DIY Car Servicing

[forest24]

I have recently bought a 05 sportivo 2.4 manual and wanted to know how easy is it to do the Oil Change and Air filter Change myself, Do any of you guys service the car yourself.

where is the air filter located, thinking of replacing that.

the car is great in most respects but I dont trust the oil that it has got , thinking of going with fully synthetic Oil.

also did anyone find any difference in car performance when using BP Ultima fuel, I have heard it cleans the fuel injectors, is a full tank of it a good idea once a while or should I stick to fuel additives.

thanks

[Topdog]

I've had a 2001 V6 Camry(2nd Hand), now 10 years old and have done all the servicing on it myself. All I do is change the oil and filter every 6 months, regardless of distance traveled. Air filter, usually located inside the big black box on the right hand side(looking from the front)changed every 2 years, simple job. All the rest are just check this, check that and look for anything out of the ordinary. try to change the brake fluid and radiator coolant at 4 year intervals. Also have a 2005 Corolla hatch and it gets the same treatment, except radiator and transmission fluids generally don't need replacement on these. Only ever used standard ULP in both, and Castrol GTX3 for oil. In all that time the only major problem was an oil pump failure in the auto transmission(Camry). A couple of rubber boots on ball joints and steering rack..Injectors have never been cleaned.

[jeffy]

No difference in performance when you fill up with 98ron, and yes its cleaner,

i fill up with 95ron, and the difference is mileage really.

edit: ill take a photo of where the air filter is, gimme a few mins

[jeffy]

Here is the air filter box, in red are two clips which you just unhook

here is a different angle where you can see the two clips

and after you've unclipped that, just lift up that box, and viola ! The air filter is there

[forest24]

Thanks for the help

[Topdog]

Well done Jeffy!!!

[Andrew357]

BP Ultimate/Caltex Vortex 98/Shell V-Power all claim to have cleaning properties but if you car hasn't had much tlc in the way of regular filling with these fuels/injector clean/injector cleaning additive there probably isn't too much you can do by switching over now.

However, if you're not keen on paying for a proper injector clean (ultrasonic, around $150-200 depending on where you go), buy a couple of bottles of Fuel Doctor. Run a shock treatment on a full tank (1 bottle to the tank), then use single dosages on subsequent tanks until you run out. I can't comment if whether it will actually make a difference as it depends on how your injectors are currently performing. Before modding, I used to run 2/3 tanks of regular (91) and then fill with a 98 on every fourth.

A full synthetic probably isn't necessary as you could get away with a good quality semi-synthetic. Something like a Penrite HPR or Mobil Super 2000 would be sufficient.

[Ronnyboy]

This Video might also be helpful.

[trentmeyer23]

Please don't follow that video, he really doesn't know what he's doing. Destroyed the sump plug, thinks a heat shield doesn't serve a purpose and believes thicker oil is better so it doesn't get burnt. There are much better generic servicing videos available.

[STYLSH]

For your car it isn't a problem as it is still pretty new. But I wouldn't recommend a full synthetic to an older car with high km that haven't been using synthetic oils. They usually have cleaning agents added to it. And sometimes with old cars the gunk can be the thing that is stopping the leaks. So if you suddenly put full syn in it, you may find that the cleaning agents un-gunks everything and then you find leaks everywhere.

Just something I have been told.

[forest24]

I had a look online and bought a K&N oil & air filter from amazon, cost me around $50 including delivery. I had a look at the air filter and noticed the one of the clips was not locked in,

it did take a little effort to lock the back clip , I guess thats why the previous owner or dealer left it open.

the air filter was not too dirty , but I will change it anyway.

I am realy enjoying driving this car even though it is a 2.4, it pulls very well , driving a manual is so much more fun than auto, my other car is a kluger so you can understand where I am coming from.

thanks

[Andrew357]

I had a look online and bought a K&N oil & air filter from amazon, cost me around $50 including delivery. I had a look at the air filter and noticed the one of the clips was not locked in,

it did take a little effort to lock the back clip , I guess thats why the previous owner or dealer left it open.

the air filter was not too dirty , but I will change it anyway.

I am realy enjoying driving this car even though it is a 2.4, it pulls very well , driving a manual is so much more fun than auto, my other car is a kluger so you can understand where I am coming from.

thanks

From they way you are talking, I'm assuming you have a Gen1 Kluger as the Gen2 Kluger goes pretty hard (no surprise given the 2gr is a much more powerful engine than the 3mz). The air filter is a good buy but I did abit of reading and unless you get them cheap (but given you're buying from Amazon, I know you are) they probably aren't worth the premium.

