Mystery oil leak on this '12 Toyota RAV4. Why can't the CAR WIZARD find it?!?

It's not uncommon for a vehicle to have an oil leak, but it isn't common for it to be impossible to find. Why can't the CAR WIZARD 🧙‍♂️ and Magic Mike find this oil on this 2012 Toyota RAV4? Does Magic Mike have to work this weekend?
🏁🚩🏁 CHECK INSTAGRAM FOR THE FINAL RESULT: / realcarwizard 🏁🚩🏁
🔮🔧 AMAZON AFFILIATE STORE: www.amazon.com/shop/omegaauto... 🔧🔮
🇬🇧🇬🇧 UK AMAZON STORE: www.amazon.co.uk/shop/omegaau... 🇬🇧🇬🇧
🧰 BENDPAK LIFTS: www.bendpak.com 🧰
👕 CAR WIZARD MERCH: teespring.com/stores/carwizard 👕
📷 INSTAGRAM @realcarwizard 📷
🎸 MUSIC BY CLAYTON CAGLE: / claytoncalifornia 🎸

[@Kevin09210]

There is this guy called The Car Care Nut which is a Toyota master tech and he mentioned this video in a recent video of his, and he says the oil leak is from the timing cover. Its a pretty common issue on the 2GRs according to him. Guy seems really knowledgeable.

[@chakibElIdrissi]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/iH7Zm5uLi8-smZI

[@OOICU812]

Right. I came here after watching his video.

[@kevincrawford6734]

Yeah, me too ....just finished watching it.. Do what he suggested.. Keep an eye on it and clean it regularly .😊

[@Kevin09210]

@@kevincrawford6734 thats not a permanent solution 😅 but granted, the job is huge. I believe the pentastars from Chrysler also leak from the timing cover, but that one is much more easy, especially in longitudinal setup.

[@tylerjunkin6840]

A lot of Toyota engines have a major issue with timing cover leaks on the passenger side of the engine where the block meets the head. I have personally had to reseal multiple 1GR and 2GR engines this year due to that. It’s due to oil dripping down into that corner at the factory and the sealant never has a true chance to set.

[@michaelwelschmidt9338]

A blown seal from excess crankcase pressure would be my guess. Need high RPM for sustained periods to increase crankcase pressure to a level allowing blow by.

[@coronicus6681]

yeap.. overfill the oil a little cause we all know costumers just blindly adds oil when they see oil spots and hit the highway @65-70 for 30min.

[@johnevans9751]

@@coronicus6681 Another vote for an overfill.

[@fubartotale3389]

Judging by the butchered oil pan seal job, I'm going with they never cleaned up after the reseal.

[@ALLin-one1]

Am with #michael

[@LLYoutube565]

100% customer over fill, id bet on it.

[@AD-xt9og]

I worked as a bus fleet mechanic 36 years one of the things I was good at finding leaks like this one. I love troubleshooting. Your test drives should start off short and get longer with the engine working harder and getting hotter each time. If you go to far the first time you might just end up with oil every where again. If that does not get it done ask the customer what type of driving they do and go do that. The last hard leak I had was a leak P/S leak on a Ford 550. Other good mechanics had looked at it, so I new to take my time on it. You could clean it up, take it for a drive, no leak. So I found out that it was being drove around in the yard where the steering was going lock to lock. Found the leak was at full left turn and was a faulty casting, it was a leak right out the side of the cast iron case. A pin hole fault in the casting. I like to use Magnaflux Crack Detection Developer to find leaks, clean the engine like you did then spray that on it dries to a white power. A leak will show fast with this.

[@tonywestvirginia]

And who cares about the look of an interior of a car leaking oil???

[@theotherchannel2279]

@@tonywestvirginia I do!

[@aarontheidinut8926]

That leak powder is awesome A coworker showed me a crack in a block before that you could not see without the powder. Crack was less than 1" long but leaked oil. He said he had found porous blocks seeping oil that way before as well

[@desi4lyfe379]

Classic timing cover gasket leak- Car care nut youtube said it. If it is the case than please give some cold water to the customer before discussing the out the door cost since most Toyota's owner never thought spending thousands to replace a darn gasket.

