campbeam
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Posts posted by campbeam
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Hopefully you have already seen this YouTube video by Tha Car Nut. He says that he is a Toyota Master Technician and located in Chicago USA.. He gives some very good afvice and well worth your time to view most of his videos.
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12 hours ago, Tony Prodigy said:
Looks like the persistence is starting to pay off.
Only thing is now, what are we going to call "sludgy" now that it's nearly sludge free ??
All that drive train maintenance with regular fluid changes is paying off.
"Sludgy" gave me a nice thrill on Saturday before the oil change with lots of torque going from 60kph to 80kph on the highway. Now waiting for the next road trip to see if she has got all of her zip back just like 2017.
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Can I suggest that you start thinking outside of the box.
It should/may be possible to close the boot by going to the side of the vehicle and pulling down of the side of the boot with your fingers. Just have to remember to keep the fingers out of the way before shutting the boot closed.
Another option would be to try and install a pull down strap.
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1 hour ago, Tony Prodigy said:
Which car was it ? Some flood damaged cars could be ok if the water doesn't go up to the "boat line", then you can have all sorts of grief. You will practically have to strip most of the car back and go through every individual connector and clean thoroughly. Modern computer driven cars don't play nice if there is crud in the connections.
For the answer, you will have to view the video again and listen. Scotty just mentioned it once. He said that his customer informed him that he bought the flood damaged car and changed all of the fluids. Got issues 3 years later. Lot of time and effort to check and clean each connector so it would not have been done prior to auction.
I now remember hearing a story [many years ago] of <1 year old 4WD getting flooded then recovered. Interiors were stripped and cleaned before vehicle was sent to auction. Reported concern was more about future rust/corrosion.
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33 minutes ago, donnot said:
letting the engine get to full operating temp then instantly draining and pouring a couple-hundred ml of fresh oil through.
I do that too to displace any residue old oil out of the bottom of the engine pan.
I do a lot of short distance driving so the engine oil does not get up to full operating temperature for long enough to help get rid of contaminants. In fact, it is a recipe for promoting the formation of oil sludge. Hence why I use an OVERKILL or EXTREME oil change method which is quite lengthy.
One of the advantages of being DIY is that I can be so pedantic or as we say at work, anally retentive. 😁😁
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We learn, forget and have to relearn or remember. Following YouTube video from Scotty is quite interesting. I had forgotten about engine mounts getting damaged in an accident.
Big learning for me was to NEVER buy a flood/water damaged vehicle. I was not expecting issues to develop 3 years after the event.
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Welcome to the Forum.
Certainly an oversight to change the fuel filter and not check to see that the engine starts.
As for the radio reception, agree with KAA Robert to check the antenna connections. Suggest checking that the antenna can be fully extended and is not broken.
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1 hour ago, donnot said:
I’ve only used Magnatec (early on) and Nulon (now) in my car for 3500-4000km intervals). The Nulon turns a light-medium golden colour after then, so I’m interested to see how yours looks.
Thank you for that bit of information. I bought my Aurion about 5 years ago at 165K knowing that it blew white smoke on startup. Discovered later that it was due to oil sludge particularly in the baffles in the valve cover. On a previous oil change, oil turned a medium-dark golden colour after approx. 800kms. Next oil change was with Shell Ultra and colour changed happened in approx. 500kms. Bit annoyed at the time until I realised that the Shell Ultra was performing better at cleaning the engine with more detergent additives. I will have to check my maintenance spreadsheet but approx. 1500kms for this just replaced engine oil.
Current thinking is to do the next oil change in 3 months time but if it still looks clear or just a light golden colour then extend to 6 months.
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Following quote is from this URL:
https://community.cartalk.com/t/pops-out-of-third-gear/80757
"In most cases this is caused by wear of the 3/4 shift fork and/or wear of the 3/4 synchronizer assembly; most notably the synchronizer sleeve. The only fix is to go inside the transmission."
Too many years since my last manual vehicle but I learnt/knew not to drive with your hand resting on the gear lever.
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Just done another oil change at 226571 kms using my overkill oil change process. Initial flushing of the engine was with diesel. I refilled the engine via the PCV opening in the valve cover to help flush any sludge particles out of the oil baffles in the valve cover. I was thinking about repeating the diesel flush but there were no obvious sludge particles so proceeded to the final flush using new 15W-40 engine oil [previously bought on special].
End result is very clean or cleanest possible engine internals before filling with Nulon 5W-30 Full Synthetic engine oil and a new oil filter cartridge. Plan now is to keep track of when the engine oil changes colour on the dipstick from clear to a light golden colour.
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Good starting point is to give the engine a clean/degrease from the top down. This will help to find exactly where the leak is coming from, as well as cleaning the power steering pump.
When was the last time that the power steering fluid was changed. In recent posts, I have mentioned about using a hand pump to drain the reservoir then refill with new fluid. It is an item on my annual maintenance list.
The P0420 code refers to the efficiency of the catalytic convertor and usual fix is to clean the O2 sensors.
No definite answer for the long cranks on startup after the engine is warm but I would be looking at the fuel injectors and spark plugs. Before I was using 91 ULP and fuel additives now I am currently just using 95 ULP. I would consider using either of these products.
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Welcome to the Forum. Reckon that you have found out that the offered advice is spot on.
