Avalon Re-Born ?

[campbeam]

1 hour ago, TommyM said:

Yeah they also mention Dex III or Semi-Synthetic. I'm not using either & going straight to Full Synthetic & replacing it every 45,000km (even though i do mine every 40,000km). It's got all the Toyota specs on it i care for. They don't need filter replacements through regular fluid changes, but mine had a filter every 80,000km as a preventative. 

80,000km, 160,000km & on my last service at give or take 237,000km, tad early but meh. 

https://www.penriteoil.com.au/products/atf-fs-full-syn

I also believe the U660E has similar ATF specs, they hadn't moved Australia over to WS yet.

 

Interesting that you are using a Full Synthetic in your transmission. Which product are you using?

1 hour ago, TommyM said:

Never flush an auto trans, big mistake. Just fill, run & dump, fill, run & dump. If you're unsure about previous maintenance history, thankfully i know every single record on mine lol.

Annual drain & refills is a bit overkill mate, change it every 40,000km if the fluids clean. Consider having the filter replaced too.

I read about issues being caused by flush of the auto trans. I believe it is when they use certain machines with a reverse flush process. There is a DIY flush process which I have used where you remove the return line, fill transmission, run engine briefly and repeat until old fluid is fully removed.

Yes, I am a bit into overkill and preventative maintenance. It would be very different if I was having to pay a mechanic. Currently, all is well with nice smooth gear changes so I am leaving it alone. Still procrastinating about fitting a transmission cooler so should do that next.

1 hour ago, TommyM said:

Neither do i, but blowing out the cobwebs when the cars actually warm once in a while won't hurt anything. If mine hasn't broken in 240k+, i'm sure yours will be fine 😝

I blow out the cobwebs on road trips. I am reaping the benefits from all this overkill maintenance. Drivetrain is great and driving like a new car after replacing the struts. All is good again after having to replace the water pump.

[TommyM]

2 hours ago, campbeam said:

Interesting that you are using a Full Synthetic in your transmission. Which product are you using?

Penrite Multi Vehicle ATF FS 

https://www.penriteoil.com.au/products/atf-fs-full-syn

The only Toyota fluid that's good these days is their CVT specific fluid, otherwise there's better ATF's aftermarket that are a synthetic base, not a mineral (basically half of Toyota ATF's)

Not sure what the U660E calls for, but presumably Dex or LV ATF.

 

2 hours ago, campbeam said:

I read about issues being caused by flush of the auto trans. I believe it is when they use certain machines with a reverse flush process. There is a DIY flush process which I have used where you remove the return line, fill transmission, run engine briefly and repeat until old fluid is fully removed.

Best thing to do is drain it, refill, drive for maybe 20mins, drain it again then refill accordingly. But my fluids always been spotless (courtesy of previous maintenance) which before i obtained it, i knew the woman haha. She was overkill on maintenance also. 

2 hours ago, campbeam said:

Currently, all is well with nice smooth gear changes so I am leaving it alone. Still procrastinating about fitting a transmission cooler so should do that next.

Mine has a pretty decent size external transmission cooler (approx 4 hands for comparison) already thankfully, the factory setup in any car is simply inadequate at best. Regardless of if you're towing or not, more consistent temps, lower temps significantly increases fluid life & transmission life. So i'd fit a trans cooler then add an extra 500ml approx which compensates for the void. 

 

2 hours ago, campbeam said:

I blow out the cobwebs on road trips. I am reaping the benefits from all this overkill maintenance. Drivetrain is great and driving like a new car after replacing the struts. All is good again after having to replace the water pump.

Yeah i'll be replacing my suspension struts & fitting slightly better springs to aid in front end lift, overall precise handling, etc

All other bushes, etc are literally fine. Was under my car Friday when it was in getting serviced. 

Oh water pumps on Aurion's are fun.... basically an engine out job 😂

I switched to Nulon Red (OAT) coolant which has Toyota's SLL spec, unlike Penrite which DOESN'T. I like mixing my own coolant with demineralised water. Genuine coolant isn't worth the money considering i've seen a fair few issues that genuine stuff has suffered from. Block drains are so easy to access on MZ engines, flushed the radiator & cleaned the fins/condenser. Also it gets changed again in like 80k by the book.

