Welcome to Toyota Nation. I’ll be moving your post to the highlander forum for more help.

Prior to the visit, was there any funny noises in the engine bay? Any issues with a crank no start condition? What is the specific code that was retrieved?

Did the dealer bring you in to see the current condition? Ask for a compression check to verify the valves aren’t damaged or there’s blow by in the piston rings.

 

The car was running perfectly when the CEL illuminated. No starting issues. No vibrations. I plan to ask for a compression test tomorrow. Any other thoughts?

 

this info hopefully sheds light for you.

Toyota Highlander P0014: Causes + How to Fix | Drivetrain Resource

P0014 is a relatively common trouble code for vehicles that have Variable Valve Timing (VVT). This includes the Toyota Highlander. VVT adjusts the position of the camshaft(s) to maximize the combustion efficiency of the motor. P0014 means that the camshaft position is too far advanced from where...

www.700r4transmissionhq.com

 

 

@OregonToyotaGuy, I was just about to post the above video, but take a look at it. Though it's not an exact P0012 code that the video shows, but the P0014 and P0015 seems to be all related to camshaft timing either in advanced or retarded mode(s), see @ 6:48. I would tell the service department to change the oil control valve. Of course, if it's at the 1-3-5 (bank 1) location, they'll need to remove the cowl / plenum to get access to it, similar steps to changing the spark plugs. The engine shouldn't need to come out and definitely shouldn't cost $7000.

 

In my opinion, this is fishy... Watch this video by that car care nut:

In a nutshell, bad timing chains are unlikely for this engine, unless there is a history of questionable oil change intervals and overheating the engine. It's not impossible though but it is much more likely to be related to the VVTi solenoids as discussed in the video. If I were you, I would chat with the service advisor and the mechanic from the dealership and have them walk you through the exact diagnostic procedure they followed, basically go fishing for the right answers... No need to go in guns blazing, but if they don't volunteer that they performed bi-directional tests to retard the VVTi on each bank in order to see if it correctly stops the idle, then they overlooked a known common issue and didn't do there jobs. Find the TSB related to this issue and point out that if this is a known issue, then why didn't perform proper diagnostics to rule it out. Keep them honest, be courteous... If their answers are fishy, so is their diagnostic, and demand for a reimbursement of their diagnostic fee. Time to go somewhere else.

 

If in fact timing has jumped compression will be compromised

 

I can't believe it would run normally if the timing chain had jumped a tooth. I'd guess a sticking VVTi oil control valve (solenoid) is more likely.

I had one replaced on my 2010 V6 Highlander at around 92,000 miles. It had been throwing occasional codes for close to a year and almost 10,000 miles. It would run fine, and the light would go off after 4 or 5 key cycles, and stay off for 1,000+. Then come back on again out of the blue. Because the offending solenoid was on the rear bank, it was not a cheap repair, but it was in the hundreds, not thousands, of dollars.

I'd get a second opinion from another Toyota dealer if I were you.

 

A proper scan tool with live data can tell if it actually is the timing chain, which i highly doubt is the problem unless there is more to the story. Are you the original owner? If not, maybe the mileage is incorrect or the engine was changed previously with a high mileage one. The vast majority of these engines just keep right on going for hundreds of thousands of miles.

Additionally, the engine would not be running smoothly if there were timing issues.

 

I am not the original owner. An older couple bought the car new and traded it in 11 years and 45K miles later. The second owner bought it and drove it for about 18 months and 17K miles. Both previous owners only serviced the car at Toyota dealers and regularly changed the oil with synthetic at approximately 5K miles. I bought the car a few months ago because of the service records, low mileage and excellent condition. I paid $16K for it and immediately had the oil cooling lines replaced as well as doing a rear brake job. Then the CEL issue came up for me. After looking at the service records, the second owner first had a CEL issue last October and delt with it three times with the dealer to correct the problem. Over $4K later, I had to put in six new coil packs and related wiring. Less than 100 miles later, the CEL came up again. Now the dealer says that the bank 1 cam timing chain has jumped a tooth and that the engine needs to be removed to fix it.