Never owned a VW and after DieselGate exposed their Corporate eitics deficiency, that is unlikely to change.
Mecedes Benz are taxis in Germany and they are sold here as a luxury brand.
Have to agree that the current shape has the looks and style. Certainly explains why it is in high demand with a backlog of orders for the Camry Hybrid model.
Toyotas are reliable but they do need to be serviced regularly to maintain that reliability. If you look at previous posts on this Forum, recommendation is to change oil at least every 6 months for long term ownership. Check your owner’s manual but I am sure that the engine has been specifically designed to use a 0W-16 oil.
Best upgrade in my opinion is a set of good quality brand name tyres to meet your driving needs.
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14 hours ago, ZZT86 said:
That's a 2tonne RAV that does sub 6 seconds to 100km/h - struth !
I think that it demonstrates the effectiveness of a 3 electric motor combination and the power of the fitted motors.
I had another viewing of the video. Interesting how it is his daily driver and he has been using the all electric drive option presumably for his daily commute to work then charge overnight. End result being that he has not had to buy petrol. All of this with a 48 mile range battery pack and no "range anxiety".
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Email sent with a wiring diagram for the 1998 Camry Sedan.
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Here is hoping that the ECU does not need to be replaced.
More of a preventative maintenance item but consider replacing the power steering fluid in the reservoir.
Assuming that it is readily accessible, I use a hand pump to empty the reservoir then refill with fresh fluid.
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It is a development and technology race with lots of cash burn. Lots of promised and demonstrated potential from previous years is finally going to happen.
I viewed a YouTube video about electric cars that will be coming to the market in 2021 e.g. Lucid Air development from 2016 to production in late 2021.
I have also been viewing various YouTube videos about Tesla rivals.
Business is about cashflow and survival. Just viewed this YouTube video about the RAV4 Prime which gives some clues of future development paths towards an all electric vehicle.
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23 minutes ago, matt36415 said:
Do you notice the 12mm height difference between the sides of your car?
What I have mainly noticed is that my Aurion does not pull to the left to any significant extent. However, the wheel alignment is still affected by the road camber so I do have a tendency to drive in the right hand lane.
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On 12/29/2020 at 5:15 PM, campbeam said:
Ride heights before and after are as follows:
Driver Front: 693mm / 713mm
Passenger Front: 703mm / 727mm
Driver and Passenger Rear: 703mm / 718mm
Checked the ride heights today which is about 7 weeks after installation.
Driver Front: 706mm
Passenger Front: 718mm
Driver and Passenger Rear: 706mm
After wondering about the rear measurement, I realised that I still had tools in the boot. Measurement was unchanged after emptying the boot of tools [trolley jack, socket set, screwdriver set etc.]
I have camber adjustment bolts so plan is to fit them before booking the car in for a wheel alignment.
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I am starting to get a bit more interested in electric vehicles as the technology barriers are being initially overcome with more to follow.
As I was saying at work, I think in terms of analogies. So the best one that I can think of is digital photography. Look quite a few years before film was truly superceded.
A bit late but I have just viewed this YouTube video about Toyota All Electric vehicles. With the new electric vehicle platform, there is plenty of scope for future models.
As a late adopter of new technology, it will be interesting to see how quickly mainstream consumers make the transition. Maybe 5 years is not so unrealistic.
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Same as yourself, I am not a SUV guy.
Main reason for first buying a Camry back in 1998 was for family.
Now it is because I want a comfortable highway cruiser with plenty of boot space.
It is also "bang for buck" or total cost of ownership to be able to keep the same vehicle although your motoring needs change.
Being a popular vehicle, there are lots of available reasonably priced OEM spare parts from multiple suppliers [including wreckers] especially when you are considering long term ownership
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Welcome to the Forum.
Good bonus if the owners manual and service record came with your vehicle.
Good idea to regularly service your vehicle to suit your driving conditions.
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1 hour ago, Tony Prodigy said:
Very cool song Ash. Some countries could use some happiness right now..
Happiness is a matter of attitude. Nothing like some good music to assist the attitude process.
Recent posts have got me thinking about when to upgrade to the latest technology.
Just so happy to get behind the wheel and drive my Aurion. Latest technology can wait until I really need it.
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There have been a few times when I have returned to my vehicle to find that I had left the drivers window totally down.
After locking the vehicle, I also try one of the door handles ro confirm that I have actually locked the vehicle, not unlocked it by mistake.
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Heard this song on the car radio [again] this morning. Special significance for me seeing that peope got executed in Saudia for having a party to listen to this song.
Listening to it again right now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7dPqrmDWxs
Oil Change Overkill
in Aurion / TRD Aurion Club
Posted
Lets say 25 oil changes with additional flushes and oil filter cartridges. Approximate total cost being $1100 over 5.5 years.
Normal oil changes [with diesel flush] every 6 months = 11 = $450. Extra costs for de-sludging = $650.
Costs are reduced because I have been using non-genuine filters [$3-$4] and oil was bought on special usually at 40-50% discount. Also oil being used changed from mineral to semi-synthetic to full synthetic.
In hindsight, would have been quicker and cheaper to remove and clean the front valve cover plus also remove the engine pan and clean the oil pump.
My decision at the time not to disturb the engine and potentially have future oil leaks.