Edited February 8, 2021 by TommyM

[campbeam]

21 minutes ago, TommyM said:

Oh water pumps on Aurion's are fun.... basically an engine out job 😂

I switched to Nulon Red (OAT) coolant which has Toyota's SLL spec, unlike Penrite which DOESN'T. I like mixing my own coolant with demineralised water. Genuine coolant isn't worth the money considering i've seen a fair few issues that genuine stuff has suffered from. Block drains are so easy to access on MZ engines, flushed the radiator & cleaned the fins/condenser. Also it gets changed again in like 80k by the book.

Workaround is to loosen the engine mounts so the engine can be jacked up high enough to get out some bolts, the water pump pulley and the water pump itself. Bit of a fun job especially as I did not jack the engine that high. I had previously replaced the rear VVTi oil line and the alternator so not too mentally traumatized.

Checked out a few YouTube videos on replacing a water pump on the 1MZ-FE. Little wonder that the water pump is replaced when the timing belt is replaced.

I will have to look into the premix 8 year life coolant that I am now using. Sure it is Nulon instead of Penrite.

[TommyM]

15 minutes ago, campbeam said:

Checked out a few YouTube videos on replacing a water pump on the 1MZ-FE. Little wonder that the water pump is replaced when the timing belt is replaced.

I would only use a genuine Aisin/Toyota water pump & idler/tensioner. Gates belts are just as good as OEM, but i'll probably go OEM parts for that. 

Water pumps can be fine for 300,000km, if the coolant is kept clean. But i'll be making sure the water pump is done.

15 minutes ago, campbeam said:

I will have to look into the premix 8 year life coolant that I am now using. Sure it is Nulon instead of Penrite.

I'd only buy concentrate then mix it myself, works out alot cheaper. I brought 6L of concentrate & diluted 2.5L to 2.5L demineralised water. Ended up buying a thing of premix, thinking i'd need it. Nope, i didn't, so it's spare 😂

I know for a fact your Aurion will call for SLL, so Nulon Red coolant is your best bet. Considering the Toyota stuff is a HOAT (Hybrid Organic Acid Technology) coolant. When considering it's a mix of IAT & OAT, it's not justified when it comes to cost, where as a full OAT coolant makes total sense long term.

15 minutes ago, campbeam said:

Workaround is to loosen the engine mounts so the engine can be jacked up high enough to get out some bolts, the water pump pulley and the water pump itself. Bit of a fun job especially as I did not jack the engine that high. I had previously replaced the rear VVTi oil line and the alternator so not too mentally traumatized.

I thought they addressed the VVTi oil line ?, or didn't Australia ever get the revised oil line. Which addressed the issue

So long as you're not too batterd up, taking out the driver side cooling fan on my Avalon is a real c**t to do where that last bolt is hidden 😂😂

Edited February 8, 2021 by TommyM

[Tony Prodigy]

1 hour ago, TommyM said:

Not sure what the U660E calls for, but presumably Dex or LV ATF.

I'm not sure about the 40 series Aurion but the 50 series comes with Toyota WS fluid as factory fill. It is not synthetic but seems to do a good job from the reports I've read. When I did my transmission service, I moved to Penrite fully synthetic LV ATF for superior protection. It is the drop in replacement for WS.

I did a full flush of my transmission at 120K. The fluid in it was still the factory fill and quite surprisingly the condition of the fluid was pretty good. A bit darker in colour, of course, but not even a hint of that brown tinge that would suggest expired fluid. It could've gone another 20K easy but I did a proper flush contrary to what some think about flushing. If done the proper way it's a much quicker and less painful exercise of doing constant pan drains.

You remove the return line, place this into a bucket to collect, fill the transmission with new fluid, start the engine and let it bleed the old stuff while it's pushing the new stuff in behind it. After the 4th or 5th go, the fluid comes out as new as it does in the bottle and you're done. I've had no adverse reaction so far.

