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How often do you check the subj for oil leaks. Is there a prescribed milage to go in and do them preemptively?
Did my e90 valve cover gasket this year. After 127k and 8 years the gaskets were brittle, like if they were made of hard plastic. One of the spark plug wells was getting seepage....
My GX just hit 150,000 miles so I decided it was time to do the spark plugs again.
Bad news! 4/8 spark plug wells had oil in them, including 2 on the side that the Lexus dealer "fixed". It seems like this is almost going to have to become a maintenance item on these engines.
The good news is that the engine wasn't misfiring or exhibiting any poor running symptoms. The oil didn't penetrate to the inside of the coilpacks where it makes the connection to the spark plug.
The job doesn't seem too hard to do, so this time I'm going to do the valve cover gaskets myself instead of paying the dealer $700 per side.
I am far from being a mechanic and a little confused with this. Oil in the spark plug wells are not causing any misfire from the plugs? So no oil is actually getting on the plug with this issue?
I am far from being a mechanic and a little confused with this. Oil in the spark plug wells are not causing any misfire from the plugs? So no oil is actually getting on the plug with this issue?
The coil packs which make the electrical contact with the spark plugs are sealed well enough to not let oil get inside of them and disrupt the connection. However the outside of the coilpack and any exposed surface of the spark plug is covered in oil.
I would think if this was left alone for too long the oil would eventually get inside the coil pack and cause misfires.
The coil packs which make the electrical contact with the spark plugs are sealed well enough to not let oil get inside of them and disrupt the connection. However the outside of the coilpack and any exposed surface of the spark plug is covered in oil.
I would think if this was left alone for too long the oil would eventually get inside the coil pack and cause misfires.
Thanks for putting up this post, I recently got a 2011 GX460, with 119K miles. should check the spark plugs and see for any oil. Upon looking up the service history there was no mention of any spark plug replacement or valve covers.
I just changed spark plugs with oil in 7 of the 8 spark plug tubes. I am wondering how much did it cost to get fixed. Did any one pay more than 660 (post # 13). Did any one got done at Toyota for less.
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On LS460 1UR-FSE V8 engine, this (bad spark plug tube seals) is also a problem. However, the spark plug tube seals on LS460 engine can be replaced without removing the valve cover (just use a screw driver to pop the tube seal out after the spark plug is loosened). Can the spark plug tube seals on the GX460 1UR-FS V8 engine be replaced without having to remove the valve cover?
Update: The answer is NO. GX460's spark plug seals are similar to GX470 spark plug seals, which must be installed from the inside of the valve cover. In contrast, LS460's spark seals are installed from the outside of the valve cover, despite the fact that LS460 1UR-FSE V8 engine and GX460 1UR-FS V8 engine are similar (GX460 engine doesn't have direct fuel injectors). Lexus designed the LS460 valve cover in such a way that the 1UR-FSE V8 engine plug seals can be replaced without the need to remove the valve cover.
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Last edited by yyymmm31; 02-12-21 at 01:11 PM.
Reason: updated
I have a 2010 GX 460 with about 160k miles on the clock. About 8 months ago, I discovered quite a few spark plugs completely bathed in oil as I was pulling them out for replacement. After doing some research, I noticed that this is a common issue with these engines, which after some time, the spark plug seals under the valve cover needs replacement. I took the car into a Toyota Dealer, they recommended the spark plugs tube seals replaced, which I paid for and did the repair, and went on my way. Fast forward to today (8 months later), I decided to inspect a few of the spark plugs to ensure everything with the repair was ok, and some of the plugs continue to have oil on them once again. I went ahead and returned the vehicle BACK to the Toyota Dealership that did the repair, and they are now saying that after using a camera on the spark plug tube, the oil is coming from the BOTTOM of the tube, which requires a full removal of the head in order to replace those seals. They recommend I do nothing, and just drive the car as this is unlikely to cause any issues.
Questions:
Can oil be injected into the spark plug tubes from the BOTTOM of the tube itself ?
Is their recommendation to do NOTHING really recommend ?
02-16-20, 11:01 AM
Valve cover and spark plug well seals
