To answer some of your questions READ THIS! This applies ONLY to the 2GR-FE 3.5L engine in the transverse configuration. Typical models that can have this are 2009-2011 Toyota Venza V6, 2007-2011 Toyota Sienna, 2008-2011 Toyota Highlander and 2011 Toyota Highlander Hybrid. On the Lexus Side 2007-2011 Lexus RX350 and 2010-2011 Lexus RX450H. It does NOT apply to other engines and it does not apply to the GR series engines in other models that are not transverse( Like 4runner, Lexus GS, Lexus IS....etc). It also does not apply to the 2GR-FKS engine which is the updated 3.5L engine which did have a metal line from the factory. Some models like the Camry, Avalon, ES350...etc did not have an oil cooler from the factory so it wouldn't have this oil cooler line. The best way to check if your car is affected or not is by inspecting it just as I showed you towards the end of the video.
I’m so glad my 07 Camry with the 2GR-FE doesn’t have the front oil cooler line, but still does have that rubber VVTI line in the rear of the engine which I check weekly too see if it starts to look wet I will immediately change it but once I save enough money I will change it out too all metal and never worry about it again, when I bought the car, according to carfax the VVTI oil line has been replaced once which apparently has “better” rubber but still will replace it with the all metal one eventually, I even contacted Toyota and their records show they changed the VVTI oil line once under their “extended service campaign” so next one I will have to pay for lol
I just experienced the rubber line on my highlander fail. Unfortunately the car was driven for about 40 minutes without oil. Added oil after engine cooled to troubleshoot and sure enough the rubber section of hose was gushing out oil. I am relieved the engine started but worried about unseen damage. Installing the replacement kit tomorrow --- hoping for the best!
I remember when John Deere had rubber hoses going to the oil filters on some tractor models, but they don't anymore. Probably a good reason. A failure can destroy the engines in seconds.
@@ShainAndrews you are right. Didn’t see it to just now. Us old guys are a little slow sometimes finding things. Be nice or Santa may bring you a lump of coal. Lol Have a good Holiday season.
You're very fortunate to have The Car Care Nut local to you. It's so difficult and costly sometimes, trying to find someone that comes close to his level of knowledge and care when it comes to auto repair. Whatever his rates are, and I'm quite sure they're reasonable, he's definitely worth every penny.
I'm a Service Advisor at a Toyota Dealership and I try to make a point of making sure that customers are aware of this issue with this engine. Awesome content as usual!
Just to be clear , this is the part number for all Toyota and Lexus 2GRFE no matter what the make or model. Thank you for your reply. I am appreciative of your videos.
I used my 2011 Sienna with 225,000 miles to run an errand the day before we were going to head out for a 600 mile trip for this last Labor Day weekend. When I got back from the store, I smelled burning oil, saw a growing oil puddle forming under the engine, and noticed a trail of oil on the street leading up to my house. I've been taking the Sienna to the same dealership for 10 years, and although otherwise very happy with their service, which I credit with the van being able to reach 225,000 miles with no major issues, I was a little disappointed that noone had given me the heads up on this problematic part. I got it towed, they did replace it with the metal lines, and luckily there was still enough oil in the engine that it hadn't seized. I can only imagine what would have happened had I not run that last minute errand. TCCN's advice to replace this ASAP is priceless.
Good thing it was close to home! My car has never broken down and "stranded" me until the time I blew my awd driveshaft. But the car was gracious enough to do it when I was a mile away from home 😂
THANK YOU, Sir! In an earlier video (I am a long time Giant Fan), you addressed this and SAVED my 2010 Toyota Highlander Limited 3.5 V6. No doubt you have saved folks a million dollars+ total over the years. So glad you explain it here for all to see and appreciate.
