2 young children when her 2009 Camry went to full throttle at a busy intersection. When the data from the engine computer was pulled it revealed implausible data faults from the accelerator pedal position switch. That discovery was a vital part in the wrongful death suit against Toyota. Toyota tried several times to take possession of that vehicle to "assess" the problem. No doubt if they had that information would have been flashed out of existence. Toyota also made shims to install in the APP to correct the sudden or unintended acceleration. Toyota was so arrogant with this deadly problem. They were found to have known about the problem and had to pay the largest fine ever for covering it up. They, in my opinion, also paid off the NHTSA and the enlisted NASA engineers to "find" that there was no fault with Toyota's products that it was pedal misapplication. So they recalled 8 million vehicles, paid the largest fine ever, engineered a shim to correct the sticking pedals, reflashed engine computers for nothing? Then have the audacity to blame the problem on Toyota's own loyal buyers as pedal misapplication and incompatiblefloor mats. What a shame. Toyota is as arrogant as a lot of their owners. Buy a Toyota, they say. It'll last forever and won't cause any problems. Here we have a repair that requires the entire power train to be removed for an oil leak! At less than 120K miles too! Then this guy says "This engine is very well engineered, trust me I know I've been in hundreds if not thousands" well that statement is a little contradicting. No offense to his ability as a mechanic. I can tell he is very capable and takes pride in his work. Well Toyota fans this little "Achilles Heel" of an oil leak just costed you thousands of dollars to correct. But at least the engine didn't go to full throttle against your will and cause a loss of life. I love what you do for me, Toyota!
@@topher8634 I'm still buying a TOYOTA!
Thanks for the diagnosis! After doing an oil change on my wife's 2011 Sienna (215k miles), I saw this leak and thought exactly as you described at 15:40 (banjo bolt leak). I had been looking for what that leak could be and how it can be fixed and, lo and behold, you pop out with this video. You, Sir, are no fluke. Your wealth of knowledge is priceless! Now I know it's a Front Timing Cover leak. On my wife's van it's not a "bad" leak. I cleaned it to see what would happen and it reappears slightly every month. I check the oil level every couple of weeks, and it has not gone down either. I might live with it but will monitor it regularly. May you continue to be blessed!
A leak like that is incredibly minor honestly. Especially at 215k. My 235k mile Accord has way more oil residue and doesn't use or lose any oil between changes. The best thing you can do? Change your PCV valve.
Host says all models changed after 2010
Your videos are usually a bit different than what you see from guys like Scotty and the Car Wizard. I really ENJOY seeing how you have given us a look at how this V6 would be dropped and repaired. Big thumbs up and subscriber here........ THANKS FOR POSTING!
I can't stand Scotty's voice, gives me tinitus.
@@2muchpoison 🤣
Eric O on the South Main Auto channel shows you the whole repair in real time and he does it like I would pour a cup of coffee. Watch him if you want to see every detail.
This man is the best, honesty, integrity, blesses his viewers, no music, just pure joy and truth. God bless him and everyone watching. I’m blessed
I love the honesty in your discussions.. really wish more mechanics were this way! You set the bar high. Another great vid, AMD :- )
This mechanic is confident and knows what he's doing a rarity these days. Amazing.
I like how you take your time to explain in your videos, good and not quick. Some big youtubers always rush.
I don’t work on Toyota so I can learn a lot from you. You’re one of the very best in auto repair business. Many try, nothing beats knowledge and experience. Just a professional
I have a 2007 Toyota RAV4 V6 (2GRFE) that I've been driving with the cold start rattle for over two years. Current mileage is 115K miles. Gradually, it got to the point that the rattle occurred with every cold start. No oil leaks; it still had that old VVTi oil line that needed replacing as well. Thanks to "The Car Care Nut" for these remarkable posts on the subject which helped me to intelligently understand the issue as well as approach my mechanic.
