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Toyota Avalon Engine Questions

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Comments

  • jim3jim3 Member Posts: 19
    I had my 2000 Avalon in for service recently and the mechanic said with a car this old, and with 180,000 miles, he would not use gasohol in it. I have always used the cheapest gas around since the car was new and have never had a problem. The car has been very trouble free and I'd like to keep it that way, but these gas prices are killing me. What is the story about gasohol in an engine this old? He left before I had a chance to ask him. Incidentally most of my miles are highway miles as I live in the country.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Your owner's manual should tell you about Toyota's recommendations. In general, a mixture of no more than 10% ethanol should be okay. You could try it and see how the car behaves. You may end up with worse gas mileage and so end up saving nothing.
  • amauhryamauhry Member Posts: 55
    The 2GR-FE engine in late model Avalons is designed to digest the 10% Ethanol in the mix and still be fuel efficient. If your engine is, try to keep the blend within the 10% bracket; otherwise, you will be altering the stoichiometric mixture of the fuel. Keep in mind that gasohol contains additional oxygen. This “extra” oxygen will fool the oxygen sensors into thinking that the combustion mixture is lean; in response, the ECU will keep your fuel injectors opened a bit longer to compensate for the “unbalanced” air-fuel ratio hence a rich mixture and a less fuel-efficient engine. All of the above would happen if your engine is not designed to handle the extra oxygen in E10 or if you go beyond the 10% allowance in any ECU-controlled engine.

    Amaury
    '08 Limited
  • rpfingstenrpfingsten Member Posts: 154
    Hi guys... got a question for you. I was driving down the interstate today with my cruise set on 70 mph. I just happened to glance over at the tach and noticed it was showing about 2100 rpm's at 70 mph. Just wondering if that anyone else has ever paid attention to that or if 2100 rpms at that speed was kind of high. Just curious.

    Roland
  • binderzoobinderzoo Member Posts: 5
    That's what mine is at that speed which really isn't that fast. I used to have a Taurus that showed 3000 at 80mph
  • tjc78tjc78 Member Posts: 15,849
    2100 @ 70 is dead on.

    2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Ram 1500 Bighorn, Built to Serve

  • captain2captain2 Member Posts: 3,971
    big ole torquey (and relatively fuel inefficient) V8s will generally pull something less than 2000 rpm at 70 - maybe 1700 or 1800. They can do this because of all that torque available at those lower engine speeds. The Toyota 2GR OTH is a free revving smaller V6 that is actually happier (from an operational efficiency point of view) at engine speeds significantly more than that - what is remarkable about the engine is that the CVVTi valve timing and ignition control systems that are built into the engine can effectively broaden that torque curve to rival that of a V8 in terms of lower engine speed torque availabilities so that the Avalon can be the same 'pleasant' highway car as those V8s and still be able to return FE in the 30s. The 2GR is easily the best part of the Avalon and a remarkable achievement for Toyota.
  • amauhryamauhry Member Posts: 55
    These are my observations (confirmed) while driving on flat surface and no passenger/cargo loads

    60 mph = 1600 rpm
    65 mph = 1900 rpm
    70 mph = 2100 rpm
    75 mph = 2200 rpm

    Amaury
    '08 Limited
  • terylivteryliv Member Posts: 1
    I am reassembling a 97 avalon v6 engine and am using a Haynes repair manual. When installing the cams it says on the Right-Rear head to align the 2 dots of each rear cam gear so that they point together. For the Front-Left head they say to align 1 dot of each rear cam gear together. The 1 dot is 180 degrees apart from the 2 dots.

    When I do as they say the rear-right head appears to have the pointer on its timing belt cam gear aligned 180 cam degrees out. When everything else says TDC, this cam gear is 180 Cam degrees out. The intake valves are in a position to begin opening.

    If I set the rear cam gears so that only 1 dot is pointing at each other, then the timing belt gear for this head and all the valve are in the TDC position.

    Is my logic correct and the manual wrong? If not why?

