tmotto

I have a 2014 es300h with 7400 miles. Recently the check engine light came on and the dealer diagnosed an oil control valve and something to do with camshaft timing. They also said something about removing valve covers to clean? Is this a potential sludge issue? They kept he car and gave me a loaner. They also opened a TSA with Lexus. My question is this: is this not incredibly unusual to have this issue with a new car? It almost makes me want to get rid of it before something else happens. Very disappointed.

Thanks.

Dave Mac

I have nothing to add but this is very interesting and I hope someone else responds. Or maybe I hope no one responds because they like me have never heard of this. Stay on your dealer to get an explanation of just what is wrong and why it happened. You have warranty coverage for a long time but something like this would still be upsetting.

Let us know what your dealer or Lexus says about this. Another reason why I know lease my cars. If you keep yours for a longer period you might as least ask for an extended warranty at no charge. And document everything very well - sometimes the owner is blamed for engine sludge issues - not at 7,500 miles. I can even imagine engine sludge at such low miles. I'm hoping he was just throwing some terms at you and you misunderstood.

Dave Mac

jim256

It might be good to post specifically what they said or wrote on the work order. This engine has been used for several years now on Camrys, lots with many more miles than that, so it could be nothing more than a one-off issue with a part or filter. Had you had an oil change? At the dealer?

IS350atWOT

iTrader: (1)

Wow! I have never heard of this on a new engine. this is something you hear about on high mileage cars. This should definitely be rare, especially for Lexus. Keep us posted.

Cerulean99

I had the same problem happen to my 2013 es300h. I had it serviced at the 5k interval, and at around 6k, I got the engine check light. When I took it to the dealer, they said the oil control valve had debris clogging it, and they replaced it.

chuckster1

Same issue with my 2014 ES300h. The check engine light came on at 2575 miles - a new record for this forum. Just barely half way to my first scheduled service. They gave me a loaner and ordered the Oil Control Valve (OCV). Got the car back the next day. They replaced the OCV and cleaned the valve cover oil passages.
A DPR ? was submitted and a TAS ? case number was assigned. I wasn't allowed to even touch the old part as they had it sealed in plastic and was returning it to Lexus for failure analysis.

Not sure what else to do now except hope it doesn't fail again during any long car trips away from my dealer. I'm very disappointed this happened but was pleased with the service department.

bc6152

This event is occurring on the 4 cylinder Toyota engines and only on the hybrids correct? Seems like three reports of failure of the same part indicates something going on.

SLH

At least this is not a safety issue. The oil-control valve is an electric solenoid valve that passes oil to a device that adjusts the valve timing. It allows the system to adjust the valve timing dynamically, to be more efficient when the computer decides that the power is not needed, as during cruise. It is an emissions issue, though, so it has to be fixed..

It does seem surprising that such a simple device would have so many defects. I expect they just got a bad batch... and the defect did not show up in the batch acceptance test.