Hi All,

My 2004 LS just developed a oil leak. Not just a drip or two but its leaking a pretty good amount onto my garage floor. The underside looks pretty oily. My mechanic put it on a lift and is pretty certain the oil is coming from between the head and the block, so he is recommending a head gasket on the right side. The car has 150k and drives great, no oil in coolant and no coolant in oil. The leak is coming from the front left corner right by the alternator. Valve cover gaskets look clean so that was ruled out by him. He said that he has never seen this before so it makes me wonder if there can be any other reasons that oil is leaking.

Here is a picture of the residue (taken from under the car). Has anybody else come across a leak like this?

 

. Do yourself a favor and get a second opinion. I've not heard of head gasket issues for LS430s unless u cook the engine. Very big job. Get another opinion it even take to Lexus for $99 diagnostic which is worth while for such s massive undertaking. Good luck.

 

. Do yourself a favor and get a second opinion. I've not heard of head gasket issues for LS430s unless u cook the engine. Very big job. Get another opinion iand even take to Lexus for $99 diagnostic which is worth while for such s massive undertaking. Good luck.

 

Bocatrip - Thanks for the reply. I plan on taking it to Lextech for an 2nd opinion, they seem to have a good reputation here in Socal. Only problem is I'm Orange County which is about 40 mile away.

I also never hear about head gasket issues on the V8, that is why I'm kinda weary. Lots of valve cover gaskets but never head gasket, especially on an engine that has never been overheated.

 

Whenever you hear from an experienced Lexus Tech or Service Manager ( that knows LS430s for some time) that you have confidence in say......they have never heard of this particular problem... I would certainly take heed. Our cars do have some issues, but usually in the same areas and when something quite different arises (and is an extensive/expensive repair) I would have reason to look more deeply before doing anything. Good luck and please let us know how you made out.

 

I would suggest to clean the engine of all traces of oil, and allow new leak to appear so you can better pin point where the leak originates.

 

Cleaning the engine is an excellent idea. Be interesting to see if the valve cover area stays clean.
Like many in here, I've never heard of a head gasket failing in an engine that hasn't been abused. Def get a 2nd opinion. Good luck

 

I got under there again and cleaned it pretty well. Started the car a few times while on the ramps, increased the rpms a bit and I also took it around the block. I didn't see any oil coming out of the head gasket but I do see some oil between the block and the steering pump bracket/bolt. I cleaned off the oil between the block and pump a few time, and a tiny bit of oil seeps out after I turn on the car. I tried to look above that area to see if something is leaking above it and dripping onto it but I don't see anything. It is possible at all that the bolt going into the block has a seal? Maybe a O-ring or washer? It doesn't make any sense to me how oil can come out of here. Maybe it is just residual oil from real leak.

Definitely getting a 2nd opinion soon...

 

I would put some UV dye in, you can buy a kit for fairly cheap with everything included with a black light. Just put the dye in where you put your motor oil and drive it for a few days






You can see exactly where the leak is coming from. A good shop would not just hazard a guess like it needs a new head gasket without confirming. I personally don't think it's a head gasket, all sorts of other issues would be going on if the head gasket was leaking that bad.

You'd be amazed how long oil can drip just from a botched oil change. Has it been changed recently?

 

I was thinking about a dye kit, or hope that a good shop will use one to pinpoint the leak.

Oil changed was done about 4k ago, pretty sure it wasn't botched because I did it myself!

Something else that has been on my mind is that I've been using Mobile 1 Synthetic Extended Performance for the past 20k. Wondering if that cleaned it out a bit too well...

 

Usually for oil leaks, a dye kit is not necessary if you wash down all old residue and do your do diligence to check everything often/daily. However, you must remove anything that might be obstructing your viewing (example: air intake, trim covers, etc). Once you clean everything, look constantly and often until you see anything. Start high up, but remember oil and all lubricants fly around with the engine on. Good luck.

 

Subscribed, as I'd like to know how this comes out. Hope for your sake it's something easy, and as others have said, I'd be surprised if it were a HG..

 

what end up being the reasonnof the leak what fixed it?
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My 2 year update.

I was and still fairly certain it was not the head gasket. Basically, when I first posted up in 2016 my 2nd opinion mechanic checked and said it was the cam seals. So I got those replaced which was a pretty big job, along with the valve cover gaskets because those are known to leak. I also went ahead and changed the radiator, water pump and did the timing belt kit since it was all taken apart. Problem solved? Nope. One year later, I have another oil leak from the same location and this time around they said it was from the upper oil pan. Also another big job as the motor needs to be removed or lower cross member dropped. They replaced from the bottom and did the motor mounts as well. Thousands went into this and 6 months later (and currently) I still have a slight leak because I see a small oil spot in my garage.

I pretty much gave up at this point as it doesn't use up much oil and the car drives great, maybe it's not even engine oil?

If you guys figure it out, let me know...

 

Removing engine not required to remove and reseal.(FIPG).upper oil pan.

A brace is placed across the upper strut towers and engine suspended via chains to the factory lift brackets.

The lower engine cradle (subframe) is removed, which permits access to upper engine pan.

Less billable hours for the dealer or repair shop

see;

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-3rd-gen-2001-2006/904751-oil-pan-reseal-without-engine-removal.html