Toyota Avalon Engine Questions

54gradsteds · April 2005

FYI Zone1,

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.

dbowe · April 2005

I just want to comment that I brought my '96 Avalon in to the Toyota dealer in B'ham, AL because of gasket leakage (I mean, how can you miss it! Any moron who opens the hood can see oil leaks!) and they replaced the oil pan seal. fAt the same time I also had them rotate my tires, and the technician didn't bother to thread on the lugnuts. Later when I got a flat tire I could not remove the lugnuts and ended up breaking off 3 lug bolts. Thanks Toyota! Am jumping with joy over that one (ref to lame commercial). Another friend of mine noticed that after wheel repair, the SAME dealer didn't bother to reattach lateral stabilizers, resulting in some interesting noise while turning. Luckily he could fix that himself, but the B'ham Toyota dealers are horrible...and it sounds like this is pretty much the norm for the whole country.

54gradsteds · April 2005

When I arrived at my long-term independent shop (24 years) to pick up the car, my guy Archie handed me two spark plugs, saying that he had to replace all six, and asked if I noticed anything different. What he had given me was a regular plug and one with TWO electrodes, which he said aren't called-for in that year's engine. The whole point, however, was the fact that there were two DIFFERENT plugs in his hand, proof, he said, that the last time the dealer performed major service (at 120,000 miles, which called-for new plugs, etc., was that the dealer DID NOT CHANGE two of the most difficult-to-reach plugs near the firewall and underneath the manifold. They were the two plugs which were different from the dual-electrode plugs, and were burned-down to the nub of the post, which looked like the sharpened stub of a pencil, but only barely visible. In addition to that, my PCV valve had NEVER been changed, even though I now have more than 159,000 miles on the car. I confirmed the latter by looking through my service records. How's THAT for putting faith in a dealer? You'd think that for $80 per hour, one could expect a little more honesty and professionalism, no?

vvv7373 · April 2005

I bought a Toyota Avalon very recently.. .. I love the CAR. It's awefully smooth. Everything's fine, except that it smokes when ever I start it after it's been parked for a couple of hours. It smokes for roughly a minute.

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..

jrct9454 · April 2005

Find another mechanic. You don't have to witness this behavior to know what's going on. White smoke at startup usually means a blown head gasket [coolant leaking into the oil]. Gray or darkish smoke could mean the need for valve work, but what you describe sounds like one bank of the V6 has the need for a new head gasket - not unusual for this engine, just incidentally.

vvv7373 · April 2005

Jrct9454:

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,

fin · April 2005

You might start by asking for a spark plug change. Examine the plugs after removal. Most mechanics know what plugs should, and should not, look like. You may find the answer right there. If not, ask for a compression check. Most of the time, but not always, a blown (leaking) head gasket will show up as lower compression pounds psi in the test.
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?

vvv7373 · April 2005

Thanks, FIN:

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. · April 2005

700 sounds quite high to me. This is something any decent mechanic can do, actually I've done several on older cars myself it really isn't a hard job. As to what to expect to pay all i can say is to get several quoted from area shops. I live North of Winchester, VA and my local mechanic charges 40 per hour. They do nice work and are always busy. When it come oil change time I take it to them and they charge me a flat 10 bucks for labor. I provide a toyota filter and Mobil 1 oil. My Tacoma they even grease for that price plus they'll check the tires for wear and pressure on all my vehicles.

MikeS.

rockroch · April 2005

Hello, everyone. I am having the same problem here. I have a 1996 Avalon. It emits a chunk of white smoke whenever started. It will disappear in a couple of minutes. It seems to have trace of blue smoke in it. This bothers me a lot after I read through this website about this problem. I am wondering if this white smoke thing could be completely fixed. And how much would it cost to replace the head gasket. Any advices from anyone will be greatly appreciated.

vvv7373 · April 2005

Hi Rockroch :

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...

rockroch · April 2005

Hi, vvv7373:
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.

jrct9454 · April 2005

I can only repeat: the car is most certainly NOT perfect. No car should put out any amount of smoke at startup, not for a few seconds, not for a minute, not while warming up...NOT AT ALL [I'm not talking about water vapor/steam that will be there for awhile before the catalytic converter gets fully warm].

