campbeam

Instead of a recall, Toyota Australia provides an extended warranty for this issue when this oil cooler line leaks. I have previously researched this so if one of these rubber hoses ruptures and the oil warning light displays pull over immediately and call a tow truck to take your vehicle to the nearest Toyota dealer.

In March 2022 after 15 years and 237.000 kms, this happened the next day after I had arrived at Wagga Wagga rather than on the Newell highway. Very fortunately it was only a leak rather than a rupture so no damage to the engine.

Phoned Toyota Australia Customer Service 1800 869 682 who gave me a warranty claim number and details of the local dealership Thomas Bros Toyota Phone: (02) 6926 0500  Although my Aurion was still driveable, towing was arranged by the dealership. Again very fortunate circumstances in that this large size dealership did have the parts on hand and managed to prioritise the repair so it was done in days instead of weeks.

Big learning from this is to know or be able to access the contact number for Toyota Australia and Toyota dealerships. My unregistered standby Aurion has these rubber oil cooler lines which will be replaced after it is registered and before any road trip.

On 9/14/2022 at 11:15 AM, RoiceQ said:

Greetings once again.

I'm here creating a post once again, asking for all of your help, my last post was greeted with helpful and an expert opinion (thanks Tony) it's a testament that this forum is really altruistic in helping out a fellow aurion/Camry owner.

I encountered a problem or is it something that I could live with?. Whenever I'm in drive mode, at the same time I put my feet on the break the car seems to vibrate and I could also feel the vibration through the steering wheel, I haven't encountered this problem for the past months but it's quite annoying and concerning but it doesn't vibrate whenever I'm cruising or the car is moving or in neutral or park.

Thanks in advance

As per your initial post, you are feeling vibration through the steering wheel when you apply the BRAKES. Have your mechanics checked the braking system and the tyres?

Good starting point would be check the brake rotors and brake pads for uneven wear.

As a general rule, error codes should be investigated and resolved ASAP. I would start by checking the electrical connection to the camshaft position sensor. Next possible step would be remove the sensor and check/clean any oil sludge. Last step would be reset/clear the error code, If the code reappears then consider replacing the sensor.

https://www.engine-codes.com/p0365_toyota.html

Have a read of these URLs for those error codes.

https://www.engine-codes.com/c1201_toyota.html

https://www.autocodes.com/p0354_toyota.html

I would be inclined to further check the ignition coil for cylinder 4. Depending upon when the ignition coils and spark plugs were last replaced, this error code could be an indicator to replace them all.

I cannot give a definite answer but I mainly recall seeing towbars fitted with a cutout to the rear bumper.

I have previously seen towbars fitted to Aurions in the wreckers but too much effort [for me] to remove them and then fit.

You want to make certain that you fit a quality heavy duty towbar to make it worthwhile.

Attached fitting instructions will give you an idea of what is involved. 

Aurion_Towbar_Fitting_Instructions.pdf.PdfCompressor-894150.pdf

20 hours ago, Bigmike62 said:

Greetings Gents...

Well, it wasn't the rear left wheel bearing after all. After putting the car up on the hoist, the mechanic found that the noise was actually a completely collapsed rear left shock absorber..

They recommended replacing both rear shocks, not just one..

So 5 hours later and $748 in parts and labour, the car is now "wierd noise" free and driving far better...

Cheers for your replies..

Bigmike..👍

 

Spot on recommendation to replace both rear shocks.

Replacing the rear wheel bearing is more straight forward than the front wheel bearing essentially being a bolt off and bolt on replacement assembly part. Following YouTube video will give you an idea of what is involved.

My immediate thought is that there is an issue with the brake booster. This would explain the brakes being hard to operate.

I would expect that your vehicle being manufactured from 1996 on has the OBD-II computer system. Therefore a good starting point would be a scan for the error code to assist in the diagnosis.

Product: Armor All Ultra Ceramic Glass Treatment

https://www.supercheapauto.com.au/p/armor-all-armor-all-ultra-ceramic-glass-treatment-cleaner-500ml/623881.html?cgid=SCA010105#prefn1=srgBrand&prefv1=Armor All&sz=60&start=3

Application: 1. Clean and dry glass surface 2. Light even spray 3. Buff with a glass or micro fibre cloth

Experience: Most time was previously spent doing a thorough clean of the glass and then a product treatment. Previously used Rain X and then P&S Beadmaker to treat the windscreen. I then do follow up product treatments to keep that feeling of watching those water beads flying off the windscreen and to avoid the time consuming task of a doing a thorough glass cleaning preparation. I bought this product months ago when on special and possibly lasts longer than P&S Beadmaker.