    Thanks,

    Terry in Colorado
  • ttyler2000ttyler2000 Member Posts: 2
    Terry,
    Did you get your car back together? If so what was your outcome with the gears. I am doing the same thing an 02 Camry and have the exact same issue with the right bank timing gears. I am going to try and finish it today and have put it together with both heads using the one dot mark. Regardless of what the Toyota experts have told me, It has to be right or the front timing gear would have to go in 180 degrees off. I don't think there is a lot of DIY's out there changing head gaskets etc that are having to remove the cams. If you were changing the belt only you wouldn't be able to even see the gears so you wouldn't know if they are right or not and would only use your camshaft belt gear marks to do the job. I will post a follow up to this hopefully tonight if I get it done and will let you know. My email is: hunter@ctcn.net if you want to send me a direct response.
  • ttyler2000ttyler2000 Member Posts: 2
    Terry
    I told you I would post back as soon as I got the car together and running. Since you already know the issue with the manuals vs. the actual job, here is what I did on my 02 Camry V6. I set both sets of cam gears to match up to the 1 dot marks which made my timing gears all line up with the corresponding marks, put it all together and fired it up. It was right. I see yours is a 97 and mine is an 02 so in that 5 year span I am betting there is more that just 2 vehicles out there with the same issue. Hope this post helps others. The way I see it is bring the engine to TDC, use a compression gauge on the #1 cylinder to insure you are on the compression stroke. Intall your camshafts by matching up either the set of marks as long as they are the same ie; either 1 to 1 or 2 to 2 tighthen your caps and forget it at that point. When you are ready to install your timing gears if the cams are not in the correct position to install they gears with there coresponding marks then rotate it 180 degress so the marks are right on both heads then install your belt period. In the future I will always look at the gears before I pull the cams just to be sure. But I can honestly say the book is not right in this particular case.
  • dcbishopdcbishop Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2000 Avalon XLS, 6 cyl. Just recently it started squeaking very loudly after starting up, The squeaking gets louder and louder until for about 25-30 seconds, after which the rpms or the general stability of the engine makes the squeaking go away. The squeaking usually happened while in reverse and does not go away until I push the rpms above 2k consistently.

    What can I do to fix this. I leave the house at 5:45am and my wife can hear the squeaking very prominently in our bedroom. I can only imagine what my next door neighbors are thinking...
  • mashoudmashoud Member Posts: 8
    By the feel of it, it sounds like the fan belt is either loose or worn out and is slipping.

    Also possible that the bearings on the alternator are shot.

    Check both of these items.

    Just one little trick...before starting the car, drop a few drops of plain dishwashing detergent on the belt and the drive pulley and see if it makes a difference. If it does, your fan belt is worn out and pretty shiney looking on the sides.
    Just my penny's worth. Good luck!!
  • luckykrcluckykrc Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2006 Avalon Touring Sedan with 27k miles. Last weekend, the red oil light came on. I opened the hood, and oil had sprayed all around the engine compartment. Most of the remaining oil drained while I was waiting for a tow truck. The Toyota dealer indicated that this was a recurring problem with the VVT (variable valve timing) line, and they already had 3 other Avalons in the service department with the same problem--and repair parts were backordered. Through an internet search, I discovered that a Technical Service Bulletin has been published on this for the 05 and 06 Avalons. Fortunately I am covered by warranty and a service loaner is being provided. Has anyone else on this forum experienced this problem?
  • selffixerselffixer Member Posts: 1
    I had the check engine light come on recently, and thanks to this and other forums was able to diagonse and fix the problem.  I wanted to share it with others in the event you have the same problem.

    Problem:  check engine and VSC warning lights came on right after I had the car alignment checked and tires balanced at about 88,000 miles.

    I had the check enginer code read by Pep Boys (for free) and it was code P0171, "system too lean bank 1".  That was the only code.  I had read on a forum that the code means the Mass Air Flow sensor (mounted just after the air cleaner) needed cleaning.  I disconnected the electrical connector cable for the sensor, removed the sensor, and sprayed CRC QD electronic parts cleaner (Pep Boys, $5.99) onto the little wires inside the Mass Air Flow sensor without touching the sensor (the sensor wires are very small and sensitive and should not be touched).  I then let the sensor dry (about 10 minutes) and reinstalled the MAF sensor and reconnected it.  I also removed the 15 amp EFI fuse in the fuse box (under the hood, next to the air cleaner) to reset the check engine light.  After a week and several driving trips the check engine light remains off and the car runs as good as new. 

    I had read on other forums that the reason the VSC warning lights came on is that when the tires were removed some error code was generated that said rear tires were spinning relative to the front--but these codes were in the background and the warning lights did not come on until the check engine light came on.   When I fixed the check engine light as described above the VSC warning lights went out and stayed off. Some of the other forums showed pictures of the location of the MAF sensor, what it looks like dirty and after cleaning, and other detailed steps if you need more information. 