The decision point on getting the 'time bomb' 2GRE cold start rattle issue fixed is one's overall view on keeping the car as well as the overall vehicle serviceability. Indeed, it is expensive because of the size of the V6 in the engine compartment requiring it to be removed. While the parts themselves are comparatively cheap (using ONLY Toyota OEM or AISIN), it's 20 hours labor to remove the engine, effect repair and replace the engine. In my case, this car is the best vehicle I've ever owned, and its 2GRFE V6 engine is probably the best V6 made by anyone ... ever. It's just that, unfortunately, the 2GRFE (and other 2GR variants) had the 'birth defect' of the VVTi problem from years 2006 through 2012. Otherwise, I've taken immaculate care of the vehicle and for its years, it is low-mileage. I am keeping this vehicle, no matter what other vehicle I might purchase, and on that note, any new vehicle I'd want to purchase equates to an eight to 12 month wait. So, rather than sit on the time bomb for upwards to a year, I am "repurchasing" my own 'quality pre-owned' car by having its repairs done. This includes new lower front control arms and front struts because they were due anyway, and insofar as the VVTi repair, since the engine is out, I'm due new spark plugs and a new water pump.
I have a great independent repair shop, including a Toyota specialist with 40 years experience. The vehicle went into the shop on August 14th, and after waiting a week and a half for the VVTi gear assembly to be sourced and delivered, I picked her up on the 25th. Rattle gone, engine is strong, quiet and I can wait out the sh*t show of the new car market. How much did that cost? $6,800.00 for another 100k+ miles. These 2d Gen RAVs are among the best cars Toyota ever made; the V6 still gets around 27mpg hwy/24 city and I just couldn't rationalize, "skipping it" for the sake of infotainment, lane keeping assist and blind spot monitoring in something new at $40k and up.
TY Sir for another awesome video, as an owner with a 2GRFE this was brilliant to watch but scary as well, I have never had an oil leak issue as my car is maintained very well but now I know what could be required if I am unfortunate to experience a leak.
Ty mate I have posted a link too this on our Australian Toyota Owners Club site for all of my fellow 2GRFE owners to watch.
Keep Safe Keep Strong 🦘🦘🦘🦘👍👍
I had a 2007 ES350 with this oil leak and I just watched the oil level and added maybe one liter every 4000kms. I now have a 2012 ES350 and no leaks so far at 95,000km. If it does develop a small leak, I will live with it.
I agree it’s not worth the effort to fix. That is a very minor oil leak. All engines leak a little oil especially if they get overfilled and/or run hard.
Did you ever have any transmission issues with your '07? I have the same car with the same leak and also a bit of a slip on the 3-4 shift when the trans is cold.
@@markvanderlee My transmission would sometimes slip when shifting down from 5th or 4th to 3rd when merging under full throttle. The 2012 I have now has a much smoother shifting transmission.
@@markvanderlee Famous transmission ‘flare’ in Toyotas.
Irritating but generally not serious.
try cleaning the area around the head - block - timing cover joint from the outside and smear gray rtv over it , there's no way i would spend 20 hours without trying that first!!!
As a retired truck engineer I found this an excellent well made video. Thanks guys, much appreciated from London, UK
You can change the plugs and coil packs without pulling the engine. Remove the top suspension brace. Park car in front of a workbench so you can place a piece of plywood on that and your top engine mounts to lie on. Remove bracket over #1 coil pack. Plugs coil packs and wires other things behind engine are now completely accessible for servicing. 2007 ES 350!
Great video, now I understand why my car was in the shop for over a week getting this done. Sad part is that I bought a CPO 2022 Lexus ES350 with 12,500 miles. The CarFax that came with it said that the timing cover gasket had been replaced. Within a week of owning the car, the bottom of the engine was covered with oil and it was leaking on the driveway. Took it in and they took almost a week to replace the valve cover gaskets. Less than 500 miles later I thought I saw oil on the driveway again but could not see anything under the car but checked the oil level every morning just to be sure. Was driving it one afternoon and the low oil level warning came on. Had it towed back to the dealer and over a week later just got it back. They said the technician who had originally replaced to cover missed an o-ring! Sure hope it is fixed now.