Glass treatment this morning took only about 15 minutes max. Quick hose down of the glass then a squeegee to remove most of the water. 1st micro fibre cloth to dry the glass. Spray the product on the front  windscreens then use a 2nd micro fibre cloth to buff the glass. Window glass was given a wipe down and buff with this 2nd micro fibre cloth. Repeat for the rear windscreen and the window glass on the other side of the vehicle.

Good timing with an Immediate payoff when driving home this afternoon and encountering a local thunderstorm. Water beaded off the windscreen very quickly and only used the wipers mainly for safe visibility reasons in traffic. Also outside temperature dropped from 30C to 24C. More rain has been forecast for this coming week.

That sounds like a preliminary assessment. If a hoist was available at the time, it should have only taken a few minutes to check for movement in the wheels and confirm whether the wheel bearing was definitely worn and needed to be replaced.

Following YouTube video will give you an appreciation of what is involved with a front wheel bearing replacement. So much easier when using a press. The other video is a DIY approach without a press.

I did a quick Google search and located this URL which shows the bonnet emblem

https://www.justcars.com.au/cars-for-sale/1976-toyota-corona-mk-ii/JCW3895234#&gid=1&pid=1 

On 11/17/2022 at 10:51 PM, KAA said:

Hi All, This one from The Car Care Nut (our Toyota Guru) is discussing in detail Toyota Oil Fliters and I highly recommend all watching it as he really gets into the Cartridge style and Spin on type Oil filters. Worth watching for any who want to do their own Oil changes as he discusses what is good and what is a NO NO.

Enjoy

KAA

 

Yes. Definitely worth watching this video. I did learn a few things particularly how the oil bypass works on the cartridge style.

I got confirmation about what I was doing right and what mistakes to avoid.

Big warning about not to even think about doing an upgrade or modification to the oil filtration system. Too much risk involved to your expensive engine.

When I had an idling issue, I did a search on YouTube videos.

Can I suggest checking and cleaning the throttle body. Not sure if there is also an idle control valve which will also need to be cleaned.  

Hopefully a Hilux owner will be able to confirm or provide more applicable suggestions.

21 minutes ago, Henstepper said:

I watched the car nuts video on this very thing about a week ago. Its not going to damage the engine. If you are happy to live with the leak i wouldnt even worry about it. Especially at 150k. the more i learn about the 2grfe the more i regret buying mine. really calls into question this whole toyota reliability thing. Are they really that reliable? the engine bay is really bad as well because to get to things like the water pump, alternator, even the back 3 spark plugs its not the average job. you will always pay more for it to be done.

 

 

I bought my Aurion because I specifically wanted a V6 for better overtaking performance on the highway. I bought my Aurion knowing that there was white smoke on start up and found out later that it was due to oil sludge caused by a very suspect service history. I suspect that the oil sludge and varnish has formed an additional layer to avoid a timing cover oil leak.

Only regret/anguish was when I had to replace the rear VVTi oil line. Since then, I have replaced the water pump, alternator, spark plugs and ignition coils. They are time consuming jobs so it is worthwhile to use quality replacement parts. I am DIY so no great issue for me to spend a weekend doing these jobs. Definitely agree that these jobs would have been a lot simpler on a past Toyota Corona and current owned Toyota Yaris.

Essentially, the V6 engine has been shoe horned into the same sized engine bay as a 4 cylinder Toyota Camry. If you have seen the engine bay of a 1994 Honda Prelude, then you would appreciate why I sold that vehicle before the timing belt needed to be changed. 

If you want Toyota reliability then you have to regularly service your Toyota. 

8 hours ago, Rimsy said:

Hi All,

I've done a search on the site and can't find any definitive answers on this one. 2007 Aurion, 150,000km. Small oil leak from the timing cover. Very common problem from what I understand but requires engine out to fix and therefore will cost almost as much as the car is worth. Is there anyway to try and seal/slow the leak from the outside? It's not a big deal at this stage and I don't have to add oil between changes (only leaves a few drops on oil on the floor each week) but if I could just find a way to seal/slow the leak it might outlast the car. I'm not paying for an engine out repair.

Have a look at this recent thread. There is a link to a YouTube video for a workaround fix.