    I hope this helps someone since I was able to do this myself for $6 instead of having the dealer replace the sensor for about $350-400.
  • mcclearyflmcclearyfl Member Posts: 149
    I had exactly the same problem, but after I drove home and parked the vehicle overnight, everything was OK.

    At 88,000 miles I am surprised that you haven't yet run into a problem with the Idle Air Control. Unlike the conveniently positioned MAF, the IAC is on the underside of the intake plumbing and involves quite a bit of work to extract it and clean it. If you ever need to do this job, I have a step-by-step on this site.
  • bobgwtwbobgwtw Member Posts: 187
    I Have an error code on my 06 avalon - 137,000 miles - that says the left bank catalytic converter is bad. Yet, after I drive the car for a day or so, usually quite a few miles, the check engine light goes out & I can drive a week or so with the light off; then it comes on again. No real pattern to the time or miles between events.

    I've had it coded 3 times & the code is always the same. Seems to me that this problem would not be occurring intermittently if the convertor was truly bad. Would like to avoid the $1100. expense of a new convertor if possible, as I'm ready to sell or trade the car this summer.

    Any ideas?
  • finfin Member Posts: 594
    More than likely the code is one of the O2 sensors reading a malfunction. Before replacing the converter try replacing all the O2 sensors. They do fail in time and yours are well past the point of possible failure at 137k miles.

    Before doing anything, however, try this: Load the car, fill with premium gas, get some friends, find some hills and drive the car at highway speed for at least an hour. Make the engine work. It is possible to burn off certain converter residue in this manner. This residue inside the converter can cause a failure code in the O2 sensors. If this works, good. If not, try the sensor replacement. If that fails, it is probably the converter..

    This all assumes the car is otherwise properly tuned and maintained. Hope this helps. :)
  • bobgwtwbobgwtw Member Posts: 187
    Thanks for the suggestions. The car lives on the road 8-900 miles a week & probably 80% of that at 65-75 MPH; so the converter residue makes a lot of sense, especially since there is no code for the O2 sensors. I'll follow your suggestions & let you know the results.
  • aveprobsaveprobs Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2005 avalon or should i say had!! With no indication what so ever my engine threw a rod driving down the interstate (april 21st 2009). All my engine oil poured out of my vech. within one day. Never had i saw a drop of oil! I assume it was the vvti line. my vech has 65k and is NOT under warrenty. Toyota refuses to help after numberous corp. complaints. 8k for a used eng. or 14k new! THis is absolutely ridiculous.. There are thousands of us out there! right now there are 4 avalons in beck toyota service. serveral of which for the same problem. unfortunately I had no indication this would happen. I think its crazy that service bullitin was published and no recall was done!! Toyota service did multiple inspections on my vech and never upgraded my vvti line like the bullitin mentions.. I've been driving a rental for 3 weeks @$165 a week!! plus my 475 car pmt! Any suggestions?? google vvti line on toy avalon and there are thousands of complaints.

    Please help me someone!! toyota never again!
  • popsavalonpopsavalon Member Posts: 231
    There seems to be a lot of posts on various sites about total loss of engine oil from the variable valve timing oil supply line failures on Toyota Avalons. The usual result of this would be catastrophic engine failure.

