So we're all buying Toyotas now 🤔

[michaelluscher]

I didn't know fuel trims could go that high

After I vacuum check the intake, and have the exhaust leak repaired

...after that?

MAF is reporting 2.5 to 2.8 @ idle

I was taught that the engine's displacement @ idle was a good ballpark, this being a 2.4 liter I4

I'd call that close enough

 

[michaelluscher]

Update, some work has occurred
My smoke machine needs parts, it won't be working till next week
I thought I'd do something
Thought I'd clean the airbox/throttle body/MAF, and a new air filter
Specs of carbon on the dipstick

Between the flat feel and the weeping oily film, this gasket was leaking

Cleaned the throttle body real good, and removed all the aluminum corrosion/dust off the intake boot and body

Who knows if they were making a good seal

In went a new Denso air filter

Reconnecting the battery and clearing the codes, I let it idle for 15 minutes to relearn itself

Took it for a test drive, idle is significantly improved, throttle response and subsequent transmission shift behavior are also markedly improved

Stop and go around town no longer feels like it's gonna stall, and off the light throttle response is much more progressive

As for the fuel trims, I'm not sure much has changed

Now I'm not sure I trust some of this data, because if you come off the screen, the min/max scales reset

So I'll bust out the laptop with Techstream on the weekend, and see what it has to say

Or the ELMScan Toyota app

Edit: just topped off the tank

Calculated MPG: 21.76

Oil consumption: inconclusive

 

[michaelluscher]

I ordered an intake gasket from the dealer
...a whole $6
Also a genuine gas cap, because the aftermarket one that's on there is such garbage that I want to throw it on the ground

 

[michaelluscher]

Techstream is not as intuitive as IDS/FORScan

Make of these cranking RPM "compression test" what you will

What can I surmise from this information?

 

[michaelluscher]

Didn't miss a beat in colder weather

Put an M8 rivnut and new bolt to properly hold the battery down, I might try and get it warrantied before it's 3 years is up

Installed this missing coolant bottle grommet, now the bottle can be bolted down tightly without rattling

I removed a small splash shield that was only held on with 1 of 6 clips, stopped some other miscellaneous noises

Once I do the sway bar links, this will be one quiet ride, far superior to the complete squeak/rattle/clunk trap it was the day I bought it
The P0171 keeps coming back, but it's reached a new level
My father took it to the grocery store yesterday, and called me to say it wouldn't restart
Tonight, I was able to recreate the scenario
Get it hot, let it heat soak ~20 minutes, it absolutely will not restart
Any shorter or longer, and it will restart fine
A light spray of throttle cleaner gets it started with ease

So it's clearly a hot start/heat soak issue, fuel delivery?
Either the possible vacuum leak is so bad, it's flooding itself out, the injectors are malfunctioning so badly it vapor locks, or the fuel pump is getting tired

I ordered a new intake gasket from Toyota, $6

After changing it, and smoke testing the manifold, if there's no improvement I'll probably send the injectors out to Trav for cleaning or testing

And if that doesn't fix it, I'm probably gonna suspect the fuel pumps getting tired

Once running, and on the highway, it runs too darn good to be majorly broken

Hypothetical question

Can there be so much blowby through a PCV system that it's overloading the intake with air, causing a lean condition/code?

Is that even possible?

I will say, there as been an almost total lack of visible oil smoke since the piston soak/subsequent oil change

I'm still not fully sure I've changed oil consumption, but there's no longer a major cloud of smoke when revved strongly hot, even with the 5w20 that's in there

I'm not gonna claim victory yet, there's still idle flushes, HPL engine cleaner, and 5w30 on the table

But in terms of smoke/smell, it's worlds improved from before the piston soak

I've gotta fix the lean issues/check engine light, but I no longer feel like a low class social liability with visible smoking out the exhaust

I find that as distasteful and anti social as squeaking belts, broken exhausts, and malfunctioning lights at night

 

[michaelluscher]

OE gas cap with tether is far better than aftermarket crap

Whipped the fuel rail and intake off

Unfortunately, I can't figure out how to fit the intake out the top or the bottom, it doesn't seem possible

I cleaned the best I could

Cleaned out whatever that nest of whatever was

Peep those valves

With the mating surfaces as clean as they were gonna get, on went the new improved seal

The intake is finger tight held on, while I figure out how to fit a torque wrench in there

I don't want to do this twice, and I want it fixed once and for all, so the injectors are getting sent out to @Trav

At a minimum, they seemed to spin very easily, implying the o rings/seals have hardened, maybe causing a vacuum leak?

