RX300 - Getting that Lemony Smell.. or is it hot oil on an exhaust manifold?

[Delphius1]

Okay, so.... the rusty oil cooler thingy has been deleted and transmission fluid replaced,  another tick in the job box.

My tame mechanic looked at the front arm bushes yesterday but needs another bite of the cherry because his transmission jack couldn't lift the combined weight of the engine and transmission high enough to remove the engine mountings and uncover the front bush mounts. I've got to book another day when he has more time and hopefully a cunning plan to lift the engine, or he has to drop the subframe. I did tell him it would be longer than an afternoon's work. :-)

Anyway, the latest instalment on the job creation front looks like leaky cam cover gaskets. The engine has suddenly (yesterday) decided to leak oil onto the hot exhaust for no reason other than to prove that not all Lexuses  are reliable. I suspect a blocked PCV valve, mainly because it has just started happening for no apparent reason, with no evidence of leaks before. Of course a blocked PCV valve allows pressure to build up and blow oil vapour out of the weakest point. Hopefully changing or cleaning the valve will restore oil-tight  integrity and I won't have to delve into the bowels of the engine bay removing the intake plenum to replace the cam cover gaskets. Thankfully a PCV valve on eBay is less than £20 so replacement won't break the bank.

This car is starting to get a Lemony smell about it... and it's not the air freshener!