Great video. I don't even own a Toyota but I can appreciate watching a masterful professional Technician yourself doing what you do. May the Lord bless you and keep you as well. 👍
As a long time Lexus/Toyota owner, I find your videos both informative and fascinating to watch. I had this exact repair done on my 2016 RX with 28,000 miles on it. The warranty had expired 2 months prior to my discovering the leak, however, Lexus did the repair free of charge anyway. I had no idea how involved it was. I now have a new 22RX and I’m hoping they they have corrected this problem. Thank you for making these excellent videos. You are a true professional at your craft!
The same leak on my 2016 with approximately the same mileage.
I can’t believe Toyota still selling these cars and not owning up to the mistake.
Probably 1 in a million leak so I assume that's ok.
I just bought a 2016 RX with 83k miles. First Toyota product for us. No entry on the CarFax report for this repair. In fact, the one-owner car seemed to have been self-maintained. Fingers crossed.
@@spicydogsoup no, every one of them do. Eventually the oil starts dripping on the passenger side axle and slings oil everywhere. There will be oil all over the fire wall and back side of the engine. And all underneath the undercarriage. While driving, the oil is blown towards the rear. This is usually evident on Toyota brands if you are behind them on the road. You can see oil on the lower part of the rear bumper cover. Especially if it's been a while since it was washed.
Your videos are simply mesmerizing!! Your skills with a wrench, a camera and the spoken word are quite impressive!!
It's your honest open discussion about issues like these that will have me drive 1000 miles from Florida if I ever need this level of repair. Yeah, it'll cost more for the travel, but it's hard to put a price on piece of mind.
Thanks for this channel, sir!!
As an owner of a 2015 RX350 and having changed the spark plugs recently, this definitely is a plan C for spark plug replacement. Its a great video on going what is all involved, Luckily mine isn't leaking oil yet, but I know where to go if I ever have to. Lots of great info as always, Thanks for the great video !
Amazing instructional video. Outstanding way to keep those Toyota mechanics and engineers out of trouble. Your safety concerns are a plus and that's usually ignored. True the oil leak issues were overlooked in the engineering design phase, but there's no such thing as perfection, especially when the car is exposed to environmental conditions. Your instructional production, both video and audio aspects are excellent. Never a boring moment. So glad you left out those overbearing and unnecessary background music additions. Kudos to you, your coworkers and that pristine shop.
I'm always so impressed with your skill level. You make difficult jobs seem easy when we all know they are not. If I ever need this work done I know where I'm going. The 75 mile drive to your shop would be well worth it. Keep up the great work.
You’re so lucky to live 75 miles from AMD’s shop!
@@eleanormassaro5195 And I'm about a 125 miles from his shop. I will never go to a dealer again and I don't even need to explain why since I'm sure most people understand.
I wish he would be in my state
Too far , unless I camp close by
Where’s the shop at
Oh how I wish you were in UK as I would drive to anywhere in the UK that you had set up your workshop. I would trust you with my car as I know you put EVERYTHING into doing your job right. You are a rare individual, I have never come across someone so devoted to your trade and empathetic to your customers. Your engineering mind is quite beautiful to watch in your videos.
Thank You for the informative content. It educates owners as to what they are dealing with and who should do their mechanical work for them. I help people in home improvement for the past 34 years and I can go anywhere in my community and have people walk up and thank me for the sound advice I’ve given them. As I’m sure you know It’s very fulfilling to know you’ve had a positive impact on other’s with information and confidence for them to make educated decisions so they don’t waste their time or hard earned money for poor results.