[@wicky383]

As a former Toyota tech I've seen those 2GR's leak from the left front upper timing cover. The way the engine sits the rear bank is tilted back the oil likes to pool up in that spot and leaks out due to improper FIPG application.

[@chakibElIdrissi]

Just like explained here kzbin.info/www/bejne/iH7Zm5uLi8-smZI

[@smitty2jones]

Can you do this without removing the engine? It looks like there should be plenty of space, but prodemand says it requires pulling the engine.

[@steelwheels327]

I think a crank seal behind the harmonic balancer!! The oil is being slung by the balancer itself!!

[@davidkelley2336]

I have a Lexus with the same engine. It had developed a pin hole leak in the oil cooler line that suddenly blew oil all over the front passenger side of the engine. I found out later the rubber bends in the line were bad and the entire cooler line was a recall item that the dealer failed to notify us on. The dealer refused to cover it.

[@nuthinbutlove]

Damn

[@ahill007ny]

I was going to mention this, I knew it was common on the RX350 wasn't sure it applied to the Rav4. Terrible that they wouldn't cover it.

[@kazegakun]

I'm not sure on Lexus but I believe on Highlanders and RAVs it was an extended warranty coverage, not a recall or customer support campaign.

[@HawkingHorizon]

@@kazegakun The recall only replaced the rubber section of the pipe with a thicker rubber section, which was still at risk of developing pinhole leaks after a prolonged period of time, it was fixed in the later models by an all steel pipe, which is backwards compatible with earlier versions of the 2GR-FE.

[@kazegakun]

@@HawkingHorizon The recall must have been before my time at Toyota, I've put more than a few of the steel countermeasure parts on older Highlanders though.

[@970357ers]

You need to get a couple of go-pros or knockoffs you can leave pointing at areas of the engine while driving. Would be handy for suspension noises as well.

[@Euroburger]

It's obviously a ghost leak for Halloween... 😅🎃🎃

[@nuthinbutlove]

😂🏆

[@Scarface693]

More scary too 😱

[@cnorton1us]

My guess is it needs high oil pressure and/or high RPM for the leak to occur, so it may take some sustained interstate driving to find it. Perhaps something involving the variable valve timing but only when it's shifted to the high speed setting.

[@icuranis4597]

The car care nut has done many of these and he says it's the front timing cover requiring a reseal. He mentioned this video as he performed the same service. This is an engine out procedure. Also not mentioned directly is using the correct Toyota sealer, I have a tube in my garage. Great stuff. This leak occurs where the head junctions join the block.

[@MostGenericUser]

I've seen a lot of cars where the oil leaks are difficult to find even with cleaning and dye. Sometimes it's just a matter of someone spilling oil while pouring it in during an oil change and just not cleaning it up afterwards.

[@cb-gz1vl]

I've seen it where someone complains of a leak but really its as you say and the over spill pooled in a well somewhere and shaking caused it to dribble down.

[@throwback19841]

That would be clean oil though. Fairly obvious when that's happened.

[@MostGenericUser]

@@throwback19841 maybe if they just spilled it but if it's sat on greasy and grimey engine for a little while it's harder to tell especially since people usually clean the easy to reach spots and the nooks and crannies where the oil dripped down in to stays there for a lot time and tricks you into thinking the leak is in that area

[@Hedonistic0Frog]

One oil leak I had was very perplexing until I went to look at where it was coming from. On my 1999 Mercdedes SL500 it would leak a lot of oil if you parked it facing down hill but not the other way around. There's an oil temperature sensor on the top of the oil pan that juts to the front passenger side of the pan, so when it faced down hill the oil pooled there and constantly leaked out. It was extra surprising because I owned the car for two months before I parked it facing down hill in my driveway.

[@kiljoysvnzr0]

I keep waiting for Mike to go into Halloween mode and every time the Wizard tells him the next step he hunches over and says " Yes Wissssard! YESSS!

[@thebonefish]

My Corolla had an intermittent oil slick on the back of the engine that turned into an oil spill. The oil pressure sender turned out to be cracking. Haunted the car from 130k to nearly 190 when it finally split.

[@musikomax]

I worked at a toyota stealership and the oil pressure sensor is a occurrent common problem.