As always another honest tip! I also recommend that oil tube to my clients at my shop-its just the right thing to do. I also had a 2007 RX350 w/ 251k miles and the oil cooler o ring was leaking-i replaced that o-ring also. As always good honest content especially on your 2010 LS-460 video regarding the heat exchanger valley plate leaking coolant. I like how stated head gasket or heat exchanger leaking? even thought you had a strong experience possibility it was the heat exchanger leaking, you recommended to remove the intake manifold to confirm first before guessing and throwing parts at it which is not the right thing to do- no parts changers to see what sticks here-keep up the good honest diagnostic work.
Thank you for making this video. Mine went out on me several months ago and it lost about 3 quarts of oil. Luckily I turned it off before any damage happened. Fairly easy repair
The Toyota engineer who decided to use rubber tubing instead of metal tubing thought he was saving the company money. Penny wise, pound foolish. The engineer did not stop to think about the damage to Toyota's reputation when this rubber hose deteriorates, leaks oil and the engine seizes, leaving the driver stranded in the middle of an expressway during rush hour. Wonder if that engineer still has his job with Toyota?
@@steveolive9991 Presumably a company like Toyota that is based on teamwork doesn't assign responsibility for critical parts to a single individual. Especially for an engine used across many vehicles over many years. That is implying Toyota uses a weakest link management style. It might feel good to blame this design mistake on a single engineer, but it was surely a team that made the call.
It was made of rubber possibly for vibration damage. Only time will tell how well the metal one holds up. Will it suffer cracking after 30 years of use ? Maybe, if those rubber lines were changed at a recommended interval one would have no problems. Vehicles do require maintenance, using that all metal part now reduces one area of maintenance. IF, your pro-active on care, you will not be reactive to problems.
The 2GR-FE is a legendary engine, and your love and support for it through these videos help everyone keep theirs for many more years! Looking forward to the next video!
Another awesome video! The updated parts and part numbers are such a huge help. Your expertise along with your cameraman’s great angles really makes your channel second to none. (Cameraman knew how to hold the flashlight when helping their parent fix the car 😂)
I don't know if I've said this before but. I started fixing my own cars maybe 5 years ago. Toyota makes my favorite cars. You've been a great help and a huge impact on my taking care of my cars the right way so thank you.
what do we think of reliability on this 3.5 v6 versus the 4.0 v6? I know both can exceed 300,000 miles so it’s a moot point, just curious if either ekes a lead out
Good question. I would say it's subjective..both are great engines but I've seen more content/problems to read about on the 3.5 v6. But seems if you keep on top of either engine they will last a long while. ✌️
My '05 4runner 4.0 crapped a head gasket at 210K. (the dreaded cylinder 6 misfire) Pretty pathetic for a toyota, and somewhat of a common problem as they redesigned the head gaskets the next year due to the problem, but no recall or tsb. Had both gaskets done with OEM parts ($$$$$$$) and it gets 19/21.4 mpg now.
Yea my vti line broke twice and drained all oil on road...was smoking and making noises luckily Rav4 made it 220k miles when I sold it. If I didn't react fast easily could see how you could kill this engine. Extremely stupid design by Toyota.
You weren't kidding about the dealer not wanting to sell this part number. The service department said he couldn't get it. I walked over to the parts department and bought it. The parts guy knew exactly what it was...
This went out on our 2011 highlander with 115k miles. On the highway, pouring rain, high speed traffic. By the time I could get safely off the highway (not parking on the highway in the rain), I was out of oil, and the engine was making noises. After being towed to a Toyota dealer, they completed the tsb and I promptly traded the car in. What was a 200k+ mile engine had become an active time bomb. After a few months of back and forth I got toyota to pay my tow fees and rental car fees, as we were travelling towards a weekend vacation at the time of the incident. Issues like this are small, but can be catastrophic. It's a wonder to me Toyota has the reputation it does as bulletproof. All cars have issues, don't believe anyone who says they don't!