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.

ontheroad1 · May 2005

I have a 1998 Toyota Avalon with 80,000 miles. The engine will run OK from 0 to 55 or so. If I drive the car at 70 mph for a short or long distance, it will run rough went the car slows down for a turn or a stop sign. I changed the spark plugs, the PVC valve and added injector conditioner to the fuel tank. If I step on the gas peddle in when the car is in neutral, the engine seems to smooth out at higher rpms. Can you suggest what I should check to correct this problem.

fin · May 2005

Here's a guess: replace the fuel filter. They cause funny things to happen when they begin to get clogged with trash....

mikes. · May 2005

I concur, fuel filter. Toyota claims it is a lifetime filter....But please??? You may have gotten some real dirty gas.

MikeS.

rzrseg · May 2005

Hi all,

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.

dissanayake · May 2005

Two weeks old 2005 Avelon limited with 185 miles. It had 10 miles on the odometer when I bought it. It was smooth and started without any problems about half a mile on the road it gave a knocking sensation for about 5 seconds and stopped on the road. Before stopping it lost steering power and brake power. I was lucky not to get in to an accident Car was driving at about 35 miles/hr on auto mode at that time. I had to tow the car to the dealer. They are yet to look in to the car. Do you know what could cause this. I feel uncomfortable with this car after going through the above. What can I do?

sararno9 · June 2005

I am ready to buy a 95 toyota avalon xls with 177,000 miles. The owner said the only thing that may need to be fixed soon is the gasket seals. Is that expensive and do yall think I am getting a good deal or is that too many miles?

Thanks,
Sara

mikes. · June 2005

Sara, are they talking about the head gasket seals? From what I've seen they shouldn't need replacing yet.

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.

deepan · June 2005

have to changed the spark plugs on it.

citybythebay · June 2005

I have a 96 Avalon (130k). I know, I know...there's lots of discussions on this upon searching but I can't seem to find a solution to mine. I noticed the check engine light on yesterday while running. When I got home, I turned off the engine. This morning , the check engine still lights up. On the manual, it says to check the gas cap is closed tightly, which it is . It also said make sure there is enough gas, (it's half full), check electrical system.( A few weeks ago, I noticed on the dash that the rear bulb/s lighted up) Could this be the culprit? FYI, I had the car fixed for engine valve leak , rack and pinion replacement, and fuel injection cleaning a few weeks ago. Any ideas.?...thanks.

mikes. · June 2005

Hey Frisco, without the engine code there is a couple thousand things that it could be.

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.

richards1 · June 2005

Engine light came on, VBS light came on, VBS "off "light came on. VBS light remains on no matter what position VBS switch is in. Car is performing perfectly. What can I do to correct this? And, is there a way to disable the computer and then re-boot it?

mohandus · June 2005

Thanks for the several strings on the Tokico HP's. I have a 200 XLS with 52 K and after install I think I am driving a new car. Quite the difference and well worth the cost. I did not put in the PU bushings, I believe this will eliminate some play in the linkages, another project for another day. Thanks again.

ava97 · June 2005

My 97 Avalon chokes at startup when car is setting in heat, no problem when I start it in the morning. Car finaly starts while pumping gas padel, when it starts, I can drive and restart again, it works normal. I had my car tuned up 10K miles ago, fuel/air filters and ejectors have been changed/cleaned. Any idea what the problem might be?

mslat · July 2005

today while driving home from work, my 1999 toyota avalon began suddenly idling hard. it almost felt like it was shaking. and when i would let off the breaks slowly, it became worse. i could even feel it on the highway a little.
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?

obafunque · July 2005

A question for the members: My 2000 Avalon with 95K miles started showing
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

toyotaken · July 2005

You can give the aftermarket sensor a try and/or do nothing. However, it may effect the richness of the fuel mixture and if it does, can effect gas milage and/or the catalitic converter. I'd call around to get a few more quotes for the repair to see if there is anywhere that can do it a bit more affordably if you're on a tight budget though.