The project is making progress, I'm content with that

 

[Infomercial]

… there used to be a silver one I’d see riding around that was lowered, like really low but I never heard it scraping even on terrible roads. The license plate on that one said “TOASTR”

You should really lower it. I say keep it OEM with some ebay coilovers

 

[michaelluscher]

71° today, time to dismiss seasonal AC stank

Well don't that look downright adequate for 281k

Looks like oil changes, and oil top ups were kept up with

Most of the VCG just shattered into a million little pieces, proving difficult to clean up

Cam lobes

More cam lobes

Cleaned the mating surfaces, hosed down the inside of the cover with a can of brake clean, laid down a bead of FIPG 103

On with the new gasket, put it together and torque it down

I can't find the exact torque spec, but 11nm (100ish in.lb) felt appropriate

Changed the seal on the oil cap, and it's all back together

Just the right squeeze out (could've used less TBH) but I'd rather excess come out, than be forced in.

 

[michaelluscher]

Seeing what I've seen today, I feel safe using a Liqui Moly idle flush, and or HPL for a long stretch

It's just some hardened deposits, but it's much better than I anticipated

Nothing looked or felt clog the pickup level chunky

 

[michaelluscher]

Well that happened
Luckily it broke proud of the head, and it unscrewed easily
Threads survived, another bolt threaded in and out fairly easily
Apparently it wasn't up to the factory spec of 22 lb ft
So now I'm ordering 5 new bolts, I don't trust any of them
And they'll go in snug by hand with a ratchet

 

[michaelluscher]

Shot much?
Did I use enough anti seize?
Hopefully this makes it a much quieter ride when it's running again
Just getting in and out of it stationary resulted in creaks and clunks
Washboard roads were a headache
I somehow managed to remove both front links without using a cut off wheel, and without removing either front wheels
Because I've now discovered they're rusted to the hub/bore
And I can't drive it, because no intake/injectors
I tried sledge hammers and karate kicks, to no avail
I'll worry about it when it's driving again

These are Delphi links, made in Turkey
@$16 each with a lifetime warranty, I can't argue with that
I'm heeding @The Critic warning about Moog sway bar bushings, the factory ones don't squeak, and feel tight, with no slop moving the bar by hand

 

[dishdude]

I haven't read the entire thread, but it sure seems like you're investing a lot of time and money into a vehicle that may have a bad engine.

 

[michaelluscher]

I haven't read the entire thread, but it sure seems like you're investing a lot of time and money into a vehicle that may have a bad engine.

Well, your not wrong, but your not right either

When I bought it, I was warned of fairly high oil consumption

When I got it home, it smoked badly if you revved it hard

After the work I've done so far, it no longer visibly smokes, no matter how hard you drive it

I've put 400ish miles on the current fill, and this is the current oil consumption, on some cheap 5w20 I had laying around

Could it blow up tomorrow
It's possible
Would I be upset, a little bit
It's done nothing but improve in operation in the time I've owned it, and I believe I'm still sub $500 into it
If it's dying, it's really stringing me along
And with the major clunks, lights out, check engine light, there was no way I was gonna sell it for a profit
I'm still in a position where I'm down to a cheap brake job all around, scrub down the interior, take for NYS inspection, and probably still at least double my money

 

[GR_CoB]

I haven't read the entire thread, but it sure seems like you're investing a lot of time and money into a vehicle that may have a bad engine.

He let the combustion chambers feed on "gallons of B12 and Kreen", and looks like HPL Engine Cleaner is going in in the near future. I'm almost 100% sure that within an OCI length or two he will have a sub-$2k spacious and reliable vehicle. Good luck finding this anywhere these days. Despite the mileage that engine will keep on running as long as piston rings are clean. Sure does seem like they're coming back around, as there is already improvement in the way engine runs. Even when these engines (2AZ-FE) have completely plugged oil return holes and stuck piston rings (which they are known for) they still run forever as long as oil level is maintained. Nearly every single one that died was a result of owner running it dry or very low on oil level.
I bet that by the time all is done and engine is clean - the oil consumption will be less than 1qt/5000miles.