    Does this problem include 2007 and later engines? What is Toyota doing to redesign, replace, etc. these oil lines to prevent the problem from happening?
  • popsavalonpopsavalon Member Posts: 231
    There are a lot of posts on the net about failure of the VVTi oil line on 2GR-FE (all late model Toyota V-6s) engines. A burst rubber hose leads to loss of engine oil immediately and possible catastrophic engine failure. Toyota dealers seem to be having problems getting replacement parts due to scope of problem. What is the magnitude of leaks/failures being experienced by fellow Avalon owners?
  • sbmansbman Member Posts: 12
    See my earlier post. 06 Touring with 35 k, about 1 quart on my garage floor and oil trail down driveway one morning without notice. Towed in and dealer fixed that day under warranty. I might be tempted to go ahead and replace line and not be stranded somewhere and/or damage engine. Oil will also be all over your engine compartment & rails and tough to get it all removed.
  • bdp92883bdp92883 Member Posts: 2
    I saw your post about the VVTi issue and wanted to comment. I experienced this problem last year in my 2007 Avalon XLS. It was a complete disaster getting this issue taken care of and unfortunately, I don't think the drama is over yet. The dealership tried to say that while the hose burst and all of the oil drained out of my engine within what seemed like seconds, that the engine damage the car sustained was my fault and that until I could produce service records backing up my claim that I properly maintained the car, they would not be responsible for any of the damage done short of replacing the hose. I ended up having to go through Toyota Corporate just to get someone to take me seriously. The dealership ended up tearing apart my engine and at one point were prepared to replace the entire short block. Engineers from Toyota were dispatched to the dealership and they ended up taking a different course of action. They made some repairs to the valves but I'm now experiencing a TON of lifter noise. The car sounds like an expensive piece of junk. The last time I had it in for service, I asked the manager about the noise. He said Avalons were notorious for having noisy lifters and that there was nothing he could do about it. I totally disagree. It wasn't until all of the oil drained out of my car at 70 mph that the engine started making noise. Needless to say, I'm taking it back to a different dealer and if I am forced to open another case with Toyota Corporate then that's what I will do. I will say that Toyota Corporate admitted that this is a known problem but has been unwilling to actually recall these hoses. Thank goodness my car was still under warranty but I feel bad for those that are not. I hope this information is somewhat helpful.
  • tfeltontfelton Member Posts: 80
    I'm curious, is there an 'improved' hose that they use after the original one breaks or do they just put a new hose on of the same quality? If there is an improved hose would it be worth having it replaced even if you had to pay the cost since the work would not be under warranty?

    I have an '08 Avalon with 25,000 miles on it and we're just about to go on two trips which should add about 7,000 miles.
  • popsavalonpopsavalon Member Posts: 231
    The best information I can get is that there is no improved hose ("real fix") available. Toyota seems to be unwilling to acknowledge a major problem at this point. I asked my dealer's service manager about the whole issue, he said "we have only seen a few minor leaks and replaced the hose, never seen a catastropic failure that drained all the engine oil in a matter of minutes". There are numerous posts on several Toyota sites that verify this is exactly what happened.

    I, too, am planning summer trips (07 Avalon with 26000 mi.) and I have MAJOR concern about this problem. If my engine loses all the oil at speed on an interstate somewhere, I don't think a new hose is going to repair the damage to the motor.
    I am going to take copies of internet posts back to my dealer and see how they respond. The engine in question (2GR-FE) is used in all Toyota V-6 applications for the past few years, so this issue will only grow in magnatude!
  • bdp92883bdp92883 Member Posts: 2
    I'm not sure about the new hose being "improved" or not. It's just terrible that Toyota isn't acknowledging the problem. I had my car at the dealer today and asked the service writer if he's experienced a lot of these hose failures. He said no, but I'm not sure as to the accuracy of this statement. I've seen more posts on the internet about it now then when it happened to me back in Oct 2008. The only thing I can guess is that the people that are calling and pitching a fit to corporate are the ones getting the work done under warranty. My case manager at the time told me that because it's considered part of the drivetrain, it's covered up to 5yrs or 60K miles. I'm not sure if they are still going by that policy or not. I would call Toyota and ask. In fact, they may be willing to fix it now instead of waiting until it breaks.

    I know for a fact that this hose breakage caused a whole lot more than a small leak. When I pulled the car off of the freeway my car was covered in oil. The engine compartment looked like nothing I've ever seen before. There was oil halfway up the sides of the car all the way around. I have a white car - it's rather obvious that when that high pressure hose burst, the oil came out of that hose very fast. And by the looks of it, most of the oil had emptied out. This is why Toyota was forced to fix a whole lot more on my car than just a simple hose. And no matter what Toyota is saying, I have the work orders from the dealership to prove it.
  • tfeltontfelton Member Posts: 80
    I'm just guessing right now but I assume that for Toyota to acknowledge a major problem there has to be x% of failures of this part. Maybe that hasn't happened yet and a recall, or fix of all the hoses in use, would be costlier than what they are spending on repairing the individual problems as they happen. It's too bad there isn't some way to inspect the part.