If you give it a go, please let us know the end result whether successful or not.

As a follow up to the previous posts, both Century batteries NS70L purchase dates May 2017 and June 2019 are still working fine with a green charge indicator. I swap them between my registered Aurion and the backup unregistered one. They do not have a hard working life so hopefully will last quite a few more years.

Century battery fitted in the Yaris is also working fine and has yet been refilled.

I was not successful in my attempt to rejuvenate that other brand maintenance free battery.

1 hour ago, Tony Prodigy said:

I suspect, that despite the design issue of the low tension piston ring, owners have inadvertently relied on the stupid log book service interval which is far too late to be doing an oil change in the beginning, and this in fact was setting up this engine for premature failure. I would wonder though, that despite that very design issue, if the oil was changed regularly at a much lower interval, like 5k or so, could the prevention of sludge and varnish still still have the engine burn oil ?

I wonder if owners of that engine have reported oil burning issues even with a meticulous oil change regime of 5k or thereabouts..

That job the CCN did on that Corolla was a mammoth undertaking and totally avoidable, but good on Toyota for acknowledging the problem. My theory is that they always try to appease their biggest market, which is the U.S. of course, and so I highly doubt we got this TSB here. We're small fish compared to America.

If we need something done, we have to fight it out with our dealer networks and waste valuable time in QCAT and NCAT etc and hope it goes our way.

I have had the same thoughts. If you are going to be a long term owner, then 6 month or 5K oil change interval to avoid costly engine repairs.

However, I understand that the oil burning issue for this engine was commonly reported and the USA dealers gave a placating answer that it was "normal" for that engine. Eventually, it was not until oil consumption tests were undertaken and repairs only done on those vehicles burning >1 US quart for 1000 miles.

Taking into account what The Car Nut said in his video with the background from previously viewed similar TouTube videos, it is a combination of the low tension piston rings and lower oil viscosity to improve fuel economy that are the underlying causes for this oil consumption issue. More low viscosity oil getting past the piston rings and eventually clogging up the oil control rings. Also the design of the oil control rings was changed in the engine repair kit.

I particularly noted that The Car Nut specifically stated that the 2AZ-FE engine was designed to use 5W-30 oil viscosity. In hindsight, the upgraded version of this engine was a "quick fix" instead of a costly redesign. Guess that Toyota took those lessons learnt and applied them to the latter 2.5 engine along with improved manufacturing processes that became available at that time.

Something that I have to repeatedly remind myself is to more closely look at the specific vehicle in a YouTube video rather than accept/assume an implied assumption that the problem relates to all models or versions of an engine.

There are plenty of YouTube videos mainly from the USA about the Toyota oil consumption issue. Some of these videos have supposed "fixes" not requiring an engine rebuild. However as pointed out in The Car Nut's video, it is the upgraded version of the 2AZ-FE with the low tension piston rings which is the main "problem child". 

I do not know if Toyota Australia applied the Toyota Service Bulletin T-SB-0094-11 which appears to be for USA market.

http://australiancar.reviews/2AZ-FE-engine.php

A quick fix with a chemical additive to free the oil control ring is not a real solution for a design issue. Interesting points about the upgraded oil jets and using 5W-30 oil viscosity plus a reduced oil change interval of 6mths or 5000 miles [8000 kms]. Best option would appear to be to avoid a vehicle with an oil burning issue.

13 hours ago, KAA said:

Another brilliant video from The Car Care Nut, this one is how to deal with a front timing cover oil leak which involves removing the engine and sub frame as most front oil leaks will involve.

Yes, another great video from The Car Care Nut worth your valuable time to view. Lots of learning and information from the voice of experience worth listening to. Unfortunately, there does not appear to be any preventative measures so more a case of luck that the manufacturing was flawless without a fingerprint in that particular area.

I am most definitely not going to even attempt this sort of job as my current "work area" is either the backyard under a mango tree or the side access driveway.

In the video, he mentioned a repair cost of 2600USD and charging 20 hours for labour. Assuming that I could find the required experienced engine technician/workshop, I would be expecting a repair estimate of $5000. As much as I "love" my 2006 Aurion ATX, this repair would not be economically viable for myself. Therefore, I would be taking the cleaning and hoping option.

Following YouTube video, I have remembered for general reference purposes. I would certainly consider and further investigate whether it can be applied as a workaround to avoid an expensive engine removal and tear down.