[@davebrown9725]

Had the oil pressure sensor start to leak on my 1980 Corolla 5-speed wagon, it was just pouring out. Of course it broke off flush with the block when I tried to remove it. Then the extractor broke, also flush with the block... Long weekend, but fixed it. Was a fun car, until it got over 200k miles & got scary in rush hour commuting, because no ABS. I had a good indy mechanic back then, fortunate because starter went out, ignition went out & a couple others issues beyond my repair abilities.

[@dodge33445]

Exxon Valdeez!

[@Spring794]

I think some of the 3.5 V6 engines did have oil leaks from the front timing cover. Wonder if this one did or if it was suspected to be from there as all that was apart before.

[@azlindy4147]

Yes, the is quite a bit of info on youtbe. Back of engine where head meets the block at the timing cover.

[@notman05]

Is it possible the owner is overfilling the oil? (Causing it to push out somewhere)

[@970357ers]

Was just about to post this.

[@neilmurphy845]

I think they didn't tighten the oil cap or its a pcv valve that's not opening fully

[@skidcraft1998]

There would be a lot of smoke out of the exhaust if that was the case

[@Ryan2022]

This generation was nicer than the 4th generation

[@StewsReplay]

Maybe Filled the oil but forgot to put the cap back on...oil spills everywhere but no leak after cap put on.

[@MichaelRodriguez-nw5dt]

The most common oil leak on 2GR FE (the V6 RAV4) is the over-torqued filter housing but that would be obvious to find. These engines are usually good for 300K miles without many hiccups.

[@scarrollnz]

Hey @car wizard, the camshaft oil feed lines for the variable valve timing were just rubber lines, and a common failure in the 2GRs in 07 era. My Toyota Blade Master here in New Zealand was an 09 and this was solved by then thankfully. Hope this helps!

[@obsoleteprofessor2034]

We noticed a thing on windy days on California's Interstate 5. Pickups would come in with a spray under the hood and the automatic transmission low on oil, with no drive. Customer would state that they'd hear a whoosh, smell oil, they the drive would quit. The hint was that the dipstick was always pushed out a little. What was happening was that these people were pushing hard against a headwind and the oil in the torque converter would flash (explode) and push itself out the weak points. One was a Cummins Dodge that sprayed oil all over the hot turbo and it caught on fire. The people were lucky to get it stopped in time to climb out.

[@bradcollins7452]

Oil cooler hoses are super common on the 2GRFE engines, originally come with rubber hoses which rub through over the years and burst

[@v--p]

This is a 2012 model, they were metal on all 2GRFE sometime in 2010. Also you can see the line is metal when they're showing the top of the engine.

[@steveolive9991]

I am confused....he never solved where the oil leak is located. He must have had to get help from The Car Care Nut.

[@letsdothis9063]

I love the way that you use the techs nicknames. That definitely adds legitimacy (as if it were needed) to your channel. It definitely keeps it real. Lol

[@Steven-yl4lg]

Always joy to watch, thank you always.

[@daveself6386]

Once you get it clean get some spray foot powder from the store and give it a good coating. It acts like developer for dye penetrate. The leak will really show through the white powder. Easy clean up and cheap

[@samholdsworth420]

Lucky you! You won a price!!

[@daveself6386]

@@samholdsworth420 yeah really what is the price???

[@samholdsworth420]

@@daveself6386 lol 😂

[@andrewweltlich9065]

First thing that comes to my mind is a thermostatically controlled oil cooler. The oil cooler could be leaking but if Magic Mike didn't get the oil hot enough, oil wouldn't be getting into the cooler.

[@Vincent-ke5zn]

I think that you're right about that whatever caused the oil leak was repaired and it wasn't cleaned up

[@Mike_44]

Yup, based on The Car Care Nut channel, it looks like the whole engine has to come down to fix this leak. And the worse part, the leak tends to come back..

[@zhvonte]

Magic Mike "The rear end looks really good, nice and tight". Now we know! LOL

[@spcychckn601]

I have the same engine in my 07 Camry and the common problem with these engine is premature water pump failure around 70k-90k miles, if I had to guess they probably RTV the water pump housing gasket, and in the video it looks like the water pump might have been changed, I’d check around there

[@84gssteve]

My sister's 2010 Escape 3.0L had a pretty bad oil leak from the timing cover and I was sure it would be the gasket maker at the seams or the corners. Turns out there was one spot on the rear cylinder bank that was leaking oil from the back side of a bolt hole, where the timing cover mates to the head. Just pulled that bolt, RTV on the threads and ran it back in. I did the valve cover gaskets for good measure, but I was pleased I didn't have to pull the timing cover.

