Major oil leak - Help!

[hilly1989]

Just got back from a weekend away.

About 1km from home, the oil light start to flicker on/off. then stayed off. Pulled up in the driveway and there was oil everywhere under the car.

Cleaned the oil up around the engine, filled it up again. Couldn't see a leak without the car on so started it up and oil ****** out of the hose at one point.

I took a few photos of where it was coming from.

What are the odds I've damaged the engine?

Will be looking for a mechanic first thing tomorrow to fix it.

edit: Details about the car

2007 Aurion ATX, 120,000kms

Cheers,

Hilly

Edited February 2, 2014 by hilly1989

[Kinezo]

Your engine should be alright as long as you didn't keep running it without oil.

The hose you got circled is the aircon hose (correct me if im wrong) which shouldn't leak motor oil.

The leak is most likely coming from the oil cooler hose which happened to me two months ago. You will find the hoses joined to the oil filter housing under the aircon hoses.

Heres my video: http://instagram.com/p/hZzF6lAJ02/#

The fault with mine was with a 90 degree bend in the hose which had a pin hole. Toyota do not sell these anymore as they have revised the part. Frankston Toyota quoted $220.

I repaired it with a 90 degree brass fitting and two straight hoses.

These leaks are common with the 2007 Aurion as they used low quality hoses. I checked the 2008 Aurion and it has improved hoses. The 2013 Aurion runs a complete metal oil cooler pipes. Best to check the VVTI oil pipe too to make sure it is the improved hose (yellow line marking on the hose).

Hope this helps :)

[hilly1989]

Spot on Kinezo, it was the oil cooler hose. Had the mechanic come out and look at it today. Putting the new modified pipe in tomorrow.

It does have the new VVTI oil pipe, I made sure of this when i bought it 8 months ago.

It probably had 1 litre of oil left in it by the time I got it home, topped up with almost 5 Litres to the full mark. Hopefully no damage was done.

[the drake]

I had the same issue on my aurion last month - http://au.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/topic/45374-aurion-oil-leak-woes/

I had the light blink momentarily, didn't think of it much but it stayed on just before I got on the freeway, and on the instrument cluster a warning came up "Low Engine Oil Pressure". Pulled up immediately on the breakdown lane, and saw a leak underneath the car. The leak occurred at speed, as there was oil splatter underneath and at the rear diffuser.

Anyway, they found the same pinhole leak on the oil pipe - from the oil cooler housing to the oil filter - and the bend was made of rubber. The dealer told me the new part, which took them 10 working days to get into the country - has a full metal hose.

Reading previous post in this thread, it looks like this is a known issue on the Aurion.

My aurion has done almost 120,000km and also a MY07 model.....quite a coincidence considering you went through the same circumstances on a similar aged car and km's..

Car is running fine at the moment, engine still running strong. Can't seem to hear an increase in the 'tappeting' as you would expect the damage to the engine due to low oil..though the 2GR-FE are also known for its piston taps having read some old threads...

Edited February 10, 2014 by the drake

[hilly1989]

Good to hear no damage was done. Mine sounds the same. The underneath of my car was completely covered in oil all the way to the rear axle.

10 days seems a bit rough to get the part. I manage got the same full metal pipe one. Emailed my mechanic Sunday night, and he had the part and me back on the road by Tuesday afternoon for $520. No idea if this is a good price, but he came out to my house twice and great turn around.

Edited February 11, 2014 by hilly1989

[Miles_Moose]

Hi everyone,

The same thing has just happened to my 2007 Aurio AT-X as well. I am @ about 127,000 km now. The oil cooler return hose also has developed a hole. My friend who did some work on cars on his own came over and we had a look and found the oil spurting just as in Kinezo's video.

I have spoken to the dealership where I bought it as a used car and have also contacted Toyota Australia about this issue of discontinued part. Both of them were not able to do anything for me.

I have also read someone else having the same problem on another thread @ http://au.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/topic/35814-oil-pipe-leak/

Luckily for this guy in that thread Toyota approved an out of warranty replacement for that part.

I have been quoted by a local mechanic that to fix the problem I would need to order the full metal replacement. I am currently an international student studying here in Melbourne and definitely cannot afford to fork out the ~$600 to get it fixed. So I am looking for a more affordable alternative. I am sending the car to another mechanic and hopefully he can recommend a cheaper solution.

Kinezo would you mind sharing more details about how you went about addressing the problem and where you sourced the parts from?

Cheers!

[Kinezo]

I went to Bursons (local parts store in Vic), told the guy I required a hose with a bend in it and showed him the broken one. He didnt have any and he suggested to go to Purtek (hose/fitting specialists) but I didnt have time.

So he happily suggested a brass 90 degree fitting (male on both sides) and gave me a lenth (around 6 inches of oil hose) with four hose clamps.

I cut the 6 inch hose into about two 2.5" lengths, slid them up the metal pipes on the existing assembly (past the metal rim stoppers), held the 90 degree brass fitting in place and slid down the hoses to form a connection. Tighen clamps and you got yourself a cheap fix.

If you ever fixed a PVC drain pipe from damage, very similar to that process. You're going to need some muscle to push the hoses past the stopping point, and it's a very tight position.

[Miles_Moose]

That is great Kinezo! Thank you very much for sharing the fix. I will endeavour to do the same :)

[Kinezo]

Definitely look for the upgraded metal pipe once our cars start to hit wreckers (or if Toyota decide to bring down the $220 price tag). It's held up for about 30,000km's but better to be sure than sorry ;)

[Pepperman]

I was reading about this problem last night and was wrapped when I checked my '07 and saw a yellow stripe running longitudinally on the rubber section near the top pipe fitting. Looks like a prick of a job access wise to change it. Glad I dont need to now. Good to hear nothing was damaged Hilly.

[Pepperman]

I'm a knob. Should have looked at those pics you posted first. Might have to get under the car now and check the right hose. I was thinking of the VVT-i hose I saw in another post.

[Roger Yurhole]

Hey guys,

Just a quick update on this oil leak issue with the Aurion... the rubber hoses that go the cooler.

This is a known crappy product and Toyota will cover under warranty all cars affected that are under 10 years old and less than 240000 klms travlled.

They will fit the improved alloy pipes as the rubber hoses are no longer available.

Honestly, if you still have the rubber hoses and your car is within the repair range, just cut the bloody things and tow your car to Toyota!