Hi after having a Toyota previa 2.4- 8 seater for 6 years now totally trouble free my wife and I purchased a Toyota estima 8 seater 1mz-fe (2994cc) VVTI V6 -24 value twin cam- 4WD petrol auto…..(model Number: GH-MCR40W-MRSEK) year 2000 import here into the UK.
We were very pleased as it was just what we needed, to look at it was identical to the later previa 8 seater a nice runner and as we foster children I deal, so we thought at that time.
Anyway after about 3months driving and keep taking her back to the garage ware we had her from, she was losing oil it did not leak or Burn, not to the naked eye anyway, it was pinking only when she started to get warm and if you laboured her,
after lots of talk with the garage ware I had her from they could not sort it, so after a while I found a garage which our local Toyota dealer recommended as they also did not know what the problem was, So the first garage agreed to pay for the work I must admit the person I spoke to at the second garage seemed to know what he was talking about as he told me what I was experiencing after I only gave him limited info and told me no problem we can fix it.
So after 3 months 2 weeks they said it was a sludged engine full of old oil and it was a common problem and directed me to a web site which confirmed this and they said that engine was stripped down new rings and was rebuilt and was now ok.
So I picked my Toyota up and was told to run her in for 3000 miles and not to go over 3000 revs,
I was also told I would still get the pinking put as the engine ran it self in with the new piston rings it would go way, I did what they said to the book, after the 3000 miles still the same problem with the pinking oil a lot better Toyota said this engine does use about 1 and a half litres every thousand miles which is common for this engine.
So I start the Toyota in the morning I can drive all day with pinking in the back ground sometimes not there sometimes it is not load but there, then I come in to heavy traffic if my engine is ticking over for any longer than 5 to ten minutes as I start going to pull off she pinks so much I have to take her slowly until I get rolling again when I have driven for a while and had my heater on the pinking go’s
Which does point towards over heating but the temperature gage is always ok never go’s over half way.
I took her this week to my local Toyota dealer ware she was put on there computer I picked her up and was told they did not know what the problem was they heard it pinking bad but could not get the computer to show anything wrong it showed every thing was well so if you can help in any way I would be very grateful
Kind Regards
