campbeam

Excellent idea to change the transmission fluid and also the filter. Definitely more risky to NOT change the ATF. 

Looks like you have the correct preferred ATF. Suggest that you check the Penrite Lube Guide for your specific vehicle. 

https://penriteoil.com.au/product-selector?vehicle=24119&by=my_garage#/recommendations 

Expect to use most of the 4 litres when replacing doing a pan drain and filter change. Good idea to measure how much ATF is drained and replace a similar amount. I use a number of the same size plastic bottles for this purpose. You are fortunate that your transmission has a dipstick so you can easily check with the car on level ground and engine running. 

No idea about the torque specifications. This video may be useful as a starting reference. 

I use the Powerbulbs site to find the bulbs that will fit my vehicle. 

https://www.powerbulbs.com/au/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw0umSBhDrARIsAH7FCoeCXavePbo7ioNhd3BinC3q1XfQMexUfGYv74qy7gIwGhsivVnF6nEaAr_xEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Suggest that you inspect a spark plug and if possible, compare to a new one. 

I have just replaced my very badly worn spark plugs. Now noticing how much more responsive my vehicle is to the throttle and acceleration. 

1 hour ago, Tony Prodigy said:

That's shameful on the seller's part to flog counterfeit parts to begin with Ash. I'm guessing the price was too good to resist right ?

I'd be skeptical if the price was too cheap compared to normal retail. What are you going to do this time ? Will you go Genuine Toyota parts or is there some OEM equivalent you've found ? 

Yes the price was too good to resist; $29.95 for the set of 6.

I bought them because I could not find my previous eBay purchase of 12 spark plugs. Seller was auctioning off 1 packet of 4 spark plugs at a time so my winning bids were ultra low, much less than the postage.

Since then, I have relocated them so they were the ones used, Denso FK20HR11.

As an alternative, I have researched Denso IKH20TT. Their lifespan of 120,000 Kms is less than the long life Denso FK20HR11.

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/123107471897?epid=244639408&_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item1ca9c6f219:g:GCwAAOSwND9iIEjQ:sc:AU_RegularParcelWithTrackingAndSignature!4118!AU!-1&amdata=enc%3AAQAGAAAA4P3UQ5VLQuqSmAXBLtzdhZCfn0RrHjZcJgeCwZV4bp60SAxT62NrG1rDrSCrelcFw4e%2FPOSEI%2F%2FOU3nIy%2Bhzkn8z%2BHsLyhAF8LSsU5mILocLLfyBfUqvLPfzzIWnPlWX2a3uGx8UIP%2BiiAWOWHGzw3BLyMBDoFkBOcalM5dShSWsLIQeapkrzcXt9q0NReugYpeTJAQUjalCvqKneVmK5Cefnr0MwUae%2FsHSPgkntL30J7%2BTpE4nWKAt6CNQaabgrJwx2gmpNqB5DARH1rBrgb5MsNjZplkEfR%2Flb8jPIz%2Fl|tkp%3ABFBMtPiT7YVg

Appreciate the photo of the used oil filter cartridge. Handy to have as a benchmark.

Mine always has a fair bit of sludge particles.

Too much short distance driving so the oil hardly gets up to operating temperature.

On 2/15/2021 at 4:50 PM, campbeam said:

I was more concerned about the spark plugs than the oil filter cartridge. Fake was such a cheap rip-off and doomed to fail well short of the lifespan of a genuine long life iridium spark plug.. Also not so easy to replace the spark plugs on the rear bank of a front wheel drive V6 so you really need genuine OEM quality. 

Looks like that bargain set of spark plugs for my Aurion bought on eBay in May 2018 have turned out to be non-genuine. Instead of lasting 192K KMS or 10 years, these have only lasted 3.5 years and 35K KMS.

Photos show how badly worn the spark plug on No.1 cylinder is compared to another one [also worn] and a new spark plug [ hopefully genuine]. Certainly explains why the engine was misfiring on cylinder 1. Genuine plugs would not be showing noticable wear.

