campbeam

1 hour ago, nzzr6 said:

Hmm, I don't think i removed the wiper cowl for the two Aurions ive done spark plug changes for. One was a NA other was a TRD, you should have enough room to get the plugs out without removing the cowl 🙂

Interesting. You must have smaller hands than me and/or right tools to access those rear spark plugs. I think that I did try to remove that rear bracket for the intake plentum but gave up and removed the wiper cowl to get more working space.

I am sure than even with the wiper cowl removed, I was having a bit of fun removing and replacing the coil packs until I removed the retaining bolts for the wiring harness.

Welcome to the Forum. You look as though you have got the right vehicle for the rainy season.

I was just thinking that it would have cost you a few dollars then I noticed a Bank's building in the background. 😄 

Another few weeks and you will be past what I drive in 12 months. I spend so much time on the bus going to work. 😷

Underlying cause for the white smoke is an accumulation of oil sludge in the baffles of the valve cover. The engine oil can no longer drain as quickly past these baffles. What then happens is that oil vapour is sucked via the PCV valve and then condenses in the intake. When you start up the next morning, the engine blows white smoke.

In your case, the immediate solution is to change to a shorter oil change interval of 4-5K kms and to definitely use Full Synthetic 5W-30 engine oil to assist to desludge the engine.

Have a read in your manual abour severe driving conditions and changed service intervals.

Something else that you should consider is having the automatic transmission fluid changed soon. You should notice an improvement in the gear shifts.

44 minutes ago, Tony Prodigy said:

I think it was an SUV type vehicle or RAV 4 he was working on Ash for those spark plugs. Is the cowl also removal on the Aurion too ?? I've never bothered to check actually.

My car will need spark plugs at some point too, including the coolant flush, so it will be worthwhile investing in some extra knowledge and gadgets lol..

 

Sure that it was a Highlander i.e. Kluger in Australia. Cowl removal needs to be done on the Aurion so you can access to the rear bank of the engine.

Good idea to replace the ignition coils when you replace the spark plugs which should be long life double iridiums.

18 minutes ago, Tony Prodigy said:

I was laughing when he said, "look how easy it is, once you know how". Sheesh !! As much as I love the guy, it's not an easy job. You still have to dismantle half the top end to do it and you will also need new intake plenum gaskets.
Make sure they are Orange as they are the new, updated ones over the older black ones.

The car care nut is a great channel that's for sure.

After you have replaced the spark plugs on the 2GR-FE once, then it is relatively easy. Removing the cowl , wiper blades and wiper motor is just time-consuming. Main thing is to get the reassembly right.  I did notice that he did mention a few times in the video to stop and check your work. 

As others have posted and I have confirmed, you do not need to remove the intake plenum. You can workaround it but you wil definitely have to remove a retaining bracket on the intake plenum plus the bolts for the rear wiring harness to the coils. 

His right way of bleeding the system is much more involved than my minimalist method of just loosening the bleed bolt and overfilling the reservoir.  

You could enquire at your local Toyota dealership about the availability/cost of the workshop and repair manuals.

If you are more after maintenance information, then I can recommend looking at the varius YouTube videos by The Car Nut.

In the past few weeks, I have been monitoring the coolant level in the reservoir bottle. Over a 2 month period, it has gone from being above the Full mark to slightly below that Full mark. I have checked for leaks and there was nothing obvious.

Wet weather has disrupted an intended plan to recheck the torque on the water pump bolts this weekend. 

Just viewed this recent video by The Car Nut that shows the right way to bleed the cooling system on the V6 2GR-FE 3.5Litre engine.  

On 11/26/2018 at 3:01 PM, campbeam said:

I used the above approach rather than remove the intake and replace gaskets. Started at 4:30pm and paused at 7:30pm after replacing the spark plugs and ignition coils for the rear bank then reassembling. Probably could have saved 30 minutes by being better organized and having to find better quality 6 point socket and breaker bar to undo 2 of the nuts on the passenger side strut mount. Surprisingly, driver's side strut mount nuts came undone quite readily. Only took 20-30 minutes to replace the spark plugs and ignition coils for the front bank.

I was thinking that it was sooner than 2 years and 4 months since I replaced both spark plugs and coils.

Just viewed this recent video by The Car Nut and I was thinking that I did not remove the intake. I now recall that I did have some fun moving the rear wiring harness out of the way to get to the spark plugs. I am sure that I did put some anti-seize on the spark plug threads. 

