I've seen posts on this in the past but I decided to put this up again just in case someone else was having a similar coolant leak. On my 04 RX 330 (105,000 miles) I had been noticing that there were occasionally very small puddles of red coolant on my garage floor, on what seemed to be random mornings? When no coolant residue could be seen at the hose connections from the top of the engine, I looked at the bottom and that is when I noticed the dried coolant residue on the bottom of the engine oil pan. Following that up you could clearly see that the coolant had come from the "Engine Block Heater Cover Plate" that is right beside the oil filter on the front side of the engine block. I figured I would include pictures to help others spot this issue, if they ever come across this problem?


Thanks

 

If you weren't in Texas, I'd suggest you just replace it with a block heater.

 

have you tried torquing the bolt a bit?

 

Had it in the Lexus service department today for the Brake - Master Cylinder repair recall. I mentioned the leak along with a picture of the defective seal on Engine Block Heater Cover to my service advisor. He said it wasn't a big deal and he took care of it as a "courtesy repair". There is no gasket there, just sealant and the plate, the biggest cost would have been the gallon of coolant it would have taken to refill and the technician's hourly rate of course.

I pays to have a good working relationship with your service advisor!

Have a great Holiday!!

 

Nothing beats spending some $$ with the dealer. It can give you a good return on investment.

 

God bless you for posting those pictures. Had the same problem for about a year and it hasn't got worse. But now I know how to replace it.

Thanks

 

Hello, does anyone know if the Engine Block Heater Cover Plate is also on a 2001 RX 300? Also is it hard to get to? What sealant is recommended? I have noticed a steady drip of coolant once system warms up and builds pressure. Thanks for any replies.

2001 RX 300 166,000 miles

 

Had my '04 in last week for the pully recall and the ecm reflash tsb. Dealer called and said there was a leak next to the oil filter. This is a repair I would have gladly done myself, but my wife and I were having a long overdue day alone to do whatever she wanted to do. Told dealer to go ahead with repair. I figured that a happy wife was more important than $ saved. They put in a new plate and o-ring and changed the coolant. The bill was $280. I don't like to spend a days pay for an hour and a half of labor but that was my choice. $146/hr labor is high in my book. I've always done my own service and repairs so I may be naive about the current labor rates. Anyway, I took the car in with the reserve fuel light on and dirty, and got a full tank of gas and a complete inside and out wash job, so that was worth about $80. That softened the blow a little. The dealer was very courteous and followed up by phone the next day or so to make sure that we were happy.

 

Hello, First time posting as everything is documented to a high degree which is much appreciated. I have a 2005 RX 330 which I got 6 years ago with 215000 miles, now has 245,000. I just replaced the radiator, radiator hoses, clamps, and thermostat housing, thermostat and seal. After those replacements found that I have leak at the Engine Block Heater Cover Plate (thanks to this forum). I'm assuming that the studs may spin out when I attempt to take our the nuts, as that happened with the thermostat housing. I'm planning to take off the leaking cover plate use permatec ultra grey and replace the cover. I'll pick up the over priced studs and nuts from a local Lexus deal as the nuts are corroded. (I paid more than $20 for the 3 studs and nuts for the thermostat housing). I'm planning on tighten to 71in/lbs same as I found for the thermo housing. I already checked the nuts and they are at least 71 in/lbs. I feel like I'm tempting fate even attempting this with the condition of the nuts if they break off the studs at the engine.

I can't think of a way to avoid taking off the cover and resealing and replacing, is there something I'm missing? I'm waiting a while to see if it stops on its own, it starts to leak after it cools down and not that much, Im not sure if it was happening before, I don't recall coolant on the oil pan last oil change.

Thank you

 

Welcome to Club Lexus and your 1st post!

 

Hi, I got around to resealing the cover, after taking off the manifold heat shield standard socket extensions were able to remove the nuts, they were in better shape than I thought. I cleaned the studs and left some wd 40 on for a few days before removing. Replacement was straight forward I did spread the Permatex ultra grey with a thin coat per some video on the web which seemed tp have worked better than a bead in my test on some spare parts I had laying around. I applied the sealant to the cover as it was easier than trying to get it applied properly to the engine. followed instructions applied hand tight for and hour the tighten down wait 24 hours. No leaks,