Two problems I am having with my 98 Avalon

Elliot UdellElliot Udell Member Posts: 83
edited December 2014 in Toyota
It was leaking oil on the driveway. I brought it in and they changed the camshaft and timing belt. It is still leaking oil The other problem is that the headlights seem to be dimmer than normal these days.
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  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
    Since changing the camshaft involved removing the valve cover and likely involves changing the valve cover gasket (if it needed to be replaced), the source of the oil leak is obviously someplace else. If the leak was from the valve cover, I would assume replacing that would stop the leak. Changing the timing belt wouldn't really have anything to do with an oil leak.

    Did you take it in for the oil leak and they did these sort of major repairs?

    Given the age of the car, your headlight lenses may be yellowed or fogged due to age.
  • thecardoc3thecardoc3 Member Posts: 5,842
    Double check what you reported and what they actually did. Did they replace the camshaft(s), or just the camshaft seals? The seals would be plausible in context especially with doing the timing belt, they are a common leak area. In extreme cases there could be damage to the sealing surface of the camshaft(s) and then that would make sense if they did have to be replaced. Ultimately its plausible that if the camshaft seals were leaking they usually are a very significant leak and that could easily mask a second or third source. The best thing to do right now is have it re-examined and possibly cleaned to prove if there are any additional issues. One cannot rule out that you could even be seeing oil that is from the original leak but still slowly dripping when stopped.
  • Elliot UdellElliot Udell Member Posts: 83
    At this point in time, they changed the camshaft, the water punp and timein belt. it stiill leakes oil on the driveway. I brought it back and they put some dye in the oil and sealed things up and it is still leaking. The mechanic said he wold have to rebuild the top of the engine. How does this sound?
  • thecardoc3thecardoc3 Member Posts: 5,842
    It isn't as detailed as I would like to see. If rebuilding the top of the engine means pulling the cylinder head because the oil passage through the head gasket that feeds the camshaft bearings is leaking then it makes sense. Without that kind of detail the information is to cryptic for me.
  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
    elliotu said:

    At this point in time, they changed the camshaft, the water punp and timein belt. it stiill leakes oil on the driveway. I brought it back and they put some dye in the oil and sealed things up and it is still leaking. The mechanic said he wold have to rebuild the top of the engine. How does this sound?

    Was the still-leaking oil in your driveway the color of the dye? Could you see the dyed oil on the engine where it was leaking? Did the mechanic show you? That's the kind of info that would help judge whether the problem has been tracked down.
  • Elliot UdellElliot Udell Member Posts: 83
    It has not been tracked down. The dye is yellow and it is still in the driveway after parking overnight. I am also concerned about runway bills. He has already done a lot of work on the car.
  • Elliot UdellElliot Udell Member Posts: 83
    One of the other things the mechanic said is that the car is showing wear and tear in a lot of areas. It has 140,000 miles
  • Elliot UdellElliot Udell Member Posts: 83
    PF_Flyer said:

    elliotu said:

    At this point in time, they changed the camshaft, the water punp and timein belt. it stiill leakes oil on the driveway. I brought it back and they put some dye in the oil and sealed things up and it is still leaking. The mechanic said he wold have to rebuild the top of the engine. How does this sound?

    Was the still-leaking oil in your driveway the color of the dye? Could you see the dyed oil on the engine where it was leaking? Did the mechanic show you? That's the kind of info that would help judge whether the problem has been tracked down.
    yes, I can see the yellow dye on my driveway
  • thecardoc3thecardoc3 Member Posts: 5,842
    If you run this too much your going to end up with oil with dye in it everywhere rendering that technique useless. If you can see oil with dye in it, then you likely have a major leak from a pressurized source. That makes the suggestion of a head gasket because of the oil feed more probable. Another potential source could be the oil pressure sending unit, which reports the pressure from that passage to the cylinder head.
  • Elliot UdellElliot Udell Member Posts: 83
    to thecardoc3-Yes, the avalon is leaking yellow (dyed) oil on the driveway. So if it is a major leak, what be involved next? they already replaced seals and the crankshaft. they replaced the timing belt beause it was all full of oil. At this point in time I don't know when say "keep going or enough is enough" and start visiting new car dealers.
  • djohnson1djohnson1 Member Posts: 54
    My wife's 2003 Ford Taurus was leaking oil on the garage floor. My mechanic fixed it by adding four ounces of brake fluid, which he says has chemicals that softened the rear main bearing seal that was leaking. It's partially rubber and had hardened after 140,000 miles. It worked for her, may or may not work for you. The only reason I mention this is it's so cheap and you have spent so much already. If adding brake fluid to your engine oil bothers you, you could try something like a high mileage oil change or Lucas Oil Stop Leak, http://www.amazon.com/Lucas-Oil-10278-Engine-Stop/dp/B001KXN3YQ/ref=pd_sbs_263_4?ie=UTF8&refRID=0FPY7AR5W1NP3RTJDKPA. The Taurus hasn't leaked since. My mechanic builds dragster engines and says the brake fluid won't hurt the oil and had found the leak in the rear main crankshaft seal. Maybe try a different mechanic that rebuilds lots of engines if that doesn't work? Leaks can be tricky.
    Good luck!
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