Noticed possible oil leak ...

[Hershey]

on the '08 automatic sedan while doing an oil change . Found oil on the passenger side of the block that seems to be coming from above of it and flowing down to the oil pan seal . Cleaned off the pan and block . Will take it for a spin and put it back on ramps to see if it reappears . I haven't spilled any oil while pouring it or no one else has done so . Has anyone had this issue ? Will post if find more oil leaking . THANKS

[Hershey]

took it for 80 mile trip and rechecked to find nothing . Will take a look every now and then . Keep my fingers crossed .

[bronsin]

Probably just a spill (however unintentional)when you added oil...

[MadMax]

Most likely it is as bronsin said, it's happened to me before; but if it happens again it's still under warranty, right? If so, take it to the dealer...

Cheers! M2

[Hershey]

yup , only has 18,000 miles . Plenty of warranty left . Will take a look at it every 1,000 miles or so .

[Hershey]

checked for oil leak again and found it's still doing so . We found another '08 YARIS sedan owner who had the same issue , www.carsurvey.org/reviews/toyota/yaris/r125809/ , hopefully ours is the same leak and not something different . Our '08 sedan was manufactured in APRIL of 2008 . This was during the high demand for the YARIS when gas prices were near $5 a gallon . Makes me think the YARISes produced during that time frame where slapped together to keep up with demand leading to errors . I suggest anyome who purchased an '08 at that time to take a look for any leaking oil . If not able to do it yourself then have TOYOTA service center or a trust worthly mechanic look for this . Will keep you informed after we take it to the dealer .

[Hershey]

found this as well , www.carpros.com/topics/oilleak.htm , valve cover gasket may be the culprit with only 13,000 miles for an '06 ( maybe meant '07 :iono: ) . Ours has about 18,000 miles and use 5w-30 synthetic . HAVE NOT SPILLED MOTOR OIL OR OVERFILLED ENGINE ( about 3 and 3/4 quarts to fill ) .

[Hershey]

found this thread as well from 6/18 of '07 . www.yarisworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6562 .

[Hershey]

found some timing chain cover leaks for 1.3 Ltr. YARISes in EUROPE as well . www.kelsey-forums.co.uk/cgi-bin/cmm/YaBB.pl?num=1207949887 .

[yaris-me]

Clean the engine and tighten the timing chain cover and the valve cover. Then watch for leaks. A clean engine will tell you where the oil is coming from.

[Hershey]

Clean the engine and tighten the timing chain cover and the valve cover. Then watch for leaks. A clean engine will tell you where the oil is coming from. cleaned the engine . I'll let TOYO techs do the tightening with a torque wrench if needed under the 3 yr./36 month warranty . They may need to put dye in engine to locate the leak . Just giving YARIS owners a heads up on this issue .

[Falconeer]

I HATE LEAKS!

Hope its nothing major and just some stupid gasket or a loose nut.

[Bluevitz-rs]

Mines been leaking for a while too, but I just live with it. It's not enough of a leak that there's oil dripping, just enough to make the back of the block wet and bottom of the timing cover wet.

[yarrr]

Makes me think the YARISes produced during that time frame where slapped together to keep up with demand leading to errors .

Ya those robots get careless when they are in a hurry...

:rolleyes:

[Hershey]

not everything is robotic :rolleyes: .

[Hershey]

well the leak is back . Took a few pics of where the oil was building up on back of engine and took it to dealer to show the photos . Couldn't get us in , but did put some dye in engine and drive until appointment for next Saturday . Hopefully by then the dye in the oil will be able to pinpoint it . Quite sure it's the timing chain cover . Will try to post the pics of oil leak . We're not that computer savvy :biggrin: . I suggest others to look out for this issue . Especially '08s or even '07s .

[Hershey]

went back to dealer and they found it to be a leaking head gasket . Dye was used to locate it . Pointed out the oil was seeping from the upper passenger side of rear corner of block :mad: . Will likely have to take it in later in the week and get a rental . I suggest others look out for this .

[Maxh91]

My 08 Hatchback at 29 000KM (2 month ago ) did a oil leak but only 1 time.
My yaris has been manufactured in april. Same month as Hershey said.

[Hershey]

I think our new 2010 bought in JANUARY may have the same leak :frown: . Put the tip of my finger on the spot where oil drop builds , oil and behold it's there :eek: . Will put it on ramps to get a better look . No oil was spilled on the valve cover , dry as a bone . Read where the timing chain tensioner seal could be the culprit . Hard to tell since the head gasket seal , timing chain cover (sealant , gasket ) , and chain tensioner are in that general area of the source for the seeping oil . Wonder if we should get another TOYO service center to take a look at it . This is absurd :mad: .

