Smoke coming from Oil Pan

[PeteK]

Originally Posted by Clipdat

Haha, no, I actually didn't bother letting the dealership try to fix it. Other people were posting and reporting that sometimes the dealer fixed plate just started leaking again. So, I was much more eager to try a third party fix and was excited to help test a prototype part that could help a lot of owners.

Oh that's fair. In that year definitely was uncharted territories for everyone, including the dealership.

Originally Posted by Clipdat

Anyway, looking at the photo you posted, I believe this would fit the description of oil leak from front timing cover, or from the dipstick tube hole.

And it looks to have been going on for a while based on the pooling/residue on top of the header.

Either way, the Toyota dealer should be able to diagnose and quote you for a repair.

Okay, thanks for confirming. Will update after the visit if interested.

[Clipdat]

Definitely let us know what they say.

[PeteK]

Okay, here's the update, since I offered before. Looks like it was a leak from the timing chain cover and perhaps the oil pan that resulted in oil being spread around the engine bay. Mechanic seemed legit, said accessory belt would probably have to be replaced too as the oil would have degraded it along with coolant tube (assuming "HOSE RAD OUT" - it was swollen but not at an immediate risk of bursting).

The prices are Canadian (despite "Labor" being spelt the American way hahaha) - Google says 1CAD = 0.74USD right now. A friend (an enthusiast as well, not a mechanic) suggested paying another shop to look at it as well since Toyota's charging ~$2k, just for a peace of mind. Compared to $2k, the $94.61 that Toyota charged to look at it seems to at least be pretty small.

Well, at least this incident can serve as a good learning experience.

[Clipdat]

Thanks so much for the detailed and informative update. Interesting how they also want to re-seal the oil pan. I wonder what evidence made them think that would also be necessary.

As your friend mentioned, it could be worth getting a quote from another shop for the work, now that you know what needs to be done. Dealership labor rates are notoriously expensive.

Then again, the dealer might have a more robust "guarantee" for their work, ie they will fix it again for free if it starts leaking again. Don't quote me on that though. But, it could be worth looking into.

@Ultramaroon, thoughts?

[Ultramaroon]

Hard to say. Prior work puts into question every FIPG-sealed surface. Clean off the engine and add some fluorescent dye to the oil. Find the source and go from there.

[PeteK]

Originally Posted by Clipdat

Thanks so much for the detailed and informative update. Interesting how they also want to re-seal the oil pan. I wonder what evidence made them think that would also be necessary.

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

Hard to say. Prior work puts into question every FIPG-sealed surface. Clean off the engine and add some fluorescent dye to the oil. Find the source and go from there.

No worries, glad to share given that you looked at my issue earlier. No idea either on how they went back to the oil pan. I did mention that the previous seal was done in Toyota as well (albeit in a different city, but they have a record of it too on some universal database), but I'd assume normally that it'd hold for more than 2-3 years (although it's probably past any shop guarantee).

Originally Posted by Clipdat

As your friend mentioned, it could be worth getting a quote from another shop for the work, now that you know what needs to be done. Dealership labor rates are notoriously expensive.

Then again, the dealer might have a more robust "guarantee" for their work, ie they will fix it again for free if it starts leaking again. Don't quote me on that though. But, it could be worth looking into.

I'll update again if I can find a shop for that. Guess that's why some other enthusiasts with a less positive experience call them 'stealerships'

I get what you're saying as well - if the dealerships admit fault they could do it for free, but if not, might be hard to fight them if something does go wrong. If nothing else, they do at least have an incentive to do it right as well, given they have a reputation and a big brand and more experience/knowledge working on some of the same cars.