the drake

I had the same issue on my aurion last month - http://au.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/topic/45374-aurion-oil-leak-woes/

I had the light blink momentarily, didn't think of it much but it stayed on just before I got on the freeway, and on the instrument cluster a warning came up "Low Engine Oil Pressure". Pulled up immediately on the breakdown lane, and saw a leak underneath the car. The leak occurred at speed, as there was oil splatter underneath and at the rear diffuser.

Anyway, they found the same pinhole leak on the oil pipe - from the oil cooler housing to the oil filter - and the bend was made of rubber. The dealer told me the new part, which took them 10 working days to get into the country - has a full metal hose.

Reading previous post in this thread, it looks like this is a known issue on the Aurion.

My aurion has done almost 120,000km and also a MY07 model.....quite a coincidence considering you went through the same circumstances on a similar aged car and km's..

Car is running fine at the moment, engine still running strong. Can't seem to hear an increase in the 'tappeting' as you would expect the damage to the engine due to low oil..though the 2GR-FE are also known for its piston taps having read some old threads...

Hi Guys,

Had a major oil leak last Friday, basically I just got onto the freeway and the low engine oil pressure light came up on the dash. Pulled up immediately on the breakdown lane, and looked underneath the car. There was a leak evident, and looks like the leak occurred at speed as there was a fair bit spread underneath the car and splatter near the rear diffiuser.

Anyways, I got the car towed to my local dealership, and just today they have found the oil leak - a pinhole leak on a oil pipe. I queried whether this was a VVTi Oil Pipe as i'm aware of the issue of VVTi recall and updated pipe available, however they have said it is a different oil pipe. I do recall when purchasing the car second hand the dealer told me the VVTi updated pipe replacement has been carried out. Furthermore, when I checked underneath the bonnet there was no smoke, or burning oil smell (which I would expect if it was VVTi hose close to the engine)

- They want to charge me $140 for the oil pipe, and 1.5hrs worth of labour for the install. WORST thing is the pipe is not available in the country, and I have to wait 14 working days for them to bring it in! Does this sound right?

- I also asked them about carrying out 120,000km service after the repair (as it has already done 117,000km already) and they wanted to charge me $490 for the service. Most dealers I called were charging $345. They lady said it was because of the brake fluid replacement, though this fluid is only 500ml, and is less than $20 at Supercheap. The reason why I want to do this service as they will need to top up the oil as most has leaked away. I think they're trying to stitch me up big time. Thoughts?

- Lastly, will there be any issues with storing the vehicle whilst waiting for parts (14 working days..), with little or no engine oil? With summer well on its way, I have some concerns...

Any thoughts/advice/recommendations or insights highly appreciated.

TheDrake

I've been using el cheapo ones off eBay. had one light fail after 8 months. though i've never had melt next to low beams (as of yet)

the rattle is only at start up and lasts for 1-2 seconds..not long at all but it is quite noticeable so you won't miss it

are you confusing the rattling with piston slap? I believe piston slap is quite normal for the 2GR-FE, though it is not as audible compared to a diesel.

I find that when the engine is cool, the piston slap is more audible which probably is due to low oil temperature. As the engine warms up and hence the oil as well, the engine will run smoother due to better lubrication. I'm no mechanic so correct me if i'm wrong..

there's a few threads on this.

http://au.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/topic/15501-parker-lights/

Basically the easiest way to do this is to turn the wheel to full lock to one side, undo a few bolts for the wheel guard and then sticking your hand to reach the parker lights. there's a few photos in that thread which illustrates this nicely

how much are autojoy charging for these mods?

are you charging members to do these mods defyant? if so how much?

also in the market for these headlights over the next few months =)

^ as above, you should check for 'VVT-i rattle'. I've done 110k km on my aurion sx6 and it started appear at around 80k km. It's a known issue and if you do a search of this forum there is a thread on this rattle. You could do an engine oil change to get rid of temporarily, but it didn't work for me unfortunately.

To rectify the issue outside of warranty is a costly exercise as it requires dropping the engine. can cost roughly up to $3k for the job (inc labour and parts). I haven't bothered with mine, and its still running strong.

I know a seller on ebay -Mars have a few for sale

item.mobileweb.ebay.com.au/viewitem?itemId=130490926816&index=3&nav=SEARCH&nid=18558039449

Just an update guys.

Had toyota dealership look at it this time, and they replaced the alternator pulley (RRP $180) and not the whole alternator (RRP $750). The engine area is back to its quiet usual self now and no more squeal.

They also quoted me 1 hour labour to replace this, however it took them around 6 hours ...but they still honoured me the quoted job...winning!

It does pay to check whether it is the the pulley or bearing itself..but i guess the above mentioned thread the guys car was under warranty so it would be worth just replacing the whole alternator.

Hey guys,

Recently noticed squeal coming from engine area, and initially thought it was potentially the belt.

Took the car in last week to have it checked out, and they said the serpatine belt measured fine and looked ok. So I did a bit of research and came across a few threads on this forum about belt tensioner on the forums(http://au.toyotaowne...0k/page__st__15) , so told them to check the tensioner pulley and idler pully.