 

[campbeam]

44 minutes ago, TommyM said:

So long as you're not too batterd up, taking out the driver side cooling fan on my Avalon is a real c**t to do where that last bolt is hidden 😂😂

Thank you for the coolant information. I also had a good laugh about that bolt. There is always one that wants to be the problem child and get the extra attention. 😬😬

[Tony Prodigy]

6 hours ago, TommyM said:

Never flush an auto trans, big mistake. Just fill, run & dump, fill, run & dump.

That's much easier on the Avalon compared to the Aurion. I know because my Dad used to have one. You're lucky because you have a regular drain plug and a dipstick. Drain the pan, screw the plug back in and fill via the tube the amount you took out and you're done. So easy, can be done in ten minutes.

Unfortunately the Aurion is a totally different beast. First, you have to get the car up and level laterally and longitudinally. This can take around 30 minutes in itself and is very frustrating. You need this to be able to set the fluid level later. You then drain the fluid via the straw, which is screwed inside the pan, only after unscrewing the drain plug. You can undo the pan if you like too. Then you need to put it all back together and fill the transmission from an access plug on the side of the transmission with a fluid transfer pump. After filling it with the approximate amount you took, you then have to start the engine, warm the transmission up to between 40 and 45 degrees C then undo the sump plug and drain the excess fluid until it slows to a dribble. You then screw the drain plug back on and you're done setting the fluid level.

Time taken for pan drain from start to finish is anywhere between 1 and 2 hrs. So for all the trouble I'd go to do a pan drain on its initial service it's not worth it after having invested that much time setting the car up, I may as well do the full flush to purge all the old fluid out and have the nice new fully synthetic stuff in there. Then after this time I will only do annual pan drains if i'm inclined or maybe every two years.

Now do you wish to buy an Aurion ? 

[TommyM]

43 minutes ago, Tony Prodigy said:

I'm not sure about the 40 series Aurion but the 50 series comes with Toyota WS fluid as factory fill. It is not synthetic but seems to do a good job from the reports I've read. When I did my transmission service, I moved to Penrite fully synthetic LV ATF for superior protection. It is the drop in replacement for WS.

I did a full flush of my transmission at 120K. The fluid in it was still the factory fill and quite surprisingly the condition of the fluid was pretty good. A bit darker in colour, of course, but not even a hint of that brown tinge that would suggest expired fluid. It could've gone another 20K easy but I did a proper flush contrary to what some think about flushing. If done the proper way it's a much quicker and less painful exercise of doing constant pan drains.

You remove the return line, place this into a bucket to collect, fill the transmission with new fluid, start the engine and let it bleed the old stuff while it's pushing the new stuff in behind it. After the 4th or 5th go, the fluid comes out as new as it does in the bottle and you're done. I've had no adverse reaction so far.

 

Touch wood, but i suppose now it's clean you can just dump & refill. I like that the A541E has a seperate differential for the V6 (inc a seperate drain) so i can easily flush the diff if i wanted. Ahhh how engineers make it ridiculous to do something nowerdays. If it has the WS spec, use it..... synthetics are superior for a reason. I'm running GF-6 oil, all of prior GF oils are backwards compatible. Only now the newer GF oils have superior protection over the outgoing ones (true fact, not an opinion) they further protect against LSPI which isn't always a Direct Injection thing. Knowing MZ's and knock sensors, same thing.... better protection 

😁

[TommyM]

49 minutes ago, campbeam said:

Thank you for the coolant information. I also had a good laugh about that bolt. There is always one that wants to be the problem child and get the extra attention. 😬😬

Hey it's all good, look Penrite used to make a Red coolant (OAT) but now it's some Si-OAT formula which in result lost Toyota's SLL spec, but retained it's now superceded LL coolant. 

Yeah because it's right near a line coming off the A/C compressor. Being alloy i didn't wana be too vigorous 😂

I'd like to keep my frosty a/c thanks, if you wana breathe out frost on a hot day, jump in an Avalon 😂😂😂

I end up putting it on the lowest fan speed or turning the temp up, even in 35°+ 

 

Ohh, shhhhh i told you that out of confidence 🤭

Edited February 8, 2021 by TommyM

[Tony Prodigy]

7 minutes ago, TommyM said:

If it has the WS spec, use it..

I'm pretty sure the WS is a mineral based trans fluid. Did I read this incorrectly ? 