On 3/4/2022 at 7:03 PM, robinz said:

Hi guys, it’s completely workable. I did my 6 plugs without removing the intake manifold. But have to remove wiper cowl plenum, pretty simple. In short, the front 3 are easy and straight forward, 15 min job. The back three, took me 2.5 hrs, as was 1st time and I had to make sure all the things pulled off back exactly the way they were. The rear center one and driver side one are easy, but the passenger side one took me longer to undo. Find yourself a good mat that lay one the engine bay and so u can lay onto it. A handable mirror and a torch be handy to inspect. The tools are as what u see from the UTube videos. All working and $1,000 saved. Plus, mine is 2011 Toyota Aurion, 2GR FE, done 190,000, km, once I got it was 100,000, as I found out the pre owner done it as 6 plugs are Denso and mine putting it are NGK, only costs $130. Yes, u can do it. Be patient and have fun. Cheers

I remembered this post and did the same using a number of folded up towels to lay on top of the engine when doing that last rear plug.

2nd time for me and went smoothly enough. Missed connecting a vacuum hose to the brake booster and the wiper wiring connector so room for improvement.

Happy Easter 2022

Just noticed a headline about double demerit points and hefty fines.

Not applicable to myself because I am staying home.

Unfortunately, my Aurion is misfiring on cylinder 1, so I will be busy replacing the spark plugs to get that "Oh what a feeling" back again.

Looks like the set of plugs bought on eBay and fitted in November 2018 have proven to be non-genuine.

Only lasted 3.5 years and 35K kms whereas genuine ones have a lifespan of up to 192K kms or 10 years.

10 hours ago, Henstepper said:

Yes i need to watch what im doing too. i got into open country road and had my beast up to 180km. no one was around but the Aurion is powerful

My current favourite saying is "All is well until something goes wrong."

With that in mind, I read a similar article to the following: 

https://www.iihs.org/news/detail/new-crash-tests-show-modest-speed-increases-can-have-deadly-consequences

I am a bit more mindful of my vehicle's speed on the open highway and much more mentally prepared to perform an emergency hard braking to increase my survive ability in a crash. 

Also getting older and making safer decisions; most of the time.

All of the time, I am considering the driving conditions and that both the driver and the car can be considered "elderly" 😇😇

Spoke with my work colleague.

Good news is that the solution for his Kluger was to use genuine Toyota parts for both rotors and brake pads.

Bad news is that the brake shuddering has returned and the mechanic shops advice was to sell the car. 🤑 

I suspect that he is hard on his brakes so has worn them out again after lots of hilly country driving.

On 3/10/2022 at 7:18 PM, Bens1xx said:

Just got my Aurion back it was away for a month !

But I look back and considering the speed I was doing at the time I got off lightly.

Time to reflect and [maybe] consider mending your ways. Still recall the moment when I finally realised that the accelerator was getting me into more accident likely scenarios than what I thought that I had been avoiding.

Instead of speeding, I relax and cruise and be amused by the antics of those who are accidents waiting to happen.

These days I am light on the accelerator and brakes, most of the time.

Still plenty of fun to be had driving within the speed limits.

Work colleague had the same brake issue with his Kluger. Fairly sure that his problem related to the non known brand brake pads that the mechanical shop used. Will ask him on Monday for the details. 

I am thinking that you have a possible combination of a very discharged battery and an alternator problem.

The engine should run with a fully charged battery.

Battery warning light being displayed indicates a battery charging issue i.e. alternator.

I use RedBook to look at a vehicle's specifications and to compare various models.

Apparently Standard Equipment includes a remote boot release but this could very well be the manual release lever near the driver's seat similar to the remote fuel lid release.

https://www.redbook.com.au/cars/details/2005-toyota-avalon-gxi-auto/SPOT-ITM-280162/

19 hours ago, Kayd said:

 I found  away  to stop the rattle 

 

Looks like the rest of the post with all of the details went missing into the ethernet.

Interested to hear whether it is a case of turn on the ignition and wait or an initial brief twist of the ignition key or start button to build the engine oil pressure then do again for actual engine start up.

12 hours ago, matt36415 said:

I sold my Aurion and bought a diesel bmw. It has theZF 8 speed automatic that is has lifetime fluid like the Aurions. I dropped the pan to replace the filter and fluid. The filter is built into the pan so both get replaced. The pan has a rubber seal made into it so no gasket needed. It had 4 magnets and at 135,000 km they has a thin coating of metallic sludge - less than my aurion had when i first dropped its pan - at 195,000km though.  New fluid is honey colour and the old fluid was dark but on a tissue it wasn’t very black. The trans was very smooth before the change but it’s different to others. Eg in neutral it barely rolls forward. 
 

I thought 8 gears was silly but its a great match for the 2.0 turbo diesel. It also got 900km on the first tank, i think the trans was a big part of that. 
 

A painful aspect of the job was the underbody covers  which add aero efficiency but are an extra step in the job. 

