Just bought a 2000 echo

[Valkie2]

Hi there.

I just bought a 2000 echo sedan.

Why you ask?

Because I needed a workhorse to drive 160k a day round trip to work.

I'm close to retirement, and have a couple of new cars which are clocking up way too many ks, ie; I have used 1/2 my new car warranty in less than a year, just driving to work.

So I wanted a reliable car to use as a mule.

My daughter has a 2008 Yaris, amazing car, love it.

It has nearly 300,000 k on the clock and is still running sweet.

So I bought an Echo, with 238,000 on the clock.

It's a bit beaten up, dings and scrapes, but the motor and gearbox are good and it runs pretty nice.

This is my 6th Toyota, and the oldest car I have ever owned.

I has a Cressida, brilliant car, loved it right up until it was written off by a drunk driver.

I had a Camry back when the first of the new shape came out

And another a few years later

Two Aurions as work cars, and now my echo.

Toyota's have always been good to me, few issues and always reliable.

In total I have had 27 cars.

I'll be watching and maybe asking questions in this forum.

Cheers

 

[Valkie2]

been having fun with the new beast.

Fitted central locking today, it's easy as, but anyone planning to do it let me know, there are a few tricks to get it right.

It also didn't have a boot light, what, no boot light?

I have never had a car without a boot light before.

So I fitted that as well, 1/2 hour job and it works a treat.

Checked the engine, plugs were virtually dead, less than a mm of electrode left, but I just closed the gap as it's due for a service in a few weeks, I'll replace them then.

Seems to use a bit of oil, no leaks, so I assume it's burning it.

1

240000k, I think a bit of oil burning is to be expected, at the service ill change to 15w40 , it cured my daughter's oil burning Yaris. 

The front brakes are good, bit of wear, and a scored rotor, but still quite serviceable.

The rear are another matter, will have to replace the shoes at service and might have to precondition the cylinders as one has some seepage.

Easy to fix, new seals, polish out the bores and Bob's your uncle.

Unless there is corrosion, then I'm up for new cylinders. I'll bleed the brakes as well, the brake fluid looks a little old.

I'm up for a new drivers seat sometime, the padding is shot on the drivers side.

But overall, it's a great little car.

[Nafis Malik]

Hello There,

I have acquired a 2004 Toyota Echo Sedan with manual transmission from my neighbour with 250 000 + km, and it's actually a lot of fun to drive! Really easy to park as well. I too have the oil burning issue. Do you think it'd be good to service it with 15W - 40 engine oil?

Please keep us updated on your ventures with your Echo!

[campbeam]

I would be more inclined to check/replace the PCV valve and do an oil and filter change using a quality full synthetic oil 5W-40 or 10W-40. 

https://www.toyotanation.com/threads/2001-toyota-echo-burning-too-much-oil.351706/ 

[Valkie2]

There are generally a few reasons engines burn oil.

wrong oil for the purpose.

worn engine

damaged cylinders or rings

faulty PCV valve.

cheap quality oil

but when assessing the cause, all must be considered 

 

Most manufacturers look toward low viscosity oil for the cars to Get better mileage, flow easier in low temperatures and because its standard across a large number of environments.

But if you look at your book, you will see that there are different oils for different temps, and unless you are running in the negative temp range, 10w or 15w will suit most situations.

At the other end of the scale, when you get up around the 40c deg range, as we get in Australia, the 30 weights are working at their limit, especially cheaper quality oils. 

40 weights fare better in these hot environments.

I use 10w or 15w oils in my petrol and diesel engines, I don't get as much oil in my catch can on my diesel as i did when I was using 5 weight oils. This would indicate, to me, that 10w is not turning to vapor as much as the 5w, and any oil that turns to vapors is going straight through the PCV valve through the engine and out the exhaust.

And all engines use at least some oil, it lubricates the rings into the cylinder, its a part of the process and without it, your engine would seize pretty quick.

But most drivers, and especially those who do short trips or who never get their cars up to a good high temperate (such as highway driving) would not notice this loss, as the oil is being replaced by the un-burnt fuel, water and other crap from the combustion process and it appears that the oil level never changes. In some diesels you have to watch this carefully because the oil level actually rises.