18 hours ago, KAA said:

Good Luck mate just take your time and I am sure you will get a good result, let us see a before and after as it will aid others with similar issues 

I should do the same for the girlfriend's Yaris next weekend when the weather is forecast to be better. 

Girlfriend mentioned about the steering being heavier so we checked the tyre pressures. Surprisingly down to 30 psi after driving home from the Sunday markets. Inflated tyres up to 40 psi knowing that this will come down to 36 psi when tyres are cold. 

Looks like tyres were last checked 2 months ago so making a mental reminder to do it at the end of each month. Also time to check my Aurion's tyre pressures very soon. 

1 hour ago, Tony Prodigy said:

Remember this thread ?

Here's the link for my tool if you're interested. You have to pay at least $50 for a decent one. The "SQ" denotes that it also has a provision for a 3/8" ratchet drive through the centre, if you don't have the 19 mm socket. Most would but this is the added redundancy, which I didn't mind paying extra for. The standard version of this is $35 with no 3/8" drive, only the 19mm Hex.

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/OMIK-Professional-Oil-Filter-Tool-for-Aurion-Rav4-Corolla-AUSTRALIAN-MADE/303231702791?hash=item469a049707:g:1wkAAOSwl5JcJHgj

I do well remember that thread.

Having a set of 6 sided or impact sockets is a good backup for when the usual 12 point sockets are not enough.  https://www.tradetools.com/product-range/hand-tools/socket-sets/renegade-industrial-1-2-10-pc-metric-impact-socket-set

Particularly remembered that photo of your son lying down on the cardboard trying to fix up Dad's stuff up. 😄 Usually it is the reverse. 😬 

Last time I had the car up on ramps, I could have done with some cardboard or an old doona to help cushion my knees getting down on the concrete. Reminder for next time to make the extra effort.  

Welcome to the Forum. Interested to know more details of your vehicle and your location as the Innova model is not on offer here in Australia.  I am sure that there will be some similarities to other people mover Toyota models. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Innova 

I have used the Turtle Wax Headlight Cleaner and Sealant with good results. As with any product, the more effort, the better the results.

I am finally starting to realize how disruptive the emergence of electric vehicles is for Toyota. It has the potential to greatly diminish their current competetive advantage with hybrid vehicles and reduce their Return on Investment.

Toyota may also need to hasten the adoption of hydrogen fuel cell technology to become a viable alternative to all electric vehicles and retain a long term competetive advantage for their survival. 

I also had an other view of the video with Sandy Munro. Picked up on his comment about quality control and history repeating itself. https://www.cio.com/article/3237692/six-sigma-quality-management-methodology.html 

I can remember when Made in Japan was viewed as 'Junk'  and I use the expression of "Chinese Crap" especially after some past eBay purchases. Also the same for the Great Wall brand vehicles.  

I expect that I will be a new car buyer in 2031 and I am making my own paradigm shifts considering a compact autonomous driving vehicle.

I have mentioned before about having a KIA Stinger as a benchmark vehicle as an alternative to my Aurion. When I saw this latest release: https://www.motoring.com.au/kia-ev6-confirmed-for-australia-129213/ I did wonder how many potential buyers will defer their purchase until this EV6 is available in Australia. 

Maybe Mr Toyota will hasten to make available the RAV4 Prime and/or a Camry Prime in Australia. 

52 minutes ago, Tony Prodigy said:

Oh yeah.. I see now. I think it will be better to just wait. They always come in at ridiculously high prices in the initial release then slowly wind them down. I'm happy to wait. There may come a special some time soon too.

SuperCheap Auto had a one day only sale yesterday for Club members; 30% discount off regular price storewide. $70 would have been $49. This could be the regular price by Fathers Day or Xmas 🤑 so waiting could be saving. 

Best to check/confirm that the part number 1145222031 is correct.

This is where you can buy a replacement. 

https://www.amayama.com/en/part/toyota/1145222031 

If you want to pay for express postage, there is this eBay listing which includes a good photo of the part.

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/1145222031-Genuine-Toyota-GUIDE-OIL-LEVEL-GAGE-11452-22031/182382063169?epid=657303984&hash=item2a76d16e41:g:7psAAOSw~jpcbRfr 

There are internet posts about broken dipstick tube but I suspect people have levered against the tube causing it to break especially as there is a fixing bracket in the middle. 

Personally never had to replace a dipstick tube but it should be straightforward to replace as there is an o-ring fitting at the bottom where it goes into the engine block. 