👏👏👏
Why
I've been eyeing a Toyota Crown from 2009 with the 2GR-FSE engine (non-hybrid one), but got scared after watching this video. Oh man, I was so hyped for that car - and still am, to be honest. People still praise this engine and it was not like it was bashed in this video either. I just tend to end up with the cars that happen to have the worst possible problems hidden inside of them.
But the video was great: it was informative, thorough and literally showed the whole process from end to finish and even shed some light on the potential costs. Love it!
Wonderful video for an ex: Toyota mechanic and now these days a Service Manager for another Japanese brand. God bless your great ethics.
I worked for the Toyota Powertrain plant in Georgetown Ky. that builds this V6 engine and the area with the leak in this video is what we called the 3-point mating surface and If cleaned properly before the cover is installed they would not leak. The problem usually happens when team member handling the part touches that area. The team members have alignment jigs to prevent touching. I own a 2016 Avalon with the V6 and it is a great engine with very good MPG. I have since retired from the plant after 33 years and 10 months of employment. I have made this same repair on new engines in the plant that failed testing and had a leak before even being installed in a car.
My 05 Highlander was made in Japan and is awesome
@@chevalsauer he made it sound like it could just show up as a leak one day in some other videos
Thanks for a reply from somebody truly in the know about this issue! My question is - since this area was so sensitive to a leak happening - why did Toyota not just specify replacing with a gasket AND sealer, instead of just the crappy sealer??? I know this wasn't your call to make, and when it comes to pinching pennies every automaker is acutely aware of the least increased expense. But I'm thinking adding in a gasket PLUS sealer would have cost them $1 per car to do. So why didn't they? A fix that only bounces back a few thousand miles later is not a fix!
What the Tacoma 2016 2gr-fks
@@guruofendtimes819 I've noticed a huge difference in overall quality in J VIN Toyota/Lexus vehicles.
Great job. I was first hesitant to spend 45 minutes on your video but I enjoyed myself much more than watching the latest Hollywood blockbuster CGI movie on Netflix. Your editing, narration, confidence and film making has improved fast and significantly. There is just something about an honest mechanic that makes me happy and gives me faith back in humanity. PS And thanks for mentioning the Car Wizard. Another one of my favourites.
2GRFE is a great engine, I've had 3 of them. Never a problem with any of them. No leaks either. If I do have a problem, I will drive up to have you do it for me. LOL.
You are a true professional sir. I am glad you are making these videos so you are teaching people how to do things correctly. There are so many mechanics out there doing things extremely poorly that give mechanics a bad name. But you are extremely top notch and I would feel confident bringing my car to you. And trust me I don’t let anybody touch my vehicles. Thank you again keep up the fantastic work.
This has got to be one of the best videos on a repair I’ve ever watched. Very knowledgeable and your shop looks to be very clean. I wouldn’t think twice about bringing my car to you. It’s hard to find a shop like yours. Great job!
Thank you for addressing when this may not be necessary. I typically clean something like this and recommend keeping an eye on it. You're often taking a risk of damaging hoses, connectors, running into a seized ball joint, rusted out exhaust etc that will add to the customer's expense if the car is a little older.
I thought the older Toyotas and Lexus were bullet proof but this is an expensive repair. Great video with a lot of details.
And you believed it? lol They will tell you anything.
You really think a car is gonna have no issues at all? Its about how much and how costly. Maintain your car well
@@thegreat9481 Except this issue has nothing to do with maintenance.
@Glad2BGolden right I fell for it lexus rx330 are crap I should have gotten honda
My son and I really appreciate your videos, he was a entry level tech at our local Toyota dealer. He has moved onto to another brand. Enjoy watching him grow in his abilities. I wish you were closer to me, would love to have has a mechanic. Side note it was funny you mentioned the Car Wizard's RAV4 video. I watched it and went to your video list and reviewed Rav4. I was going to send it to his channel, I figured he would find it though. Just kinda funny. Keep up the good work and thank you.