How much is too much to loose? How long is a piece of string? If you have smoke coming out the back of your car, can smell burning oil, have oily plugs or have a film of oil on the tailgate. I suggest you have a problem.

However if you have to add a bit of oil between oil changes, and you have none of the above, its just how it is.

I have been told Rolls Royce cars burn a fair bit of oil, and that its deliberate, to increase the longevity of the engine, but never having owned one, I cannot deny or confirm.   

If you are concerned, try 10w or 15w, if it solves the problem, happy days, if not dig deeper.

 

Cheers

 

[Nafis Malik]

I haven't got any problems with PCV valve or any of the above, as I haven't smelt any unburnt fuel or oil smell or had any of residue. I do think it is the weight of the oil that might make a difference as I have 5w - 40 engine oil in at the moment, standard manufacturer's recomendation. I've still got about 4,000 km before the next service is due to figure out if there's any issues or if a heavier weight oil will do the trick in a high kilometer car. Though it is good to know what to look for. Thanks guys!

[Valkie2]

Just ordered the new shoes for the brakes, they are starting to make noise and its annoying.

Quite cheap, bendex shoes for the Echo for $32.00 suits me.

If there is any brake fluid leak, Ill have to service the cylinders, we shall see when I pull her down.

I have been watching the milage carefully, I have a dicky fuel gauge, and so far every time I fill up there is at least 15 litres left in the tank.

I get 5.6 l/100k consistently, but I do drive predominantly freeway, and I have a light foot.

By my calculations, I should be able to get over 700 klm per tank, but I have been filling up at 500 because the little light starts flashing at 488 klm.

My fuel gauge is interesting

The first 200k it shows totally full.

as I reach around 230 to 250 it drops down to three bars.

It sits on three, sometimes two bars for the next 200 plus klm.

then at around 288 klm it goes into blinking mode.

Today I decided to chance it, I drive 75 klm each way to work.

I started this morning with 490 klm and a blinking light (OUT OF FUEL)

It got me to work (75klm) and Ill drive home tonoght (75 klm), Ill fill up when I get home, if i get home.

But its damn disconcerting when your fuel gauge is flashing at you all the time.

[campbeam]

1 hour ago, Valkie2 said:

But its damn disconcerting when your fuel gauge is flashing at you all the time.

Fuel gauge in the girlfriend's Yaris is better behaved and the bars drop down gradually.

We refuel all the time especially when it is down to the mid point with 3 bars remaining.

Also I think that the car drives better with a full tank probably because the fuel pump is more effective. Maybe the fuel filter needs to be cleaned/replaced.

Remember that the fuel pump is cooled by the fuel in the tank so not a good idea to be driving with a low tank.

[Valkie2]

19 hours ago, campbeam said:

Fuel gauge in the girlfriend's Yaris is better behaved and the bars drop down gradually.

We refuel all the time especially when it is down to the mid point with 3 bars remaining.

Also I think that the car drives better with a full tank probably because the fuel pump is more effective. Maybe the fuel filter needs to be cleaned/replaced.

Remember that the fuel pump is cooled by the fuel in the tank so not a good idea to be driving with a low tank.

Yep, that's why so many people have issues with them after they let the tank run dry.

But I was reasonably certain that I would have plenty of fuel

Well, I filled up last night, after driving with the little flashing light for 150klm

It took 34.8 liters to fill her up (leaving around 10 liters in the tank.

I drove a total of 633.3 klm

Thus giving me a 51.4 MPG or 5.5 l/100k  or  18.2 klm/ liter

I do have to admit though, I drive freeway every day, no real hills and I'm an easy driver.

Not in any hurry, no need to overtake most cars and I don't think powering away at lights is really anything important.

I'm happy with the little beast, clocked up nearly 4000 klm in a month and filled her up 8 times.

I'm even starting to knock out a few dents and I'm considering giving her a spray job.

 

We shall see.

[campbeam]

5 hours ago, Valkie2 said:

I don't think powering away at lights is really anything important.

Slow and steady wins the race. I just accelerate nice and steady away from the lights. Lots of cars race away only for me to catch up to them and pass.

On the highway you would have noticed how someone speeds along only to get caught behind a slow vehicle and unable to pass safely. Their impatience lowers their fuel economy. In contrast, you are waiting fairly patiently for an overtaking lane ahead.

