campbeam

4 hours ago, SA22C-RX said:

That's what I was thinking just wasn't 100%. Thanks again campbeam, I'll grab them today. How's your engine going? Enjoying your catch can? Is it doing the trick for ya better then your PCV valve? Intake staying clean now? 

Absolutely enjoying the catch can. Put steel wool inside it to act as a baffle. Engine is going great. That road trip certainly did wonders. Now driving around more watching the tacho than the speedo. The catalytic converters should have got a good clean out with the prolonged running at high temperature. On the road trip, there was one moment of magnificent perfection of effortless overtaking. Looked downed and totally surprised by the speedo reading especially considering the tacho was reading only 2000 rpm and I had not noticed any gear shifts. Unfortunately, never able to replicate that moment of perfection. Maybe I had a temporary tail wind and a slight road incline being in the right place at the right time or else the torque converter turbine decided to have an overdrive moment. 

Not good that you have a bad back so soon in life. I am getting older and wanting to be more comfortable when working on the car. Now sitting down on the bottom section of an old office chair when checking the wheels or lying down on a thick doona when doing an oil change.

13 minutes ago, Metal_Head said:

And replacing the factory cat with a lower cpsi version is illegal too. I guess at least it "looks" like something is there

Since there's already 2 cats there, I personally would do away with the 3rd cat and I doubt anyone who would have to check your car in the future for any reason would know off the top of their head an aurion has 3 cats standard. Getting caught & fined won't happen, because the "last owner must've did that" , or if it's a one owner then an "exhaust place years ago must've did that" and you were unknowingly driving around like that. 

Exhaust place will fit or mod anything for you, but just a friendly tip.... If u walk in their all holy & start going on about legalities, the bloke will be hesitant to do anything. 

Curious if you've ever modified a car before, because it sorta looks like it's your first rodeo

 

I have just done some preliminary research. It is a bit of a maze with no clear cut one size fits all answer. Main point is that the catalytic converter are the means by which vehicle manufacturers meet vehicle emission standards and these standards have increased over the years but are not retrospective.    Emission_Standards_for_Petrol_Cars.pdf

https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/vehicles/environment/emission/index.aspx

Let's just say that I prefer to not be in a situation where I am having a roadside or courtroom discussion about a missing catalytic converter.

I am dealing directly with the owner of a long established exhaust shop. We will be having a confirmatory discussion that the replacement will be legally compliant for my specific vehicle. My thinking at the moment is that a 3" version with 200 cpsi should readily pass an EPA test.

See that you asked I have never modified a vehicle which explains how I happened to survive my younger driving years.

These days, I prefer to have a stock standard looking vehicle. I am more into preventative maintenance and using upgraded replacement parts for efficiency gains. When it comes to exhausts, I want to have the most quiet, definitely without any drone.

5 hours ago, Metal_Head said:

Nice to see u invest in the exhaust. Just remember it will only flow as good as the bottleneck in it. You may have to follow through and do the whole lot to see gains.... Which wouldn't be a bad thing 🙂

OEM catalytic converters are designed to last the life of the vehicle. However, over time they can become less efficient or even clogged or more restrictive of the exhaust flow and even damaged for various reasons. Any gain from replacing the catalytic converter will be more about restoring lost engine performance and fuel economy. Anyway the build date on my vehicle is Oct. 2006 with 221K on the odometer so maybe more potential efficiency gains than a 50 series Aurion with much lower mileage. Soon find out by a visual inspection of the element in the catalytic converter whether it really needed to be replaced or not. This may be a good indicator of whether to consider replacing the catalytic converters in the headers.

5 hours ago, Metal_Head said:

Or even just delete the last cat........ 

Not an option for a street legal vehicle. It is something like a $10K fine. The Aurion has a 3 cat designed system to meet vehicle emission standards. While it may be possible to still pass an EPA test with just the catalytic converters in the headers, you are still legally required to keep the last catalytic converter. I will confirm this point with the exhaust shop owner. 

Recent thread by Metal_Head titled  "Rear Muffler Delete" included posts about an ideal exhaust system size application for the Aurion. Preliminary research confirmed his suggestion of replacing the last catalytic converter with a 3" version as an ideal starting point for an improved flowing exhaust system.

On the 40 series Aurion, there is a very large resonator after the catalytic converter. Approx, exhaust pipe measurements [after the flex joint for the front Y pipe] increase from 60mm to 72mm so this should readily accommodate fitting a 3" high flow stainless steel catalytic converter. In theory, there should be improved exhaust flow which hopefully will result in better fuel economy and acceleration particularly on the highway.

