DIY Coolant Valley Leak Repair (1 Viewer)

[Hehena]

My turn, 112k. It's at a local shop now, $1100. Lexus dealer wanted $2300.

EDIT: Cost has risen to $1900.

 

[Rednexus]

My turn, 112k. It's at a local shop now, $1100. Lexus dealer wanted $2300.

The valley plate leak is becoming similar to the timing belt job on a 2UZ-FE. Happens every 100K and costs you a grand or so to get it done .

 

[rav8]

My turn, 112k. It's at a local shop now, $1100. Lexus dealer wanted $2300.

View attachment 3876659

Though impossible to predict a failure point mileage range...I am glad I did the repair before it happened to me. The water pump leak happening about 6k later...that kinda stung.

 

[Hehena]

Though impossible to predict a failure point mileage range...I am glad I did the repair before it happened to me. The water pump leak happening about 6k later...that kinda stung.

Mine was the opposite. Water pump went at 108k.

 

[rav8]

Guess I should have said noticed instead of happened 6k later. It was essentially the water pump leak that led me to do both repairs...even if not in consecutive order.

 

[jd2395]

Yay, my turn. 2013 GX with ~147K. Just noticed a slight pink droplet on the transmission bell housing then followed it up with a flashlight and can see pink drippings....I started to read about it before I saw it wondering when my time is coming. Like I wished it upon myself . no noticable drop in coolant from the resevoir yet, so it's small/early from what I can tell.

I am not brave or talented enough to do this myself. Called the local Lexus dealership (Sheehy Richmond) and they want $2275 which seems high based on just about everyone else on the forum's input. I've got a call in to two of the local Toyota dealerships, but no response yet (Haley and Ourisman).

Anyone in the area (just west of Richmond) have this done by anyone they'd recommend? And...

while they are doing it, with 147K, what else should I have done/replaced? Bought at 70K and it had all the recommended service done on it prior and I've done the other stuff outside of oil changes (coolant flush/fill, trans/diff chnage, plugs, etc).

thanks!!!

 

[swild]

Yay, my turn. 2013 GX with ~147K. Just noticed a slight pink droplet on the transmission bell housing then followed it up with a flashlight and can see pink drippings....I started to read about it before I saw it wondering when my time is coming. Like I wished it upon myself . no noticable drop in coolant from the resevoir yet, so it's small/early from what I can tell.

I am not brave or talented enough to do this myself. Called the local Lexus dealership (Sheehy Richmond) and they want $2275 which seems high based on just about everyone else on the forum's input. I've got a call in to two of the local Toyota dealerships, but no response yet (Haley and Ourisman).

Anyone in the area (just west of Richmond) have this done by anyone they'd recommend? And...

while they are doing it, with 147K, what else should I have done/replaced? Bought at 70K and it had all the recommended service done on it prior and I've done the other stuff outside of oil changes (coolant flush/fill, trans/diff chnage, plugs, etc).

thanks!!!

I'd have them check the timing cover, cam towers, and valve covers for oil leaks. It's most likely seeping somewhere. If you haven't replaced the radiator and water pump, I'd do those too. At 147k, she's overdue for these things.

 

[jd2395]

Thanks! I've gotten quotes from Toyota and Lexus, both are ~$2200 for just the valley plate (no water pump, etc).

 

[sleepycruiser]

Just had a good independent shop in Statesville, NC do the valley plate on our 2011. All in it was like $1300. Master Toyota tech there. My timing cover is seeping, but not bad enough to do it yet. That is around $3200 if I’m not mistaken at this shop. They could have done it at the same time and saved some labor, but they needed to keep it for two weeks (if adding the timing cover) due to their work load and I couldn’t be without it for that long right now.

 

[iT4RZ4N]

Just finished doing the valley plate leak repair myself over the weekend. It was a bit intimidating at times, but overall not too bad. Now that I’ve done it once, I could probably do it again in about two-thirds the time.

I used a ton of O-ring lubricant, and the tube popped right in. It was so well-lubricated that it would spin freely, which made me pretty confident the O-ring didn’t get pinched. I'm not sure if you can actually use too much lube but it seems good so far. I ended up using some lube to get a few coolant hoses together too.

That said, I did notice something odd after reassembly—my idle now jumps around a bit. I think with the A/C running, the idle jumps to around 700 RPM, but then it will drop down to 400–500 RPM. Is that normal? I honestly don’t know if it always behaved that way or if I’m just more aware now, looking for anything unusual after the repair.

 

[swild]

Nice work! Yeah, pretty normal. Mine idles and goes from about 550 to 750rpm.

 

[iT4RZ4N]

Thats good to hear!

I also forgot to mention that after I did all the work I figured I should get a quote so I can feel better about all the money I saved. Surprisingly, the Lexus dealer in Canada only quoted me $1,900 CAD, which is under $1,400 USD.
Their parts list was interesting, they didn't include anything for the FIPG, and they didn't include replacing the PCV valve or the large crankcase separator. Just the misc. gaskets.

 

[jd2395]

Thats good to hear!