They noticed a bit of vertical play on the tensioner, so I asked them to look into replace the tensioner, and also the idler pully, thinking the bearings were on the way out.

Anyways, that didn't fix the problem and the squeal is still there - as per below youtube link.

I'm starting to think it is the alternator bearings, any thoughts/advice?

Just to add:

- Noise only at low speeds (<40km/h)

- Noise evidently loud only when in D, R (Park, Neutral noise is not as audible)

- Noise regardless air con off/on

- Vehicle has done around 98,000 km

Thanks in advance...

TheDrake

the guys at taleb told me the gloss looks heaps better than matte and that they sell more gloss than matte.

yeah i do plan on lowering it later down the stage, thinking of getting kings springs off eBay and getting it fitted at my local garage.

sorry to hijack this thread..

i'm also in the market for new wheels and tyres. I also have a white aurion and looking for black wheels.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/251140475217?ssPageName=STRK:MESINDXX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1436.l2649

what do you guys reckon? They also quoted me on cheapo korean tyres (comes from the same factory as kumho apparently...)

I'm looking to get the matte version (not a big fan of gloss).

i had the camber pin installed a few months back at Pedders, cost me $350 or so inc part ($120), and took around 1 hour or so

it solved the pull left issue, haven't had any dramas yet.

I have found that the steering can be a bit loose, a bit of play. could be to do with the steering rack being worn over time or something and not related

With the warmer weather, this issue is coming back more often.

has anyone experienced this too?

I believe the with warmer weather, the engine oil remains warmer for longer when off, and hence runs into the sump more easily?!

Hi LeonG -

I've got the same issue as well - most recently, it even had a service as well. It occurred even more often now, as this time round I took it to another place for a 90k km service and i believe they used a different type of oil (makes a difference..?)

Anyways, there's talk about it in the kluger forums - i've tried the technique Rice Racing posted up and it actually works

http://au.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/index.php/topic/37549-grinding-noise-on-start-up/page__st__15

You could try ultra tune? Did mine few weeks ago for $650

Go to a busy branch of ultra tune so you know they turn around a lot of cars and have reputation in the community. Toyota servicing is pretty common in workshops so they would have no doubt have performed many Aurion/camrys service. FYI 90k km service is a major service and involves changing spark plugs.

Ive had no issues so far with my recent service at ultra tune

What is the owner history of the vehicle?

Could it be an ex-police car? Some police mod they put on? I know QLD police have some aurions in their fleet.

LOL....bad luck for your mate!

yeah, it doesn't really reflect that the Aurion is a faster car or anything..but its bitter sweet to have the Aurion pull over a XR6T =D

Thanks for the further instructions Kombi!

Managed to get this done today, although it took me just under 2 hours!

All up, removed the 3 as outined in lasertip's original instructions, and another further 2 more screens near #3. ALSO removed 3 more screws on the bottom of the vehicle which holds the wheel arch and the front bumper..so total 8 LOL!

The above gave me absolute flexibility in moving the wheel arch which made it very easy to shove my hands to get the parkers.

Found it quite difficult to twist and remove the actual parker light enclosure..couldn't even twist it at all using my hands so I ended up using pliers.

Thanks again for those who contributed

sorry to hear about your bad experience - certainly these days you don't expect such poor level of customer service.

You should take a photo of where the tools were found, and plus, you have witnesses from the second dealers' inspection to build your case on.

Thanks for the reply Kombi17.

I did see those additional screws and was tempted to try but didn't get the chance to today. Looks like you will need to remove the front wheel as well for easier access .

Might give it another shot tomorrow.

Thanks for the guide.

However, i'm still having troubles getting access to it..

the wheel arch seems to be the issue, can't bend it enough to open enough gap for me to put my hand and arms to reach the parkers..

any advice?

they put in a camber pin - like this one

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/WHITELINE-Camber-adjustment-bolt-kit-17mm-toyota-camry-celica-kluger-lexus-/271018295754?pt=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3f19f301ca#ht_1996wt_1397

yeah, did the 28 point check, they will no doubt recommend putting a camber pin, getting wheel alignment, bla bla bla at the end of the day they want money off ya. they even told me my $14 check was free when i tried to haggle.

the parts are dirt cheap - as far as i can see its just a modified bolt, nothing special about the part yet they charged me over $100. i reckon if you look overseas parts website no doubt it will be cheaper.

anyways, it took me around 1.5hr to complete..

they didnt really budge on the price, but i just wanted to get it over and done with so just paid the money.

Hey Drake, how'd you go with Pedders? Did it fix the problem?

yeah it sure did - if you let go of the steering wheel (or hold the steering wheel with minimal force) the car drives in straight line no probs. It is still very slightly off centre but i hardly notice it and i can live with it.

you should check out the parts online, and get them to do the fitment. should've done that, as they put huge markups on the parts..

Hi Guys,

My Aurion has been making these noises on/off hasn't been making these noises lately - Should i be worried in the long term? Would i actually feel an obvious deterioration in performance when there is a total VVTi failure?