Engine valley plate leak

[LCCygnus]

I am looking at a LX570 to possibly purchase and this is in the Lexus service history:

MECHANICAL LABOR--FOUND ENGINE VALLEY PLATE LEAKING LVL 3 DOWN TO TRANSMISSION PAN. RECOMMEND RESEALING PLATE AT THIS TIME. **NOTE: PLATE IS BELOW INTAKE MANIFOLD ~|~ ~|~87970 600 REMOVED, CLEANED AND RESEALED ENGINE VALLEY PLATE. CLEANED OFF COOLANT RESIDUAL AND TOPPED OFF COOLANT.

What does this mean? I have never heard of such an issue.

Is this something I should be concerned with and might need to look elsewhere for a purchase?

Any insight would be helpful, thank you guys

 

[sdnative]

Search my friend

Kind of "Mystery" Coolant leak back of engine (heat exchanger valley leak)

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Coolant leak from what appears to be center rear of motor.

Noticed coolant was a bit low, looking under the truck I saw a bit of pink fluff on the trans bell housing. Looking down from the driver side rear of the motor I then see some more pink fluff coming from what seems pretty close to the center of the motor. Its pretty tight in there and view is...

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LX570 Valley plate Leak

Started loosing coolant at 100K miles and found the dreaded valley plate leak. Fixed it myself.

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[tominboise]

Sounds like it's been fixed and you should be good to go.

 

[LCCygnus]

Search my friend

Kind of "Mystery" Coolant leak back of engine (heat exchanger valley leak)

forum.ih8mud.com

Coolant leak from what appears to be center rear of motor.

Noticed coolant was a bit low, looking under the truck I saw a bit of pink fluff on the trans bell housing. Looking down from the driver side rear of the motor I then see some more pink fluff coming from what seems pretty close to the center of the motor. Its pretty tight in there and view is...

forum.ih8mud.com

LX570 Valley plate Leak

Started loosing coolant at 100K miles and found the dreaded valley plate leak. Fixed it myself.

forum.ih8mud.com

I'm not great at forums and have not been diligently educating myself.

Trying to secure a vehicle and I just wanted to ask questions of the experts as time is of the essence.

Once I get one in the driveway I will be all over this forum, believe me.

I appreciate you guys input and advice.

 

[sdnative]

I'm not great at forums and have not been diligently educating myself.

Trying to secure a vehicle and I just wanted to ask questions of the experts as time is of the essence.

Once I get one in the driveway I will be all over this forum, believe me.

I appreciate you guys input and advice.

No worries, just giving you a hard time. The engine valley coolant leak is a pain so if it has already been done that's a bonus.

Take a look at these threads if you are shopping for a 200. I wish I would have, as I would have been able to spot the radiator crack AND the engine valley coolant leak before purchase . I probably would have still bought the truck, just negotiated the price down a bit.

Common Failures and Repairs - FAQ

forum.ih8mud.com

FAQ - 200-series FAQ for Modifications, Repairs and Build Threads. Great place for new users to start

The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for the 200/LX570 series tech section continues to be a work in progress. The goal is to have links in the below to other threads and tech articles. By having these linked, instead of pasting the text, the threads will remain live. The live threads can...

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[supdizzle]

As mentioned this is a more common issue with these 5.7L engines. Resealed mine a few months ago, good thing it was done. I wouldn't worry too much.

 

[YotaWagon]

Interestingly I'm looking at some service history and came across these notes:

TEMPERATURE SPIKES INTO THE RED AND COMES DOWN. REPEATS THIS EVERY MINUTE OR SO. IN ADDITION, AC BLOWS COLD THEN HOT HUMID AIR. INSPECT AND ADVISE. ~|~HEAT RISER HAD LEAK. ~|~RESEALED COOLANT HEAT RISER AND REPLACED INTAKE GASKETS

Is this the same issue, or something else? Also, should I be wary that the engine has been overheated and stay away from this one? It was 3.5 years and 10k miles ago.

 

[TLC2013]

That sounds like the coolant valley reseal. Unless you run super low on coolant and were unaware of the valley leak for an extender period you should not see the temp gauge spiking. I had mine resealed, small leak caught early and only symtpoms were a low overflow reservoir and coolant residue under the intake manifild. If it runs and drives well it could be a non issue as its been a few years however i'd be concerned about the over heating and would look elsewhere.

 

[dstewart3ss]

Hijack old thread…does this look like valley plate leak? 2013 LC200. Pics from above and below.

 

[bloc]

Hijack old thread…does this look like valley plate leak? 2013 LC200. Pics from above and below.

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Yep.

Make sure your coolant stays topped up and find someone you trust to fix it. Risk of a catastrophic blow-out of the plate is basically zero, but if you let the coolant get low and the engine get hot your odds of a head gasket issue go up a lot.

 

[dstewart3ss]

Yep.

Make sure your coolant stays topped up and find someone you trust to fix it. Risk of a catastrophic blow-out of the plate is basically zero, but if you let the coolant get low and the engine get hot your odds of a head gasket issue go up a lot.

Thanks! I grabbed a new jug of Toyota super LL coolant yesterday. Think it’s been leaking for a while now. Prob a week or two before I can get it in somewhere.

 

[mceagle555]

Thanks! I grabbed a new jug of Toyota super LL coolant yesterday. Think it’s been leaking for a while now. Prob a week or two before I can get it in somewhere.

If it makes you feel better, I've driven mine (daily driver) for over 10k miles with a very slow valley plate leak. I top up maybe 8oz of coolant every 2 months. Engine temps have remained normal.

Ironically, I'm starting the procedure tomorrow to start tearing everything off in preparation for the reseal.