I also forgot to mention that after I did all the work I figured I should get a quote so I can feel better about all the money I saved. Surprisingly, the Lexus dealer in Canada only quoted me $1,900 CAD, which is under $1,400 USD.
Their parts list was interesting, they didn't include anything for the FIPG, and they didn't include replacing the PCV valve or the large crankcase separator. Just the misc. gaskets.

I must live in a really expensive place - Toyota is $2200, Lexus is $2300, independent delaer is $2000.

 

[rav8]

I must live in a really expensive place - Toyota is $2200, Lexus is $2300, independent delaer is $2000.

Your location says Virginia...so yes. Those prices still don't look that bad. It's not a Saturday afternoon DIY job without some serious planning.

 

[Skniper]

Just finished doing the valley plate leak repair myself over the weekend. It was a bit intimidating at times, but overall not too bad. Now that I’ve done it once, I could probably do it again in about two-thirds the time.

I used a ton of O-ring lubricant, and the tube popped right in. It was so well-lubricated that it would spin freely, which made me pretty confident the O-ring didn’t get pinched. I'm not sure if you can actually use too much lube but it seems good so far. I ended up using some lube to get a few coolant hoses together too.

That said, I did notice something odd after reassembly—my idle now jumps around a bit. I think with the A/C running, the idle jumps to around 700 RPM, but then it will drop down to 400–500 RPM. Is that normal? I honestly don’t know if it always behaved that way or if I’m just more aware now, looking for anything unusual after the repair.

What did you use for o-ring lube? ...and what FIPG did you go with?

I'm a visitor here only because I followed this thread. The 5.7 3UR in my '16 Tundra leaks...I have the pink runs down the back and can see pink cotton candy globs deep under the intake . I got the big red warning messages when it got warm a couple times....that's when I learned the valley leak is a 'thing'. I keep a jug of pink kool-aid handy at all times now.

I plan to tackle this myself, very similar procedure on the 5.7, but man there is a lot of sh!t on top of the 4.6 !

 

[swild]

What did you use for o-ring lube? ...and what FIPG did you go with?

I'm a visitor here only because I followed this thread. The 5.7 3UR in my '16 Tundra leaks...I have the pink runs down the back and can see pink cotton candy globs deep under the intake . I got the big red warning messages when it got warm a couple times....that's when I learned the valley leak is a 'thing'. I keep a jug of red kool-aid handy at all times now.

I plan to tackle this myself, very similar procedure on the 5.7, but man there is a lot of sh!t on top of the 4.6 !

Everyone around here uses black Toyota FIPG these days. I used “Lube N Seal O-Ring Lubricant” I purchased off of Amazon.

 

[iT4RZ4N]

What did you use for o-ring lube? ...and what FIPG did you go with?

I'm a visitor here only because I followed this thread. The 5.7 3UR in my '16 Tundra leaks...I have the pink runs down the back and can see pink cotton candy globs deep under the intake . I got the big red warning messages when it got warm a couple times....that's when I learned the valley leak is a 'thing'. I keep a jug of red kool-aid handy at all times now.

I plan to tackle this myself, very similar procedure on the 5.7, but man there is a lot of sh!t on top of the 4.6 !

I used Super Lube 56204 O-Ring Silicone Lubricant. Just got it off Amazon.

If I had one more tip for anyone tackling this, it’d be to thoroughly clean off any old coolant stains from the bell housing and around the transmission area. I was changing my oil recently and noticed a bunch of staining down there—still not sure if it was leftover from before or if I might have a new leak starting.

I also noticed my coolant was a bit low, but I’m not sure if that’s just the system finishing the bleed process. I've since cleaned everything up and plan to check under the vehicle again after a few days of driving. Definitely not a great feeling when you first spot those stains.

 

[hankstruck]

What did you use for o-ring lube? ...and what FIPG did you go with?

I'm a visitor here only because I followed this thread. The 5.7 3UR in my '16 Tundra leaks...I have the pink runs down the back and can see pink cotton candy globs deep under the intake . I got the big red warning messages when it got warm a couple times....that's when I learned the valley leak is a 'thing'. I keep a jug of pink kool-aid handy at all times now.

I plan to tackle this myself, very similar procedure on the 5.7, but man there is a lot of sh!t on top of the 4.6 !

Just read through this entire thread including the lessons learned. Print it and keep with you. When you get the CVP off, before you put the gasket on lube the oring and practice. See what motions start to roll that ring. Then once you get good at it, do a thin gasket and go with it. It’s not terrible honestly. Just bolts and everything trains back pretty well to the spot. BUT take pictures in case something gets confusing on the put-back. It’s a good opportunity to clean out your EGR tubes and valve. Also PCV. Be VERY careful with the Knock sensors and go back in the same order (just to be safe)

 

[Skniper]

Just read through this entire thread including the lessons learned. Print it and keep with you. When you get the CVP off, before you put the gasket on lube the oring and practice. See what motions start to roll that ring. Then once you get good at it, do a thin gasket and go with it. It’s not terrible honestly. Just bolts and everything trains back pretty well to the spot. BUT take pictures in case something gets confusing on the put-back. It’s a good opportunity to clean out your EGR tubes and valve. Also PCV. Be VERY careful with the Knock sensors and go back in the same order (just to be safe)

Roger that.