Previa Technical chat

[Tiggz]

am i right in thinking it takes 3.3 litres of atf?

and is it something you can change at home with a drain and refil? or is it a garage only job and really techy and fiddly like the vw AG5 autobox where the fluid needs to be at a certain temp and all sorts?

[Tiggz]

i have heard (for refferance is harder than that....)

"Essentially the story is that you can't just drain it out of the (gearbox) sump drain plug because you only get a tiny bit out. You need to pump it out in batches of about 2.5 litres each. You do this by putting a clear container under the radiator and pulling off the pipe that goes into the oil cooler (in the bottom of the rad). Sounds scary but isn't when you see how to do it. Then you fire up the motor (with the handbrake on) run it for about a minute - just until the oil stops pumping and NOT LONGER. You need to be careful if your bus has a turbo-timer on it, because that would stop you shutting the engine down staight away. You then put the oil cooler pipe back on, top up the ATF down the miserable narrow little filler/diptstick hole, fire up the engine again and then change the gears up and down the box to mix all the oil up. Then repeat the procedure. Problem is it takes about 12 litres of ATF to get back to a decent colour, and that's expensive. There's an outfit in Northampton advertising on eBay that offers a decent saving compared to Halfords, or whoever, but it's not a cheap game. Then again, you don't need to do it that often, and once you've got it back to a decent colour you can more or less keep it there for quite a while just by draining the sump and refilling again - unless you do some heavy towing. "

[Kernowman]

Sounds the same method or similar to the estima gearbox.
12 litres sounds about right... a real waste of oil, but you need to flush the pipes, gear changers, sump and the torque convertor. None of which are set out to just self drain if to take the sump bung out.

Running the engine for about a minute seems too long... I'd opt for just a few seconds at a time... as soon as engine is turning the atf is being pumped in g/box. No need to chance it and cause damage by running completely dry.

You can get syphon pump off ebay that will fit down filler tube. You can then suck the oil out... 

[Tiggz]

i thought about pumping/syphoning the oil out I mean unless the transmission is in a vacume, surely over night most of the oil would drain into the sump?

[mr mince]

i thought about pumping/syphoning the oil out I mean unless the transmission is in a vacume, surely over night most of the oil would drain into the sump?

Nope, never worked it out but I tried it once and got the same out the sump as I did from the pipe.

Good thing about the old diesel Esti is it's not entirely a waste of oil. A litre here and a litre there and it's all gone in the tank

[Tiggz]

Cheers Mr Mince, seams a huge wate of oil thought.

wonder how much a garage will charge to do the job compared to the cost of the oil?

[mr mince]

Cheers Mr Mince, seams a huge wate of oil thought.

wonder how much a garage will charge to do the job compared to the cost of the oil?

Last time I remember someone getting a quote I think it was around double the price of the oil

[ADarbon]

never a waste if it can go in to the fuel tank three of us clubbed together last time and bough a big 25l drum from ebay worked out cheeper that way.

[Tiggz]

what do you mean its not a waste if it can go in the fuel tank?

do you mean you litterally put the old and dirty atf in the fuel tank?

[ADarbon]

filter it first but yeah. but it has to be diesel engine

[Tiggz]

ahhh makes sense now!

Mines not a tractor though  but WOAH The VVT-i inside caught me today when I used kickdown lol

[ADarbon]

well I like being able to poor any old rubbish in and still have power at my foot. One thing i did notice is the diesel engine on these runs quiter that a modern VW golf

[Tiggz]

I had a derv before, when it died, it bit me HARD!!

but your right, newer dervs do sound like agricultural lumps and the faf the vw ag4 and ag5 autoboxes need to change the fluid is insane!!! needing the oil at a critical temp the lot!

[ADarbon]

back street mechanic will one day become a thing of the past unless you can afford the hiteck computers to go with the car. or find the engine under all the plastic

[Tiggz]

all this type approved parts rubbish is the part that gets me!

[mr mince]

back street mechanic will one day become a thing of the past unless you can afford the hiteck computers to go with the car. or find the engine under all the plastic

My MOT tester reckons he's got a long time yet before he's obsolete but to be honest Tony I reckon you're right, cars are being made more dealer only and more disposable once warranty is out. Worst crime ever is they're actually turning into a fashion item, honestly what other reason is there for something that looks a good bit like a Fiat 500 or a Mini but is actually closer to a Focus in size. grrrrrr.

[Tiggz]

i hate the way "new" cars come without a sump plug, you have to suck the oil out with a syphon it out, i mean, what a STUPID idea!!!

and the no spare wheel well. just a tyre weld can, well great... if you have a blow out or damage your wheel on a curb.....