First of all I love your videos, please don't stop and God bless you also. I own three Lexus vehicles, all used. This particular problem with the oil line you are discussing, should have been an official recall from toyota/lexus. One of my 08 vehicles has the shredded oil line problem but someone changed it before I purchased the vehicle. It has the 2GR-FSE. Being a new Lexus owner as of 3 years ago, and being a garage mechanic on the side, I am not optimistic like many who say Toyota has the best engines. I think it might be 10% above some of the other manufacturers. The fact that Toyota chose to make an upper oil pan which makes it incredibly difficult for a very good mechanic/ engineer, to remove the upper oil pan without removing the engine. To me that is a huge mistake and tarnishes the reputation of an otherwise very qualified business. If I might add a request for your video coverage would be this: talking about the GS 3rd generation and how the upper oil pan might be removed more easily, if it is even possible. On the 2GR-FXX versions with V6 which is what I own and also the longer lower engine with the V8. Also noting that the AWD models may have extra requirements to even remove the timing chain cover. Here is an example on the GS 350 with the V6 engine is it extremely hard to change the timing chain or camshaft parts or even the tensioner due to the fact that the upper oil pan may have to be removed forcing you to Jack the engine up if you're working in a driveway or being forced to take it to a mechanic who has the time to lift the car, remove all the frame parts to include much of the suspension and axles just to Simply get to the timing chain or the camshaft parts. This is not actually a complaint. It is something I have dealt with personally with one of my vehicles. I am an apt engineer and worked on many cars to replace head gaskets however this particular model has been a special pain in my butt. It would be nice to see you display some video talking about the issues of removing the upper oil pan just to remove the timing chain and engine models this does affect. I know one certified Toyota mechanic in the area I live. He is Asa certified and owns his own repair shop much like you do. He has told me that working on the 2gr engine is also a pain in his butt and he made the comment that it's one of the worst engines toyota/lexus ever used however they continue to use it but making slight changes. Please attempt to restore my faith in Lexus engines because at this point I'm ready to sell all three Lexus vehicles and not recommend them to any family members any longer. Giving Up luxury just to know that there's an engine that I can work on without paying $9,000 to a dealer is a huge plus to me and well worth staying away from Toyota.
I had this exact same problem with my wife’s 2010 Sienna, it leaked every where about a mile from home, sounded like a diesel, but she drove it back home with literally no oil in it, got it home and had my neighbor helper install the new Toyota all metal oil cooler line, thankfully there was no damage to the engine and drove perfect ever since, sadly the car was side swiped about a year later, but I was impressed at Toyotas excellent quality, apart from the original rubber oil cooler line lol
If it sounded like a diesel, I think internal engine damage already occurred. My 2009 Highlander had this issue but it had plenty of oil when I got it towed to a mechanic to install the updated cooler line.
@@Michael-db4sn You'd be surprised what those Toyota engines can handle. On the Legit Street Cars RU-vid, they took all the oil out of a Camry just to see how long it would last and it went a long time before it failed. The car didn't even have an oil pan or a valve cover and it was motoring down the road.
@@RealJohnnyDingo It does. My 2009 Sienna 3.5L rubber oil cooler line failed 2 months ago with 208K miles on it. Luckily failed on the way to Home Depot abt 3/4 mi away from my house. Did not know it blew until I got home and saw the 1” wide oil leak trail up the driveway. Had lost 3.5 quarts to get it back to full. Followed my path back to H.D. with my other vehicle and could see where it ruptured on the road, traced to where I parked with a puddle there and then trip back home. Also oil light never came on as I still had 3 quarts oil left but lost 3.5 quarts in abt 1.1 miles of city driving so no indicator that something was wrong besides the oil trail. Googled where it was leaking and saw this was a Toyota TSB and Toyota would pay for the repair in the U.S. if it failed before 2019 and 150K miles. I watched a couple of RU-vid vids at the time for the repair and concluded this was more than I wanted to tackle so had the local Toyota dealer fix it and they charged me $320. Anyone that has a 3.5 liter Toyota engine needs to check if they have a rubber hose version and if so just get it replaced. If this would have happened to me on the interstate, in my opinion it would have destroyed the engine before I could have safely pulled off the road.