Ken

sanandton · July 2005

Had the same issue arise in my 2000 Avalon recently. Have a friend who is a certified Honda mechanic check it out. It also said that the front bank O2 sensor was bad and that the mixture was "lean". He reset the light, and it came back on. I was suspicious as the light came on the day my wife filled the car with the cheapest gas around at a small Mom/Pop Gas station. I ran the tank to empty and refilled with a more trustworthy and higher ocatane gas and had my friend reset the light again. It has not come on since then. It has now been two months. We are back to using regular gas now, but avoid that station as I think it may have had some contaminate in the gasoline.

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.

mslat · July 2005

after the idling really hard and acting like it was on a delay or something, my check engine light came on. does anyone have any ideas? please help! i am a girl and hate taking cars to the mechanic without having any idea of what could be going on!

mikes. · July 2005

Sounds like the MAF sensor and related componets need cleaned.Search this forum if you need more info on the MAF sensor.

MikeS.

obafunque · July 2005

Thanks for the responses. Replaced the O2 sensor located in the front (manifold) with the universal one suggested by local auto part retailer. Clear the codes with the scanner and after few hours light came back again. It may be because I only changed one and the one after the catalytic converter needs to be changed as well? If so, which auto part is reliable to buy it from? Bosch or denso? Any experience with any retailer? I checked one in New Jersey and the price was $135.24 ( shipping free) but no warranty??????? Please, advise.

smata67 · July 2005

WAIT! I just had the exact problem. The first thing to do is go to AutoZone and get their scan tool with which you can obtain the trouble code. You plug it into a socket that has a plastic cover just under your steering wheel on the door side. The code will come back telling you which "BANK" the bad sensor is in. Unfortunately, I can't tell you which Bank is which, you will need to look that up in a very detailed book AutoZone has for the trouble codes, ask them for it. The Avalon has 3 sensors, two near the engine (one at each bank of cylinders) and one underneath the car passenger side. The one that usually goes bad is the one at the engine in the rear side. It is mounted in the exhaust manifold. You changed the easy one in the front, and that is fine, if you have more than 80K miles or so, it needed changing anyway. The one in the rear is a little tougher to reach, it is screwed into the manifold. I got mine out with a crescent wrench. Wear a strong long sleeved shirt or you will scratch up your arms bad getting to it. If it is on too tight when the engine is cold, try running the engine for 2 minutes to warm it up, mine came out easily after this. It is a little tough to get at from the topside, you must snake your arm around stuff, but IT CAN BE DONE. On the connector end, slide the thingy upwards to take it off of the metal mounting tab, PRESS the plastic tab on the side and pull it out. Well, now that you have the sensor out of the car, get yourself a BOSCH universal o2 kit for about $60 (Advanced has them for $70). There is a current $10 rebate for these. Follow the directions. The kit uses the existing connector with a new sensor. I soldered my joined ends and shrink wrapped over the connections, but the little kit they give you for joining the existing connector to the new sensor is fine. If you are really hurting for $, install the one you took out from the front (hopefully you kept the one you took out!) to the rear. If the trouble code indicated the one under the car is the culprit, that one is easy to disconnect from the exhaust pipe, but the connector end is located under the passenger seat somewhere. I have not changed this one yet, but someone suggested that I take up the center console and look under the carpet at the hump and the connector is in that area. GOOD LUCK.

abfisch · July 2005

Mohandus:

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

debrew264 · July 2005

My wife recently bought a 2000 toyota avalon xls. Last week, the engine light came on and the instrument panel went "dead". All the gauges and the center display stopped working. For a couple of days, it would work off and on. Now, it seems to be not working at all and the engine is running very rough. I checked the code for the engine light and it was P0500-vehicle speed sensor malfuntion-Can anyone tell me where this sensor is located and if it would cause the problems with the instrument panel. We have parked the car until we can figure out what's going on. Also, this car seems to run extremely hot in general. Is that normal? The temp gauge never seems to indicate any problem but I'm always amazed at just how hot the engine is even after a short drive.

