Hiro

I've seen some Buick/Ecotec conversions done before, but can't think of any LSs off the top of my head.

If the brake fluid looked like pond water then that would definitely go a long way to explaining the issues.....although it also usually means that the master cylinder isn't far behind, as the seals probably aren't in the best of shape

Rear muffler looks stock-ish but the mid-pipe definitely doesn't

The brake fluid level warning switch is integral to the master cylinder reservoir and thus not replaceable on its own - you'd either need a new reservoir, or failing that a whole new master cylinder. Might be worthwhile trying to drain as much fluid out of the reservoir as you can and see if the sender is gunked up or something, bear in mind that you'll most likely need to bleed the brakes after doing this. It is a known thing for level sensors to get flaky over time.

Just about every Toyota engine with a "G"-type head was co-developed with Yamaha - 3M (effectively a 3M-G but this was before Toyota used the G designation, and there were also no other 3M variants), 2TG, 18RG, 4AGE, 3SGE, 2ZZGE, 1LRGUE, 2URGSE etc etc

CSi Limited probably, which would make it a 4AFE. Post up some photos of the exhaust, it's not hard to change over if you're decent at throwing a spanner.

Sell car with sticky dash, buy newer than '07, get sticky dash replaced for free. Chances are you'd come out on top, and with a lot less work.

Yep, it was a wheel bearing...

New axles = new CV boots, and the noise returned within a minute or so (basically the end of the street). I find it highly unlikely that the exact same noise would re-appear after changing the CVs if the issue is with the boots rubbing on themselves (and there is nothing else close enough that the boots could rub on). There is also no noise at all whilst it is on stands (at least nothing loud enough to be heard over my exhaust at idle) - it definitely needs load before it appears (even jacking up the control arm to get the angles right doesn't do it). I tried the vibrating spring trick a few weeks ago when I was first trying to diagnose it and couldn't feel any difference. Don't have a stethoscope to listen to the diff though.

Have you owned Toyotas before? They are renowned for giving a good 100k+ of additional range after the fuel light comes on or the trip computer says 0k to empty (and I'm not just talking about one particular model). Much better to err on the side of caution than to have customers always running out of fuel (and you never want to run a tank down to the last few litres anyway, as it can cause fuel starvation which is bad for the pump AND the engine if it drastically leans out)

Starting to get quite annoyed chasing ghosts now. So a few months ago I started hearing a bit of a scrape/rumble from the front end when coming to a stop, only happened very occasionally so didn't pay too much attention to it initially. Then a few weeks ago it started to get much worse, much faster. Symptoms were a sorta grind/scrape/rub/"whomp" with each rotation, going up or down with wheel speed but only at low speed (<30k). Would happen going straight, turning corners, coasting in neutral, whatever. I couldn't replicate any of the noises on stands, although an initial suspect of a front-right wheel bearing (could feel the clunk when rocking the wheel back and forth) turned out to be a shot tie-rod end. 'Shop didn't see or hear anything wrong with bearings or CVs up on the hoist, and since the only way to truly prove a shot wheel bearing is to actually remove the hub which in turn ruins the bearing and means a new one needs to be fitted regardless meant that I decided to try eliminating other options first. So, in order; 1) Swapped front wheels to rule out cupping. No difference 2) Saw that one rotor had a rusty/pitted ring around the outer edge (really squeally when I rubbed an old pad against it with the wheel spinning). Swapped pads around, no change. Swapped rotors L-R, some of the sound did appear to move with the rotor. Got new rotors, still no difference (some of the squeal did go though). No sign of rocks or anything caught up in the dust shields 3) Dropped the gearbox oil to see if there was any evidence of a blown diff bearing. Oil still semi-translucent and dark honey-coloured. Nothing suspended in the oil either apart from some gold/bronze sparklies that you'd expect from synchro wear. 4) Replaced both front axles. Torqued both axle-nuts up to buggery with a rattle-gun (mine is rated to 310Nm so it isn't heaps higher than the recommended amount). Noise seemed to disappear for about 5 minutes then returned, but not as bad as before. Considering new axles shouldn't have affected the diff at all but could help hide a wheel bearing (by re-tightening the nut) I still can't rule one or the other out. So now I'm stuck in an annoying place - do I replace wheel bearings or gearbox first? Both will probably run to about $400 (got a few options for a cheap second-hand 'box to get me by, labour is essentially the same as a clutch change), and I can _really_ only afford to do one before Christmas. Knowing my luck I'll choose the wrong one though, and I'll end up throwing close to a grand at the thing in total before things are finally fixed.