    I guess all you can do is keep your fingers crossed. My other Toyota with a V6 has 214,000+ miles on it so I hope I can do the same again this time around.
  • ri_tomri_tom Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2006 avalon with 46,000 miles. Bought it used about 4 months ago. I drive 750 mi/week - almost all on interstate at 75-80 mph.
    Drove to mall yesterday on lunch hour. came back after 30 minutes and saw river of oil running from under car. moved it to another parking space and watched - you could see the oil dripping. drove slowly half mile to gas station and put in 3 qts. drove slowly to Toyota service - about 4 mi. Left a BIG puddle in the service lane after 5 minutes!
    Their diagnosis: Vehicle is leaking oil form Bank one VVTI oil line. There is a TSB -EG064-05. Replaced the VVTI oil feed line, timing chain cover and oil pipe sub-assembly.
    I asked the service writer if there would have been any warning if I was cruising down the road at 75. He said no - just a wrecked engine. If you don't have an extended warranty you better get one.
    Got the shuttle to the office, picked up at end of day and drove home. Just a minor inconvenience compared to the stories I see here. Just can't believe the lack of instrumentation on the car. My last was a 98 Aurora, died at 207k mi with head gasket leak. It had the engine monitoring for everything. Saved me twice from being stranded with alternator failures. I thought Toyota was know for their quality and service!
  • tfeltontfelton Member Posts: 80
    What did the TSB-EG064-05 say?
  • fscaranofscarano Member Posts: 44
    I have a 2000 Toyota Avalon. I can I tell if I have a sludge issue?
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    To really determine if you have sludge you'd have to pop off a valve cover. "Reading" the oil filler cap isn't good enough, as there are sometimes "natural" deposits on that. Once you see real sludge, you'll never forget it.

    Here's MORE INFO

    Visiting Host
  • mbs171mbs171 Member Posts: 4
    Mine is an '05 touring I purchased used. I found a small "spot" on my garage floor- Took it in and was told VVTi hose- out of warranty- will run you 420 to fix. I Laughed and got online and found parts for 91 shipped to me. Did the work myself- took my time and really cleaned the area in question. Good as new- no leaks. As for an improved hose- the number in the tsb has been updated to a different part number- the only difference I see is that the hose clamps look more substantial.(mine was leaking at the upper clamp)
    If you are mechanically inclined - do it yourself and save$$-
    All parts were available and shipped to me in one week.
  • popsavalonpopsavalon Member Posts: 231
    The real fix appears to be a Toyota all steel one piece line that is available as a direct replacement for the metal/rubber line currently being used. It is my understanding that for defective hoses on vehicles still in warrenty, Toyota will allow the steel line to be installed at no charge as an upgrade, if the customer will buy the steel line (Approx. $28.00). I saw one site where someone was offering to replace the metal line in his garage for $50 labor.

    It seems to me that the leaks and ruptures with the rubber/metal line will continue unless the rubber line is replaced at regular intervals, and no one seems to know what that mileage number is. Toyota seems content to just replace the rubber line at this point, and minimize how much engine damage can been done if a rupture happens while driving.

    I don't know how many 2GR-FE (V-6) engines are out there since 2005 with rubber hoses, but it's a bunch. I would expect this problem to continue to escalate for Toyota, maybe even to recall status.
  • cmontanocmontano Member Posts: 3
    I'm going through the same thing right now. The dealer tried to charge me about the same money.I was wondering who you went through for the part any help would be greatly appreciated.
  • stoneybrokestoneybroke Member Posts: 83
    Do current production, 2009 Avalons, have the metal line? If so, what was the build date for the change from rubber to metal? Anybody know?
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Only a problem in 2005 up to VIN # 4T1BK36B#5U037692
  • tfeltontfelton Member Posts: 80
    If I was crawling under the car (as I do when I change the oil) where would I see this part?

    Can I also assume from the VIN that the problem was only for 2005 models?
  • popsavalonpopsavalon Member Posts: 231
    Mr. Shiftright, you are confusing the VIN Number information for the TSB on a specific 2005 leaking oil line fix, with the real problem.

    All Avalon 2GR-FE engines from 2005 at least to 2008 have been manufactured with the metal/rubber oil lines that are now failing. I am reasonably sure this applies to most other models (Camry, etc.) with V-6 engines.

    The oil line in question is easily viewed from the top of the engine compartment, on the passenger side by the shock mount tower. It is a shiny metal line about 3/8" in dia. that comes out of the top of the valve cover and turns 90 degrees straight down. After about 6", and just before it is covered by a plastic timing cover, there will be a rubber hose/hose clamp showing. This is the rubber portion of the two pc. line.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Oh so you are saying the line in the TSB is not the same VVT-1 line we are talking about? Let me look for other TSBs---seems if these were failing a lot we'd see something about it...so let me go dig some more.

    EDIT: Okay, didn't see any other TSBs for this issue on later model years in the All Data file or in NHTSA, or anything about Toyota authorizing a metal line change.