I haven't worked on my Lexus in a while, found a local independent guy who we like, but I really enjoyed you disassembling this and talking in detail about various things. Excellent job! New subscriber
I’m an owner of a 2016 Avalon. Over 130,000 miles. Still have the original brake pads. Oil change very 7,000 miles (synthetic). At around 30,000 miles, under warranty, the dealer made some adjustments on the transmission (jerky between 1st and 2nd gear). As of now, it runs great.
I have 3.5 in a RAV4, with timing cover leak as mentioned, pcv valve was rusted closed , I changed it so far no more leak.
Hi, I have a 2012 rav4 v6. Does it have a PCV valve? So changing it will stop or prevent leaks? Mine is not leaking now but tiny sipping
...Absolutely love your channel and content! We just bought our second RX350 (2022 V6). We bought our first one 15 years ago. It is still a great vehicle and still running strong! I will most definitely follow your maintenance recommendations moving forward with the new one!
Another impressive video for those who, like me, are not car mechanics. We feel your great experience, in the calm and the concern to do well that you implement at each intervention on a vehicle, whatever the problem to be solved. Even without being directly concerned by this kind of operation or by the vehicle concerned, I always have great pleasure in watching your videos, solely for this constant state of mind that you show. Thank you and continue to give us this fine example of professionalism.
From France.
Tres bien
I wish we have a mechanic like you sir here in Canada! Great job well done sir! Hope you have more blessings to come!
Professional quality videos Mr. Care Car Nut. I am not a mechanic, will occasionally do the simple repairs on my cars, but you present information in a clear, articulate, calm and easy to understand manner. I also enjoy your sense of humor. Hoping for many more years of your videos.
Every time I watch one of your videos, the first thing that comes to mind: competence is a wonderful thing! You make it all look so easy 😃 Your videos are awesome!
Excellent video AMD!
I purchased a 2005 Avalon when I retired from the military. Around 78,000 miles, it began to leak at the timing chain cover. Ironically, I purchased an extended warranty and it covered the costs of this repair. As an automotive technician, I was impressed with the performance of the 3.5. I replaced the oil hose on Bank 1 and used a metal line BEFORE Toyota came up with their all metal line solution. At 82,000, I sold the Avalon within a week, the car was impeccable, but I didn’t want the issues in the future. I’ve repaired several of these engines for other issues (suspension, water pumps, etc)
As a Toyota Tacoma owner ( a 2010 with the 2.7 liter engine, RWD, automatic, standard cab and a 104,000 miles on it) I have really enjoyed your videos. The one issue that I am concerned about my truck is the plastic coolant bypass pipe. I know there is a metal pipe that Toyota has as a replacement for the plastic pipe. Should I be proactive and replace the plastic pipe or wait to see if a problem develops with the plastic one. I have seen videos on how to replace the bypass pipe and it looks like a DIY project. Thanks for all the good work.
Replace it brother
Preventative maintenance is key. I wouldn't want to wait for it to start leaking because you'll lose oil pressure really quickly and could possibly seize your engine if gone unnoticed.
excellent video, you just gained a subscriber. Love the straightforward approach, your descriptive narrative, and no bs attitude. keep up the good work!
Regarding the previous "sludge" engine. I think one really needed to abuse it by not doing oil changes. I had 2 of those, and was doing oil changes with synthetic every 5-10K miles (a lot was going on in life) and didn't have problems for over 200K miles. Nor did I do the recall. The 1997 Avalon was given to a friend, at about 215,000 miles 10 years ago, and he is still driving it (close to 300K miles now).
Fantastic! Couldn't be done better. Love all of your videos, and love your professionalism. As a fellow mobile technician, I pray that because of your work ethics more people appreciate the hard work of honest mechanics and shops, that sadly have been stained by dishonest dealerships and independent shops than only care about money, and not the customer and their trust. May the Lord bless you as well!