 

[michaelluscher]

Cleaning under the backseat
Because I had to manually pull the plug on the fuel pump
Because I couldn't figure out the right fuse

Body seems in serviceable condition

 

[The Critic]

View attachment 92433
Techstream is not as intuitive as IDS/FORScan

Make of these cranking RPM "compression test" what you will

What can I surmise from this information?

Relative compression is fine.

You’re looking for similar contributions from all cylinders. Though, at this mileage, an actual compression test may not be a bad idea.

It will be interesting to see if cleaning the injectors will resolve your issue. My limited experience so far suggests that it is effective for maintenance, but not for resolving actual injector failures.

 

[dishdude]

Well, your not wrong, but your not right either

When I bought it, I was warned of fairly high oil consumption

When I got it home, it smoked badly if you revved it hard

After the work I've done so far, it no longer visibly smokes, no matter how hard you drive it

I've put 400ish miles on the current fill, and this is the current oil consumption, on some cheap 5w20 I had laying around
View attachment 93293

Could it blow up tomorrow
It's possible
Would I be upset, a little bit
It's done nothing but improve in operation in the time I've owned it, and I believe I'm still sub $500 into it
If it's dying, it's really stringing me along
And with the major clunks, lights out, check engine light, there was no way I was gonna sell it for a profit
I'm still in a position where I'm down to a cheap brake job all around, scrub down the interior, take for NYS inspection, and probably still at least double my money

Fair enough. Hope I didn't come across as a Debbie Downer...wasn't my intention.

 

[Slow Car Sport Mode]

Seeing what I've seen today, I feel safe using a Liqui Moly idle flush, and or HPL for a long stretch

It's just some hardened deposits, but it's much better than I anticipated

Nothing looked or felt clog the pickup level chunky

I'd vote the HPL PCMO, if not and/or EC in there.

You'll probably buy some long before I can offer to send some from my stash.

@High Performance Lubricants Another fond user of your products! I'm just q cheerleader; you've won me over.. and, far more importantly, folks with MUCH more demanding applications than I.

 

[michaelluscher]

Fair enough. Hope I didn't come across as a Debbie Downer...wasn't my intention.

No worries
This is the most carefree thing I've done in years
What's the exact opposite of Hakuna Matata?
All worries all the time is my philosophy

This is an exercise in fun?

I probably need to get out more

 

[michaelluscher]

Update.
Wednesday I got a call from Hurst injector, and a reassuring Massachusetts accent explained to me that these injectors were badly restricted, with a pitiful spray pattern
But they were able to clean them up to standard, put all new o rings/seals, and they're on the way back to me now
They arrived on a Friday, they shipped out Wednesday, service right there
I had to order replacement intake manifold bolts, because I didn't trust any of them after I snapped one
I also ordered dipstick and tube o rings, as it was a little weepy
And I pulled the oxygen sensor, just to look at it
I might have a suitable Denso replacement on the shelf, but let's not tamper with too many variables at once

Less rusty, and not rounded

I hand tightened with a 1/4 inch, until it felt right
Hope it doesn't leak, I'm not using the torque wrench again
22lb ft seems a bit high for these M8? bolts

That dipstick tube was a PITA to remove, and I snapped the hold down bolt

This took far too long alternating between gentle MAPP use, Kroil, and twisting

But I prevailed
The M6 battery bolt fit perfectly, so it found a home

Replace cracked/taped hose with new one

Then just lots of cleaning, lubing, reassembly, snug things by hand, vacuum hose routing

Now I'm just waiting on injectors, I'm probably gonna drain the oil in case any debris got in when I did the valve cover or dipstick, it's been sitting unstarted for a week now

I'm fairly confident I've gotten to the bottom of this lean issue, I'm hoping it runs and idles decently enough for it's age and mileage

It did before

Then a 4 wheel brake job, and it'll be safe and able for daily use, and should pass inspection with no trouble

Hopefully after this last cold spell ends, some 5w30 and the much hyped HPL cleaner will go in, and the real oil consumption test will begin