I did a post to this thread back in June 2022 where I finally surrendered and removed the front valve cover for a thorough cleaning. Also removed as much of the oil sludge from the valve train as practical before doing an oil change. Late July, I checked and replaced the oil filter cartridge. Last oil change was done on 9th October using Shel Ultra 5W-40 full synthetic. Now done 300kms of my usual short distance driving and the oil is already a light golden colour.

Plan is to do an engine flush then another removal of the front valve cover during the Xmas-New Year period and check whether further oil sludge has either accumulated or reduced in my engine for that 6 month period.

I have just viewed this YouTube video that was posted about a year ago. This was the follow up video to the one where he did an engine flush and an oil change using Mobil 1. Surprising how dirty the oil is and the number of oil changes to finally get clear engine oil. Something else that I noted was the closing comment that the next oil change interval will be reduced to 3000 miles [5000 kms].

This is a situation where it pays to have both a front and rear camera to substantiate your claim ot intimadatory tactics etc..

What the trucking company is going to be concerned about is whether one of their trucks is involved in an accident and its impact upon their insurance premium.

Maybe a "friendly" call to that particular company and strongly suggest that any repeat incidence is likely to get posted on social media and brought to the attention of the Police. It is a case of sticking to the facts for serious consideration rather than an emotionally charged tirade which will most likely be ignored.

8 hours ago, ZZT86 said:

I've never seen a Toyota filter crumble like that before.

Similarly, I have not seen a non-genuine oil filter cartridge break into pieces like that but I am limited to my own experiences with my vehicles. What I have seen with the OEM filter cartridges that I have used, is that they can eventually compress and have a twist in the middle. Even when handling the used cartridge and pulling apart the ribbed element to check the amount of oil sludge particles, the cartridge has remained intact. However, I have squeezed and deliberately broken apart a used filter cartridge.

Interesting comparison in the video between the used cartridge filter from another Toyota and the one from his customer's vehicle. The intact one looked quite dirty and the broken apart one looked to be relatively clean as if it had recently been fitted in an oil change. That would indicate that that particular counterfeit part was of exceptionally poor quality. The interesting point is that I would have thought that with the filter cartridge breaking apart then it should have only impacted the filtering capability not the oil flow/pressure to the VVTi system.

Now I am wondering whether some unfiltered particles may have partially clogged the small VVTi oil line filter. I also wonder about how well the owner has maintained the vehicle particularly the oil change interval and whether a quality oil with the correct oil viscosity has been used.

Anyway, an oil filter cartridge should not break apart like that one in the video.

I had an interesting experience today with a Ryco spin on oil filter. The filter being replaced was an OSK brand filter and it spun on and off quite easily. The same was not happening with the Ryco so much so that I thought that I had bought the incorrect filter having a different thread. After a bit of online research, I confirmed that the thread pattern was correct. I tried again with another Ryco filter and this one happened to eventually thread on OK. Difference between the 2 brands was that the OSK thread section was slightly concave whereas the Ryco thread section was essentially flat.

I have never had so much trouble fitting a correct spin on oil filter. In this case, my recommendation/preference would be for the filter that can be most easily/readily fitted without the potential for cross threading the fitting on your particular engine.

Suggest that you do a search on this Forum with the search term "White Smoke" or "White Smoke on Startup". Alternatively, a Google search will also give you results for the posts on this Forum for that topic.

Expect to find advice to clean/replace the Positive Crankcase Ventilation [PCV] valve. Also check for the presence of oil sludge in the valve head area. If so, the recommended solution is to remove the front valve cover for a thorough cleaning and removal of the oil sludge. For badly sludged up engines, the oil pan will also need to be removed to thoroughly clean the oil pick up.

Ongoing preventative action is to use a full synthetic engine oil i.e. quality known brand of the recommended viscosity 5W-30 and regular oil changes every 5000-7500kms.  Also consider whether an oil flush product at oil changes can be safely used. 

If you are DIY, another way to check for oil sludge is to remove and inspect the oil filter cartridge.

I am mainly interested in Touring type tyres with good handling and excellent wet braking performance.

These tyres are on my preference list for consideration.

Bridgestone Potenza Adrenalin RE003    $139
Continental UltraContact 6    $139
Michelin Primacy 4 [New Generation 2018/9]    $151

Pricing is not recent, so merely a guide. If I was having to buy tyres this month, then I would most likely end up with either the Primacy 4 or Continental UC6