xnem3sisx

iTrader: (1)

Just picked up my 01 ls430 about 4-5 months ago @ 65k...Working at a toyota dealership, so far ive been doing all the maintance myself. So far i did front and rear brakes, rear diff fluid, coolant, and of course the air/cabin filters. Since ive gotten the car i notice the oil pan leaking and its been getting worst ever since the cold weather. After doing my oil change yesterday night @ 75k, i noticed both of my valve cover gaskets are leaking also. I was wondering if anyone had to do both gaskets and/or reseal the oil pan. Some advise on how to do it would be appriciated..

xnem3sisx

iTrader: (1)

this hasnt happen to anyone ?

damonbrown

I am about to replace my valve cover gaskets on mine...both leaking. I have not had a problem with a oil pan. I have 125k on mine. In the past I have heard that when you normally run a car on conventional and then try to switch it over to synthetic after a decent amount of miles have been put on, it can cause leaks as the oil molecules are supposedly smaller. I have not researched the science on this but have heard it referenced many times. Did you do the valve cover gaskets your self? if so, any unexpected items/recommendations?

campisi

The reason people sometimes report leaks from high mileage engines after switching to synthetic is that the synthetic supposedly has 'more' detergent agents and cleans out any gunk that, maybe, was helping to keep your engine from leaking. I don't buy this unless you had a high mileage engine that NEVER had it's oil changed and thus had a bunch of crap everywhere that the synth cleaned out. On a LS430? Not likely.
Probably you are overfilling when you change your oil. I believe this can cause your seals and gaskets to go.

xnem3sisx

iTrader: (1)

yeah i did my valve covers like about 6 months ago...the left one was cake but the right one was a little difficult due to the dipstick tube for the trans being in the way...you can kind of bend it a little but be careful.. my oil pan is just leaking a little but ill take care of it in the summer..overall not so bad..just make sure u have the gasket seated right and some sealant for the front by where the cam gears are..

damonbrown

When I replaced my valve cover gaskets a while back, I was surprised to find that the majority of the bolts were very loose (finger tight). For those that have noticed a leak from your valve cover gaskets, I would recommend tightening the bolts before taking on replacing the gaskets due to the potential to not get them on right, not sealing properly, and contaminants that accumulate on the heads and can fall into the engine when pulling of the covers. After you tighten them down, make sure to wipe the areas around the gaskets so you can see if the leaking persists.

big_blzr94

I did my lower oil pan last weekend it's easy. just disconnect the motor mounts from the bottom (2 17mm nuts) and raise engine 2". This gives you all the room you need. No issues with valve covers yet but I only have 187k miles on the ticker.

inkslinger

How are we supposed to lift the engine 2"? Can we jack it up from below? Won't there be problems with all off the other things mounted to it like the exhaust?? If anyone has any more advice on getting access to the pan bolts, I could use it. I'm about to put oil back in and drive it to the shop. I might be in over my head here. Great design Lexus!

Ian300D

Around 90k my 03 valve covers started leaking. Smelled oil all the time. Took a couple minutes to check and all bolts were loose. All fixed now, no gaskets needed.

toddmorr

have never done the oil pans in this car so I can't comment from personal experience. I can tell you, however, that I came across a maintenance record for an '04 where the dealer charged $2100 to replace the upper oil pan. So either a rip off occurred, or its a big job. heh...maybe a little of both?

Bocatrip

I had my passenger side valve cover gasket replaced last year after around 114,000 miles. Now at 117,000 miles my driver's side is leaking. All the bolts were very loose and I had the 3 bolts at the location of the leak tightened. So far, it seems to be ok. I'll know more in a week or so.

Jdmdrew

Upper pan is a much harder job than the lower oil pan. The upper pan is what holds the crankshaft in place. With this said, you would have to deal with making sure the crank does not come out, dealing with the crank bearings, etc. The lower oil pan is a much easier job to do in comparison.

alanchad

iTrader: (1)

The dealer shop told me my valve covers and oil pan were leaking.

I replaced the valve cover gaskets only, and in a couple of weeks,

the oil leak had stopped.

Valve cover or other upper leaks look as though they are oil pan,

when in reality they are not.

I would change the valve cover gaskets only and watch it for a bit

before tackling the oil pan.

My 2 cents, FWIW.

Alan

Lavrishevo

iTrader: (1)

It can be hard to tell where an oil leek is coming from. That's why it is recommended that you clean the oil off then engine to help diagnose the source. Oil running down the back of the engine to the oil pan can easily appear to be the pan when it is the valve covers. Valve covers are the most common then upper oil pans.

Tom57

Use a product like Pyroil brake parts cleaner and spray it on to clean oil away from engine so that you can isolate the oil leak. This is how dealers locate oil leaks.

http://www.grainger.com/product/1PKT...150209152425:s