campbeam

Excellent. I am anticipating your future post complete with photos. Highly appreciate your OCD approach which contrasts greatly with a minimalist approach. I have not yet done a thorough coolant flush; just a change of coolant in the radiator and overflow reservoir. Follow up has been an annual clean and removal of any sediment in the reservoir. As for the coolant flush, I have been considering doing a radiator drain and refill with distilled water a few times as a possible alternative to undoing any coolant drain plugs on the engine block.

Hope you have the after photos as well. Useful for your own records as well as the Forum. The big benefit is from thoroughly cleaning the valve cover, particularly the area leading to the PCV valve. After re-assembly, then next stage will be an oil and filter change. What I have been doing for many years has been to use diesel as an engine flush. After engine oil is at operating temperature, drain and replace with 5 litres of diesel. then idle engine for approx. 10 minutes then drain. I re-flush the engine using a low cost engine oil which eliminates any residue then use the new oil filter cartridge and new full synthetic engine oil. Plan for or consider your next oil change interval to be 1000-2500kms then 5000 km oil change intervals in the future.

Obviously this is not what you want to see. I would be seriously considering doing another change of atf and replacing the filter again. https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-3rd-gen-2010-2015/966724-p0990-transmission-problem.html Initial step may be to drop the transmission pan and inspect/clean. Same for the filter. Mineral turpentine is recommended as the cleaning agent. https://www.transmissionbench.com/cleaning.html Decide whether a change of atf is applicable at this point in time. I would also be thinking about doing a lot longer suburban drives then maybe some highway driving to get the ATF up to full operating temperature for longer and more circulation through the filter. I did a Google search using a search term of C1201 Toyota Aurion. Following urls are worth a read. Possibly the transmission shudder could have triggered this code or maybe something else. Something for your consideration. https://ricksfreeautorepairadvice.com/c1201-toyota/ https://mechanicbase.com/trouble-code/c1201-toyota/

Another worthwhile video by The Car Nut. Perhaps no surprise that again he is emphasising regular maintenance. Key message of this video is to change the coolant every 80,000 kms / 5 years. Preventative maintenance is so much cheaper than an engine repair. Certainly important to know the service history of your vehicle particularly if buying a used one. On a previous road trip a few years ago, I had this issue of a minor coolant leak. i ended up using K-Seal Coolant Leak Repair during the trip home then later removed it from the coolant reservoir. Since then i have been monitoring the coolant level and occassionally topping up. I very recently used this product on another vehicle https://www.supercheapauto.com.au/p/k-seal-k-seal-coolant-leak-repair---236ml/357729.html with ecellent results. Consequently as a preventative measure, i put K-Seal back nto the coolant reservoir for this road trip. No coolant leak issue, as expected.

I remembered this YouTube video because of the positioning arrow for the outer position of the top strut mount. This recent YouTube video by The Car Nut about when to and how to replace the struts did briefly mention this mark but not enough detail for my liking a a DIY task.

Forgotten when I last checked the spare tyre pressure. Only 20 psi so that indicates maybe more than 12 months. Quick trip to the servo and spare tyre pressure is now 41 psi. That should be good for the next 6 months or when the boot gets another clean up. Ended up doing the same for my other Toyota. Its spare tyre pressure was only 16 psi.

Fairly confident that the dimensions are the same as a Toyota genuine one but not 100%. Very handy if you can post the measurements of a genuine Toyota filter cartridge and the part number.

What I have learnt from previous YouTube videos by The Car Nut is that I am guilty of over-servicing the transmission and changing the ATF too often. Having an older transmission, I am staying with a pan drain method. Recent YouTube video by The Car Nut answers the main questions about when to change the ATF. Now rethinking when I will do the next pan drain to refresh the additives in the ATF. Interesting balanced approach of what not to do with automatic transmissions that are well overdue. I bought my 2006 Aurion ATX with 165K kms on the odometer and 9 years old. There was a significant build up of sludge on the pan, deep enough to write your name in it. Definitely worthwhile cleaning the inside of the transmission pan.

The Car Nut just released the following YouTube video where he answered the main questions about auto transmission servicing. If you service your transmission before it becomes overdue then you do not need to replace the transmission filter. As mentioned in the video, different matter if something has gone wrong then the filter should/needs to be replaced.

Following photo shows the amount of sludge collected in a new oil filter cartridge after 5 months and approx. 2500-2700 kms of short distance driving. 2nd photo is of a re-used cleaned oil filter cartridge after the engine flush. Not the best photo but there is very little oil sludge.

I use non-genuine OEM oil filter cartridges. 1st photo is a new cartridge after 5 months and approx. 2500kms. 2nd photo is a cleaned used cartridge after being in the engine for 1 day when I was doing the engine flush. You can see how it has distorted when compressed compared to a genuine oil filter cartridge.

Looks like that plan did not happen. I did do an engine flush using Penrite Engine Flush yesterday morning. Instead of adding to the existing engine oil, I changed the existing oil and oil filter cartridge then idled the warmed up engine for 10 minutes. Most likely NOT recommended but I also did approx. 65 kms suburban driving then did another oil change with a new oil filter cartridge and new quality full synthetic engine oil this morning. Previous engine oil and oil filter cartridge have been retained for next engine flushing. Overall, worth doing the engine flush as the oil did darken up quite a bit. Removal of front valve cover will have to wait until the next oil change, at least.

Getting ready for a leisurely road trip in a week or so after Easter and the school holiday period. Engine flush yesterday and oil change this morning. Also added an engine and oil treatment additive so hopefully will notice some improved engine and fuel efficiency on the trip. Engine seems to be idling a bit quieter and rpm at idle maybe 50-100rpm lower. Just been down to SuperCheap Auto to use the received credit and got fuel injector cleaner for when I next refill the tank. Plenty of other items previously mentioned in this thread to be done e.g. check tyre pressure of the spare tyre before packing the car.