I have viewed quite a few YouTube videos about the ZF automatic transmission. Very much a winner and is used by a number of auto manufacturers for their various models. Looks like it is robust and going to last. Good idea to do the transmission servicing.

Appreciate your comparative post between your now past petrol Aurion and your diesel BMW.

Interesting that there are 4 magnets in the ZF transmission in contrast to only 2 magnets in the U660E transmission.

16 hours ago, Tony Prodigy said:

Hahaha, and here I am trying to empty my garage. As tempting as it is, I'll have to sit this one out and start using up what I have left.

Just in AutoBarn yesterday to get a jerrycan on special. Chatted with the manager? who admitted to being a doomsday preparer watching lots of videos on that topic. Current world events are disrupting oil and petrol prices. It could possibly be some time before the next oil special. Something for further consideration. Hopefully I am wrong. 

My recommendation is NO.

I value my engine a lot higher than to use a budget brand oil.

I have a few containers of 15W-40 oil which I will use as a 50:50 ratio mixed with diesel to use as a flushing oil when I am doing an oil change. I previously used it in my mower as a substitute for SAE30. After some research now also using a full synthetic 5W-30 oil in the mower.

Current AutoBarn catalogue has Gulf Western full synthetic 5 litres 5W-40 engine oil on special for $17.99 [70% discount] which I have bought to use in my Aurion.

Yesterday I smelt burning oil and could see smoke coming from under the bonnet. There was also oil underneath after I parked the car. Shopping trip was cut short. Jacked up the car and could see oil dripping down. Suspect that the rubber oil cooler hoses have sprung a leak. Now waiting for my 2006 Aurion to have this warranty repair done as an emergency job once parts arrive at the local dealer. Then I can start the return trip home to Brisbane from Wagga Wagga.

Latest Autobarn catalogue has a full synthetic Gulf Western 5W-40 engine oil at $17.99 which is a 70% discount. Supposedly a limit of 2 per customer but no mention in the catalogue.

Too tempting for me so adding to my engine oil stockpile. 

This is a recent water pump replacement video by The Car Nut.

I found it useful from the perspective of the tips and tricks rather than the actual procedure.

He mentions a new improved version of the water pump which should be worth noting.

You need to investigate a bit further as to the source of the oil. Start by removing the engine cover which is hold on using 3 rubber grommets, so it comes off easily. Have a look around because it could potentially be a leak from the valve cover.

As for the slight movement in the steering wheel when braking or accelerating, I would be inspecting the intermediate steering shaft and lubricating it with some spray grease. There are posts in this Forum for that topic. I do remember one post where the solution was to replace the intermediate shaft steering bolts sourced from Toyota instead of replacing the whole assembly.

I was recently looking on eBay for a high power torch, initially starting with getting another LED torch with 2 18650 rechargable batteries.

Located and ordered this " 12000000LM Super Bright Torch 5 LED Flashlight USB Rechargeable Tactical lights " from a China based seller. It should be handy for lighting up the backyard.

Price was attractive enough to me given the current extended delivery time of many weeks.

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/334324187089

I kept searching and located this " Rechargeable COB LED Inspection Work Light Foldable Hand Torch Lamp Mechanic AU " from an Australia based seller. Current price of $8.99 including free postage is so attractive with other sellers wanting twice the price.

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/353855490718?var=623230529959

Initial order was for the W599B version which arrived quickly.

So impressed with the working light output and the torch light output, I did a follow up order for the W599A version.

This version was just as impressive so I have done another order for more of both versions.

Going to be very handy when working on the car, as a standby/regular torch or when the lights go out.

Also a very practical gift. Girlfriend has just got another early birthday present. 😁

4 hours ago, AAA said:

Hi Campbeam. My 2008 ATX is experiencing a similar problem. How did you resolve your issue? Thanks.

I looks like it was mainly doing a fuel system treatment then a tank of 98 PULP that ended up clearing the error code.

Cleaning the O2 sensors would have also helped.  

On 6/6/2020 at 8:17 AM, campbeam said:

SuperCheapAuto is having a 1 day only sale 06.06.2020 with 30% discount on Century Batteries.

55D23LMF is reduced from $200 to $140

75D23LMF is reduced from $240 to $168

Current AutoBarn catalogue ends this Sunday 06.03.2022. RRP is the same but only 25% discount.

I did a comparison and the NS70L MF battery has better specifications than the 75D23L MF. However, the warranty period is only 20 mths vs 40 mths.

Hopefully a 30% discount sale offer will appear in the next few months.