Front timing cover leak??
 

Hello all,

This is my first post here. I own a 2013 lexus ES350 and have had it for almost a year now. I purchased it from a lexus dealership on a trade in for a daily driver / commuter car to get back and forth to work to keep the miles down on my other vehicle. I love the car it runs and drives great. It had 85k miles on it when i purchased it and i just hit 90k. It has a stellar maintenance record due to the previous owner worked for lexus. I got the transmission serviced with a drain and fill when I first bought it since it hadn't been done before that, it had the oil changed at 85k miles right when I bought it and I just changed it again when I hit 90k. It has had religious oil changes every 5k miles and every other recommended service in between. So my reason for this post is I periodically look under the vehicle for any leaks and just to check things out under there and I noticed what appears to be the dreaded front timing cover leak. Ill add a pic for reference. I was wondering if you guys could give your opinion on what it is and if you think my guess is correct. And if It is indeed the front timing cover how severe does it look? I noticed it seems that oil may be flinging or spraying in that area so im not sure if it could possibly be the timing cover dripping on the axel and flinging oil as I drive or if it could possibly be the metal VVTi line spraying a little bit of oil? I know if the VVTi line is leaking thats a way cheaper fix but needs to be addressed immediately but if its a timing cover leak the whole engine needs to come out however I can wait a little bit to repair it depending on the severity of the leak. I havent seen any oil drips on my garage floor though. Any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks everyone.
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I'm going to guess timing cover gasket and based on the pic plus the lack of oil on your garage floor I'd say that the quantity is almost nothing.

I would park it over a drip tray and keep driving.

Take action to fix it when it actually starts dripping imo.

Thanks for the reply kelby. This is what I was thinking as well. Im going to clean it with some degreaser and see how long it takes to come back and just keep an eye on it for now. I know the dealership charges an arm and a leg for that repair but i dont know of any specialty mechanics in my area ( south NJ ) that work on toyota / lexus specificaly and are trustworthy. I wish I lived close to the car care nut lol. The car is in fantastic shape and runs and drives great too so it puts me in a situation to make a decision if I want to fix a 13 year old car or not. Time will tell

Unless you have already done so, I would not clean it off. I did with mine and it started leaking more lol.

I actually have not cleaned it off yet but I was going to later today. I was going to wipe it down with some degreaser and keep an eye on it but maybe ill just let it be and keep an eye on it. Did yours start actively dripping and leaving oil drips on the ground after you cleaned it? Thank you for the tip its greatly appreciated!

I don't think this is the timing cover leak. I would rather say it is coming from the inner drive shaft boot.
I would clean it with brake cleaner, just spray it all over and then monitor what is going on.


Also, check the boot for any leaks.

This looks like grease flung from the end of cv axle boot, not an oil leak. A little grease can escape the boot end and this is where it lands.

I think you guys may be on to something. I turned the wheel all the way to the right to get a better look and this is what i saw. I definitely looks like slung grease from the axel/boot area. It definitely looks darker and thicker then oil. Ill have to stop by the dealership when I get a chance to have them look at it and see what they say. Sorry if you cant see what's going on in the pics all that well, i was laying in my garage floor at 10 pm and didnt feel like getting my jack out to properly get under the car lol.
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I just replied to ESh too and I think you guys might be on to something. I turned the wheel all the way to the left to expose the axel and boot and it definitely looks like grease from the area you guys suspect it may be coming from. I posted some pics of what I saw. Thanks again for everyone's replies so far I greatly appreciate it. Id rather have an axel seal or cv joint replaced then have a timing cover leak. When I get time im going to swing by the dealership and see what they say

After looking closely I agree. Very good catch my man........

100% it is coming grom the boot (wider side).

The only thing you need is to replace the clamp.

Thanks to everyone for their input. I initially thought it was the timing cover leaking on the axel and flinging it. I just assumed the worst when I saw it. Ill clean it up and replace that rear clamp at the wider end of the boot and see what happens. Do you guys think id need to add more grease to compensate for the little bit I lost? Or just replace the clamp and call it a day? Thanks again guys.

No, there’s no need to add any grease. It has plenty inside.

ok thanks for the reply!

It is so great when one avoids a major repair like that. Good on you.