17 minutes ago, Tony Prodigy said:

I checked online at it's showing the $69.99 for the spray version. Aren't SCA supposed to have the same prices everywhere ??

Price labels are below not above and there is no label for the Turtle Wax Grahene range.

Got caught out many years ago and I remember because of the attitude of that particular "runt" repeating himself to make out that I was an idiot for getting the price wrong for that tool set item.

Won't say what my younger self felt like doing [not worth the trouble] but left the store in disgust without that item. 

Does the engine crank but not start?

My immediate thought was either battery or starter motor.

Next thought is the alternator good?. If so, it should have definitely fully charged the battery.

Good idea to check the battery terminal connections and also the earth/ground wiring. I do recall a few posts where this has been the solution to their issue. 

9 hours ago, toav said:

hi campbeam

 

thanks for your reply

did have a look at few , any idea on below

Nexen

Achilles

regards

toav

hi again

 

just wondering if you know , when the fuel guage shows amber , how much fuel is left in the tank 

Toav, 

what I do know is that the major tyre manufacturers spend lots on R&D and release new generations of their tyres.

I read a fair number of tyre reviews and watch YouTube videos on best rated tyres. I do not have Nexen and Achilles brand tyres on my watchlist for future tyre purchases. 

My focus is upon a premium quality touring type tyre with good wet weather braking and handling performance. For some years, I have Michelin, Continental, Bridgestone, Dunlop, Yokohama on my shortlist. If I had to buy tyres tomorrow, I would most likely go Michelin unless Continental had a 4 for 3 deal. 

Best to look at your owner's manual for a definite answer about the fuel warning light. I am guessing that your vehicle has a 4 cyl engine and a 60 litres fuel tank, so I would say 10 litres. In contrast my V6 has a 70 litre fuel tank and the warning light displays at 15 litres. 

Please note that with a fuel pump located internally in the fuel tank, it is cooled by the surrounding fuel. If you want the fuel pump to last longer, not a good idea to be running your vehicle near empty except very occassionally. I regularly refuel my vehicle before the half full mark.

2 hours ago, Novicebutnice said:

At Supercheap Menai.. just saying 😎

Your post reminded me that I do not really need any more detailing products at the moment except possibly some more microfibre cloths which I did have on my eBay watchlist.

Currently in a self-imposed financial lockdown waiting for EOFY but relented and took up the 30% discount for SuperCheap Auto Club members. 

https://www.supercheapauto.com.au/p/sca-sca-microfibre-cloths-25-pack/356514.html 

 I did do the oil and filter change on the girlfriend's Yaris yesterday afternoon. Now gone into hibernation mode waiting for the rain showers to clear. Tomorrow is looking more like grass mowing mode in the morning. 

Just viewed this YouTube video which was posted by a USA dealership with their Toyota Master Diagnostic Technician.

Main tip was to be using the EV mode only occassionally.

Other main question was the estimated lifetime of the battery. One can only hope that within 10 years there will be an established option to replace the battery pack for the various Toyota models. 

Happy Easter 2021. Nice psychological boost that the Greater Brisbane lockdown got lifted yesterday. As per usual, being safe and staying off the roads.

This morning, I finally applied P&S Beadmaker to the upper half of the car and gave the glass another application. Next was to fix a bracket on the mower then some mowing until it ran out of fuel.

Doing an oil change on the girlfriend's Yaris is next on the agenda. That will have to wait as we have got an invitation this morning to a family gathering. Mask wearing time when I am not eating some seafood or having a drink. 

Easter is looking good so far.

My vehicle safety and convenience is worth more to me than saving a few dollars buying cheap unknown brand tyres.

I learnt this lesson from experience with a Chinese brand called Goodride. I got them cheap with 90% tread and discovered their non-performance in the wet. I found out later from internet posts that cheap tyres may be quite ok when initially fitted and for the 1st 10% of tread life. 

I only buy and recommend known brand quality tyres. Also do your research and buy the latest generation of a tyre.

Scotty Kilmer is entertaining speaking from his many years as a mechanic but lately he has too many click bait videos for my liking.

I pay much more attention to this fellow who claims to be a Toyota Master Technician at a Chicago Toyota dealership. 

https://www.youtube.com/c/TheCarCareNut/videos 

Is your tyre size 205/65/15 ? I think that a touring tyre will most likely meet your driving needs. 

Have a look at the MICHELIN ENERGY XM2+ 205/65R15 99V   It is a high mileage/touring tyre.