jcjr

I have a 2001 RX 300 for about a year..It has 65K miles on it..Serviced by previous owner on his own...Oil changes every 5000 miles...

Expensive to fix....What causes these leaks??? Common??Uncommon??

Thanks...

salimshah

Use the search option and you will find enough hits.

The seal is at the exit point of the crank shaft from the engine towards the tranmission. There is one in the front (engine block front) behind the pully, but that ine is easier to replace. The labor is high as the engine has to be separared from the trans.

Typical reasons to leak:
Change in types of oil. eg dino to synthetic oil.
Age .. irrespective of milage.
Environment ... extreme cold to hot.
Vibration ... loose engine or transmission mount
Transmission overhaul

Salim

Fern

I also had mine fail on my '99 awd rx with 140,000 km (87000mi) 1 month after the trani was overhauled.

In my particular case I have a strong suspicion that overstressing of the seal area by "hanging of the trani during the removal or install proceedure is what caused it. In any case, I believe there is a rumour that the rear main seal part has been redesigned since original production.

As an additional note: the service advisor upon return of the car after rear main seal leak repair said, "don't worry, now it will never leak again", almost seams like he knew something he was not telling me about..

My cost to repair was $1100 CAD including a 15% discount at local Toyota dealership.

Part is $20-$30 & labour is what kills you... I believe the tech said around 9.5 hours which is pathetic when I know he did it in 1/2 a day.

Apparently very common on '99 models and I'm surprised jcjr that your having the issue on your '01

Good luck

dzell81

Quite a number of RX300 owners have had a problem with this, including my own 2000. The leak is so small that it never adds up enough to tell even after 3-4mi at the next oil change. Many people say that it will stop on its own eventualy and mine does seem to be slowing down (It has been leaking for 6 mo). It is quite expensive to fix and I have heard a number of different quotes, so please let us know if you get one.

Also, there are some products out there that are supposed to help. Most people suggest not to use the standard "stop-leak" oil additives, but i'm not sure exactly how bad they are. On to a solution: Auto-RX is a great product that many people will speak wonders of. Check out the website that I got from someone else on here a few months ago: (http://www.auto-rx.com/pages/sealleak.htm). I have not tried it yet, but am planning on it.

Hope this helps..

Lexmex

My uncle has used AutoRX down here as I have mentioned before, and although it does not work in every occasion, I have rarely seen anything else that will work at all. TunedRX300 has been using this product in the RX300.

jcjr

Thanks for all the info.....Toyota dealer has given me a 12 hour labor quote with an "employee" rate of about $50/hour....

Have done some research(probably should have done more before) and there may have been a switch to synthetic at one change interval and then back to regular oil...

Why would the switch affect the seal???

May other issues arise beacuse of the switch???

I was thinking about switching to synthetic before this problem arose..??

Suggestions....Please

Thanks agin!!!

salimshah

As gleaned from posts, the dino oil tends to swell up the rubber seals and synthetic shrinks them back. When selas swell up they provide a better seal but then it also wears down due to rub.

Dino vs synthetic is a long discussion, but if dino oil is replaced at the right interval, then there is nothing wrong with it.

Depending on the level of leak [annoyance (pee marks) to worry about engine damage (loose more than you can add)]

1. Play with oil (weight and type).
2. Put a cardboard in garage and keep topping the oil.
3. Get the work done.

Based on your comfort level look into additives (I have left them out).

Salim

TunedRX300

My experience with AutoRX is positive so far, it slowed the leak that I got and hopefully when I complete the treatment, leak will be 100% stopped.
Using chemistry to remove the cause of leak is an elegant and cost effective option.
AutoRX is not a snake oil, in fact, during my cleaning phase (change dino oil + 10 oz of AutoRX + 1500 miles), I cut open the oil filter and saw hard sludge.
This confirms my belief that using sludge or deposit from engine oil over the years to cover up a leak won't solve the problem, it merely cover it up until a bigger one surface.
It is much better to clean the junk off seal and make it pliable with a non-abrasive natural ester based cleaner such as AutoRX.
The real obastacle is human psychology: here is a product that proved its value to someone, would one be open minded to give it a try or be closed minded and think surgical mechanical repair is the only way to fix a leak?

I used a FRAM Extra Guard for ARX cleaning

Pull pleats open

Hard sludge I scrapped off filter element

Sludge in the oil trapped inside oil filter

salimshah

TunedRX:

There are claims, then there are testiments which are reassuring.

My apprehension is based on possible side-affects. As a habit I only share information with readers and reccomend the stuff that I truly believe in.

Oil additive is something I have not fully reserached, but the chemistry behind sealing properties always carries the risk of choking a supply channel.

Salim

BronzeRex

Its common for them to leak I changed plenty of them. Even on some ES300's

TunedRX300

Actually I was skeptical to Auto-RX's claim when Lexmex recommends it to me. After I found too many independent users with positive experience, I decide to give it a try.
Lexus dealer replaced both cam seal and rear main seal under warranty several month before my current leak, so apparently the leak is caused by something else (for my case).

Auto-RX is a natural lanolin ester, its property is very similiar to group 5 motor oil such as Redline. It is not a harsh chemical you flush the engine with. Instead, Auto-RX clean slowly, too slow for my taste: the recommendation is to drive 1500 miles for cleaning phase, 2000 miles for rinsing phase.
I will complete the rinsing phase by this weekend, I will post more pictures and findings.

jcjr

How long is the warranty on rear main seal???How many miles??
Thanks

toy4two

before dropping that coinage, I would recommend Valvoline MaxLife Dino Oil. Do it for your next 2 oil changes (3 if really bad), it worked to swell up a valve stem seal in a Toyota MR2. That stuff has more swelling additives in it.

If you are barely losing any oil I wouldn't spend the money on a seal replacement yet.

mikey00

I was thinking along the same lines. When or if my seal begins to leak I was planning on trying Quaker State for high milegae cars which does the same thing.

TunedRX300

You need to take a look at the User's Manual or Extended Warranty coverage if you bought CPO.
Take a look this thread, the owner was in the same situation, he stopped the leak and got rid of sludge with Auto-RX.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=133449