Because of the thoughtful feedback from ToyotaNation members, I asked why the technician felt the timing chain had jumped a tooth. He said that the Intake valve timing showed to be correct but the exhaust valve timing was off. He said that, when set at top dead center, the timing was off and that the bank 1 cam timing chain was loose after the engine was shut off for a short time (implying that oil pressure had dropped but not enough to account for the loose timing chain). I asked if the bank 2 cam timing chain was also loose and the technician said that he didn't remove that timing cover to check. When I asked if he thought it odd that the car ran so smoothly, he said that the engine computer was likely compensating for the timing. And when I asked if he checked the engine compression, he said that he hadn't. The general feeling was that they needed to remove and tear down the engine to determine the damage and perform repairs. The consensus was that they couldn't guarantee that this would fix the problem.

Being that I have just retired and wanted to use this car for traveling across country (when not towing our 5th wheel), I have lost faith in the car. I asked what they would give me on trade for a new 4Runner and their reply was $7,500. Toyota Corporate has not offered any assistance and the dealer said that after they fix the car for $7K, they would only be able to wholesale it for around 13.5K and would have to take a loss. This is not accounting for all the profit they made on the past five CEL services nor the profit that they would make selling me a new $42K 4Runner. I am disappointed all the way around. I am awaiting their final offer before making a decision on my next move. Any thoughts?

 

I would do this. Contact Amd aka the car care nut. He’s a Toyota master tech and might be able to help you sort out the confusion with this vehicle.

Sounds like the dealer is up to no good. Do you do any repairs? If you do, I would pull off the valve covers and verify what the tech is saying. Then stick a screw driver into cylinder one and get the crank to top dead center. Then look for the timing marks on the intake and exhaust cams. The chain has colored pieces and should align as well when cylinder 1 is at tdc. Push on the chain to see if there’s slack.

My feeling is that the service advisor is trying to steal it from you.

 

75Aces, thanks for your thoughts. Who is Amd and how do I contact him? I think that he is the guy in all the informative videos that I have seen and I would really like to talk with him. As for the dealer, they actually told me that, after they "repair the car" to the tune of $7K, they would wholesale it because they would not want it on their lot. General Manager doesn't want to deal with it. Not sure if that is true, and I pointed out that he can fix the car at cost (much lower $$$), but he doesn't have faith in either the product or his technicians. That gives me a really bad feeling.

 

Again, I suggest you take it to a different Toyota dealer (completely unaffiliated with the first) for a second opinion. Don't tell them the diagnosis you received from the first dealer. Just tell them you're looking for a second opinion diagnosis and leave it at that.

 

Amd can be contacted through his YouTube channel, the car care nut. You might be able to contact him through this forum. He was on here while his channel was being developed. Since your highlander is a 2010, you may have the later version of the 2gr engine.

I’m confident that he will be able to help you. All you have to do is ask. Not sure if he still hosts a Q&A session. I used to participate in those.

He doesn’t mind educating his audience.

 

Thanks to all of you for your thoughts and help. I just finished a very uncomfortable conversation with the dealer that has my car. They were unwilling to negotiate on the $7.5K offer to buy my car. In addition, even after five CEL services in as many months, they wanted to charge me $1K for inconclusive diagnostics. We were at a stalemate and they were going to put a mechanic's lean on my car. I told them that I was not paying more for inconclusive diagnostics. Period. And I said that our next step was litigation. I also want to add that Toyota Corporate offered no assistance in the matter. Per the dealer, their repairs were guided by Corporate and they ultimately had no idea what was wrong or whether the recommended $7K repair would fix the CEL code. Toyota didn't care that all service since new was done at a dealership. They didn't care. Ultimately, the issue was headed for litigation. To avoid this, the dealer offered $8K to buy the car and I accepted. I am disillusioned and have a bad taste in my mouth for Toyota, including our new RAV4 Prime. But it is done and I can stop being angry. Again, thanks for your help.

 

It's not the outcome you had hoped, but sinking more money for training their mechanics shouldn't be your responsibility. AMD is known as the Care Care Nut, a Toyota master diagnostician that recently opened up his own shop and offers many insight into fixing the Toyota/Lexus brand. He can be reached at TCCN Automotive and had you been in the SW Chicagoland area, he'd given you an honest diagnosis and plan-of-action. Regardless, best of luck to you.