Buy a K&N recharge kit for $30 from Repco/Autobarn/Supercheap and you can clean the filter yourself.

[forest24]

wanted to order the cleaning kit as well from amazon , but guess what , they dont deliver the cleaning kit to Aus!!, maybe because it is a liquid.

the kluger I have is a 2009 so gen2 I guess, the kluger engine is fantastic, pulling a big car in the way it does is amazing(had a few signal turns green races with it ). no complans about that. but going from a tall driving position to a low one makes you feel you are going a bit faster, and there is no body roll in the camry like the kluger so faster turning, it is all in the perception is'nt it. feel more in control with a manual as well.

[Steven]

Re: "Premium" fuels having cleaning agents. It's true that in addition to having a higher average octane rating these fuels are marketed as having special additives that will clean your engine and remove deposits, but in many ways it's actually just a case of selective marketing. All fuels are required by law to have a cleaning additive amongst other "premium only" agents, and while the more expensive fuels do actually include a bit more it isn't really necessary. Despite what the advertising would have you believe, running your engine for 50k on Premium compared to that "dirty" 91 regular will have it working no better or any cleaner.

Obviously this doesn't include cars that require a higher octane fuel or can use alternate mapping to increase power when premium is used, but the "clean inside" stuff is basically BS. Running the correct oil, doing your services at the proper intervals, and replacing items as is recommended (fuel filters, spark plugs etc) is what WILL actually have an effect on your engine.

I'm not saying the cleaning agents in the premium aren't better, but what I am saying is that difference is so marginal that if you don't need (or can use) the higher octane rating then you aren't really getting any benefit out of it.

[Guest]

Watch this :)

[forest24]

Just an Update, got the K&N Oil and Air filter and finally got the time couple of days ago to work on the car ,

changing the air filter was simple enough , did a test drive after that and the car felt a little more smother with it and a slightly better throttle responce. the old filter was in good shape but the flaps on the end were all twisted, crappy job of fitting it by the last owner.

Oil filter was a little more tricky , had to find the right spot to put the jacks and supports, after that it was a fairly straight forward job , luckily the filter was easy to get to.

put 5-50 fully synthetic oil , the results after the oil change was again a smoother and more responsive engine.

have a go doing it yourself anyone thinking of doing a DIY , you will save a bundle and you will know the job is being done properly,

thanks to all the guys in the forum for their advice and photos.

[forest24]

the next job I need to do is to change the spark plugs, how easy is that and what is a good brand to buy ,cost ? is there any diffference between plantinum and iridium ones. any recomendations?

thanks

[Andrew357]

Spark plugs are easy on the 2.4l, Iridium or Platinum, it won't make a difference so get the cheapest.

Preferences for me would be Denso or NGK.

[forest24]

Will try the spark plugs change this weekend.

I am hoping that by changing the spark plugs I get a smoother ignition start, becuase at the moment I feel when I crank it the ignition is not very smooth, could there be another reason for it, I will also reset the ECU as someone mentioned , may help improve performance.

[forest24]

I changed the spark plugs on sunday, have put denso iridiums IK20, bought a wench and extension from repco for $30,

I removed the engine covers and cleaned the top with a cloth and then vacumed it .

removed the plugs and starter coils and carefully turned the spark plugs anticlockwise to remove them, I did one at a time , took 20 min to do the whole thing

the old spark plugs were in a bad state , brown on the tips and did not seem to be a point on them , as compared to the denso.

did a test drive and no engine lights got on , so no misfire or anything like that.

next DIY is the cabin air filter , question on that.

I have seen some utube video showing the method ,

I removed the glove box and did not see any chamber or casing which could be removed which houses the filter as shown in the videos. there was white plastic casing and everything was bolted down , no moving parts.

so either the previous owner has replaced the original parts or there is another way to get to teh filter. I tried to see if there was a way in through the engine bay near the windsheild but no luck there .

does anybody know how do i get to it?

thanks

[jeffy]

next DIY is the cabin air filter , question on that.

I have seen some utube video showing the method ,

I removed the glove box and did not see any chamber or casing which could be removed which houses the filter as shown in the videos. there was white plastic casing and everything was bolted down , no moving parts.

so either the previous owner has replaced the original parts or there is another way to get to teh filter. I tried to see if there was a way in through the engine bay near the windsheild but no luck there .

does anybody know how do i get to it?

thanks

camrys in that year do not have a cabin filter,

[forest24]

Crap !!, thanks Jeffy

anyone want to buy a brand new/unused air filter?