I have a 2008 Kluger and noticed a couple of days ago that there is a slight leak of the engine oil. I talked to my mechanic and was told that rear oil seal will need to be replaced. I called a couple of places and looks like it is going to cost over $2000.
Just wondering if it is worth to do such expensive maintenance on a 15 year old car… Any ideas?
Do it. Change your belt and water pump while you're at it. Make sure it's OEM and then drive it for another 5 years
Change your belt and water pump
Timing belt?
It has a timing chain. not a belt. It should be fine for the life of the vehicle.
No point in changing the water pump, unless it has issues.
The rear main seal and water pump are at different locations of the engine, so there is no time saving in having it done at the same time.
Not sure what CosmicP is on.
Just trust me bro
@Pcosmic: On re-reading your above comment, you did not mention timing belt. My bad.
I am assuming the belt you are referring to is the auxiliary drive belt, which also powers/drives the water pump.
If you were going to change the water pump, then yes, changing the auxiliary drive belt should also be done.
Whilst you are at it, you should also consider changing the belt tensioner.
Rear main seal is at the back of the engine. 2008 Kluger has timing stuff at the front of the engine, and has a chain, not a belt.
First thing I would try is a rear main seal stop leak.
Over time the seal wears, hardens, and shrinks. The stop leak is suppose to rejuvenate the rubber.
Try this first before spending big on a repair.
Good luck with that.If this worked no-one would ever replace seals, and leaks would be non -existent. My anecdotal experience is if it is leaking more than a minuscule weep or seep situation, the crankcase pressure will override any 'miracle' cures in cans/bottles.
It's a bandaid.
At best this stuff 'might' be a short term fix, but it comes with a false sense of security, that comes with the risk of the seal having a catastrophic failure at some point anyway. Call a proper repair and investment in the car you know, and some added peace of mind. The most important thing in that regard is having it done by someone QUALIFIED who does things properly.It's a big job, in the sense that it requires attention to detail. ( Especially if it's not the rubber o-ring type setup.)
Bit confusing that 'your mechanic' informed you, and yet you sought other places advice. If that was to get a ball park figure, but saving a small amount now (shopping around) is like a lottery for later possible outcomes.
How many kms has the car done?
Bit confusing that 'your mechanic' informed you, and yet you sought other places advice.
Yeah, that's because he is a mobile mechanic and doesn't do this big jobs. He recommended another person and that's why I called a couple other places too.
How many kms has the car done?
Just over 180000
If you are keeping the car Get it fixed. Money well spent.
Just ensure the chosen mechanic & workshop does good & guaranteed work. Do some research on that.
Its a 2008 car, so not really worth spending big on.
The cost for a bottle of stop leak is small in comparison to the repair.
There is no guarantee that it will work, but for the cost, it is worth a try. It has worked for plenty of people, it all depends on how far gone the seal is (check YouTube for reviews, there are both positive reviews, and negative).
Seals don't just catastrophically fail. Its a seal, not a bearing. It is not load bearing.
If the internal pressure within the engine happened to spike, sure a seal could blow out, but a new seal would also suffer the same fate.
Its a rotary seal, not an o-ring. An o-ring wouldn't last very long as a mains seal. Totally different seals for different types of application.
If OP is keeping it for a while he should realise that if the 'snake oil' softens the rear seal it will do the same to all the others, in some cases inc o-rings. I agree with the cost saving, but x by the risk factor ÷ how long he intends to keep car. I wan't talking about the rear main being a simple o-ring, I meant the graphite impregnated type.
At 15 YO the blow by will already be there. An old RM seal won't hack what a new one will, with 15 YO crankcase pressure, that's the point.
First thing I would try is a rear main seal stop leak.
Do not do this. On the next oil change the engine will leak from all the seals.
Stop leak is what you use when you want to sell the car to some poor unsuspecting sap.
I found that (Lucas) Stop Leak does work on an old Falcon for over ten years - it needed to be replaced @ oil changes.
Did the mechanic actually look at the car?
Yeah, he did. He was initially suspecting an issue with oil cooler pipe and hose assembly, as there was a recall in relation to that. But after having a look, he said, it's not that and it is the rear main seal.
Chuck some oil absorbent pads under it, on top of the undertray. Couple of zip ties and off you go.
How fast is it leaking? I'd be tempted to just leave it or try things like stop leak additives etc
How fast is it leaking?
Not very fast. It seems to have leaked a few drops since last night.
Can buy a lot of oil for $2k :)
Lol
I wouldn't bother. Just check your levels on a semi regular basis and park over a drip tray at home.
If it not weeping excessively and none is hitting the floor. Then I wouldn't worry about it. Just keep checking your oil regularly.
If it starting to hit the floor, then I would shop around and replaced the engine core plugs and sump gasket as well (good time to do it anyway), since the engine is out anyway.
If it starting to hit the floor
Unfortunately, it is. It's not much though.
Look around for a toyota specialist or cheaper quote. Maybe call it a grand+? About a four hour job as you have to remove: drive shaft, trans. Toyota won't be cheap but job will be done to service standards. May even try posting on Toyotanation or Toymods.org.au to get a local toyota mechanic. Stop leak could work, but hit or miss.