With daily practice of highway driving, you get to know the road and hone your skills.

[Valkie2]

On 4/17/2020 at 5:20 PM, campbeam said:

Slow and steady wins the race. I just accelerate nice and steady away from the lights. Lots of cars race away only for me to catch up to them and pass.

On the highway you would have noticed how someone speeds along only to get caught behind a slow vehicle and unable to pass safely. Their impatience lowers their fuel economy. In contrast, you are waiting fairly patiently for an overtaking lane ahead.

With daily practice of highway driving, you get to know the road and hone your skills.

It was a bit different when I was riding my bike.

I owned a Valkyrie (hence my forum name) 

This is a 1500cc, 6 cylinder boxer engine with 6 carbys (just to get plenty of fuel into the pots)

From a standing start, I could get the beast up to 100 klm/ hr in less than 3 seconds (basically across a largish intersection)

Which was pretty impressive considering it weighed over 340kg and was a cruiser, not a sports bike.

But it did tend to go through the petrol a bit. 32 MPG (about 9.2l/100k) was about normal.

And I had to replace the tyres every year at over $400.00 a tyre.

Full synthetic engine/ gearbox oil was a hit to the hip pocket and don't even ask about the insurance.

But I loved my bike, did many miles on it and had a ball.

Had to give it up when I got vertigo (and the damn vertigo went away a couple of years later)

Probably saved my life.

[campbeam]

1 hour ago, Valkie2 said:

I owned a Valkyrie (hence my forum name) 

This is a 1500cc, 6 cylinder boxer engine with 6 carbys (just to get plenty of fuel into the pots)

From a standing start, I could get the beast up to 100 klm/ hr in less than 3 seconds (basically across a largish intersection)

Which was pretty impressive considering it weighed over 340kg and was a cruiser, not a sports bike.

More like a Super Bat out of Hell. Vertigo did probably save your life. I am always looking for drivers running a red light. One good reason why I am not always the first off when the lights turn green.

You must be really happy with the fuel economy of your Echo. Last night I noticed that unleaded petrol was 89.9cents [Brisbane Southside] but I have only done 100km since Easter Good Friday.

I am quite happy being on the bus to work then look forward to being in the car for the shopping trips. LOL 

[Valkie2]

On 4/20/2020 at 11:44 AM, campbeam said:

More like a Super Bat out of Hell. Vertigo did probably save your life. I am always looking for drivers running a red light. One good reason why I am not always the first off when the lights turn green.

You must be really happy with the fuel economy of your Echo. Last night I noticed that unleaded petrol was 89.9cents [Brisbane Southside] but I have only done 100km since Easter Good Friday.

I am quite happy being on the bus to work then look forward to being in the car for the shopping trips. LOL 

Yeah, the Echo fuel economy is great.

Nearly as good as my wife's Suzuki Ignis (5.1l/100k)

But her car is only 2 years old, the mighty Echo is 21 this year.

I actually bought it so I could cut back on the milage I was doing in my new MUX, I have clocked up 45000 in less than 12 months just driving to work and back every day. The warranty would run out before I start towing my van around Australia. 

But the Echo is brilliant, a little noisy, a little uncomfortable, but heaps better than many cars I have owned in the past.

There is no public transport for me, wish there was, but it would take two trains and two busses to get me to work from where I live and I dread to think how long it would take.

Tomorrow is MUX day, I drive it once a week to keep it running nice.

The Echo gets filled up today, Ill have 700 klm on this tank (or thereabouts) when I fill it this afternoon.

I'm expecting less than 39 litres to fill, cant be unhappy about that.

[campbeam]

1 minute ago, Valkie2 said:

But the Echo is brilliant, a little noisy, a little uncomfortable,

I was wondering how you found driving the Echo on the highway on a very regular basis. Girlfriend's Yaris is brilliant as an urban runabout and don't mind sitting in the passenger seat.

I would anticipate that Unleaded petrol has gone down a few more cents where you are so something else to be happy about.

[Valkie2]

2 minutes ago, campbeam said:

I was wondering how you found driving the Echo on the highway on a very regular basis. Girlfriend's Yaris is brilliant as an urban runabout and don't mind sitting in the passenger seat.

