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2021 RAV4 TRD leaking oil....sigh

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Maple_Geek

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2021 RAV4 Trail TRD Off Road
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Discussion starter · #1 ·
It probably took me a while to notice this since it's winter here and while my parking spot is indoor, it is wet most of the time from the melting snow...but I do have an oil leak.
Now that it's been dry for a few days, I clearly see an oil leak on the pavement towards the passenger side but not at the edge...kinda in the middle of the engine but more on the passenger side.
I also see oil underneath the car on the cover but can't tell what's leaking unless I take the cover off which I'm not in a good position to do in my condo.

I checked the engine oil level and it's about 1/4"-1/2" above the top mark. Can this be the cause?
The engine runs absolutely fine and if it wasn't for the leak I would not have suspected anything.
I did see my fuel consumption going up a bit lately but it's been absolutely freezing here this past 2 weeks
I did have an oil change on December 29 at the dealer for what it's worth and the car only has 17,000 km.

I have an appointment at that same dealer tomorrow so we'll see but does anyone have any thoughts on what it could be?

Thanks!
 
#2 ·
Whenever I have a car problem, before doing anything else, I ask myself "what was the last service or change I made to the vehicle?" Could that have had a role in the problem? You had a recent oil change and now you have an oil leak? It could be a loose filter or drain plug. Or the tech just spilled oil somewhere. Being slightly overfilled is not usually going to be the problem.
 
#4 ·
If there is an oil leak any repair should be covered under warranty, or if caused by a problem with the dealer oil change by the dealer. Leak likely caused by failure to tighten the oil drain plug properly or by a faulty gasket there, or at the oil filter housing.
 
#5 ·
Blogson said:
If there is an oil leak any repair should be covered under warranty, or if caused by a problem with the dealer oil change by the dealer. Leak likely caused by failure to tighten the oil drain plug properly or by a faulty gasket there, or at the oil filter housing.
Click to expand...
I wonder if the gasket on the oil plug was reused again, I know when I change my oil the gasket looks great there is the temptation to reuse it again!!
 
#6 ·
It's very simple to remove the small bolts and the "trap door" access port for oil changes and check to see if the drain plug or oil filter is leaking. If either leaks there WILL be obvious oil on the inside of the trap door and you can feel inside the plastic skid plate which will be coated in oil. I recommend after an oil change and filter replacement to leave that access port cover off when you first start the engine so you can easily check for leaks.
 
Discussion starter · #7 ·
Tazio Nuvolari said:
It's very simple to remove the small bolts and the "trap door" access port for oil changes and check to see if the drain plug or oil filter is leaking. If either leaks there WILL be obvious oil on the inside of the trap door and you can feel inside the plastic skid plate which will be coated in oil. I recommend after an oil change and filter replacement to leave that access port cover off when you first start the engine so you can easily check for leaks.
Click to expand...
Thanks for this. Unfortunately I have no space to crawl under the car since I live in a condo with very tight parking spots. This also prevents me from doing my own oil changes.
I do agree that it's not difficult. I'm just challenged in terms of space.
 
#8 ·
Tazio Nuvolari said:
It's very simple to remove the small bolts and the "trap door" access port for oil changes and check to see if the drain plug or oil filter is leaking. If either leaks there WILL be obvious oil on the inside of the trap door and you can feel inside the plastic skid plate which will be coated in oil. I recommend after an oil change and filter replacement to leave that access port cover off when you first start the engine so you can easily check for leaks.
Click to expand...
To add to this, I was taught to feel the oil filter once you start the car to make sure it gets warm. This indicates that oil is getting into the filter and none of the internal valving of the filter are stuck. Granted this might take a few minutes unless you prewarmed the car prior to draining.
 
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#9 ·
Big Daddy said:
I wonder if the gasket on the oil plug was reused again, I know when I change my oil the gasket looks great there is the temptation to reuse it again!!
Click to expand...
I think the Car Care Nut on YouTube mentioned this. There are two types of oil drain plug washers for our RAV4s. The blue colored one CAN safely be re-used several times. The other colored one (black?) is a one time use only. I had a blue one on mine from the factory and bought a new one at the dealer with the filter and 0-16W. These washers are cheap and you can buy in bulk from Amazon. Best practice is to ALWAYS use a new washer. It's good though that in an emergency the blue ones can be re-used.
 
Discussion starter · #10 ·
So just got back from the dealer.
1) they did admit that it was overfilled by 0.6L...plus whatever amount dripped on my parking spot.
2) they found a crack on the drain plug gasket which was the cause of the small leak.

They did give me a $50 credit on my next service.
Note to self: always check the oil level after an oil change from now on.
 
#12 ·
Maple_Geek said:
So just got back from the dealer.
1) they did admit that it was overfilled by 0.6L...plus whatever amount dripped on my parking spot.
2) they found a crack on the drain plug gasket which was the cause of the small leak.

They did give me a $50 credit on my next service.
Note to self: always check the oil level after an oil change from now on.
Click to expand...
I wonder if they overtightened it? I don't see how else it would have cracked. I have changed oil hundreds of times and have never had one of these crack.
 
Discussion starter · #13 ·
Tazio Nuvolari said:
What good is it if your next service is the free Toyota Care -- or do they not have that in Canada?
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I think we do have that here as an option. I didn't take it. The math didn't add up to me because you had to take it with extra warranty.
 
Discussion starter · #14 ·
crazyhorse said:
I wonder if they overtightened it? I don't see how else it would have cracked. I have changed oil hundreds of times and have never had one of these crack.
Click to expand...
We will never know I guess. The good news is that it was indeed a small leak. The bad news it that I've been driving quite overfilled for 3 weeks.
 
#15 ·
Maple_Geek said:
We will never know I guess. The good news is that it was indeed a small leak. The bad news it that I've been driving quite overfilled for 3 weeks.
Click to expand...
I would imagine the dealer did not remove the entire plastic skid plate tray under the engine and clean off the leaked oil. It's not a big deal but it will collect dust over time and "cake" up. Perhaps only the OCD affected would worry that such a mess lurks sight unseen beneath their pristine new car. If any of the leaked oil did make its way onto the CV boots or various rubber hoses at the bottom of the car (brake hoses) or the lower radiator hose or alternator drive belt it will start to degrade them, but this will take years to cause serious damage. Oil leaks are never a good thing.
 
#18 ·
I have always wondered why some enterprising person has not set up service bays like car wash where vehicle owners could take the cars and be able to service their own vehicles, in a warm & dry environment & have vehicle lifts available for those wish to use them. & charge like $15.00 hour to use.
 
#19 ·
Big Daddy said:
I have always wondered why some enterprising person has not set up service bays like car wash where vehicle owners could take the cars and be able to service their own vehicles, in a warm & dry environment & have vehicle lifts available for those wish to use them. & charge like $15.00 hour to use.
Click to expand...
They had these in Los Angeles and Orange county in about 1984 as I recall. Back in the 1970's when I was a starving student in a single apartment I would go to large abandoned parking lots at shut down factories, warehouses and the like to work on my cars. I would drive a wheel up on a curb to use as a "ramp."
 
#20 ·
Tazio Nuvolari said:
They had these in Los Angeles and Orange county in about 1984 as I recall. Back in the 1970's when I was a starving student in a single apartment I would go to large abandoned parking lots at shut down factories, warehouses and the like to work on my cars. I would drive a wheel up on a curb to use as a "ramp."
Click to expand...
When I was in a similar stage of my life we just used the local car wash bays.
 
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