[mr mince]

i hate the way "new" cars come without a sump plug, you have to suck the oil out with a syphon it out, i mean, what a STUPID idea!!!

and the no spare wheel well. just a tyre weld can, well great... if you have a blow out or damage your wheel on a curb.....

Here here, that's the sprit

[Tiggz]

well autobox fluid ordered (and new rear wiper)

Rocker cover gasket on order at main dealer..

next weekend, she shall have surgery lol

[Tiggz]

picked up the gasket this morning and I am shocked.....

the staff where helpfull, polite, one even opened the door for me on the way out (i have to use a stick to walk)

The part was ready, labeled and priced up

The parts man was happy, polite and chatty, and they all were calling me Mr Baker (lucky its my surname really lol) but WOW what a difference!!

Used to Ford garages where they grunt at you and order in the wrong parts!

But WOW what a positive experience! They even had like a coffee lounge in the dealership!

[ADarbon]

yeah most of the staff in the peoples garages come from kwik fit i refuse to go in to them after i lost my jag because of them

[Tiggz]

had a mate who lost a mini to the hands of kf. they jacked it up in the middle, both sides broke its back, the spanner monkey "didnt know" the mini had 2 subframes.....

How did they nail your jag dude?

[mr mince]

picked up the gasket this morning and I am shocked.....

the staff where helpfull, polite, one even opened the door for me on the way out (i have to use a stick to walk)

The part was ready, labeled and priced up

The parts man was happy, polite and chatty, and they all were calling me Mr Baker (lucky its my surname really lol) but WOW what a difference!!

Used to Ford garages where they grunt at you and order in the wrong parts!

But WOW what a positive experience! They even had like a coffee lounge in the dealership!

Aye they're quite nice in my local one too. Never met a bad one yet but I've heard stories that suggest that not all Toyota dealers are that nice.
That said a slower service would be nice though I wouldn't mind long enough to actually drink the complimentary coffee from time to time

[Tiggz]

Well sorry guys no pics/how2, the work got a bit hectic! With a mates help did the following to the previa today...

Started with removing the hands free kit, completely!! so all the wiring gone and the speaker that kept knocking my wifes ankle and binned it! Was a nokia 61something cradle and tbh ill fit a bluetooth one later in the year if i decide I do want one!! At least its not dependant on the phone then! Can bluetooth any phone to it!

Then (while exhaust was still cooling down) we removed the airbox (what a faff) and discovered the MAF is IN the airbox and wired from behind, very poor access to disconnect the wiring and one of the bolts that holds the airbox down but still, managed ok and then removed the 8 nuts/bolts and took the rocker cover off to see the top of the engine! Both cams etc! Very pretty!

Now the nuts and bolts holding the rocker where only on finger tight!!! Perhaps why its been leaking? This has been in the service history for a number of years! (as well as the autobox sump weaping, ill come to this later!) The gasket was rather hard and crispy, so as I had bought a new one, cleaned up the gulley the gasket sits in and fitted it! Could not find ANYWHERE the torque figures to do the rocker cover and we just did it how we felt was right and cleaned up some of the old oil and oil leak as best we could.

Then as we removed the undertray pannel we found the MK2 previa does not have a independant trans-cooler as i thought and was told, and researched! Its all part of the main rad! Must be dual core'd or something and the sump on the autobox was weaping, probably as those bolts were also finger tight! The oil sump ones were not as loose as the autobox and rocker covers where but we still nipped them all up!! I suspect in the past, some unscruperles mechanic has loosened them to create a job needing doing tbh as I can not for the life of me understand HOW all the bolts have worked loose or should be that loose!

Drained the autobox and the fluid was due a change for sure not black, but a red/brown but more brown!
BUT, more than the capcirty 3.3 litres came out! And no the box was not overfilled and was just under the max mark on the dipstick before we started!? so not sure how thats happened!? 

Either way we did drain the sump after draining the box via the pipe of and using the engine to purge out the fluid as advised and put in 2 litres of the ATF. This made the dipstick read just below min, BUT the car was on a axle stand and ant a angle!

After a bit of head scratching, on went the undertray and we put the 3rd litre of atf in and the dipstic was pretty much on max. So we took the car for a run to the shops and back and the got the car up to temp (and showed my mate the VVTi power kick lol) and then on the HOT dipstick marks we were between min and max, nearer the max  . And aswell as driving, I did manualy shift in between all the gears to open all the channels in the box etc

I think I will leave her and let her settle for a few days and work any air out thats in there, and top up as needed but the gearbox seams to be changing gear a little better, slicker and smoother and has done the job nicely! And the fluid is red on the dipstick! ) now got to dispose of the old fluid, its in some plastic bottles just now!

Just can not for the life of me work out why more than the max has come out the autobox?! I know its a auto transaxle so there could be diff fluid but still? Very confusing why too much came out!