[@allendrake3150]

All I know about those 3.5 liter v-6s are that oil cooler lines (are rubber between metal) and are notorious for breaking and the timing cover is notorious for leaking. The only other thing would be oil consumption due to intervals between oil changes being too long, factory recommends every 10k miles but should be done every 5k at the max. Never heard of any mystery oil leaks either. So, i'm stumped as well, all knowing Wizard of mechanics...lol

[@socalpunk05]

I would love to see ur process of cleaning the oil off

[@andyossie]

I could only think it could be more caused by more heat cycling that would cause a crack or a gap to open from heat expansion. Edit: I was thinking when looking at the vvt pipes that may be not leaking until the revs are high enough to start working the cam phasers and then start pushing oil through a cracked line or something 🤔.

[@MB-xq3ol]

You have to get it HOT then park it, get a piece of plywood then put it under and get a square so you can put it back in exact same position. I have a mercedes diesel and the valve cover leaks when its hot after sitting but if you drive it and park it with short drive no leaks.

[@Ron-kn6ur]

I have the same engine in my 2007 Toyota RAV4 and had to repair an oil leak, this year, from the timing cover gasket at 144,000 miles. The mechanic also found a leaking water pump at the same time.

[@mattmartinolc]

I had something like this on one of my vehicles. I never found a leak and came to assume it was spillage from a previous oil change or something since there was never any problem with oil level

[@jeffrey88888]

Those Toyota engines had a butterfly valve in the air box controlled by vacuum pressure lines. Perhaps the hose is cracked?

[@mattbrown5511]

I'd be asking about recent oil changes, etc. that would have caused spillage that may not have gotten cleaned up.

[@ronaldspins]

It's a rubber hose that has a pinhole leak ...like the VVT-i line from the engine oil supply or a oil cooler line leak , could be that now since it is not summer the defective rubber lines are colder and harder and self sealed . These rubber hose parts have upgraded replacement hoses , sometimes even using a metal line replacement.

[@ccoder4953]

My sister has a RAV4 that's the same year, same engine, even the same color as that one. It had an oil leak from the factory. The dealer had to pull the engine (under warranty) to fix it. Never heard what exactly was leaking.

[@ajoconnor80]

I bet it’s leaking from the timing cover on the rear bank (bank 1) where the cam tower meets the block, it’s low pressure so will take a long time to show up while simply running the engine. The sealer used to seal the oil pan isn’t Toyota F.I.P.G. (Should be black) and the engine needs to be removed to remove and reseal the timing cover, which likely was not done. Seems like a shoddy prior repair attempt! I am a huge fan of your channel as well as the car ninja, hoovies garage or course lol, and a 20 year Toyota master technician here in Massachusetts. Very interested to see what you find.

[@bigpicturethinking5620]

I love FIPG. The stuff is incredible.

[@aussieausbourne1]

I had a similar problem years back the car had a leak from the FMS i replaced and it stayed bone dry for months until after I topped up the crankcase and didn't put the cap on tight it let oil spray from there all over the engine bay and I thought oh god no it about to blow but the relief I felt when I saw the loose cap that fix it was just so great

[@nix123ism]

Because it's had work on the Camchain cover area in the past, as you noted, I would check all the pipes,lines that had to be removed to do this in case the last mechanic accidently left a breather hose off or connected a pipe to the wrong connector, something like a oil breather pipe not connected or connected to the wrong thing?...

[@diverdave4056]

Ole Blue now has 462,000 miles on it and I clean and detail the engine 3 to 4 times per year... Some mechanics have complained ,that I keep it clean and others say it so nice to be able to work on my car and not end up getting their hands dirty ! its a lot easier to find a fluid leak when everything is clean !

[@Hedonistic0Frog]

I don't know why anyone would complain about working on a clean engine. I pressure wash all of my car's engines after I fix oil leaks, I don't get as dirty and it's easier to see if anything is wrong. If you're doing something like a valve cover gasket the last thing you want is debris falling into the head as well so I blow the area clean with compressed air.