    Where did you see this info? I'd be interested.
  • popsavalonpopsavalon Member Posts: 231
    Don't want to make this issue more confusing than it already is. There is only one VVTi oil line on the 2GR-FE engine. The TSB you are talking about (EG064-05) is for the VVTi oil line "small /slow oil drip" on 2005 Avalons. It defines the leak as "where the rubber hose connects to the metal pipe". This is the only TSB I can find that addresses a VVTi oil line leak.

    Please note that this TSB does not change the two pc. metal/rubber line design, it only replaces a defective part. As I mentioned in my previous post, Toyota has continued with the metal/rubber line at least thru 2008. The major problem seems to be that there are now rubber hose ruptures occuring while driving down the road that allow loss of almost all engine oil very quickly.

    There are multiple posts about the oil line problems on this site and several other websites related to Toyota vehicles. Any search engine will take you to at least 3-4 sites if you just type in VVTi oil line leak/Toyota. There is no recent TSB from Toyota on the issue.

    There is a direct replacement all metal VVTi line (15772-31030) in the Toyota parts system. This information was posted on one of the Toyota owner sites because some owners are replacing the metal/rubber line at their cost BEFORE problems occur.
  • tfeltontfelton Member Posts: 80
    I looked at the part on my car (08 Avalon) and it's a very innocent looking part and it is the metal/rubber version. Armed with the all-metal replacement VVTi part number I will go to my Toyota service department on Monday and ask them about it. I've dealt with this particular dealer and service department for 11 years now and I feel confident I'll get a straight answer.
  • cmontanocmontano Member Posts: 3
    Thanks for the info. So I go back over to the dealership yesterday to pick up the car and they told me that the car is 1,800 miles over the 5yr/50,000 mile warranty and I would have to foot the bill and then the guy says if I had more history of taking the car into their dealership instead of somewhere else that they would have probably fix the car for free.I made the argument that they were just in that area last year when the timing cover was leaking oil, so I took the next logical step and called corporate next i will send my wife after them lol. I have owned Toyota's for 20 years and never have had the problems I have this one, it's a lemon off the line but yet I love it. Is that even possible? Sorry for the rant.
    Thanks, Carlos
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    I did a search and the people dealing with their own cars are as confused as we are---LOL! Many of them refer to that TSB--it also seems like this happens on Camrys, or did to two people.

    Seems like it's a chafing issue, not anything wrong with the line per se, so maybe depending on how the line is routed at assembly, you might have a problem.

    Also some tech guy is saying the line is too small to cause a lose of oil pressure. I don't know, I haven't seen what it looks like.

    Maybe the best thing for all Avalon owners to do is check this line for chaffing.
  • popsavalonpopsavalon Member Posts: 231
    Thanks for the info and input. The "tech guy" who is saying the line is too small to cause a loss in oil pressure must know something about the VVTi system that I have missed. The line is a pressure line off the oil pump and is about 3/8" in dia. This is about the same size as an oil pan drain plug hole, which will drain all the oil out of an engine in a minute or less. The folks that post about these "on the road" failures typically say that by the time you smell oil or see oil smoke, there will be little or no oil showing on the dipstick.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    The "tech" seemed to think the line was too small to cause an immediate loss of oil pressure.
  • smudgy2smudgy2 Member Posts: 5
    Thanks for showing where this part is located. It looks so benign. Could anyone take a photo of the "old" part and/or the "new" part?

    I thought i had an Avalon XL. Now I think I have a TB (time bomb) that could blow at any time. We cant' drive around constantly looking at the instrument cluster for a low oil pressure warning ( the annoying buzzer should be hooked up to that instrument).

    Few owners of the 2GR FE engine are aware of this possible problem. Toyota needs to step up to the plate, issue a recall for this design defect, and restore confidence.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Why don't you take a look at that line and let us know if you see a potential chaffing/rubbing problem? I'd be interested.
  • popsavalonpopsavalon Member Posts: 231
    To see a good picture of the VVTi oil lines, old and new, go to the following site:

    rav4world.com/forum and look for post #134 from RPM. He has posted a series of pictures about oil line replacement and picture #5 shows both lines side by side.

    I believe that the all metal oil line was incorporated into RAV4 engine production at some point, reasons unknown?????
  • smudgy2smudgy2 Member Posts: 5
    The part looked fine. No chafing (though a snug fit) and not the slighest trace of an oil leak. Wish this gave me more confidence.
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