You are such a bad ass mechanic. May God bless you my friend. You, Scotty and Toyota Maintenance are my hero’s!
Great video, I'd let you work on my vehicle any day! However, as a 35 year veteran master technician, I did see one fault with your process. The red shop rags you used to clean all of the sealing surfaces usually have an oily residue in them. This (as you also stated in the video) can compromise the ability of the "form in place" gasket material to make a good seal. I normally will use a lint free disposable shop rag to do this type of cleaning as to assure a perfectly clean surface.
And doesn't seem to torque anything...although I'll conceded he probably has a pretty calibrated hand/arm.
@@tommy6633you work on stuff enough and you get very good at tightening bolts based on their size
Your are a rare breed of mechanic; honest,talk directly to the point. I have a es-300 with a 3.0 V6 and besides cover gasket and suspension replaced , ah and a charcoal canister. My car (2000).with 212,000 miles still running like a kitten!!!!!!
You are my new favorite TH-cam mechanic. Keep em coming!
I own a 2013 Rx350 and thank you so much for the knowledge. This why I love your channel, and one of the reasons I bought a Lexus. You sir are a national treasure. God Bless
He is an international treasure 😁
Finally finished working my way through this video, what a great in depth breakdown. I also watched car wizards video but wasn’t aware of this problem. So many cars in Toyota and Lexus land could be affected by this, glad to have a heads up. Thanks!
Another classic! My favorite part is the voice over explaining how to judge the seriousness of the oil leak, whether to make the repair, and who to get to do the repair. Hard to get this info anywhere else. Invaluable for me as an owner of two vehicles with this engine.
AMD's level-headed, thorough and humble approach is what sets him apart from most other TH-cam mechanics. Enjoy your V6s!!
I wish every mechanic is an honest and professional like you. Big shout out to you and your team. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for making these videos. Toyota owners like myself very much appreciate it!
Once and done I love that ethic! Do it right the first time, even if it is more work.. I totally agree.
It is nice to see the 3.5 in the flesh and up close like you have done here. If I am not mistaken I believe you covered this issue and told us how to check that particular spot in your 2014-2019 Highlander video.
Thanks for all you do, being so thorough and keeping us well informed, you are the best Mr. Care Care!
edit: Any Toyota/Lexus mechanic I encounter out there I'd be interested to see how many of those "trophies" they collected. 😅
I hope you can do a video for those who cannot afford a $3k repair bill or want to get rid of their Toyota/Lexus but can clean the leaky spots with a brake cleaner and treat the leaky area with a RTV type sealant that is oil/gas resistant such as Mopar RTV gasket, JB Weld gasket and similar. This would obviously apply to those leaks that are minimal.
Seconded on exploring the RTV sealant, if the leak is not significant then this might be a good mid-length solution also.
I don't think it would work as there is some crankcase pressure and heat expansion.
Stop watching then. Go make your own channel and do it yourself instead of minding other people business. Who TF raised you???
Have you seen this work?
I love that stand you used to set the engine assembly on .... wish I'd known about that 15 years ago ... I spent a whole day building a 4 foot tall 4x4 tool table chest on industrial castors that I used to do this job on many vehicles. 😅
Commenting on my girlfriends account because my phone died. I was just thinking how could I build this out of wood. Can you make a video going over your and how you built it?
My '09 Camry V6 is begging me to take it to this man. He will be my hero.
My Highlander has been diagnosed with this same oil leak and I've chose not to do this repair as the dealer wants $4197.16 to do the job; and that was quoted from Nov 2021. It was a joy to watch you in action and see what is required. I wish your shop was in Folsom, CA. Thanks.
So what are you gonna do ?
What year highlander?
This is very impressive and amazing content. I own a vehicle with this V6 engine and it's great to get educated on these engines. Thank you for making these videos!!!
