450HP/tonne

December 5, 2009

Remember, on the assembly line the engine gets high rpm.

I visited a Toyota Engine assembly plant yesterday and saw every engine being run on the dyno (idle for a number of minutes to check for noises, then near max. RPM for an equal number of minutes). Not sure of the exact load pattern, but it would all be standard toyota practice.

November 23, 2009

Ah. Though personally I'd still prefer manual selection in 'S' mode, rather than range limitation. But even the Calais style setup would be better than what we have now. The only use I have found so far for 'S' mode is to keep it in 3rd while turning at intersections, because it tends to drop to 3rd when I back off to turn, but then when trying to accelerate out of the corner, it goes straight back to 4th half way thru. With a manual selection mode, I get to tell the car what to do all the time. I'm an IT bloke, but if theres one place where I don't want a computer doing everything for me, its my car.

This is another example of a scenario of what I would like to do.

Yes, the Holden's currently do it better. Particularly when I was working on the 2010 Chev Camaro (at Holden), it had a manual mode that would change how you wanted unless it would stall the engine or go over the redline. It was the same case when I drove a Lexus IS-F

As I'm removing the engine and gearbox to build my own car ... I want what I want when I want!

Still thinking about how to achieve this.

November 23, 2009

The adhesive is easy enough to remove (although very sticky), but you would need to bog up the holes and paint :(
Lucky for the heads up for everyone else. At one point in time I was considering doing this and would have been a little disappointed to find out it had holes in the body to help line it up.

I damaged the door when removing it anyway ... so it was going to the rubbish tip.

Better to learn on my rubbish than others on their valuable goods!

November 22, 2009

You get at twin turbo setup with 600HP!

In a FRONT WHEEL DRIVE?!?!

Um...... no thank you.... I value my life.

Heavily modified, but my mistake: 600kW (805HP) at the flywheel!

Not front wheel drive ...

Toyota Jimco 2000

"Bolwell is buying complete Toyota Aurion cars straight off Toyota's Altona production line and stripping them of their 3.5-litre engines, gearboxes and other parts before using them in the Nagari."

Do we know whether "engines, gearboxes and other parts" includes the stock ECUs? I'm certainly no expert, but if they used a modified stock tranny ECU, wouldn't it be possible to reflash ours with Bolwell's software?

Though I daresay they would charge a mint for it.

Unfortunately, I think I'll be finding out through Bolwell. The control circuit for what I want to do is getting more and more complicated :(

November 22, 2009

hello,
as i have reconised on the new aurion over my 2008 one is that it has no external door trim i really like it would be easir to polish haha i was worndering if i can take them of my aurion is it been held on by doubble sided type or glue or is it been held on by clips.

thanks heaps

wilbur94

wilbur94,

It is held on by an adhesive and located by two lugs (one hole and one slot, circled).

The adhesive is easy enough to remove (although very sticky), but you would need to bog up the holes and paint :(

The Aurion badge on the front doors should only be held on by a similar adhesive.

I too like the facelift look ... but I would choose against removing.

November 21, 2009

Im just wondering since this is a Recall does that mean even though ive ran out of warranty that they will still replace the line free of charge? Also does anyone know when the recall was issued?
Lil Bird

Dealers already have the notification, effective as of earlier this week. It's not technically a recall, but rather a customer satisfaction exercise.

Irrespective of your warranty being up, I would expect that if your vehicle has been identified as having the issue, the repair will be carried out free of charge. Phone your dealer to confirm.

When you ring, be sure to have your vehicle details at hand (VIN or engine number and production month should all help). You will get an answer nice and quick ... They can probably even order the part from your call and book in the installation.

November 20, 2009

just lucky went to toyota to get new trans computer ordered and they told me there was a recall on the oil hose. and this recall was only recent, so will get this fixed at the same time. I wonder if I had not come in before warranty runs out would they have told me? <_<

YES, when you start receiving customer letters it will explain that if your vehicle is affected you will have a certain amount of time to have this done free of charge. So for people who havn't had it done, check that Toyota has your current address registered for such things.

All dealers were informed of the activity during the week, so there is no longer any need to go throught the difficult process DJKOR went through. As the dealer is only replacing the hose, it greatly simplifies the process of replacing with new parts.

Anyone who receives a letter, please scan and post (without personal details).

November 19, 2009

you can get a full ecu to control engine and trans... like a motec.

The difficulty then is getting it registered to run on the road in that condition ... emissions are the problem here.

And the cost of buying such a system adds up to about the same as the value of the entire powertrain :(

November 17, 2009

Has anybody seen the Ikea DIY spoiler and ground effects kit ...

November 17, 2009

if they bring it out here as a celica, i will be drive to a dealership so fast i will probably crash my current celica and need a new one anyway...

What ever car I have at the time WILL BE SOLD on the way to the dealer ... So I will need one anyway.

Oh, and I will also take the day off work to go for a drive, taking a fold up chair to sit and look at it for a few hours.

Then I will sleep next to it on the garage floor.

Then my wife will get unhappy with me and steal the keys so I spend time with her ...

