Rimsy

You need to remove the engine to fix the front timing cover leak so not worth considering.

Are you sure it's the power steering pump that is leaking? A rego inspection on my 2007 also said the power steering pump was leaking but in actual fact it's the front timing cover that is leaking, a very common issue on the V6. The oil basically runs down onto the power steering pump making it appear like it is leaking. I'd just keep an eye on the power steering pump reservoir like you are already doing and not add anything. The level in my reservoir hasn't moved for years.

In hindsight I probably should have got a 50 series, but I needed a cheap, reliable car to tow my box trailer and I wanted a V6. I love the engine even tho it's shoehorned into an engine bay not designed for it so it can be a pain to work on. I'll never get the timing cover leak fixed as it's just not worth it with it being an engine out job. Thanks for your support Tony and Ashley for the advice on the doing to job.

So I finally got around to replacing the rear VVTi oil line today and oh boy, what a doozy. I've never seen such bad design before, and not just one or two things. But the whole reason I have to replace the line in the first place is due to bad design so I guess it all makes sense. All up I reckon it took me about 6 hours. I lost a fair bit of time on the bolts for the plastic cover over the oil line. I didn't even bother trying to put the rear bolt back after as there's just no way I can do it without better tools as I can't get my hand in there. I also lost a heap of time as whoever replaced the power steering pump put a bolt back that doesn't fit right. After fighting with it for like an hour I finally figured out that it's not the right bolt so it won't screw in all the way. The proper bolt is about 5 inches long so there's no way you could confuse it with another one. Some people just don't give a F. I also see why a number of videos I watched basically removed all of the steering elements as it's almost impossible to torque the rear banjo bolt with all that in the way. Got there in the end though. On a final note, the rubber part that came off was still very flexible and in good condition, probably didn't need to be replaced but you can't know that until you've already taken it off. Car has done 160,000km so far and should be good for another 100,000km now.

That's a good price, thanks Ashley. I know it's a better long term option, however I would prefer not to go through the pain of trying to replace the whole piece as it's a huge PITA. I'd prefer to just buy the old design and use the rubber elbow on my car which will last for many years, longer than the car will last. I bit the bullet and just bought the full metal pipe. Wish me luck...

Does anyone know if you can just get a replacement for the rubber elbow on the VVTI oil line instead of replacing the whole part with a new metal one? My Aurion is already 16 years old and replacing the rubber elbow will probably make it outlast the car and I can easily do it myself. Toyota want over $160 just for the metal part and never got back to me with a quote for labour. They already replaced the oil cooler line under recall. Thanks.

Thanks for the post Tony. What do you normally use to clean the oil filter housing?

Hi Vix. Glad you got it sorted. I had this exact same issue, but the engine was still running smoothly. Toyota replaced coil pack 4 (about $300 with the scan I think) and happy days. Mine is also an '07 with about 150k on it. Lucky cylinder 4 is on the front bank.

Thanks Ashley. I think I'll give that dodgy brothers RTV sealant a go. He covered the brand so I couldn't see what he was using, any idea which RTV is best to use? All good, found it.

Hi All, I've done a search on the site and can't find any definitive answers on this one. 2007 Aurion, 150,000km. Small oil leak from the timing cover. Very common problem from what I understand but requires engine out to fix and therefore will cost almost as much as the car is worth. Is there anyway to try and seal/slow the leak from the outside? It's not a big deal at this stage and I don't have to add oil between changes (only leaves a few drops on oil on the floor each week) but if I could just find a way to seal/slow the leak it might outlast the car. I'm not paying for an engine out repair.

Nothing wrong with Ryco filters. They are a specialist filter company so know a thing or two about filters. Just make sure you get at least 25% off at Supercheap or wherever you buy it.

Great video. I ended up watching the whole thing. Funny how he comments on the airbox clip being broken. Must be common as that clip is broken on my Aurion as well. The airbox still seals pretty well without it.

I get this smell when I accelerate hard (or sometimes when towing) even when the system is set to recirculate. It's rather annoying.

Hi Steve, I always think it's best to contact your local dealer, give them the rego/VIN and they can tell you if the recall has been done on your vehicle or is subject to any other recalls. In response to your question, I do not know how to look to see if the recall has been done, even though I recently had the oil cooler pipe recall done on my Aurion.

Have to agree with The Car Nut being awesome. I just did my front brake pads and fluid change using his videos and they are very easy to follow with great tips.