[@samholdsworth420]

@@Hedonistic0Frog nothing like packing your fingernails with grease that doesn't come out

[@markcavandish1295]

@@Hedonistic0Frog Scotty Kilmer says not to, as too many electrical parts could be damaged. I do it once a year though.

[@Hedonistic0Frog]

@@markcavandish1295 Scotty Kilmer isn't a reputable source imo. I've pressure washed dozens of cars engine bays and not once did it cause any issues. They were mostly 20+ years old as well.

[@markcavandish1295]

@@Hedonistic0Frog yeah, I take most of what Scotty says with a grain or two of salt. But he has helped me fix a few things on my cars.

[@PrvtChurch]

It's funny he mentioned checking the spare isn't low because I owned a '12 RAV4 that had a persistent leak in the spare that set off the TPMS and constantly flashed a tire pressure warning light at me.

[@bwest-yq3uc]

A dead battery in the valve stem will give you the flat tire warning light. Already replace two in my Sienna.

[@ElectroPig]

I know a guy who put in too much oil once, and it created an overpressure "somewhere" that spewed oil EVERYWHERE...but once the level was correct, it stopped. Can't remember what it was that got damaged, but he eventually found and replaced it...AND paid more attention to oil levels from then on.

[@rickaser2383]

My 2012 Camry Hybrid had a small oil leak due toa clogged PCV valve; pressure damaged it and oil was oozing out. Wasn't upset with the PCV valve going bad, but the Toyota shop broke the plastic intake manifold when changing it. Service advisor told me that was not uncommon, but dealer refused to cover it, cost over $600 for the manifold. And cost the dealer a new car sale.

[@dominickserignese8837]

I wonder if the customer possibly has taken it to an oil change facility and they spilled oil when replacing it.

[@oleandreaswilladssen7290]

How about a massive spilling of oil during service/filling. And/or massive over-filling of oil, causing the engine to spit it out through unusual places when heaten enough.

[@johnmilligan2964]

My younger brother is a Toyota Master Tech and he said that it's the back vv-t feed line. He said that you haven't gotten it hot enough to leak yet. He said that Toyota had a TSB about it a few years ago.

[@jesusmercado6947]

I believe it might be cylinder head gasket where the oil drinks back into the block. I am having the same problem with my Acura RSX it's hard to find the oil leak

[@Rollin18Wheeler]

The only thing I can think of is maybe the oil cap wasn't tight or the filter wasn't tight if you're not finding any other leaks I have no idea other than that

[@mikebetz3064]

Oil cooler lines were recalled on the 3.5 for excessive leakage out of the rubber hose. Replacement has metal tubes.

[@markmiller3407]

Oil cooler lines and VVT hoses are pressure lines so you’ll will know if they are leaking.

[@langer97]

I have this RAV4 V6 for over 6 years with the same issue, after about a year of hunting for the oil leak, it's the timing chain cover.

[@CosRacecar]

My first thought would be the vvti oil lines. If you didn't thrash on it during the test drive, it might not have gotten to the point where it was sending oil through the vvti system.

[@patrickscott3378]

My guess is a timing cover leak. Toyota has a tsb on this .Check to see if that is one of the engines that has to be resealed.

[@Airman..]

It's the timing cover gasget maker leaking from corners, maybe camshaft housing too, very common issues in the 2GR engines

[@ChrisVargasrpht2000chris]

That should be the 2GR-FE engine with the 3.5 V6 which is typical for Jiffy Lube-type shops and even dealers that when filling they can spill in their rush to get the job done and with the plastic cover they spill all over the valve cover and forget to clean it up. That would be my guess.

[@wacabby]

my guess: at high crankcase vacuum could be pulling out oil vapors, a defective oil seperator (im not familiar with these engines) and then having it accumulate to liquid in the intake and elbow piping during valve overlap / scavenging and then condensing out at the lowest point.

[@bryanmoskowitz8976]

Was the oil fill cap off? Then some one saw it and put it back. Just residual oil everywhere.

[@andybub45]

2GR is common for timing cover leaks. They can leak pretty bad.

[@randyfitz8310]

The 3.5L is really large for that chassis, should be geared tall for mpg which would translate to long engine life, too!