Nice theoretical musings then Karma came to the girlfriend's birthday celebration on Sunday along with an unexpected windfall. Phoned a Brisbane Southside Exhaust shop today and accepted his phone quote of $240. Car is now booked in for Thursday morning. I will give a follow up about whether this change was worthwhile or save your $$$  

On 10/17/2019 at 10:22 AM, Aaron the Mechanic said:

Got this mod done and all that achieves it changes torque curve where you get more on lower revs. Not something that 99.9% of front wheel drive owners would find an improvement. Toyota have designed the exhaust and mapped ECU to give minimum torque steer and very linear power delivery throughout the whole rev range, so modifying is a waste of time and money. In the next week or two I will weld the old OEM Y section back because with it drivebility was far more satisfying. Don't temper with perfection, but each to their own.

Reviewed this thread mainly to confirm the impact upon the torque curve. My preference is for more torque in the lower rev range. Drive ability is also important. This post helped to make the decision to proceed with upgrading the centre catalytic converter hopefully to achieve better exhaust flow etc.   

Same rotors as per the attached DBA website link.

https://dba.com.au/products/catalogue/dba-part-finder/

Expect to have the PBR calipers fitted for the Australian models. 

1 hour ago, donnot said:

Went for a long trip yesterday (~200km round trip) and I haven't noticed any flaring today... Very unusual.

With a long trip, the ATF has got up to full operational temperature and the ATF pump has had a good workout circulating the ATF throughout the transmission particularly through the valve body. This has hopefully given the valve body a good cleanse.

If you notice any flaring when the ATF is cold then that is a definite sign that the ATF level is low.

Actually, the real wealth of knowledge is locked away within this Forum.

Highly rate this thread because Metal_Head did his research and achieve the desired end result.

Just for comparative purposes, following YouTube video is of an Aurion with a catback exhaust system. 

The other oil catch can from eBay arrived a few weeks ago. Ended up fitting it to my standby Aurion but still yet to do the hoses. 

Provided brackets worked quite well. Probably could do with a rounding of a corner to get a bit more adjustment. 

On 9/7/2020 at 8:18 AM, Metal_Head said:

Looked into it, and it seems that an ideal exhaust for a 3.5l with 270hp would be a single 3" or 2.5" duals. 

So to keep things simple, an ideal aurion exhaust would require the last cat be replaced with a 3" version and run that size tube all the way to the rear, and split into dual 2.5" tubing. 

DISPLACEMENT/HP/SINGLE/DUAL

Like a dog with a bone, I have been busy looking on eBay at different exhaust size resonators and mufflers and taking some more measurements of the exhaust pipe at various stages of the exhaust system.

I had not previously thought about replacing the last catalytic converter probably being more focussed on post cat systems and free flowing mufflers.

Finally come to a conclusion that your suggestion of replacing this last catalytic converter with a 3" version would make an ideal starting point for an improved flowing exhaust system.  

http://www.surefloexhaust.com.au/exhausts/ballistic_cats/ballistic_cats.htm

Most of the original exhaust system from the headers to the exhaust tip could be retained or changed using a staged approach depending upon the budget. 

Suggestions only, symptoms appear be those of fuel vapour lock or a leaking fuel injector. 

You could try using fuel injector cleaner to the tank. 

https://axleaddict.com/auto-repair/My-Car-is-Hard-to-Start-When-Warm#:~:text=This problem is closely related,(FPR) or fuel injector.&text=If the fuel lines are,hard-to-start condition.

11 minutes ago, donnot said:

They went through 12L for the full flush, so I'd assume that would have picked up most of the crap. 

12L is enough to flush out the old ATF and be fully replaced by new ATF. I fully expect that any accumulated sludge will still be there on the bottom of the pan. This sludge is not rinsed away, it has to be scrapped and wiped away.

When I dropped the transmission pan on my Oct 2006 Aurion with 165K on the odometer, I was very surprised at just how much sludge was there and it was probably 4mm thick. In contrast, for my Dec. 2008 Aurion with 109K on the odometer, the sludge was not so bad and just needed to be wiped away.

3 hours ago, donnot said:

May be holding off on the suspension upgrade...transmission has been starting to regularly flare (slightly - but noticeable) over the past few days (occasionally 1-2 shift, often 3-4) :'(. Had it flushed by Toyota a couple of months back (preventative at 150000km). Probably need to start planning for the worst case ☹️

Sounds to me that the ATF level could potentially be slightly low, needs to be checked and approx. 200ml of ATF added. 

Also more than a transmission flush should have been done. The transmission pan should have been removed and cleaned. Amazing how much sludge would have accumulated on the bottom of the pan by 150,000km. 

https://mdhmotors.com/transmission-flush-when-and-when-not-to-flush-transmission/ 

48 minutes ago, Tony Prodigy said:

You're a Legend, Thanks !

Just ordered 3, got a retro Tin Sign too lol.. What a bargain.

SuperCheap Auto email finally appeared. Now know the retro Tin Sign was a bonus incentive to spend $50. 

Looks like the 4 [1 per brand] oil specials with a Limit of 2 per Customer have the best discounts worth considering. 