Penrite LV ATF is perfectly safe for the U660E and being a full synthetic it should provide superior protection over the WS. Penrite even specify it and I wouldn't doubt them on this. 

[TommyM]

42 minutes ago, Tony Prodigy said:

That's much easier on the Avalon compared to the Aurion. I know because my Dad used to have one. You're lucky because you have a regular drain plug and a dipstick. Drain the pan, screw the plug back in and fill via the tube the amount you took out and you're done. So easy, can be done in ten minutes.

Unfortunately the Aurion is a totally different beast. First, you have to get the car up and level laterally and longitudinally. This can take around 30 minutes in itself and is very frustrating. You need this to be able to set the fluid level later. You then drain the fluid via the straw, which is screwed inside the pan, only after unscrewing the drain plug. You can undo the pan if you like too. Then you need to put it all back together and fill the transmission from an access plug on the side of the transmission with a fluid transfer pump. After filling it with the approximate amount you took, you then have to start the engine, warm the transmission up to between 40 and 45 degrees C then undo the sump plug and drain the excess fluid until it slows to a dribble. You then screw the drain plug back on and you're done setting the fluid level.

Time taken for pan drain from start to finish is anywhere between 1 and 2 hrs. So for all the trouble I'd go to do a pan drain on its initial service it's not worth it after having invested that much time setting the car up, I may as well do the full flush to purge all the old fluid out and have the nice new fully synthetic stuff in there. Then after this time I will only do annual pan drains if i'm inclined or maybe every two years.

Now do you wish to buy an Aurion ? 

I'd still buy an Aurion because i know how good they are. I don't know why they couldn't have a simple friggin dipstick, i'd be willing to bet there's a grommet where a dipstick could easily go. Even an LS430 has a friggin dipstick !

 

I've seen my reputation going up too, unexpectedly but hey. I'm half a computer on two legs 😂

It's a good feeling knowing my input is going to use. Interesting thing i found out.... i had no idea the 1MZ had 4 bolt mains plus cross bolted mains 😂😂

Isn't it a bit overkill ?, 6 bolt mains.... cmon 

[TommyM]

5 minutes ago, Tony Prodigy said:

I'm pretty sure the WS is a mineral based trans fluid. Did I read this incorrectly ? 

Penrite LV ATF is perfectly safe for the U660E and being a full synthetic it should provide superior protection over the WS. Penrite even specify it and I wouldn't doubt them on this. 

Neither, especially given Penrite's reputation. Stick with what you know & you'll never have an issue. 

[Tony Prodigy]

9 minutes ago, TommyM said:

i'd be willing to bet there's a grommet where a dipstick could easily go. Even an LS430 has a friggin dipstick !

Haha, nope. They changed the game with the Aurion. It was a small shock to the system when I learned about how to do a transmission service on the Aurion at first. After I got my head around the procedure, it took me some time to prepare mentally for it too because you have to be very well prepared and methodical. 

Here's a link to my Transmission service if you haven't come across it yet.

 

Edited February 8, 2021 by Tony Prodigy

[Tony Prodigy]

On 2/8/2021 at 5:45 PM, TommyM said:

I'd like to keep my frosty a/c thanks, if you wana breathe out frost on a hot day, jump in an Avalon 😂😂😂

I end up putting it on the lowest fan speed or turning the temp up, even in 35°+ 

You can't beat Toyota Air !! 

Edited August 29, 2021 by Tony Prodigy

[TommyM]

6 minutes ago, Tony Prodigy said:

Haha, nope. They changed the game with the Aurion. It was a small shock to the system when I learned about how to do a transmission service on the Aurion at first. After I got my head around the procedure, it took me some time to prepare mentally for it too because you have to be very well prepared and methodical. 

Here's a link to my Transmission service if you haven't come across it yet.

 

Clearly 😂

But they're a stout automatic. 

Preventative maintenance is key !

[TommyM]

25 minutes ago, Tony Prodigy said:

You can't Toyota Air !! 