[@brianmirras8590]

The silicone isn't making a tight seal and as it runs it comes out. Just had this happen with a 2019 ford 150 oilpan if you don't do it exactly right on it with the exact right step by step in resealing it it starts to leak but not at idle only when under load.

[@tectorama]

Blocked crankcase breather pipe ? A strange one indeed. Maybe after a drive it will show up.

[@labourlawact7826]

I ❤ it when the Wizard works on Toyota's. They seldom need work, that's why we don't see many at Omega. ☺👍

[@samholdsworth420]

It's a RAV4 🤮

[@vincedibona4687]

Which is a Toyota. 👍🏻

[@labourlawact7826]

Toyota RAV 4. Toyota Hilux. Toyota Landcruiser. Toyota Prado. Toyota Corolla. Toyota Camry. Etc, etc. ☺

[@alg003]

The "repainted" front bumper I likely not the original one that it came with, it's likely a replacement, probably from an accident, which would explain all the other new parts. It's a different color as it's likely from a different model year or a new part entirely.

[@darrylbarger3795]

I owned a used 2007 V6 Rav and it had what I think is the same oil leak. My Son in Law is a Master Toyota tech and as soon as he saw it he said the engine needed to be dropped out and the whole front/(passenger side)of the engine cover needed to be removed and gasket replaced and sealed. They are known for leaking there.

[@shoersa]

Timing chain cover gasket leaking - Car Care Nut.

[@patluvsvettes]

That oil pan with the silicone around it would be my prime suspect! My guess is that it developed a pinhole leak, they sealed it with more silicone, but didn't clean off the oil. I'd drop the pan, clean off that silicone, and replace it with a factory oil pan gasket.

[@BigRW]

But wasn't the leak dripping from higher up on the engine?

[@homesold]

They don’t have a “gasket” from the factory, as it is all RTV. The repair here was just sloppy

[@philippreitshammer]

Simply had the oil dip stick not quite on for some time. Doesn't need much and when you check it you might fix it with little effort so you don't even realise what you did. Happened to me before

[@glennbeadshaw727]

I think that when there was front end damage maybe the oil cooler was leaking... and then repaired when everything else was repaired but the oil never cleaned off.

[@Jmdp.94]

That's the 2GR-FE engine, our '05 Avalon has it, it's a very solid powertrain, surprisingly great on gas and very reliable.

[@HawkingHorizon]

Agreed, only achilles heels are the water pump (usually fails earlier than expected) and the original rubber VVTI return line.

[@Jmdp.94]

@@HawkingHorizon Well, fingers crossed then because our water pump is still the original with 183k miles on the odometer

[@Melanie16040]

Curious what fuel economy y'all get with your Avalon? I've got an 06, just turned over 245k with the original water pump.

[@dingdong2103]

It knocks like a diesel though

[@SKuLLxKruSHeR]

Im guessing something in the PCV system is leaking, possibly only under high load (such as driving uphill)

[@cvr24]

There are no hills in Kansas.

[@erikgutierrez1708]

The timing cover is your culprit. They leak were the head, block and timing cover meet. Could take sometimes over 1k miles depending on the severity of the leak to see any drips. It’s all fipg/silicone that holds those parts along with the upper and lower pans which have to come off to do that repair. If the surfaces haven’t been cleaned properly and oil residue gets on the silicone before it dries it will eventually leak again even if it has been done previously which is what I would assume. If you do the repair make sure to take the timing chain tensioner bolts loose not off which sits right above the area were it leaks to clean off any oil residue behind there that might get on the silicone when assembling the timing cover back together to avoid contamination before it dries. I would also recommend the black oil fipg from Toyota and proper application of silicone according to the repair manual to avoid this down the road since it’s a time consuming repair. It’s also recommended to replace the little rubber gaskets and what not during this repair. Your local Toyota/Lexus dealership should be able to have a parts list of what is needed since this is a common repair.

[@CouchMan88]

Oil fill is right above that. Possibly someone did a very sloppy oil change or top off leading to a bunch of oil spilling on the side of the engine.

[@marcusvaldes]

I suspect that when the engine cools and contracts is when you will find a leak. I'm going to guess oil pan.