No, turbos do NOT change the compression ratio. The compression ratio is literally the difference between the volume of the cylinder at bottom dead centre compared to top dead centre ("static compression ratio"). This changes slightly during operation due to valve timing (and then called "dynamic compression ratio"). Whilst the actual cylinder pressures in a turbo- or super-charged engines on-boost will be much higher, their compression ratios are almost always lower than naturally aspirated engines (and do not vary regardless if the engine is "on-boost" or not. Forced induction pushes more air MASS in to the cylinder (since the volume is fixed). In a normal engine (turbocharged or not) static compression ratio (which is the number everyone always refers to) can only be changed by skimming the head, using a different thickness headgasket, or fitting domed/dished pistons or ones with a higher/lower wrist pin. Forced induction engines traditionally use different pistons compared to their NA sisters In simple maths - take two engines, both with a compression ratio of 10:1, one turbo and one NA. The NA engine breathes in air and fuel at around atmospheric pressure, call it 1bar. The piston then compresses this air and fuel mix to 10bar (10:1 ratio). The turbo engine uses a turbine to pre-compress the air before it is drawn in to the engine, a turbo running 1bar of "boost" will push air and fuel in to the cylinder at 2bar of pressure (1bar atmospheric + 1bar of boost). The piston will then compress this mix further to 20bar (note this is still 10:1 ratio). However, because the turbo engine has injested double the fuel and air, it makes a big chunk more power when it is burnt. There are a lot of simplifications there, but the whole point of a turbo is to boost the volumetric efficiency of an engine (actual amount of air drawn in per revolution compared to theoretical capacity of the engine)

https://www.pressroom.com.au/press_release_detail.asp?clientID=2&prID=209&navSectionID=2

You're misreading it. It is first saying "unleaded" as fuel TYPE (as opposed to leaded, or diesel, or E85, or avgas etc etc), and then qualifying that by further specifying a minimum 95RON RATING.

You'll probably need to provide some more information (photos help a lot too). Chances are it is just a dealer-special or run-out model to clear stock, typical stickers-and-mags job.

Pay attention to where the drain plug is on the sump too and which way you jack the car up to reach it - if the plug is at the front and you raise the front of the car then there will naturally be some oil sitting in the back of the sump due to the way it is tilted back.

Have you gotten quotes for a repair through a 'shop? Dealerships will charge an arm and a leg for a new OEM wheel, and you might struggle to find a single second-hand one as most people would probably be selling a set

Did the car still have it's original factory headunit? If so, just use the appropriate ISO adaptor harness and never worry about splicing or soldering wires again.

If they're anything like the older Toyota weathershields then there will be little clips that go between the window frame and the bailey channel (the double-lipped rubber strip that seal the top and sides of the window when it is fully up. You might be able to pop them in with the rubber still in place but probably easier if it was removed. weathershield_clip_01 by Ian Rigby, on Flickr weathershield_clip_02 by Ian Rigby, on Flickr

True about the SL/SN difference, but if you drop down to the 5L bottles then the Penrite 5W30 Enviro+ is actually cheaper than the Nulon (HPR5 is a chunk more however)... http://www.supercheapauto.com.au/store/oils-fluids/engine-oil/1021652?pageSize=24&sort=-ProductSummaryPurchasesWeighted%2C-ProductSummaryPurchases&brand=Penrite%2CNulon&variant1=5 Litre&variant2=5W-30&page=1 Sometimes I think there are too many oils on the market with too little obvious differences between them apart from price.

Nulon 5W30 Full Synthetic and Penrite 5W30 Full Synthetic are currently the exact same price at Superchear, $57.99 for 6L. You might be thinking of their 10Tenths racing oil. http://www.supercheapauto.com.au/store/oils-fluids/engine-oil/1021652?pageSize=24&sort=-ProductSummaryPurchasesWeighted%2C-ProductSummaryPurchases&variant1=6 Litre&variant2=5W-30&page=1 And that 7L Commodore figure was only for the 3.0L and 3.6L V6. The V8s need even more (7.6L)

Be thankful you don't drive a Commodore then. Even the V6 models need 7+L per oil change, so you still need at least an extra litre bottle even if you buy 6L ones. Oh, and Penrite (another Australian company) also do a full synthetic 5W30 in 6L bottles too...

I must admit that a blown headgasket isn't what you'd expect from overfilling the oil (unless it was at the end of a cascade of failures). Blown crank seal yes, thrown a rod because the oil got aerated from being too close to the crank and killed a big-end bearing yes, but headgasket failures are usually down to either overheating or improper installation

I had a quick look and it seems that the Haynes/Gregorys books that cover the AE112 also do the ZZE122, which is never a good thing as you end up with more generic descriptions or things that aren't valid, especially when you've got two significantly different engines and two significantly different rear chassis/suspension designs. I've got the model prior (AE102) and the Gregorys for _that_ model is really good and specific (since it only covers one model series), if anything you might be better off getting that one as the engine, drivetrain and suspension/brakes are identical between the AE102 and AE112.