Toyota and Lexus 2GR-FE 3.5L V6 coolant/head gasket leak

CARspec frequently performs pre-purchase inspections for guest looking to buy a used Toyota, Lexus or Scion. Today we had an ES350 equipped with the 3.5L 2GR-FE. We’ve encountered some other issues with the engine in the past and know where to look, especially if it’s noise. During the inspection service the technician noted a faint coolant smell from the engine bay.

Close examination of the engine from underneath revealed baked on coolant residue below where the engine and transmission are joined:

ES350 coolant leak

This was discouraging. The technician lowered the vehicle and took a closer look at the water pump, hoses and topside of the engine, finding no obvious source of the leak. Only when the technician inspected inside the valley of the engine did he find the source. Here’s the view before zooming in:

Coolant leak on an ES350

Zooming in on this spot reveal the source of the leak:

Coolant residue from head gasket

The residue in the valley of the engine was the result of an actively leaking head gasket. The #3 cylinder was leaking into the valley of the engine, pooling and then running down the torque converter and out the bottom of the car. Here’s an exploded view of what’s leaking:

2GR head gasket leak

This pre-purchase inspection ended up saving the owner thousands of dollar in head gasket replacement (a major, engine out job).

As Eden Prairie and Chanhassen’s Toyota and Lexus independent service and repair shop, we’re always happy to look over your potential next Toyota, Lexus or Scion before you make a purchase. Call us today to schedule an appointment!

About the Author: John Cleveland

After years of experience working for the dealerships, owner John Cleveland set out to start a new kind of shop for Toyota, Lexus and Scion owners unlike any in Minnesota – one that offers a competitive price point, technical prowess, honesty and environmentally friendly practices.

6 Comments

Will D. July 11, 2015 at 2:30 pm

Hi,
Do you recall How many miles was on this ES350? RAV4 w/same engine @ 94K.
Thanks
John Cleveland July 11, 2015 at 3:12 pm

About 85,000. We just saw another 2GR with a leaking headgasket (out the front a little) at 100,000.
Will D. July 11, 2015 at 3:17 pm

As someone who is ‘intimately’ familiar w/the Subaru HG issues of their EJ25x engines (I’ve personally repaired a handful), I’d be quite perturbed to see the same issue on my RAV4.

How many HG repairs have you done on the 2GR-FE?
What are the warning signs? Overheat, bubbles in overflow, leaks @ the head/block, etc?

Thank-you,
Wd
John Cleveland July 11, 2015 at 7:01 pm

Very few, if only for the total cost of repair. They are much much less common than Subaru heagaskets, and usually are only small external leaks – no internal burning on the 2GR, occasionally on early 1GR.
David Smith November 11, 2015 at 6:22 pm

I have this coolant leaking into the cylinder. The repair is covered under the certified preowned program. The RX 350 has a v6 in it. The car has about 50,000 miles on it. Should I be concerned about the longevity of the repair or if any damage to the cylinder itself or other engine parts. I usually keep my cars 10+ years however the preowned warranty will expire within the next 2 years.
John Cleveland November 12, 2015 at 9:27 am

David,

If the vehicle was repaired under the CPO program at the dealership, I would have no qualms driving the vehicle for another 200,000 miles. Perform your routine maintenance per the owners manual and have the vehicle regularly inspected, but otherwise the RX350 is very reliable compared to the competition from BMW/Audi/Mercedes/etc.

Good Luck!
John