[@echobeefpv8530]

So cool to see an almost exact same car as my own ( 2012 Rav 4, 4cyl., basic ). Boring as hell, but I'm keeping mine in great shape, and I'm trying for 4 to 500K. Cheap to run, maintain and insure, and parts are available ( though pricey ).

[@stubryant9145]

You guys with 4 cyl RAVs- do you see the ATF turn dark way before many other cars would. Had the dealer change it when I bought it used. Used cars were scarce & we were desperate. Makes me think I should pretend it is a CVT when it comes to service interval (how they should be serviced not what factory claims)

[@echobeefpv8530]

@@stubryant9145 I can't speak for anyone but myself, but I had my car ( tranny included ) checked over front to back this spring after 40,000 K of use. Tranny showed no problems, no service needed. I will check it , however, now that you have mentioned it. I stand behind my purchase , though. The Rav has been a very reliable car, and very easy to maintain. The 4cyl is pretty gutless, but I'm not using it like that anyway, mine's a weekend getaway car.

[@stubryant9145]

@@echobeefpv8530 I wouldn't classify ours as a hotrod, but neither would I call it gutless. If I can still accelerate to 70 while going up a steep grade while fully loaded it isn't exactly gutless in my book. I'm pretty pleased aside from the tranny fluid discoloration. I've heard of others who noticed the same thing, but no mention about consequences beyond the color. Good thing is it doesn't smell burnt.

[@Rikki-D]

I've had my 2009 Toyota Rav4, 4/Cylinder SUV for 11 Years & have not had any Major Problems so far. I bought it "Used" in 2012 & it "Still" drives great with 112,000 Miles. I would not say it is a Gutless Car. I've taken it on the Road numerous times & it's great on Gas. The only "downside" with this Vehicle for me is that it does not have very Good Traction in Rainy or Winter Weather & is not a Heavy Weight Vehicle. I thought about "Upgrading" to a Newer Model but didn't want a Car Note so, I will continue to keep the Maintenance up until it is time for it to go to Car Heaven 🚙 😊

[@Rikki-D]

@echobeefpv8530: ME TOO! 🚙😉

[@nicholasnorris4393]

I'm on my 2nd Toyota. The first one was a 2007 Tacoma that I bought new and had It through December 2017. It had a minor oil leak the last stretch I had it. The only repair was when the drive shaft went at 120k something miles. I traded it in for a 2014 Camry that I bought used that was originally a lease car with 19k miles in Dec 17. The only repairs on the Camry were cv axel assembly on the drivers side and a ceased break caliper on passenger side which were both last year. Other then that it was just routine mantainece.

[@mikeresnik]

there is a driveline place near me that cuts the yoke off and welds a new serviceable one on in its place, i have used several of them on customer cars over the years

[@roydrink]

I’d check the grommet flem bearing for the non-turbo encabulater.

[@dougclark9917]

Looks like Magic Mike gets a new ride home for the evening and a little bit more seat time.

[@cuzshoot]

I had an o-ring split on the oil cooler on my Tacoma. It wouldn't always leak, but when it did it was a flood.

[@hamza78]

According to "Car Care Nut" channel (Toyota Tech) this is classical timing cover leak which is very slow and and times hard to track down. He recently did a video on precisely this engine for this issue.

[@Mr-pn2eh]

I think the previous mechanic just didn't clean up the oil thus the customer mistook it for an oil leak.

[@demetri1651]

I think the previous mechanic didn’t clean up the oil leak.

[@cbruno12180]

Pretty easy to see if loosing oil the customer is an idiot I would of just checked oil level first!! Are u serious lol

[@elihernandez330]

I think the previous mechanic purposely spilled oil over the engine to charge for a bunch of phony oil leak repairs.

[@philip7134]

I have the exact same car with a V6 and it's reliable and quick as well. I guess it probably needs higher RPMs to find the issue. The big engine in that little car tempts you to floor it every now and then.

[@jagonabudget5773]

Timing cover gasket! Common Toyota issue, I fixed several. Hardens around the 100k mark, gets brittle and leaks. Oil must be hot to see leak. 2nd possibility is timing chain tensioner o-ring, but far less likely.