Great video. Here's my take. If the leak isn't 'too bad" I can replace a lot of oil for the cost of installing new gaskets. In my case, my car has 260K miles and runs like a top. Some lifter noise but otherwise very strong engine. IF I have to pull the engine, I am going to do a complete rebuild or swap used engines.
i have this leak for the last 5 years with no loss of oil
@@hanial-kiwi503 ah so what's leaking? Your oil multiply itself?
@@Dranreb865 The blessingz
Checking in: 2008 Lexus RX 350, just about 120,000 miles. Not sure if to jump for joy or cry after this video 😁 So far no problems at all with the engine; all the maintenance AMD has recommended is up to date. Drove from Georgia to New York and back - smooth as silk sailing, no oil consumed, and no other problems at all to report. I’ll keep a hawk’s eye on that axle though! Well, it’s time to change that oil…
Great video. Lots of good info. You and the wizard are 2 of my favorite. Thanks for taking the time to do that
So much for Toyota and Lexus engineering. Yes, the cars can last a very long time, however, the manufacturers of these two vehicles knew fully well that rubber pieces rot out quickly and the oil leaks that resulted could be catastrophic leading to consumers having to pay for new engines, often over $11,000. This along with under carriage rot, exploding sunroofs, unintended acceleration problems et al, keeps me hesitant about purchasing one of these suv's wondering what's next to go wrong and cost an awful lot of money to repair. Consumer videos on you tube have been very informative in this area as is this excellent video from Car Care Nut. Thank you for all the pertinent and valuable information. It is truly appreciated.
Very clever 👍🏼 👍🏼
I would not get this fixed though, because I guarantee the bill would be double or triple the amount you stated here getting it done at a dealership, and I would not trust anyone other than a dealership to do this.
Cars leak oil, that’s just what they do. Put an oil tray on your garage floor and check your oil level every month.
This is a very well detailed documented vlog.
Thank you sir for that and more importantly your honesty and fairness. I will highly recommend you to anyone who needs repairs on their Toyota Lexus vehicles.
That was awesome. Thank you for your in depth description of the problems with the engine and how to make sure the repair is done correctly, along with your estimate of time and parts. Great shops, like great kitchens, don't have a lot of yelling and screaming or other BS because the people working there are experts at what they do and do things properly the first time around. That saves the customer time and money.
👏👏👏 There is no room for prima donnas in his shop.
At my job we remove the entire powertrain w/ the front axle all the time. We have a heavy duty metal table with a scissor lift under it to lower the whole thing away from the car and move it around. We actually made this table ourselves. It was worth it.
We use a table like that. I think it's from harbor freight
I owned a 2009 Avalon with this engine. I maintained it religiously. Other than scheduled maintenance, I never had to put a dime into it. My best car ever
I have 2 of these engines a 2007 Rav4 and 2011 Camry. Neither have had this issue so far. Both have over 220K miles, great engines.
Nice
If the plenum is too hard to take off, just take out the engine 😂
I'd drill 3 holes in the firewall to get to those other spark plugs.
Toyota hates mechanics lol. It really is a pain to reach those rear plugs. On a Honda 3.5 it's about 9000x easier.
It's a good video and very informative. That said, the 3.6 V6 has proven itself to be a very dependable and durable power train. High mile vehicles with this engine are not uncommon
Whoa, that's a big job dropping that huge engine.I don't think there are very many mechanics like you who can do that work so thoroughly.
The rubber line mentioned blew off on my mom’s loaded RX350 and she was on a road trip. By the time she got the CEL checked the engine was burned up internally. Lexus couldn’t get her a replacement engine so she had to accept low $ for it in trade to a used car dealer for a lesser model of RX than hers. Her original was so much nicer. Oh, and she had very recently gotten the oil changed at the Lexus dealer. So when people harp on about how great the engine is, I can help but think that the weakest link in containing the oil is a rubber hose! Glad you mentioned it in the video, you do thorough work.