Thank you for this video. Had this line go on my 2008 Highlander, left a trail of oil down the road on a rainy day. Luckily the leak was “slower” and I noticed it soon enough after it broke that I stopped and turned the engine off. After upgrading to the metal oil cooler lines, the engine survived. Thanks for all your great videos.
I drive a 2009 V6 Sport with the rare appearance package. (no spare on the rear) 180K miles. Too bad the V6 is no longer available in the latest gen. of the Rav4 any more! I pull a 2200 # trailer and need the V6. I'm at a loss for a replacement car that has a V6 and quality that is no bigger than the Rav. Yes, I could do a 4 cylinder turbo to get the HP, but but i doubt it will be the quality or last as long as the 2GR-FE. Suggestions welcome PLEASE! RX350 would work but $$$$. 2022 is the last year for the V6 in the RX350 too! I also the like timing chain feature that doesn't need changing every 100K. Just my wife & I so I don't need / want a big SUV.
Mine blew out on my 2008 Lexus RX 350 last week while I was driving down the interstate and had to have it towed. Thankfully it was during the day and a rest area was close. I just happened to look in my rearview mirror and saw smoke rolling out the back from the hot oil gushing out of the ruptured line. No oil light came on. I just ordered and installed the new metal line the other day and it took 4 quarts of oil to top it back off and the engine still sounds quiet. Thank you for this video and the part number. You saved me a lot of time and money taking the guesswork out of what happened and sharing the part number to the kit.
Yesterday night I did a stop because engine started to get smoke. No warning signal. Opened the hook and found oil all over the places. I could see with a lantern that the oil at pressure, was coming apparently from a bottom hose. We were 2 miles away of home so came back to home and avoid moving the car until understanding what is going on. This morning I checked the level of engine oil and it was empty... no good. Then searched for "toyota highlander oil leakage from hose", and found this video... Can't say for sure because I will need to see the oil coming from these hoses, now with day light. So my plan is to go for more engine oil, cover the hoses with some fabric and duck tape, put a bin below to receive all the leakage, and turn on the engine. This will help me also to see if the engine is still alive... or already burned out... Writing here also helps me to organize my ideas, as well as keeping other owners aware of what could happen...
Update: found the exact leakage point. It is definitely in one of the rubber hoses of this oil cooler line. I filled the oil deposit and turned on the car. The engine sounds perfect!!! Knowing that doesn't seem to be damage, I am ordering the part and plan to use this video to fix it. Thanks for the video!!!
So there are no such thing as good rubber lines that replace the bad rubber lines around 2009, 2010? Because I'm getting a lot of conflicting information that initial lines were faulty type of rubber and they replace them. Even though it's best to have them replaced by the metal, the initial rubber lines were supposed to be a lot worse. I guess that's just a myth.
I have a 2022 Toyota Highlander so this does not apply to my car. However, I just want to thank you for all you do in sharing all your knowledge with us. The people in Chicago are so lucky to have you. I wanted to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas as you celebrate our Savior’s birth! Wishing abundant blessings and a prosperous 2023!,
One of your best videos thus far AMD. Clear instructions and sound advice. Probably very few channels will inform about the value of these kits and how to save money by using them. It's a shame that Toyota sometimes cuts corners on certain critical components. Looked like one of the rubber hoses might rub against the bottom outer edge of the oil pan. Thanks for shining a light on the quality issues. I hope Toyota is taking notes. You even go the extra mile by cautioning your viewers about how the oil travels down below the engine and what to do to clean it up without damaging the oxygen sensor. Great details AMD.
What's really obnoxious about this particular issue is that Toyota actually makes a better quality part that would eliminate this problem entirely and be installed during assembly, and it wouldn't even add all that much to the cost of the car. Instead, they put in the less-reliable part and left it to the customer to put in the replacement that would make it more reliable. The absolute epitome of "penny-wise, pound-foolish" thinking.