Nope, especially old Toyota/Lexus a/c which in my opinion is still colder than some new cars from Toyota/Lexus. Just isn't 

 

Also i've fitted LED reverse lights, god it feels good being able to actually see behind me at night now 😂😂

Edited February 8, 2021 by TommyM

[Tony Prodigy]

9 hours ago, TommyM said:

Also i've fitted LED reverse lights, god it feels good being able to actually see behind me at night now

I agree, especially when you have dark tint. I have legal tint on my Colorado and I always reverse into my driveway to make my morning escape easier lol, and sometimes pulling in at night is a pain to judge the entry from the street kerb. I find myself squinting at side view mirrors hoping to line one side up without overshooting the mark.

[campbeam]

12 hours ago, TommyM said:

Nope, especially old Toyota/Lexus a/c which in my opinion is still colder than some new cars from Toyota/Lexus. Just isn't 

 

Also i've fitted LED reverse lights, god it feels good being able to actually see behind me at night now 😂😂

I got told by a mobile A/C that the Aurion has a smaller capacity of refrigerant than a Ford Falcon or Holden Commodore.

Which LED bulbs did you fit to your reversing lights?

[Tony Prodigy]

18 minutes ago, campbeam said:

I got told by a mobile A/C that the Aurion has a smaller capacity of refrigerant than a Ford Falcon or Holden Commodore.

It's probably not necessarily a capacity related thing but maybe it's due to a shorter pipe run. Not really sure but I have no complaints about it's efficiency. It has better A/C than my 2020 Colorado that's for certain.

[TommyM]

9 hours ago, Tony Prodigy said:

I agree, especially when you have dark tint. I have legal tint on my Colorado and I always reverse into my driveway to make my morning escape easier lol, and sometimes pulling in at night is a pain to judge the entry from the street kerb. I find myself squinting at side view mirrors hoping to line one side up without overshooting the mark.

Hahahahaha nothing wrong with that 😂

Suppose if your headlights were brighter it would be better/easier ?

I've got "darkest legal" in vic 

35% front/20% rear

Even though there's a 5% grace period (because all auto glass is different), but the Avalon's had really good glass in'em. Tons of dye to reject solar rays. Hence why my windows are 30% front & 15%, 17% & 19% for the rear.

[TommyM]

7 hours ago, campbeam said:

I got told by a mobile A/C that the Aurion has a smaller capacity of refrigerant than a Ford Falcon or Holden Commodore.

Which LED bulbs did you fit to your reversing lights?

It's more down to compressor, condenser, evaporator & insulation around the HVAC box. Avalon's are around 900g off memory, but seeing how big some of the parts are, i can see why 😂

 

Went down to illumo & fitted Flare 2.0L T15's

They're $69 a set, but god it's so much better than halogen by miles. Wether i'm reversing at night or simply lighting up the road behind me where some morons still can't seem to see/understand reverse lights. So i'm like "f**k ya then, i'll make sure you can definitely see me backing out, and if you still can't see that ?, do us a favour and get off the road."

[TommyM]

6 hours ago, Tony Prodigy said:

It's probably not necessarily a capacity related thing but maybe it's due to a shorter pipe run. Not really sure but I have no complaints about it's efficiency. It has better A/C than my 2020 Colorado that's for certain.

It's a Colorado, enough said 😂

GM used to do really good a/c, but nowerdays we're kidding ourselves.

[NSSherlock]

On 2/8/2021 at 6:08 PM, TommyM said:

Also i've fitted LED reverse lights, god it feels good being able to actually see behind me at night now

I've got some coming for the same reason. I can see more via my brake lights. 

[TommyM]

On 4/15/2021 at 9:20 PM, NSSherlock said:

I've got some coming for the same reason. I can see more via my brake lights. 

I went to iilumo, can't reccomend them enough. Especially the halogen range of LED bulbs. I switched my Avalon interior over to full LED, can't tell the difference between them. (Minus the obvious, less power draw, brighter, etc)

[NSSherlock]

1 hour ago, TommyM said:

went to iilumo, can't reccomend them enough. Especially the halogen range of LED bulbs. I switched my Avalon interior over to full LED, can't tell the difference between them. (Minus the obvious, less power draw, brighter, etc)

I got some on clearance from Supercheap. Will see how they go. I figure I'll replace as needed. The door lights look dull though. Lol