Pulled Skid Plate - Trans Drip (1 Viewer)

[Orange Hat]

Ok gurus, need your thoughts...

Pulled skid plates to perform first oil change on my 2018 (bought new in June '18 and has 4,640 on the clock now)...replacing skid plates with some Budbuilt units btw!

While admiring how clean everything was underneath, I noticed a drip at the engine/transmission interface:

Here's a pic of the factory skid in that area:

And a picture after wiped down...residue has a reddish tint:

Soooo, is this drip anything to worry about? Should I be thinking "that's nothing to worry about after 9 months and 4,600 miles of ownership" or "great, I need to have Toyota tear it down to see what's up"?

 

[TonyP]

Sounds similar to this situation:

Oil leak at the bell housing

I bought a new 2018 Landcruiser. It had no test miles at all. When I got it home I noticed a drip at the very bottom of the bell housing, right where a notch is, where the transmission bolts to the engine. I cleaned it up, checked a couple of days later, and there was more oil hanging from...

forum.ih8mud.com

I'd bring it to the dealer since it's under warranty.

 

[Orange Hat]

Appointment scheduled tomorrow morning at the dealer...will keep everyone posted on what turns up. What a bummer though, just really knocks the wind out of one’s sails.

 

[KLF]

Very interested to hear how this turns out. Hopefully they won't pull the "suspension has been altered, warranty void, here's your bill!" crap.

 

[bloc]

That doesn't look "red" enough to me to be 4600 mile ATF. I'm thinking motor oil, and very possibly similar situation as the thread linked above.

And yes, they need to fix it. I wouldn't allow any leaks on a vehicle this expensive until the warranty is up, at the very least.

 

[Taco2Cruiser]

@Orange Hat, That’s motor oil... that’s a rear main seal leak.

And that sucks, I’m really sorry, but I’m happy your truck is still under warranty.

Umm, ugh, my least favorite seal to replace. Sometimes I can shift the transmission and transfer case rearward enough to replace it. Sometimes I just got to pull the motor out.

 

[19LC200]

Appointment scheduled tomorrow morning at the dealer...will keep everyone posted on what turns up. What a bummer though, just really knocks the wind out of one’s sails.

Any updates on this?

 

[TeCKis300]

@Orange Hat, That’s motor oil... that’s a rear main seal leak.

And that sucks, I’m really sorry, but I’m happy your truck is still under warranty.

Umm, ugh, my least favorite seal to replace. Sometimes I can shift the transmission and transfer case rearward enough to replace it. Sometimes I just got to pull the motor out.

Agreed. Dislike changing RMSs!

I all the other vehicles I've done, I generally pull the trans.

Are you saying that one can't really pull the trans/transfer case, and needs to pull the motor on these vehicles to change this?

 

[Taco2Cruiser]

Agreed. Dislike changing RMSs!

I all the other vehicles I've done, I generally pull the trans.

Are you saying that one can't really pull the trans/transfer case, and needs to pull the motor on these vehicles to change this?

Yeah there have been a few trucks along the way that, because of what was behind the t-case, I just couldn’t move the trans away from the bell housing enough.

So then I get into this spot of needing to remove fuel tanks, the t-case from the trans, maybe a crossmember, some exhaust. So then I just go, “well, probably faster to just pull the motor.” 83-95 V6 pickups and 4runners were like that for me.

But I did replaced a 5.7L tundra once some time ago (it was a friends, and we had a long weekend). And it was easy to move the trans back enough. But on the 200, with the fuel tank so dang close to the t-case, I’ve wondered if I could do it the same way. Or do I drop the fuel tank? Or is it just faster to pull motor. I don’t know, but fun to kinda think through it.

 

[Orange Hat]

Any updates on this?

No update yet as flu hit the household this weekend forcing me to drop it off sometime next week instead.

 

[Orange Hat]

Ugh, rear main seals...maybe it's a curse that's following me but I just had that seal replaced on my '95 Bronco a few months ago (granted, it's due one with 200k on the clock).

 

[TonyP]

Ugh, rear main seals...maybe it's a curse that's following me but I just had that seal replaced on my '95 Bronco a few months ago (granted, it's due one with 200k on the clock).

Very nice. I have a soft spot for those things. Too bad they CUV-ized the new Bronco.

 

[Sac Cerevisiae]

Too bad they CUV-ized the new Bronco.

Haven’t released it just yet. Just a silhouette and some renderings. The teased “Baby” Bronco might be more crossover than off-roader.

 

[TonyP]

Haven’t released it just yet. Just a silhouette and some renderings. The teased “Baby” Bronco might be more crossover than off-roader.

You're right. I was thinking of the Blazer for some reason.
My hopes aren't high though.

 

[KLF]

Ugh, rear main seals...maybe it's a curse that's following me but I just had that seal replaced on my '95 Bronco a few months ago (granted, it's due one with 200k on the clock).

I had one of those as a company vehicle when I was working in the oil patch, mid 80's. 300 ci inline 6, 4 speed manual. I beat that thing like a rented mule and it showed it. The one redeeming thing I did like was the plastic interior, I would come back to the shop at the end of the day with the thing covered with mud inside, pull it into a wash bay and hose out the interior.

 

[Orange Hat]

Ok all, I'm beyond TICKED (can barely type this I'm so mad!)

I had Toyota (Lone Star Toyota, Lewisville - TX) look at the Cruiser today. Told the guy that there was a leak at the bellhousing that needed to be looked at. I also showed him the photos above that I had taken and even brought in the plastic skid for them to see the residue. I politely expressed my displeasure of a leak before its first oil change to which he said "Toyota is good at making things right".

Feeling optimistic that things were going my way, I waited for a couple of hours before getting the diagnosis..."there is no leak". Obviously, there has to be as I have photos that prove otherwise. By that time, I had lost my patience and was about to lose my temper so I left with the vehicle.

So first off...thoughts?

Second...what's my recourse here?

My plan is to get more "evidence" (ie, pics) and take up the conversation with the dealership manager and also connect with someone at the corporate Plano office across town. I'm just beyond words over this!

And just in case anyone wonders why I didn't stay to address things with the manager right then and there, I had just been informed that my Mom had been admitted to the hospital so yeah, just bad news across the board!

 

[bloc]

Tell them you don’t appreciate being called a liar.

They may default to “only staff are allowed in the garage” but asking to be there the next time they remove the skids could help them see what you are talking about.

 

[tirewater]

Perhaps they're right, and you have nothing to worry about.

In the meantime, gather more evidence or try another dealer.

 

[M1911]

Talk to the manager, show him the pictures and ask to him to make an appointment with the Toyota zone rep to inspect the vehicle.

 

[Sandroad]

I wouldn't waste any more of your time with that service dept. That's a leak and they screwed up telling you otherwise. Escalate directly to Toyota Corporate through their 800 number and get Toyota those photos. The photos are such clear evidence that Toyota will set the dealer straight and come up with a solution.