November 17, 2009

if you talk to bolwell ask them how they got the extra power from the engine aswell.
i found this on one site.
"Bolwell is buying complete Toyota Aurion cars straight off Toyota's Altona production line and stripping them of their 3.5-litre engines, gearboxes and other parts before using them in the Nagari."

We all know adding a supercharger adds about 40kW from stock ... But if you also add an intercooler, the gain goes up over 80kW (as tested during TRD development).

There is also an off-road modification for about $25,000 ... You get at twin turbo setup with 600HP!

But I digress.

The transmission failsafe, when the ECU detects a speed input error, is limiting shifting to 1st and 3rd - We can't have that!

So I'm studying the wiring digrams and shift patterns right now ...

November 16, 2009

The features you get for the price are second to none - everywhere you look over the car there is more good value! It's like a smaller version of the Lexus LX570!

I feel the driving experience has also improved - its very very comfortable, particularly considering its fully capable offroad.

This isn't the car for me, as I drive my Aurion until the FT-86 sports concept arrives, but its a pleasure to be in and the functionality has demanded my respect!

I suggest you keep your eye out at your local dealer (or call and find out when they get one in stock) and have a look inside ... you will be impressed!

November 16, 2009

Toyota has finally acknowledged this problem! The have started a "Limited Service Campaign" in the US to fix this VVT-i hose problem. The bad news is the LSC only covers 2005-2006 Avalons and 2006 RAV4's. This could change--according to the LSC: "Toyota is currently investigating how this condition may affect other Toyota and Lexus vehicles."
This LSC document is available for downloading here:

http://www.sendspace.com/file/0p4z5a

The other bad news is that Toyota went cheap with this fix--only the rubber line and 2 clamps are replaced!

This info seems familiar ...

So according to the above (and looking at my 2009 vehicle):

You can see this part without having to remove anything.

After the end of 2008 - Tube only, with no hose. NO ACTION REQUIRED.

Before the end of 2008 (yellow line on hose) - only vehicles with the improved hose. NO ACTION REQUIRED.

Before the end of 2008 (NO yellow line on hose) - vehicles that MAY have an affected hose. Read below.

So if your car has the hose with no yellow line, its possible (and unlikely) for this to occur. But, as I mentioned above, I would suggest not buying the part and installing it yourself just yet (due to the frequent use of co**** language). If you wait a little while, all will become clear.

Check here:

Tube only design from a 2009 model:

November 16, 2009

Forget the Throttle Controller Boosters! There is a secret yet proven performance modification that is a must.
Highlight to read --->> Move your seat forward <<---

This is something that I was never taught when I was working on the V8 Supercars!

But now, I finally know ...

November 16, 2009

If I was in need of getting a service soonish how long should I wait? lol

I wouldn't put off your service.

If you were planning on buying the parts and doing the repair for yourself, you should wait.

I'll take a photo of my car at home tonight to help explain ...

November 15, 2009

To anyone who is planning on doing this, I would recommend waiting a few weeks ... thats all I'm going to say ;)

November 15, 2009

Key Features:

5 door 4.0L V6 VVT-i engine or 3.0L Turbo Diesel

3 door 3.0L Turbo Diesel

6 speed manual or 5 speed auto

7 SRS airbags

Multi-Terrain Monitor with 4 cameras (Kakadu & ZR off-road pack only)

AB-i (Active Braking with intelligence) which incorporates Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist (BA)

Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) and Traction Control (TRC)

Hill-start Assist Control (HAC) and Down-hill Assist Control (DAC)(Automatic models only)

CRAWL control (Kakadu and ZR off-road pack only)

Cruise Control

Front and rear parking sensors (Standard on VX, Kakadu and ZR only. GXL & SX offer rear parking sensors only)

Premium 6 speaker (GX, GXL & SX), 9 speaker (VX), 12 speaker (ZR) & 14 speaker (Kakadu) audio system

Audio input for USB, iPod®* or other MP3 player

Bluetooth™^ hands-free compatibility

7" Electro-Multi-Vision touch screen incorporating DVD based Satellite Navigation (Kakadu and ZR only)

Rear View Camera (Standard on all models except GX)

DVD Rear Seat Entertainment with auxiliary input (Kakadu only)

Radar Cruise Control (Kakadu & ZR Cruise Pack only)

Pre-Collision Safety System (Kakadu & ZR Cruise Pack only)

3000kg braked towing capacity (3 dr model only)

Cooler box (Kakadu & ZR models only)

Rain-sensing wipers (VX, Kakadu & ZR models only)

Smart Entry/Smart Start

18 inch alloy wheels (VX, Kakadu & ZR models only)

2x 12v DC outlets and 1x 220v AC outlet

Range:

GX

Performance and safety

3.0L Turbo Diesel with 6 spd man

3.0LTurbo Diesel with 5 spd auto

GXL

Understated elegance

4.0L VVT-i Petrol V6 6 spd man

4.0L VVT-i Petrol V6 5 spd auto

3.0L Turbo Diesel with 6 spd man