[auxmike]

I'm gonna have to take a look at my '08 hatch.
26,000mi.
Build date was 1/08.
Mabye buying the extened warr. at the dealer was'nt such a bad idea after all....:redface:

[Hershey]

Since we've had warmer temps ( 75 > 90 ) the leak(s) is more fluent . Wish other YARIS owners would take a look at this and give their findings .

[Hershey]

makes me think if we should ask them to try replacing the timing chain gasket before doing the head gasket to see if the leak stops . The mechanic we dealt with was quite set in his ways and rude . The service manager wasn't much better . It's driving us to drink .

[nazier]

went back to dealer and they found it to be a leaking head gasket . Dye was used to locate it . Pointed out the oil was seeping from the upper passenger side of rear corner of block :mad: . Will likely have to take it in later in the week and get a rental . I suggest others look out for this .

we had a call back in south africa, it was the oil filter seals, drove into the dealer and they changed it right there and just top up the oil

[auxmike]

Here's some pics of my '08 hatch in that area of the engine you describe.
There's a small spot where some dust has collected in the rear pass corner , but no real "leak" at all.
I encourage others to do this who can post pics or at least look and tell us what you saw....

[Hershey]

AUXMIKE , that's not the same spot . How can we post a pic from our camera of the oil leak to this thread ? We're a couple of computer dounces :bonk: .

[Hershey]

these are the pictures of the 08 sedan that I took while laying under the car looking up.

[Hershey]

the 2010 3 door has the same leak that collects in the same spot. Coincidence ?

[Hershey]

the last picture shows the large ledge that's part of the engine block and then tapers off to the square where the oil drop forms . Just below the large ledge there's a hole in the block that contains what looks like a ball bearing . The mechanic says this is what lets the oil seep . The hole with the " ballbearing " must be part of the head gasket , which we were told to have replaced . A dye was used to pinpoint it . The oil also runs down along the timing chain seal and eventually collects on the upper edge of the oil pan . We're going to buy some engine dye at a auto parts store to poor into the 2010 and then bring to the TOYO service center to find the source . Both cars have 5w-30 synthetic . Could this somehow be causing the leak ? Would a few fills of a 5w-30 conventional oil slow or stop the leak ? :iono: . So many ifs . :confused: . Last , hate to have the head gasket replaced if it may be the timing chain gasket . Should we try to get the service center to perform that to see if the leak stops ? If it doesn't , then most likely the head gasket . Drivin' us :bonk: ers .

[Hershey]

here's pics of both car leaks . The top is the 2010 3 door and bottom pic is the 2008 sedan .

[Hershey]

we plan to buy a blacklight and will try to get a pic of the dye on both blocks and hopefully the source(s) . Will take some time . I need to reclean the '08 engine block and could take up to a week to get a good leak . The 2010 block was cleaned before taking it to TOYO service center to have dye poured in . That should be sooner . That's if it the pics show the dye .

[R2D2]

Hershey,

It may have been the way it was written but it doesn't sound like the mechanic is very sure its the head gasket. I think the dye is a good idea. I'd want to be VERY sure about what was going on before I let anyone pull the head.

As far as the syn oil causing the leak you were using Shell (I can't remember the other brand you were using) which is just highly refined petroleum oil. Don't let the dealer give you grief about it either because they meet the necessary specs (ILSAC GF-4). The stuff about syns causing leaks is way over blown.

[R2D2]

Just found in another thread you were using Platinum in one car. That's also Group III (highly refined petroleum) like the Shell. Like I said above, non contributory to any seal leakage IMO, especially HG if that what's even leaking.

R2

[Hershey]

thanks . I'm going to do an experiment with a few runs of conventional 5w-30 to see if the leak slows or stops before having one or both the head(s) removed . Will take a few fills to get most of the syn out , so may take a few months . Thinking of using SHELL or PENNZOIL or other well known name that's on sale . Plenty of warranty left .

[Hershey]

the mechanic was asked to show us the leak with the blacklight while the car was on the lift , but didn't . Took the flashlight from my hand and said HERE ! He had a bit of an attitude . That alone makes us doubtful . Looked at the 2007 FACTORY REPAIR MANUAL under ENGINE MECHANICAL that's listed here for the removal of the head and is a very large job . So many things that could go wrong .

[Hershey]

got the blacklight this evening and will be using it for the '08 sedan . Will try to get pics of the dye . Then will clean the block and recheck with the blacklight . Looked at an '07 hatchback with 18,000 miles at a dealer and no leak . Then went to someone we know that has an 2010 3 door with 30,000 miles and the upper back of the block where the oil gathers on ours was found to be bone dry on his . He gets his oil changes at TOYO dealer with the conventional oil . I'm starting to think that the synthetic is seeping from the seal for the timing chain cover . Will be looking at other used YARIS . Plan to go to regular oil for several runs to see if the oil leak slows or stops . Finding it hard to believe that both the '08 sedan and 2010 3 door have head gasket leaks . Seems odd that both our YARIS have 5w-30 synthetic since 1,200 miles and both have leaks while the others I've looked at aren't with conventional motor oil . Maybe the seals don't agree with syns or started the syn to soon . :iono:

[Lucas13]

I have in my yaris synthetic oil since the first week I purchased brand new and no leaks so far, what its leaking really bad right know is the input shaft seal in my gear box, also one axle seal was replaced few months ago, There is a chance that seals in some yaris came out with low quality standards, they probably use a rubber that gets hard too quick or gets cracked, This sucks in car with less than 60.000 like mine.:thumbdown:

[Hershey]

LUCAS , thanks for looking for the leak that both our YARIS have . The timing chain cover sealant has a leak problem for YARIS in EUROPE . If you do a search for " YARIS timing chain cover leak " or " TOYOTA Yaris timing chain cover leak " you get plenty of hits for the YARIS in EUROPE and other TOYOTA models . Here's one for a 2008 sedan like we have , www.carsurvey.org/reviews/toyota/yaris/r125809/ . We took a copy of this to service center and they ignored it . Here's a very similar experience with an MATRIX , http://matrixowners.com/index.php?showtopic=86281 . They too want to replace the head gasket thinking if not the gasket it'll take care of the timing chain cover since that's part of the teardown . Thinking kill 2 birds with 1 stone . For us that's overkill . Last , I noticed there's what looks like a discoloration to the timing chain cover of the '08 that's described about the MATRIX cover . Wonder if the synthetic is being absorbed into it from the inside . The cover seems quite thin . I'll get a picture of it and hope it shows up . Take a look at cover of the 2010 for comparison . Both have synthetic . Sedan has 21,000 + miles and 2010 6,500 + .

[Hershey]

I'd like those who use a 5w-30 synthetic or lighter syn to take a look for this leak or look at the seal on the back of timing chain cover for any sheen or what looks like oil seapage ( wet ) and report back either way . Others that don't use a synthetic can take a look and report back too . Especially those who use a 5w-20 conventional . Thanks to those who do .

[Hershey]

here's a picture of the timing chain cover for the '08 sedan that has a discoloration to it , almost like it's stained . I'm wondering if this is due to the synthetic oil seeping into the aluminum cover from the inside . This is mentioned in this topic for a '03 MATRIX , http://matrixowners.com/index.php?showtopic=86281 . Have used 5w-30 synthetic since 1,200 miles or so . THe 2010 cover is not discolored as of yet . Here's the pics ...

[Hershey]

used the blacklight for the '08 sedan and it looks like the oil is seeping from the timing chain seal in the back above the top of the large ledge that's part of the engine block . Must run down onto the ledge and run down underneath it onto the the other square ledges and further down along the seal to the upper lip of the oil pan . Go to pics above to see the drops of oil on the large ledge and smaller ledges below it .

[Hershey]

here's a pics of the seal where it's most likely seeping / leaking out on both 2008 sedan and 2010 3 door ...

[Hershey]

changed out the 5w-30 synthetic oil with the dye from '08 sedan and replaced with regular SHELL 5w-30 . Recleaned the seal and area where oil accumulates . There was a small amount of oil around and below the seal pictured above . This fill will be dumped in about 2,000 miles to get rid of leftover syn and dye . Then keep using the SHELL conventional 5w-30 from now on . Hoping the seeping will slow / stop with the conventional . Putting a postive note to the myth that synthetics can cause oil leaks . Time will tell . Will do the same for the 2010 3 door and its leaking timing chain seal .

[Lucas13]

Keep us posted, hopefully the conventional will make a difference!

[Hershey]

checked for leak today and there was only one drop of oil attached to the lowest ledge of the block after driving for 458 miles on the oil change of SHELL 5w-30 conventional . Recleaned the whole area . Will check again at end of week since it will be very hot and that's when the leak is at its worst . Then will drop the oil and refill with another batch of the regular SHELL 5w-30 since there's around 1/2 a quart of synthetic left in it and should be mostly conventional after that .

[Hershey]

decided to drain oil and refill with the SHELL conventional 5w-30 ( $2.12 a qt. ) with TOYO ( Denso ) oil filter ( $3.50 each ) . More dye was to be found in the extracted oil of 467 miles along with any synthetic oil . Also took an empty gallon ( 4 qaurt ) jug of 10w-30 PLATINUM used for lawnmowers and poured used oil from oil filter / oil pan into it and showed little over 3 quarts of oil removed . That leaves over 3/4 of a quart of oil that stays in the engine . Cleaned where oil seeps and gathers . Also cleaned off oil pan and around oil filter base . Will be keep close attention for any leaking . Will do the same to the 2010 3 door liftback .

[Hershey]

well discovered it's the plastic head gasket for both cars that leaks oil . Makes it look like the timing chain seal was seeping oil . The head gasket is above it . Go to the topic " 2010 OIL LEAK " for more details .