And clearly the dealer is not good enough or care enough to warn her about the issue, because they are the ones who have access to the TSB technical service bulletin that tell them about any non-recall problems with the car.
They should have been able to check the TSBs to learn about the oil line issue and then check if it had the rubber lines. But maybe it's not their fault. I'm not sure how many tsbs they get, maybe too many to read through, or Toyota never released a TSB to get the lines replaced.
if you have the engine with the rubber oil lines get it updated to the steel oil lines. my wife's car got a pinhole in the oil line and she lost a lot of oil! thankfully she was home in the driveway. I bought the part and replaced it. not easy
What year rx 350 was it?
Thank you for the detailed video that really gets to the nuts and bolts of the problem. The problem with our 2016 Avalon was a leaky water pump which cost $1200 to fix. Only 64,000 miles.
That is crappy, I have 2 cars with this engine and one sold at 220k miles no issues with water pump and 13 Lexus ES 104k miles. I gotta say I think Toyota from what I seen has gotten worse the last 5 or so years.
Very. Very. Sad.
Greatly dissppointed in Toyota poor Engineering & Quality.
I no longer promote Toyota products
Recently leased a 2023 Nissan Pathfinder and I love it! Scotty Kilmer calls their V - 6 engine" bulletproof " which gives me comfort to know.
Great video Ahmed, thanks for sharing. I don’t own this car or engine but still a fascinating teardown and rebuild. Exceptional skills.
Even with having to do this every 150k at $3500, it's still much cheaper over the lifetime than just a couple years of routine maintenance with the other German brands and their multitude of gremlins
If your oil lines are metal not rubber this really shouldn't be an issue till well over 200k miles.
You don't have to do this every 150K miles. There are plenty of these V6 engines on the market with very high miles and no issues.
Mercedes V6 are just as reliable lol
I’d just let it leak. Unless it’s leaking more than a quart per gas fill up it’s in spec.
No way I’d do this repair even once, just let it leak and run it to 300,000 plus.
The 2GRFE drop out is an excellent video as an owner of a 2007 Lexus ES 350. Supplied me lots of tips and funny I also changed control arms, all new struts, tuneup with new plugs& coils on mine, (DIY well worth it). It really is an excellent engine, body & interior overall. I am grateful to be driving an older model Lexus and still enjoy pride of ownership. Lots of notes taken on this video and appreciate your excellent presentations.
Videos like this are THE reason I subscribed & rang the notification bell several years ago.
Amazing video! I cannot express how much I appreciate the intricate detail of the procedure and the honesty when it comes to the urgency of repairing this leak. I happen to have an '08 Rav4 with this engine and this leak. It's good to know that it won't become catastrophic because I think I will buy a new vehicle before spending the $5k that the dealership wanted for this repair. Thanks again for all the excellent videos and knowledge!
Sickdiculous how easy you make all these repairs seem! You are a master and my hero! Keep up the great work! Truly a fan!
Hi Amd, this is a great video. I commend you on your high-level of integrity helping everyone understand what is recommended and what is necessary. If I ever have that engine and need service, I will contact you since I'm in your area. Stay healthy and happy!
U r the first and only person I would feel comfortable with to work on my cars without my heart skips a beat. What state are you in?
I do not understand the love of LEXUS after seeing the removal of the engine and transmission for a simple fix. How much does a mechanic ask for this fix? 3-5K?
Lexus sucks I have a lexus rx330 2005 it's nothing but repairs
Thank you, I enjoyed this very much.
One thing that might work is to fabricate and bolt on a thin metal barrel 'roof' or cover (almost like a heatshield) between the leak point and the driveshaft to prevent oil dripping directly on it and so getting spread all over the engine bay. Just a thought. A gutter style design might work too, to help channel oil drips away from the axle.
I also thought about it.
You could implement a soak pad on it as well.
Exactly. A small metal sleeve with an absorbent pad that you can change out when it loads up.