Timing chain cap oil leak

First thing you do my friend is stop going to fooling around with this dealer I know you bought the car there that's a wonderful thing and you should be finished with them I don't know by now or in a few miles check your valve cover gasket just because you should and then replace the oil pressure sensor unit . It's basically in your second picture It's the thing that's covered in oil The fan is blowing air around and it's making that vapor move around generally the vapor is coming at the very end of that sending unit where plastic meets metal and your electrical connection stands up that o-ring or hermetic seal is failed and it's just time for a new oil sensor You don't buy the cheapest You don't have to buy Toyotas unless it's cheap enough but one right in the middle generally does the trick they all are going to leak I don't know somewhere around 70 to 100,000 mi it's a very common where item in Toyotas that are not hybrids.

 

I would definitely try a few other dealerships, and/or competent independent repair shops. The going rate for this timing chain cover reseal, reported here, was around $1700 USD, and it was done without engine removal.

Too, you can just ignore it, at least for short term. It’s frustrating, messy, but not catastrophic. Keep an eye on your oil level (check the dipstick occasionally).

If you tell that dealership you’ll just leave it for a while, their price may come down, and they may even “discover” they can do the job without engine removal.

BTW, there are a couple of other potential oil leak sources in that area: the timing chain tensioner and oil pressure sensor IIRC, and either of those might also be the source of oil leak. A second opinion (another shop) might help to confirm if it is in fact the timing chain cover that’s leaking.

 

if you're noy getting any oil on the ground overnight, and not losing any oil, ignore it

 

I always ignore a small leak that does not drip. Mine also starts leaking 40k miles ago, and does not get worse much either. I periodically spray with water+dish soap and scrub it with brush wand.

I thought it was a timing chain tensioner, but from the way it leaks, it is not right under the tensioner. More like at the 3 joints (head, timing cover, short block).

So far, I always pass MOT even without wiping it off.