I would anticipate that Unleaded petrol has gone down a few more cents where you are so something else to be happy about.

The road noise is dreadful. I blame to tyres that appear to be the cheapest that the previous owner could source and they are quite hard.

The engine itself is quite quiet, and the gearbox only whines as you are getting up to speed.

Acceleration is an interesting exercise though.

1) stamp on accelerator

2) listen to the engine rev its guts out

3) watch the speedo climb, very slowly.

I buy 95 not the crap they sell cheap.

it does too much damage to the various fuel and engine components to drive on the cheap crap.

My 80 horsepower Mercury outboard strongly suggests only 95, not 98 or the Estuff.

I figure if that engine needs good stuff, because it works at near full revs all the time, I should stick to the good stuff for my other vehicles.

 

[campbeam]

36 minutes ago, Valkie2 said:

The road noise is dreadful. I blame to tyres that appear to be the cheapest that the previous owner could source and they are quite hard.

I do believe that you are correct.

As for the acceleration, I recently replaced the Mass Airflow Sensor on the Yaris and it was back to normal.

regards,

Ashley

[Valkie2]

On 4/23/2020 at 1:27 PM, campbeam said:

I do believe that you are correct.

As for the acceleration, I recently replaced the Mass Airflow Sensor on the Yaris and it was back to normal.

regards,

Ashley

I might be a little overcritical of the poor little Echo.

It's a small, old and abused car.

I have driven mostly 6 cylinder Ford's and Holdens over the Years 

Company cars all, so they always go harder and faster, and can jump gutters at speed.

But my new job sees me without a company car, and it's horrible.

35 years of company cars and now I have to buy a car, pay for petrol and rego and insurance and servicing , its a nightmare.

But, such is life.

At least I have my echo, so life is good.

[Nafis Malik]

Hi There,

Topped up the engine oil in the Echo today as it had been going down little by little. I used 15W - 40 Castrol GTX ,and I could definitely feel the difference! It felt a little more responsive and smoother. So far since the last fill up I have been able to get aroung 550km, and I still have about 2 lights left on the instrument panel. I am definitely convinced 15W - 40 is the oil I am going to service with when it is due. Thanks Glen for the recommendation!

[Valkie2]

On 5/5/2020 at 4:30 PM, Nafis Malik said:

Hi There,

Topped up the engine oil in the Echo today as it had been going down little by little. I used 15W - 40 Castrol GTX ,and I could definitely feel the difference! It felt a little more responsive and smoother. So far since the last fill up I have been able to get aroung 550km, and I still have about 2 lights left on the instrument panel. I am definitely convinced 15W - 40 is the oil I am going to service with when it is due. Thanks Glen for the recommendation!

The 15w40 made a huge difference to my daughters car.

It was using around 1 litre between services, sometimes more over summer with the heat and air conditioning going all the time.

But since using 15w40, there is no noticeable oil usage and it seems quieter and smoother.

I cant say its improved the performance any, but at least I can be confident that she wont run out of oil.

 

Many years ago, my sister brought her Capella to me because it was "running rough" and mum said I might be able to fix it.

When she pulled up it sounded like someone has tipped a bag of marbles onto a cement mixer and run it dry.

Lifting the bonnet, I was confronted with radiant heat and a smell of burning oil.

It went like this.

the radiator was virtually empty, when it cooled down it took 7 min before the hose overflowed. (the bottom hose clamp was loose)

Checking the oil, there was nothing on the dipstick, 2 litres later it was at the add mark nearly three litres to fill it.

The No  3 spark plug lead was hanging in mid air, not connected

The air filter was drenched in oil, probably from the oil burning and going out the PCV.

The plugs were gapped at nearly 3mm, not the 0.8 specified

The tyres were all low, one was 15 psi

When I asked her about the warning lights(i didn't check before I started filling) she said they always come on, all the time.

 

That damn car went for 3 more years, before she finally wrote it off, not giving way.

I serviced it every 6 months and it hardly ever used any oil again and the water stayed in the engine.

Them were the days.

[Valkie2]

Well, did a service on the little Eco on the weekend.

Nice new oil and filter.

Nice new plugs 

Replaced the rear brake shoes finally.

