I have a 2008 HL. It's a good car with no issues. Has about 200K on it. The only issue I have ever had was 2 times of smoking during the last 2 years(Here is the link https://www.toyotanation.com/thread...er-the-hood.1779242/?post_id=14959729&nested_view=1&sortby=oldest#post-14959729) and I guess the issue caused by small oil leak from timing chain cover.
I'm not 100% sure, but as this is a common issue with 3.5 V6 2GR engines, and the smoke was coming from that area both times, and it happened when I started the cold engine and ran it immediately, then never happened again (I drove the car about 400 miles after I cleaned the area). I guess it has something to do with running a cold car and maybe it causes more pressure on the timing chain or oil pressure inside the engine?
BTW, Google helped me by tracking all my information online and brought some good related videos to me. I could find a product called AT-205 Re-Seal that everyone seems to be recommending as effective. On the other hand, opening the timing cover and resealing it is a daunting task. I couldn't find any video showing a person doing this without pulling off the engine, and it costs over $2500. So it's definitely not a DIY job, at least for me!
So I decided to give it a shot and pour a bottle of AT-205 into the engine, but I am not sure about it. I feel like if I do it now, maybe I can prevent the leaking from happening again, maybe after 10k, 20k, or 50k miles. On the other hand, I am afraid that this product may cause some damage to the car's engine. Or maybe if I don't drive the cold engine again, the leaking won't happen again and there was no need to add such a thing into the engine?
I have also changed the engine oil recently, and I don't know if I add AT-205, should I change the oil after a few days or can I keep it there for the next 6-7k miles? (I guess I used Pennzoil Platinum High Mileage Full Synthetic 5W-20)
So I am here to hear about your great knowledge, advice, and experiences.
I'm not 100% sure, but as this is a common issue with 3.5 V6 2GR engines, and the smoke was coming from that area both times, and it happened when I started the cold engine and ran it immediately, then never happened again (I drove the car about 400 miles after I cleaned the area). I guess it has something to do with running a cold car and maybe it causes more pressure on the timing chain or oil pressure inside the engine?
BTW, Google helped me by tracking all my information online and brought some good related videos to me. I could find a product called AT-205 Re-Seal that everyone seems to be recommending as effective. On the other hand, opening the timing cover and resealing it is a daunting task. I couldn't find any video showing a person doing this without pulling off the engine, and it costs over $2500. So it's definitely not a DIY job, at least for me!
So I decided to give it a shot and pour a bottle of AT-205 into the engine, but I am not sure about it. I feel like if I do it now, maybe I can prevent the leaking from happening again, maybe after 10k, 20k, or 50k miles. On the other hand, I am afraid that this product may cause some damage to the car's engine. Or maybe if I don't drive the cold engine again, the leaking won't happen again and there was no need to add such a thing into the engine?
I have also changed the engine oil recently, and I don't know if I add AT-205, should I change the oil after a few days or can I keep it there for the next 6-7k miles? (I guess I used Pennzoil Platinum High Mileage Full Synthetic 5W-20)
So I am here to hear about your great knowledge, advice, and experiences.