 

You have a dealer being lazy (or at the least unqualified) and that is pretty sad as it gives them all a bad name. This guy AMD (the car care nut) even had a recent video of how many times lazy techs (or greedy) pull engines to replace timing chains that should have never been pulled. Given the poor treatment by your dealer I can certainly understand why you might lose faith in the vehicle. However, given some of the conditions you noted (very smooth, quiet) engine for one makes me entirely doubt their diagnosis and the fact they've soaked either you or the previous owner over $4k for sitting there reading a computer is even worse.
I would seek out a different dealer (though rest assured even a different dealer will not be blind to what dealer 1 has done as everything is in their own intranet). Kinda like medical groups these days. I see 2 different docs both know everything the other does because of their "intranet".
Whether or not that will taint how the 2nd dealer treats the issue is unknown. Failing that a good independent might be able to help.
I gotta think this thing is something relatively "simple" (in terms of what it actually is) i.e. a bad solenoid, loose ground/connector, pulled wire somewhere what have you. But the dealer you have is too lazy or incompetent to actually do a diagnosis. No matter what I would not let them yank out the engine. Good $$$$ down the drain and likely with such incompetency to cause even more issues.
It's sad the best vehicles on the road are subject to this kind of stupidity but sadly this is the world we're in

 

i think the OP said he accepted a trade in offer...
$8k

 

i think the OP said he accepted a trade in offer...
$8k

I didn't read it that way. I thought he indicated he was mulling it over.

 

Sad and the original issue likely CAUSED by the dealer in the first place due to shoddy work. But, water under the bridge now

 

Call JDM in Orlando. Find out what they charge for installing an engine. You can use their price as a baseline. Personally, I don’t have a lot of confidence in dealer diagnostics.

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Greetings Toyota Gear Heads,

I have been having problems with a CEL and Traction Control light illuminating. It has happened five times and the previous owner and I have spent $5,000 to address it. Until today. The dealer just called and said that the codes are indicating a timing problem. Upon disassembling to the point that they could check the intake and exhaust timing, they found the exhaust timing was off and are assuming that the timing chain has jumped a tooth. Their recommendation is to remove the engine to see how much damage was caused by this and then performing repairs including replacing said timing chain. They did say that it was abnormally loose. Estimated cost to repair is approximately $7.000. The car only has 62,000 miles on the click and has always been serviced by the dealer. Does this sound fishy to anybody?

I am no longer sure that I could trust that other problems will not occur (and dealer made no promises). Therefore, I don't know what to do. I want to get a brand new car to avoid all of the mechanical hassles but don't know what to do with my current car (that I have over $18,000 invested in). Any thoughts?

My '88 Toyota truck was making a noise that I narrowed down to the timing cover. I removed the head and timing cover. The chain had almost worn through the cover,so I replaced the chain and guides and adjuster. I had the valves ground,put it back together,and it's been running well since.

 

Yes I agree. But the timing marks are on the cam sprockets and crankshaft pulley and timing cover. To say that it jumped a tooth, once cylinder 1 is at TDC, then it can be verified. There’s no timing marks inside the timing cover.

Now I’d agree with you if the situation was a broken chain. But timing is off and doesn’t need the timing cover removed to verify since there’s 3 areas outside of the timing cover. Cams and timing mark on the outside of the timing cover.

 

You cannot verify without opening the timing cover to actually see the marks. They're NOT visible externally. How could they be? They're on the chain and the sprockets. Cannot get to either component. Yeah there is a TDC mark on the crank pulley. Means nothing here

 

For those of you who wanted to know the name of the dealer that could not fix my car and happily charged me for their efforts, it is TOYOTA OF GLADSTONE, which is a suburb of Portland, Oregon. Because of the problems I was having with My Highlander, I did ask them how much a Platinum extended warranty would cost me for my 2021 RAV4 Prime. They said that it would cost between $5-6K. I bought it from the recommended dealer in Kansas for $1,360, thanks to ToyotaNation members. Just another confirmation that this dealership wanted to mark up everything that they offered to me. I have sold the car to them, money is in the bank, and I will never do business with them again. Ever.