Oil leak onto headers after dealer repair of P0018.

[PDXsuperfly]

So after a few hundred dollars and a few calls to Toyota Corporate and the dealer I thought my FRS woes were over. Unfortunately that was not the case; instead after a week I have noticed that my car was smoking and the smell of oil from the vents inside the car. I got to work and parked and poped the smoky hood to find what appears to be an oil leak dropping onto the headers.

It appears to be on the passenger side. The repair was due to a P0018 error. Now I have not had a chance to dig into the forums too much but from what I gather these cars like to leak sometimes from the valve covers. Since this is a new issue. Could it be that the tech messed up one of the seals when he replaced the cam gear? I was told that they replaced the cam gear and ECU.

It's an automatic and I checked the cam plate cover area and it looks ok The smoke is coming from near the O2 sensor at the front passenger side of the car. So I am thinking that maybe the sensor or cover associated with the repair are the cause of this issue. Is that a good guess? Is the P0018 issue on the passenger side?

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by PDXsuperfly

So after a few hundred dollars and a few calls to Toyota Corporate and the dealer I thought my FRS woes were over. Unfortunately that was not the case; instead after a week I have noticed that my car was smoking and the smell of oil from the vents inside the car. I got to work and parked and poped the smoky hood to find what appears to be an oil leak dropping onto the headers.

It appears to be on the passenger side. The repair was due to a P0018 error. Now I have not had a chance to dig into the forums too much but from what I gather these cars like to leak sometimes from the valve covers. Since this is a new issue. Could it be that the tech messed up one of the seals when he replaced the cam gear? I was told that they replaced the cam gear and ECU.

It's an automatic and I checked the cam plate cover area and it looks ok The smoke is coming from near the O2 sensor at the front passenger side of the car. So I am thinking that maybe the sensor or cover associated with the repair are the cause of this issue. Is that a good guess? Is the P0018 issue on the passenger side?

I would think so.

I'd suggest you take it back to the dealer that did the work.

What a pain ...... huh ..??


humfrz

[PDXsuperfly]

So I got the car up and looks like it is actually on the driver side. Not sure what to make of all this but took a few pictures. Anyone know what side the P0018 issue is on? I am trying to work his out between work breaks so its been difficult to really get things figured out. I am thinking that when they put it back together they missed an o-ring or maybe messed up the torque spec...

I'll be making an appointment; just want to have an idea and pictures of the issue if necessary.

Here is a pic of where some of the oil is collecting:

[rusty959]

P0018 is driver's side, but the timing cover is one piece that goes across the entire engine so it doesn't really matter what side the leak is coming from or what side was replaced because the entire thing was removed. Most likely the gasket, which is just installed using liquid gasket maker, was done improperly and will need to be redone. Was occasionally an issue on the cars from the factory.

x2 on taking it back to the dealer and complaining.

[Tcoat]

Very worst case scenario would be that the tech used a screwdriver and possibly even a hammer to loosen the cover and scored the surfaces. No amount of sealant will fix that.
The good news would be that if they did then it is all on them to fix it.