Is the problem the reverse gear selection or something else? Please describe in detail the problem scenario/s. Appreciate details of your vehicle model year, odometer reading etc. What transmission servicing has been done and when?

My experience is the same. However our experience is with the U660E transmission admittedly in different series of the Aurion. Next time that I remove the transmission pan it will be to give it a wipedown and clean the internal magnets. Interested to read the experiences of other members with other transmission models.

The question has previously been raised in posts particularly for changing the ATF of the U660E transmission fitted to the Aurion. Toyota refers to this part as a strainer. Personally, I have replaced the original filter with an OEM one but did kept this part. This part has what appears to be a paper element. However, I recall the part for my previous 1998 Toyota Camry having a metallic element similar to a stainless steel scourer. Transmission filter information is at the 18:36 interval of the following YouTube video by The Car Nut. Personally, I have been thinking of placing some additional magnets on the sidewalls of the transmission pan.

This recent YouTube video by The Car Nut provides an explanation for transmission shudder. It that case for that series of vehicles the underlying cause was the Toyota software and the solution involved a number of revisions to the software. Interesting that the 1st revision did not resolve the issue. Looks like there are advantages to having your new Toyota vehicle serviced by the Dealership for the initial 3-5 years. Those people that previously asked a question on the Forum then disappeared now have a potential answer. As for the regular members and viewers of this Forum, here is something more for your knowledge bank.

To my limited knowledge, I am unaware that the 1GR-FE engine is susceptible to oil sludge. Different matter for the 3.5litre 2GR-FE engine. Not good that a service was missed for 10K kms so quite likely that oil sludge could have formed. Hopefully it got collected in the oil filter. Looks like the service interval is 10K kms. My suggestion and recommendation is to go old school and reduce the oil change interval to 5000 kms or 6 months whichever comes first. Use a quality full synthetic known brand engine oil and quality oil filters. Good preventative maintenance to avoid costly engine repairs due to clogged up oil and piston rings. I am guessing that a mobile mechanic will be able to do a compression test and maybe also an exhaust gas analysis to determine whether there is oil consumption.

I have done the same when replacing the parking bulbs. However, I not fully removed the plastic inner wheel guard. Instead I have removed just the front retaining clips and pulled back the inner guard for enough working space. I went and had another look at the passenger side headlight bulb. I manage working above and to one side when replacing the headlight bulb. Certainly thought a few times about removing the battery [but not yet done] for more room when replacing the passenger side headlight bulb. For myself, the main issue has been seating the bulb properly in the headlight housing and engaging the locking tabs.

Yes, my STEDI H11 LED bulbs have the cooling fan. Any fitting issues are the same or very similar to an OEM halogen bulb. Bit of a squeeze or juggle to get the LED bulb into the headlight housing, as expected. For myself, it was either hit or miss getting the bulb properly seated then turning the bulb body to lock into position. When I was having difficulty, I ended up temporarily removing the LED bulb, inserting an OEM bulb and paid close attention to the initial and end positions of the locking tabs on the base of the bulb.

I consider the fitting of the STEDI H11 LED bulbs to the low beam projector headlights on my Oct.2006 Aurion ATX as being a highly worthwhile upgrade. I have had them fitted for slightly less than 2 years and absolutely appreciate them every time when driving at night. They provide better light output than the high performance halogen bulbs that I have previously had and those only lasted about 2 years. I have previously bought a number H11 LED bulbs on eBay and those have barely lasted 6 weeks before failing. Eventually stopped throwing money away on these budget buys and bought the STEDI H11 LED bulbs. Looks like I will not have to make a warranty claim. If they were to fail shortly after the 2 year period, I would not hesitate to buy them again.

Getting towards 2 years ago that I bought both of those under engine splash guards plus some other odds and ends. I probably paid about $20 at the time but would expect to pay $20 each now.

There is a procedure for changing the ATF in the U660E transmission fitted to the Aurion and other Toyota models. It is available on a few threads in this Forum. Also attached is a Technical Service Bulletin [TSB] presumably sourced from Toyota USA to add an extra 200ml of ATF after following the refill procedure. You have an interesting solution for your vehicle with vibration due to low ATF level. My past experience with low ATF level for my Oct.2006 Aurion ATX has been rough gear shifts and the vehicle not remaining stationary when stopped on a slight incline. This was years ago before re-read the procedure and did it correctly. I have also done the quick workaround method of draining the ATF and precisely measuring using a few plastic bottles to replace the equivalent volume +25-50ml without any issue. This assumes that the transmission does not have any leaks. There should be no idle play in the steering wheel. Generally, this would indicate wear in the steering rack or the tie rod ends. I do periodically grease the intermediate steering shaft u-joint. There is a thread on this Forum about this issue and one solution has been to replace the special bolts sourced from a Toyota dealership. Best to check the power steering fluid level. Something that I do [annually] is to use a hand pump to empty the fluid in the reservoir, then replace.

Best to check If the headlights are HID, its the D4S bulb your after, non HID bulb id the H11, two very different bulbs. My ATX Aurion has H11 bulbs which I finally upgraded to the STEDI brand LED bulbs which are worth buying. Have a look at this thread which does mention these D4S bulbs. If you want to upgrade the earth then have a look at this YouTube video. Something I have not yet done.

Easter is coming so may have to be ready for any unplanned day trips. However I want to be staying home and finishing off any outstanding items on my checklist for getting my Aurion ready for a road trip after Easter. Have to find some fuel injector cleaner, glass cleaner etc during May. Headlights are also overdue for a clean.