jim3 · July 2005

I have a 2000 Avalon which has been running hot lately. The gauge was at about 3/4 spiking up to halfway to the red so I took it in to the dealer who checked and found nothing wrong. Yesterday we went some place driving about 70, a few small hills, mostly level highway, outside temp about 98, and the gauge ran a fraction of an inch below the red. The dealer said don't worry if its not in the red. I'm worried the car will conk somewhere on the road. Anyone else have this problem?

fin · July 2005

Several possibilities here:

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.....

obafunque · July 2005

I replaced the two O2 sensors diagnosed bad from the Toyota dealer. I used the "Universal" O2 sensors that Auto Zone sell for $89.99. Clean the codes with the scanner and next day engine light is on again. Read the codes and again gave me P1135 and P1155 also P1135 Pd and P1155 Pd ( pending). It means, that the "universal" O2 sensors I replaced do not work for Avalons or there is something I am missing? My Avalon is a 2000 XLS model with 95K on it. Other than that, the car is running OK but the annual inspection is coming ( live in Texas) and I am afraid it will not pass the inspection. Please, share with me your experience. NOTE: My budget is so tight right now, so I can not afford to go the dealer for fixing this problem ( around $600). Thanks to all in advance

wiseweasel · July 2005

Occasionally, my 1998 Avalon run very rough, both high speed and idle. I can turn the car off for ten minutes and restart he car and the problem is gone.
Suggestions?

sparkle99 · July 2005

My 98 Avalon is acting the same way.IT recently has had new timing belt ,new spark plugs and wires, new water pump and new crank sensor.I am now thinking my mechanic is guessing as to what the problem is.It has 180,000 thousand miles and I bought it new.I have already spent $1000 in repairs and wonder where it will end.I would like to keep the car a few more years.It misses after high speed driving and then when I drop the speed to exit the interstate the rough idle starts.After it sits awhile it is okay but does happen again under the same circumstances.If you find an answer ,let me know.

abfisch · July 2005

Mohandus:

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

mikes. · August 2005

"Occasionally, my 1998 Avalon run very rough, both high speed and idle. I can turn the car off for ten minutes and restart he car and the problem is gone.
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 · August 2005

Good advice fin. I agree, there is something wrong, although a history on the car would helped, such as radiator changes, waterpump changes, etc.

abfisch

toyavalon · August 2005

Mikes,
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.

mcleary · September 2005

ENGINE LIGHT GOES ON INTERMITTENTLY. TOOK TO REPAIR SHOP AND DIAGNOSTIC TESTING REVEALS THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE SOLENOID AND THE WAY TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM IS TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION WHERE THIS SOLENOID IS LOCATED. SOUNDS LIKE OVERKILL TO ME, ANY SUGGESTIONS. THE CAR IS A 1997 WITH 130,000 MILES ON IT. THANKS!

glenavalon · September 2005

My 95 Avalon engine light recently came on. By using an instrument from the auto part store it gave me only one code P0170 Fuel Trim Malfunction (bank 1). the parts store clerk couldn't give me any further information about what this code refers to or how to service it. Any help? Glen

tritium_man · October 2005

My 2000 Avalon 80k is leaking oil from the oil pan. They tell me their is 2 oils pans one that runs the bottom of the engine, and a 2nd where the drain plug is..
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

adipasupil · October 2005

i got this check engine on the dashboard, i send to the dealer for diagnosis it was the O2 sensor circuit malfunction, air intake temperature sensor circuit malfunction, mass air flow meter sensor circuit malfunction & evaporation vent sensor circuit malfunction, and also this whining sound when the rpm is around 1000 rpm-1200 rpm but if the car accelerates more than this rpm the whining sound is gone, can u please give advice ...

cdel · December 2005

Would like to know if you had a fix on this problem i have the same car with the same issue

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