What a shocker of a setup.

you need three hands and fingers the size of a child with the strength of Hercules to fit the damn things.

But they are in now, all nice and new

no problems with the seals, no leakage, but I think the brakes were last blead back in 1999.

The colour and condition of the brake fluid was terrible.

But at least now the brakes feel better and even the handbrake dosen't have to be pulled to the roof to lock the back wheels.

such fun old cars.

[Valkie2]

Another upgrade for the old ECHO.

Fitted a light bar.

I found the standard candles insufficient to see the road at night, I even got out and checked to see if my headlights had failed and I was driving on the parkers.

But no, they were working, just poorly.

And the high beam, honestly?

Its no brighter and it simply shifts the focus from 3 feet in front of the car to 6 feet.

This light bar makes all the difference, I can now see kilometers up the road.

Next, I'm looking for a cruise control, I drive an hour each way on the freeway every day.

My poor old foot is getting cramps, I have not driven a car without cruise control in 25 years, its killing me.

 

Oh and I replaced the MAF sensor last week.

Cannot say it made all that much difference to the power or performance, but its stopped that damn first stop stalling issue.

[campbeam]

3 hours ago, Valkie2 said:

This light bar makes all the difference, I can now see kilometers up the road.

Good upgrade especially for highway driving.

Girlfriend is "complaining" about the headlights on the Yaris but she is comparing to later vehicles with HID and LED headlights.  

[Nafis Malik]

On 5/29/2020 at 10:40 AM, Valkie2 said:

Fitted a light bar.

I found the standard candles insufficient to see the road at night, I even got out and checked to see if my headlights had failed and I was driving on the parkers.

But no, they were working, just poorly.

And the high beam, honestly?

Its no brighter and it simply shifts the focus from 3 feet in front of the car to 6 feet.

This light bar makes all the difference, I can now see kilometers up the road.

Very true about the lighting of the Echo, they really are quite dim. It also doesn't help as most of them have yellowed headlight lenses. It definitely a very worthy upgrade fitting a light bar.

[Valkie2]

And cheap.

$30.00 ebay, got it in 3 days.

not quite the power that my 4x4 serious headlights have, but I paid considerably more for them than this light bar.

Stupid toyota wiring had me stumped for a while.

I couldn't work out how to trigger the relay.

Turns out it switches to earth not the other way around, so I have to run a positive feed to the relay and then from the relay back to the headlight wiring.

But now it works a treat, nice spray beam and a reasonable spot.

Just have to fix the paintjob and it will be a great little runaround.

Oh, and I added a few LED lights to the center controls, BLUE ones.

But the initial install didn't fully illuminate the whole cluster, so I added a couple and wired them into the circuit board.

Now I have a bright blue centre heater control setup...noice.

 

[Nafis Malik]

6 hours ago, Valkie2 said:

And cheap.

$30.00 ebay, got it in 3 days.

not quite the power that my 4x4 serious headlights have, but I paid considerably more for them than this light bar.

Stupid toyota wiring had me stumped for a while.

I couldn't work out how to trigger the relay.

Turns out it switches to earth not the other way around, so I have to run a positive feed to the relay and then from the relay back to the headlight wiring.

But now it works a treat, nice spray beam and a reasonable spot.

Just have to fix the paintjob and it will be a great little runaround.

Oh, and I added a few LED lights to the center controls, BLUE ones.

But the initial install didn't fully illuminate the whole cluster, so I added a couple and wired them into the circuit board.

Now I have a bright blue centre heater control setup...noice.

 

That light bar is looking good! I have never wired in any auxiliaries on a car before. I try and replace the stock part with an upgraded one, and make do with the stock wiring layout. I am planning on fitting some auxiliary lights on my Echo, though I am not sure how as I haven't done it before.

Post a photo of the interior lights please! Would like to see how you setup looks like, is it the same blue as the instrument panel? I was going to replace the blue lights in the instrument panel with some green ones to make the center console and instrument panel match.

Your Echo is also the same blue as mine! 761 is the paint code I think. My car came with the original Toyota spare paint can that has never been opened, and it sounds like paint has also dried in there! I plan on giving the faded bumpers and plactic trim a proper spray can paint job later on.

Though right now, I am going to have to find some headlights, that aren't yellowed like mine.