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Comments
I just talked to my old, reliable, honest and competent independent shop guy, and he's going to do the job on Monday for $450, which is a saving of $250 over the dealer's guys.
I took it to the mechanic to ask for his opinion. He couldn't say much for it was not smoking then. I need to park the car for a couple of hours to reproduce the same problem again. It's kind of a White smoke...
Does anybody have any idea at all ??? Any clue would be greatly appreciated..
Thank you for you advice. Another mechanic tells me to get a engine tune up done before anything. Do you thing I should get that done ??? Also, would you have any idea how much it would cost me to get it done ..
thanks,
Also, if the head gasket is leaking coolant in to the engine you should be adding coolant every so often. Are you?
And, if you have a major problem here..how much do you like the car?
Nope,I haven't added any coolant yet. I asked the mechanic and he says I have enough..... Everybody tells me not to do anything to the car. They always say " It ain't broke don't fix it " .... For the negine tune up the mechanic is asking $200.. is that how much it costs??
MikeS.
How long have you had this problem ??? I am taking it to the dealer this saturday and will let you know what he has to say..... Have you been loosing oil at all ??? or have you been loosing coolant ??? these are some of the things that you might want to check... when was the last time that you got a engine tune up done ???? people say it might be as simple as "Tune up" to replacing your head gaskets...
Thanks for your reply. I just bought this car. I have three months of waranty on engine and transmission. I also purchased service contract on this car. I have talked to the dealer about this problem. He said it is perfect, just a few seconds to warm up the engine. As I did not drive much (I commute on subway), only found this weekend that there might be some leakage on the top of the engine, also the smoke seems to get worse. Everytime I started the engine, I will see a lot of smoke (blue and white) coming out the tailpipe, but it disappear in less than 1 minute. So far I don't know if it is losing ail or coolant, but I think I have to talk to the deal again.
Let me know what the dealer said about your car. Thanks, and good luck with your car.
I think this thing has a cracked head gasket on at least one bank of the V6. If that isn't it, then it's something else, but whatever it is, it is NOT the way it should be. No warranty is of any value if the people involved can't or won't find and solve your warranty-covered problems.
MikeS.
Recently I've started hearing what sounds like my valves clicking. I thought it may have been pinging so I ran a couple tanks of Premium in it with no change...so I'm assuming valves. A mechanic I met said he's seen it before and it's caused by a plastic part in the valve train that gets messed up if the engine overheats. It's easy to replace. I did have the sludge problem at about 24,000 miles (about 24,000 miles ago) which the dealer took care of free of charge (it was out of the 3 yr warranty by that time).
Anyone else heard of this problem...or solution...or have any advice? I've never dug into this engine but i've dug into plenty of others and don't have any qualms about popping valve covers off and tinkering around inside.
Thanks in advance.
Thanks,
Sara
I have a 96 XL with 160K miles and the head gaskets show no sign of leaking.
Do you have an independent mechanic that you trust? Run it by them and have them look at it before you buy.
177k miles isn't too bad on these cars. A lot of them have well over 200k and are still going strong. Unless my daughter wrecks my 96 I expect to see 300k and maybe even more.
Do the normal maintenance, oil & filter every 3 - 5K. A new air filter about every 12K. Tranny fluid drain and a new filter about every 36K miles. A new timing belt every 60K. Although we went 95K on the 2nd belt before we replaced it.
Check tire pressure at least monthly and have them balanced and rotated about every 5K miles.
MikeS.
1 thing to try is to disconnect the battery for about 5 minutes then reconnect and see if the light is still on. If so places like Autozone will hook-up a diagnostic unit and get the code(s) then they can tell you what that says. Around me they do this for free.
Boy I miss trips to the city
MikeS.
i know nothing about cars, and was wondering if anyone had any ideas for me before i go to the mechanic.
last time i experrienced something like this on an older toyota i had it was something like radiator issues? maybe something like that?
anyhow, suggestions anyone?
the engine yellow light on. Tight the gas cap and light dissapeared. Two weeks later again the problem. Replaced the gas cap and didn't work. Went to a local dealer for a diagnosis. O2 sensors in bank 1 and bank 2 bad. Cost of replacement around $600........including parts and labor.
Questions:
1) A local auto parts offer what they call "an universal O2 sensor" to replace the one in the front close to the manifold......$62.00.......is this a solution?
2) How bad for the car is continuing running the car with this problem? It will affect the performance in the long run? The car is running perfectly.
3) Is any cheaper way to around this problem and get it fix? I really can't afford such amount of money right now.
Please, advise.
Houstonian
Ken
That being said, My friend tells me that Toyotas O2 sensors do go bad, and it could have just as easily been a bad sensor.
MikeS.
You are very welcome. I thought it was very worthwhile myself. The PU bushings, made by Energy Suspension, are relatively easy to put in. Changing wheels, albeit a very expensive option, recurring expense, to a PLUS ONE size, will also give you a more transient response and a "tighter" feel to steering inputs. I DO NOT RECOMMEND, going MORE THAN, PLUS ONE sizing and neither does Comsumer Reports in there article last year. PLUS TWO OR THREE sizing, gives you very little more response, slow the car in acceleration, and drastically decreases the quality of the ride. Sometime the Avalon is very good at.
I will be putting in a Powered Sub Woofer in the trunk and report on it in the future.
abfisch
The thermostat is sticking. Engine is running hotter than it should. The gauge is right.
The gauge is wrong. Sending unit or gauge is defective.
Cooling system is plugged intermittenly with circulating trash. The gauge is right. Drain, power flush, refill.
In any case, there is a problem to be found and fixed. Avalons do not run in the red area of the temp gauge under normal conditions, not even at 98 degrees.
Others may have more ideas.....hope this helps.....
Suggestions?
The bushing will NOT relieve any play in the steering linkages. This is a separate part and issue. If they are bad, have them replaced with OEM Toyota parts. The sway bar PU bushings are another matter, and do not allow as much deflection, thereby leveling the car around turns, but also firming up the ride a little.
abfisch
Suggestions? "
Yes, the MAF sensor probably needs a good cleaning. Do a search in this forum for more info on the MAF.
Sparkle99, this goes for you too.
MikeS.
abfisch
my 1998 Avalon does the same thing, unless of course I take it in when no one can find anything wrong. According to the diagnostic equipment, all sensros test fine, including the MAF. Any recommendations on how to clean; my mechanic said all they can do is clean it with pressurized air.
I appreciate any suggestions.
The leak is the larger pan where it bolts to the motor. Question is Have you heard this 2 oils pan story is it true just curious. Could it be a larger problem?
Thanks in advance