lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

No, I do not agree with that premise. Something went wrong on some of the engines, not all, and we honestly can't say many. We can only say we've seen a surprising number amongst the forum members. I really doubt the sealant is at fault, the factory uses this on every coolant pump on every Toyota product. If the sealant was the problem, Threebond would have fixed it long ago.

I would go back and eat some humble pie. Tell them you misunderstood the problem and that you know it would have been obvious if the condition existed when the ELF recall was done, but since it was not present then, this is a more recent development. Show some pictures, and explain many dealerships have been able to diagnose this with a borescope looking underneath the intake manifold in a few minutes. With the picture above, that should be a pretty easy sell.

If your warranty does not cover this, you bought a really horrible warranty.

No worries. Just beg forgiveness with your SA and cross your fingers for your warranty.

mindcrime

iTrader: (2)

previous owner had to get the ELF recall done prior to sale to smog and register car, I don't think my valley plate was leaking(previous owner didn't mention it was to me) and i hope it never does.

Durrby

iTrader: (3)

I checked with the warranty company and they said as long as the leak is cause by an internally lubricated part or caused by some factory defect it will be covered and I'll just be responsible for the deductible. I would be fine with that.

The kicker is the shop manager called me earlier and said they are still unable to find a leak, without starting to tear the car apart which they will not be doing for free. He said they've checked everything high and low and can't find anything by using flashlights and mirrors after the pressure test came back good. Since it's a closed system he said if it were to leak they would've seen it. They didn't see any dried coolant on the back side of the transmission nor did they smell any coolant which he said should still be noticeable even within the valley plate.

If they tear it apart to check it out with a borescope as you suggested earlier in this thread and don't find a leak I'll have to eat the cost of the diagnostic fee. If they find coolant there then it's up to the warranty adjuster if they want to cover the repair or not.

Either way I want closure to this as I'm not willing to settle for just having them top it off when it goes low time and time again. So the warranty company told me to have Lexus call them directly tomorrow and get the ball rolling with this. Dealer said my other option is to have them start removing injectors and plugs etc which they said would be less invasive but more time consuming.

ISF350

My '08 has 96k miles now. I don't have extended warranty. If I bring my car in, will lexus take care of this matter ?

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

They will need to lift the manifold to see if it is leaking at the valley plate. However, if it is passing a pressure test, there is something else going on. There is no way you would pass a pressure test with a valley plate leak. The other thing to do is take an oil sample and see if there is coolant in the oil. I would have suggested sending it to Blackstone labs, but recent conversations in the RC F forum make me suspicious of their ability to do a good analysis. It is possible there is a crack in one of the heads or one of the cylinders and it is spraying coolant slowly into a cylinder. This would show up in a UOA as coolant in the oil because it would wash down the rings into the sump, but would not show up on a pressure test with the engine at room temperature.

If I were you, this is what I would do next - take an oil sample, send it to Polaris, Analyst, ANA, ALS Tribology, Test Oils, Tribologik or another lab with ISO 17025 certification. This is really important. Blackstone is not and will likely never be certified so I would not trust their results and analysis for something this important. If there is coolant in the oil, you have a seriously compromised engine and it needs to be fixed or replaced. Lots of things can go wrong on a production line, so it is always possible your engine isn't quite up to snuff. A good UOA will help immensely in determining root cause of the issues you are having.

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

Depends on how much you have spent in the service department. I get nothing because I've paid nothing, but when I had ELF done, there were no signs of a valley plate leak. I am certain if there were, I would have got a phone call about the "issue" with my engine.

Durrby

iTrader: (3)

I had them do an oil change while it was also in for the airbag recall. Would it show in oil that new? I assume so if it's potentially leaking into it. We can't seem to make any sense of how it doesn't dip below the low mark once it gets that low.

It's funny you mention that it could be a crack in one of the heads/cylinders because my SA rambled something off about them thinking that when she originally told me they were gonna need to pull the motor to find where it's going.

It doesn't show on my end anymore but I remember reading the service history once. At the time of the ELF recall the previous owner mentioned something about a possible crack in the coolant reservoir as he was low on coolant. They also couldn't find a leak but said there was "blow by" on the front of the motor. I'm assuming that was when the water pump leak was first noticed. That was back in May '15 at 26.5k. When I had the water pump replaced it was at 37k in December '15 it's currently at 42k.

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

If it is leaking substantially, it won't matter how recently the oil was changed. There will be coolant in the oil and it will be obvious there is an issue - blown head gasket, cracked cylinder, cracked cylinder head, etc.. These things don't necessarily show up on a pressure test if the engine is not at operating temperature. Cracks are funny, and if you've ever chased a boost leak, you know what I am talking about.

blackisF08

iTrader: (2)

i am surprised people are having this much of a hassle to get this leak fixed

mindcrime

iTrader: (2)

yes. did you get the ELF recall done yet?

Durrby

iTrader: (3)

A borescope was used and I was vaguely told today that it appears to be coming from the heat exchanger. They're going through the warranty company red tape at this point. They told me I may have to pay for a few things the warranty won't cover, hoses etc. Was also told that if they happen to break the wire harness protector that they won't cover that. Since I have an RR Racing titanium intake elbow and air/oil separator they can't accurately factor in labor time so I may be responsible for a portion of it. We're making progress.

SoulFreak

iTrader: (1)

I got my car back yesterday, not sure how I feel this morning about the valley leak plate. The whole process went without a hitch. The dealership gave me no problems whatsoever getting this fixed. This morning I checked the reservoir tank and its sitting in low. Also, my wiring harness cover is gone...I think I read it breaks easily when removing it. Instead I got black tape covering the wires now. I do have coolant to top it off, just wondering if I should do it or not? I haven't turned the car on at all.

toyer14

have the valley leak issue,what should i be paying to get this fixed?

SoulFreak

iTrader: (1)

The real answer is you shouldn't be paying anything. It should be covered under the powertrain warranty. If you're out of warranty, some have paid anywhere between $500-2k range. That's including some with goodwill assistance from Lexus and some without. On that note, I would get Lexus Corp. involved if you're out of warranty. In my case it was on their dime, since I'm still under warranty. They also didn't list the costs on the invoice. Everything listed is zeroed out.

toyer14

lexus corp is paying half,just tryin to not get ripped off