Thanks. I will do that.
just do it yourself, not hard a few bolts here and there
Tongue in cheek? The seal won’t be expensive, but pulling a gearbox out isn’t for the faint hearted.
2gr-fe? Likely timing cover leak. If it is slow leak regular cleaning will do the trick. It is concluded not worth sinking big money to it.
Source: the car care nuts (youtube)
2gr-fe?
??
Same??????
That's the Toyota designated name to identify which motor you may have?
You might say 3.5l 6 cylinder
Toyota would say 2GR-FE
The timing cover is at the rear, or are you saying the oil travels all the way back to dupe the mechanics?
How many km has it done? If not all that many considering the age then it could be worth it, the car could have like 100,000+km more before problems usually start coming up.
Just over 180000
How long do you want to keep it? It sucks but it’s worth spending $2k if you cannot afford a replacement, or if you are saving for an update in 3-5years time.
You could sell it as is, but you’ll likely spend a lot more than $2k getting a replacement.
Potential warranty issue as discussed here: https://au.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/topic/58468-2010-klug… Only if it is actually the oil cooler pipes vs a rear main. Apparently, Toyota has been replacing these pipes for 2010 models in 2021… Link posted ended up being a rear main and not covered. Thought to post as it seems like some type of defect that they know about.
yeah considering it's pretty serious, eg cases risk the car shutting down and needing towing, I posted without reading a lengthy thread. You got me lol. Op can also use this for his own checks.
Mechanics usually tell you how they're going to replace such a vital part.
I've had trans out once, trans slid back another time, threats of engine out.
If they're going to lift the engine out you should probably do some other things,
esp if its done 180,000kms. Its the ideal time.
If they're going to lift the engine out you should probably do some other things,
Out of the two mechanics I contacted ( Toyota and an independent mechanic suggested by my mechanic), one of them said that engine will need to be lifted.
If they do go down that path, what other things shall I get done?
You should get some expert advice from a few knowledgeable sources, I only really know Holdens with V8s so things are pretty straightforward for me.
Engine mounts was one of them! Each time a trans or engine got messed with.
Water pump, idler, belts, hoses, gaskets, comes to mind.
As said above try some stop leak first, and get a second opinion as mech may just want a quick easy $2K for a leaky valve cover gasket
Leak is not severe enough to warrant stop leak… It's like 7-8 drops at the most for a 24 hour period. Yes, I do plan to get second opinion and will take the car to the mechanics on Monday as they have currently given me a quote based on what was told to me by my mechanic. Things might change once they have a look at the car itself.
Any single drop of oil on the road or rubber insulators is a Roadworthy Fail… btw. In a Qld RWC at least.
Use stop leak now before it gets severe!!!!
The worse it gets the less likely stop leak will work.
The stop leak option worked for me and ive heard it working for others.
I had a commodore wagon years ago v6 and mechanic wanted to replace the main seal. I used stop leak it fixed the problem though i also added it after each oil change from then on. Oil leak never reappeared and i kept the car for another 200,000 kilometres.
Hey mate, don't have the same car as you (I got a Camry 1mzfe) the rear main seals and rocker cover were leaking a bit, had to refill my oil once between service.
I bought some Blue devil rear main sealer. It's a "permanent fix" and had some decent results with it, while it didn't completely stop the oil leak, it has heavily decreased the oil leak to the point where I don't need to top up in between service (15,000km)
It's only 80 bucks so definitely worth giving it a go
BlueDevil 00234 Rear Main Sealer - 8 Ounce https://amzn.asia/d/iF46Jbf
First and foremost, your vehicle is Unroadworthy, and will cause danger for other road users, as well as further premature failures in the vehicle's driveline.
Have the diagnosis confirmed after a degrease and retest. Sump gaskets, rear main seals, gearbox front seals, heat exchangers, rocker and head gaskets can all leak and mask their exact exit location if the leak has spread too much. Oh, and they can spread quite quickly and very far.
Your engine/transmission mounts…in fact all rubber undercarriage components are NOT Petrochemical resistant. Translation, oils destroy rubber…become jelly and fail big time(some Synthetic oils/some Silicone mount designs may be an exception).
There are Stopleak additives yes, but they are only designed as short term, as they affect the seal construction - soften - every seal, and it may or may not last which could be a full rebuild scenario. But there are no guarantees to help either way.
An additive or heavy oil will NOT help with a damaged seal or sealing surface, which is the other reasons seals leak.
Repair it. If Manual the clutch is worth a serious look, and if Auto, the TC may even enjoy a test and flush.
Those oil drops on the road are a cause for more Motorcycle crashes.
Although, kudos to you for asking advise from multiple sources to gain the info to make the correct decision.
probably dodgy comment - given it's an SUV, could you hang a container under the leak location in the interim to avoid adding oil slick everywhere on the road?
And then empty it into a glass container and then dispose of it during your next chemical cleanup? [or maybe put it back into the engine ! .lol