Dude
That's the worst
Sorry shaz hope everything is ok with her :)
Easy fix tho
Bit of sealant on the corners and perhaps a new gasket but who knows :)

Gatesys SW20

Sorry shaz hope everything is ok with her :)
Easy fix tho
Bit of sealant on the corners and perhaps a new gasket but who knows :)

even a Corolla feels big now & i feel like I'm sitting so high, lol.
So was he stopped on the side of the road somewhere??  I guess it was a good thing that I didn't drive past.  I'm guessing they don't drive too far on the test drive.
 

Don't panic Shaz.........at least it failed while it was still with Toyota and you have a loan car.

I would expect that they will only charge you for the initial new rocket cover gasket, and not for the second gasket + labour due to faulty installation.......would that be right Ethan?????

Rocket cover gasket failures can be messy........they may give your engine bay a clean at the same time! Make sure you have them show you the engine bay before you leave, and make sure the engine bay is clean.

The next time you go in, make sure that you request for the most senior mechanic to work on your car, and remind them of this incident......you are the customer, and you are always right!! .....and tell them how important your baby is to you - they always appreciate someone who loves their car!

I am sure everything will be fine, these things happen sometimes :-)

Cheers, M

Monika
Don't panic Shaz.........at least it failed while it was still with Toyota and you have a loan car.

Thanks M.  Nah not panicing.....  not now anyway.  The guy seriously needs to think about how he tells someone that "there was a problem on the test drive, but I don't know what".  I was thinking there may have been some sort of meeting with another car.
Yeah it was good that it happened while they were driving.  Good tip, for them to show me the "clean" engine bay when I pick her up. 
 
Cheers

Replacing those rocker (cam) cover gaskets can be tricky, and they are notorious for leaking even after you fit new gaskets.
I found they need sealant all around the perimeter, and not only in the corners like in the service manual.
Another problem with the gen2 na's is that you can't re-tighten all the holding bolts after you refit the upper intake manifold.

Just had the call to say that she is ready to pick up .
Apparently they didn't use enough sealant in the first place, so now all cleaned up again & more sealant used.
Hhhmmm if I ask to have a look at the engine bay where is the rocker cover? 
Picking her up at lunch time. 
 

The rocker cover is up top.
 
See here under the 'second generation' heading:
http://jdmspecengines.com/toyota-engines/s-series/3s-ge.html
 
It's the section that those two large gears are on the side of.
Under it is where your cam shafts are controlling cams responsible for air intake (behind the left gear) and exhaust extraction (right one.) Everything up there is lubricated, hence the mess when the seal goes.

Just look for the oil filler cap. It's the casting just underneath.
It is commonly called a rocker cover or cam cover, but Toyota call it a cylinder head cover.
Confusing eh?
 

 

 all good.
 
I felt a bit silly asking to have a look at the engine bay, but I did anyway.  It is all nice & clean.  He explained which bit it was that didn't seal properly.
I also suggested that next time he has to tell someone there had been an "issue or problem" with the test drive, to assure them that it isn't an accident.

hhmmm 4 km drive home.  get out of car to open garage door, notice little bit of light smoke coming out of exhaust.  Never had smoke of any kind before.  Also a couple of drops of oil where she was idling for a couple of minutes.  Check 20 mins later & oil spot 2 - 3  inches in diameter, plus a couple of other drips.  Called & was told fairly normal because there had been so much oil & it is probably just some residual that they missed.  They said to drop back tomorrow morning anyway & they will triple check.
 
normal or not?? 
 
I'm probably just being pedantic.