Hello . I was changing a sparkplug of a V 6 Rx 300 0f '01. the sleeve of sparkplug at the back ,broke off where the hard palstic , about 1/2 inch. I have the sparkplug out . I did everything possible to pull it out . after lubricaring with silicon , it doesn't even turn . I was thinking of drilling it to pieces, and after that , vacuum inside . will it work? Thanks.
Great video, on my 2009 Highlander Sport, I had this line go on me while we were away in Maryland a few years back. I thought it was a leak coming from the oil pan gasket and replaced it myself but of course when I turn the car on oil was gushing out, did research and found that this was a know issue and Toyota were repairing these for free. I called the local Fitzgerald Toyota Dealer and they had one kit left and replaced everything, they were great! Bill came out to a little under $1,100, but total was zero due to the bulletin. That was a learning experience for sure!
@TheCarCareNut I saw this video a little over a month ago, planned on replacing it on our 2010 Highlander, 164k miles, but put it off until next oil change.😞 My wife was an hour away from home on the interstate ~70 mph when she called me and told me she heard a noise from the engine low oil pressure light, and there was oil on the back window. She pulled over and parked in the first spot she could safely. I got it towed it home ~$400. She told me she heard the same knocking when I showed her the other video where you swapped the 2GR. I assumed the engine was shot, but replaced the oil cooler anyway and added 5 quarts of oil, meaning roughly 1.4 - 2 quarts were still in the engine. I started it up and waited for the knocking, but it didnt come and settled to a purring idle! Should I take my chances tto keep this otherwise well maintained (by me) car, since I had no plans to get a new car? The hood and roof has faded paint, so its not mint. If selling is the safer option, Do you think painting the hood is worth it for resale value on a 13 yr old car? Thank you for your opinion, and thank you for this video and related! DON'T WAIT to replace this part!
I'm so thankful for your 3.5L V6 videos lately. I just baught a 2014 Camry XLE with that V6 for my daughterin college. The information you provided me was very helpful. God bless you and for being such a help to us. Frank
San Diego Toyota and Olathe Toyota (Kansas) are my go to for OEM parts online at a decent discount. Check them out. Another awesome video saving me $$$. Thanks!!!
Great video as always! I just checked my 2015 Highlander and see the rubber pipe version. Dealership has 1 day delivery on the kit. QUESTION: Does oil pass through the oil filter after the cooler? I assume it must but you never know.😉
your video is great. i had this issue in my highlander 2011 and fortunately, could avoid damaging the engine and buy the part you recommend. already installed (tricky to get to all nuts really...), however, i still have a small leakage in the left side, middle nut. i tied it with a force that i think should be enough, it got better but still getting a fraction of a drop, barely visible, but still there. should i continue tying it? i am afraid to broke the screw or even worst, damage the thread of the engine, which, as you said, would become a huge issue... Any suggestion? thanks in advance!
I just changed my spark plugs on my 2013 4Runner while following your video on the topic. I had the dealership change some fluids due to your maint. advice. Thanks for putting out such quality videos that even a non-mechanic can follow and be successful! I saved a bunch of money and did the job right and it felt good to do it myself. I wish you were in Florida I would be at your shop for sure.
You are amazing. I wrenched for 19 yrs. I appreciate your honesty and to the point. Toyota is top dog imo. Thanks for taking the time take videos. Paul Copeland #Copelandingadventures
I was very fortunate about 12 years ago my 2008 Highlander ruptured on a 2 mile trip to CVS and back, while I was at the drive through I said someone had a bad oil leak here not realizing it was me. I drove back home and saw oil on my driveway and the trail behind me. Fortunately it was small enough to not completely drain the oil. Towed it to Toyota. Today I have over 253,000 miles and runs perfect. Change oil every 5k miles with fully synthetic oil.