[@armaansandhu2610]

My brother bought a 2006 Toyota Avalon with around 160k miles on it. Same engine as this RAV4. I recommend him that car. Took it to Toyota Dealership for inspection and one of the things the service advisor recommended, however, not strongly at all was timing chain reseal and their reason was looks like at one point oil leaked from there. It doesn't leak now and does not seem to have leaked lately but resealing will ensure it doesn't happen again. Obviously no point on spending around 4 grand for that service when he paid $3.6k for it. But maybe the same magic happened here. At one point it leaked but doesn't anymore.

[@D_S_88]

I love toyotas. I currently own a 2002 Taco with ~209K miles on it. It's been absolutely bulletproof.

[@Texasknowhow]

I had a 2002 Tacoma, wish I’d kept it…

[@patluvsvettes]

2013 4-cylinder Tacoma with 180,000 miles. The most reliable vehicle I've ever owned!

[@TheBibliofilus]

That harmonic balancer/crank pulley looks a bit crooked though at 10:22 , someone has had the timing cover off and not been a professional about it with all that bad sealant. So i guess on a seal in the timing cover that only leaks once the engine gets really hot.

[@goenitzlopez2076]

Looks fine to me, you can't really install it crooked, it auto aligns

[@knocksensor3203]

It’s crooked because the oil soften the rubber, and it wants to separate

[@goenitzlopez2076]

@@knocksensor3203 that's not really crooked then that's the outer half of the balancer slightly loose which would not really cause the inner half to vibrate since it's a machined fit to the crank. The topic at hand is oil leak so yea that's not it

[@dingdong2103]

I believe that they just skipped cleaning the oil after the previous service...

[@davidkellogg2582]

The oil fill cap is around that area where all the oil was on the Motor. I wanna say who ever owned the car and changed the oil last had a very shakey hand and spilled oil on the Motor.

[@mikej8596]

There a VVTi line running on the back of that engine (2GRFE) that is known to leak. Replace the rubber line with an upgraded metal one and you’re good. If that isn’t it it just means the last mechanic did a poor job resealing the timing cover. Despite “Toyota quality” many of these engines also develop timing cover leaks with 0 accidents and regular oil changes.

[@Mis73rRand0m]

I'm interested because I just helped pull the 2gr-fe out of a GS350 to swap into my friend's MR2. There are a few catastrophic leaks that happen but i'm also interested in the mundane.

[@jacquesc3166]

Wow that should be a hoot to drive. Something like 25-75 front/rear weight distribution? 😅

[@Mis73rRand0m]

It's like 75lb heavier than the 3SGTE that's in it, but all the extra weight is forward of the rear axle so weight distribution will actually be improved.

[@paulandres8979]

I would love to have that engine in my MR2.

[@wjanis1]

Someone might have left the oil fill cap off for a while that would’ve made quite a mess and replacing it would seal everything back up. Especially after the accident repair.

[@1983dmd]

That's my guess, since the oil cap seems brand new....

[@MatrixEmpire08]

There are common 2GR leaks on the timing cover. I was aware of this when diagnosing my 2GR leak, but it ended up being from oil spilled from when someone was topping up the oil. It runs down that side and makes a horrible mess

[@vipercrazy9910]

Judging by the quality of the reseal job, I would guess there are multiple gaskets reused that are now leaking and bolts not torqued fully in multiple spots both causing leaks.

[@otarsulava]

For a small oil leaks, I used Lucas Stop Leak additive with a fresh oil change, it did worked on my 99 Jetta MK4, 2.0...✌️

[@nowanda2nd]

I would focus on the repaired areas and the loose bolt. This engine has been messed with, so the perfectly sealed gaps might be leaking at higher temps or engine under load. Everything expands at higher temps, even the gaps.

[@SportFury1966]

This. I suspect someone low-balled the repair quote, discovered engine damage, and did the absolute minimum to get the car out of their body shop. Their level of integrity and skill is on full display by the half-assed, indifferent mismatch of the new paint to the rest of the car.

[@martymiller4300]

Never remember seeing it on any Toyota but many Mazda and FWD Ford products leak surprising amounts of oil (all the way to the ground) when the hydraulic motor mounts fail. Especially the cone shaped hanger high at the timing drive end of the motor. Will leak enough to ride the drive belts and become an “everywhere” leak.

[@netdog713]

It might just be a leak that only happens when higher pressure builds up when the engine is under load