I have upgraded my rear sway bar and this has greatly reduced the body sway. Maybe I am apexing the corners better.

In June 2020, I bought both front and rear SACHS struts and standard height KING springs. I did consider the KYB Excel G struts but decided to stick with a known product from past experience. I have yet to fit them to my Aurion so cannot give a definite recommendation.

It will probably be a while before I do fit them because after a recent road trip, existing struts got a good workout and I rather like a smooth ride. 

There was a recent post about vehicle modifications. Best to check with your Transport Dept. about how much lift is legally acceptable so it is not going to compromise safety or your insurance cover. 

In your circumstances, as an initial solution, I would be looking at fitting a skid plate to help protect the engine and transmission pans.

Yes but you will have to go looking for them yourself.

I would start by looking underneath the rear parcel shelf for a bolt hole before removing any of the trim.

I am sure that there is a grounding point on the passenger side for the towbar bar wiring. Otherwise, it will be a case of going to the rear lights area looking for the grounding points there.

Attached is a link to the wiring diagram for the GSV40 series. Have a look at page 401.

https://toyotacar-co.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/g8M-AXq3BUPu8lmh3uafTXUgHpA1ew8p.pdf

Just had a look in Gumtree. This ad for engine reconditioning was recently posted so maybe an option if you are near Nerang.

https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-brisbane/toyota+3y+engine/k0l3005721r250?sort=rank

7 hours ago, Tony Prodigy said:

Man, that is a bargain. It would be excellent for Corolla and Camry owners who have a sub 5lt oil fill capacity.

As tempting as it is, I'd rather stick with the same oil I've been using. I trust the Nulon oil and to date, I have zero sludging and not even as much as oil stained components. Testament to the excellent quality of the Nulon product.

It certainly is a bargain at that price [$4/litre] for a full synthetic 5W-30 oil. I have even compared the product sheet to that of the Castrol Edge [their premium marketing product] and there is not a great difference in test results.

With this oil and a non-genuine filter, my outlay for an oil change would be <$30.

Auto Barn in their latest catalogue have Castrol MAGNATEC Stop-Start Full Synthetic Engine Oil - 5W-30, 5L on sale at $19.99 .

Only reason that I am not buying is because I have bought the previous oil special.

Actually, I thought that your video was great. Nicely records the exhaust sound so demonstrates what noise levels to expect. 

As a comparison, following YouTube videos show the initial muffler delete on a similar Aurion and then one which has a straight pipe exhaust. Not a fan of the last video, Just makes the Aurion sound like an angry wannabe 4 cylinder with all those exhaust pops.

This YouTube video shows a rebuild of the U660E transmission. Guy certainly sounds as though he knows the transmission and points out some of the failure points. I had previously read about that pressed in bearing so one good reason why I am usually gentle on the accelerator.

39 minutes ago, Metal_Head said:

Since there's already a single running down the middle, seems more practical & alot more cost effective to use a single 3" pipe until it splits into 2.

Absolutely agree as to practicality and cost effectiveness of using a single 3" pipe until it splits into 2. That is when it would be ideal to then have dual 2.5" exhaust pipes for improved exhaust gas flow.

At the moment, I am more planning ahead and considering options if I had to replace the rear mufflers only.  

4 hours ago, Metal_Head said:

Looked into it, and it seems that an ideal exhaust for a 3.5l with 270hp would be a single 3" or 2.5" duals. 

So to keep things simple, an ideal aurion exhaust would require the last cat be replaced with a 3" version and run that size tube all the way to the rear, and split into dual 2.5" tubing. 

DISPLACEMENT/HP/SINGLE/DUAL

I have thought that dual 2.5" would be ideal for the Aurion more based upon posts by Corolla Sportivo owners and the following YouTube video.

I will also have to have a good look at the attached videos in this URL.

https://m.roadkillcustoms.com/determine-proper-exhaust-tubing-size/

End of the day, my hip pocket nerve is more likely to determine my final choice.

On 9/2/2020 at 4:07 PM, Metal_Head said:

the specs are the same. 16" x 5" x 3" and will be fitted with 2" pipe along with a pair of decent sized tips.

Interested to know how you selected your specifications. Did you use any detailed exhaust sizing calculations?  We all make pricing and availability trade-offs or compromises so just what came into consideration. 

I had my Aurion jacked up yesterday to check out the rear brakes and rotors plus a brake fluid flush etc. So took the opportunity to have a more detailed look at the rear muffler and actually measure various dimensions. I particularly noted that the exhaust pipe has reduced down to 44mm for the inlet to the muffler. Just thinking that it would have been easily done to increase the inlet exhaust pipe to 2.5" or 3.0" and be less restrictive for exhaust gas flow. 

At the moment, I am more likely to consider fitting a high flow stainless steel muffler with larger inlet/outlet pipes.

Definitely would like to see an update of your real world experience with using resonators as replacements for the rear mufflers.