Thank you for another great instructional video.May I make a suggestion please? Perhaps with the use of a simple & inexpensive cat toy laser you could identify the exact location of the . You might want to consider this suggestion. I've looked a thousands of RU-vid vids and no one has used this simple tool. You would be the the first I've seen to have used a laser pointer as a locator. Okay! Thank again for all your great teaching and May the Lord bless you & keep you in His grace. Michael
Note to others that own Toyota Siennas - I found out that Not all Toyota Sienna's have this installed. The Oil cooler will be there IF THE TOW PACKAGE WAS INSTALLED as an option. IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE TOW PACKAGE YOU WON'T HAVE THE OIL COOLER. So if you look and it isn't there - you are not going crazy (like me) - it really isn't there. You can also run your VIN on Toyota's main site and see what options were installed. A visual check is confirmation.
This. He should have covered the tow package vs. no tow package. I don't see an oil cooler unless I'm looking at it wrong and I don't have a tow package.
I bought a 2009 Highlander V6 from a private seller, and soon as I bought it, had been in communication with my local Toyota dealer to replace the oil cooling line, which I had heard about on the Car Care Nut Channel . Wouldn't you know it, but the piece literally gave out before I could get it replaced. I thankfully knew what was happening and immediately got it over to the side of the road. A local mechanic friend was able to install the piece I had already ordered from Toyota, and the car was fine in the end.
Crazy! My wife just got a used 2008 RX350 with 286k miles on it, and it still has the rubber lines on it!!! Needles to say, we havent driven it much since then and I will be replacing this on Tuesday, as it is a known ticking time bomb, and I figure we are on borrowed time!
My wife and I had a 2009 Toyota RAVA 4 with a 6 cylinder gasoline engine. After about 130,000 kilometres, the 6 cylinder engine failed and had to be replaced with another 6 cylinder engine.
Great video Car Care Nut ! I love that you always take your time and clearly explain things. This shows that you are meticulous and care making things right. Continue doing a great job ! 👏 👍
Thoughts: Would you use penetrating lube to better limit the chance of breaking any bolts? Would it be wise to drain the oil? Looking at the cross member, I would want to address the surface rust while accessing the location!
Draining the oil pan wouldn’t help you in this situation. Oil will still be in the cooler lines and coming out of the cooler when removed. No way around it.
The car care nut is a super honest guy, he teaches you everything about your Toyota I learned quiet a bite from him so I give a thumbs up, thank you sir great job.
So i have a 2011 RX450h, which fits the criteria, the engine is 2GR-FXE, which is not mentioned. I look down and don't clearly see either. Before i pull off some plastic, does anyone know if I need to do this?
I have the same thing, I finally found it, and I have what looks like a rubber line, but it's blue. I don't know what that means. I got mine 2 years ago at 127k miles and I've put 44k miles on it. I'm wondering if there was a problem and some mechanic just replaced the line. Check, though, I thought I saw that only some 2011s had the problem.
It's about time AMD. I had to replace my oil cooler line on a 2GRFE 2011 Toyota Sienna XLE after failure. I wish Toyota had warned my about the defective part, using rubber lines on the oil cooler that get brittle, failure wait to happen.
Toyota probably hired a bean counter from BMW and showed them how much a rubber hose can save them much on parts, Toyota by greed liked the idea and said let's make money! what does the customer know, just blame them for not doing maintenance in their dealership...
I am glad to see back to basics "how-to" video, just like the old days! I didn't catch if the years were mentioned. I believe it was 2008 through 2012 (Sienna, RAV4, Camry, Avalon and Highlander), if I recall correctly. I tried to find the years that it was known to take place in the description, but didn't.
Several years and models had the 2GR-FE. You can just type the GR engine in Wikipedia, then scroll down to 2GR and see all of the models and the years they had this engine. There are too many to list, but roughly 2006-2015 Avalon, rav4, Camry, highlander, sienna, Lexus es 350 and Rx 350
@@drummeralex9198 the problem is that not every year of that engine had that problem. Unlike other manufacturers, Toyota will change a production technique or method midstream. The 2GR engine line went on over 10 years, probably a couple more than that. So you have to be more specic. A 2014 Toyota Camry V6 with that engine will not have that problem.
