2.2 D4D T3X Head Gasket Dilemma

[westsider2]

Lads cheers for all the feed back, it all helps,i now have to wait till mon to find out from garage in NI and garage in dublin,on who is going to fix this for me,if dublin garage do it happy days as they now just fit new engines rather than stripping it down,if not then NI is the second option,

I would be very sipprised if dublin garage say yes with all the red tape and garbage issues but fingers crossed,

Ormi you would not believe the amount of avensis taxi's in ireland it has to be the most popular car for this industry, there is going to be alot of angry and frustrated drivers out there, i can just imagine the backlog of jobs to be done,

Sean im just down the road from you clondalkin,went to work last nite and did a few hours then called it a day when the needle went up a slight bit dont wanna over cook it, hate doing it but the bills have to be paid and i carry a large bottle of water with me just incase roll on mon.

Richie you want to watch doing that, you might do even more harm to it. I did it for a few weeks as my mechanic originally thought it was the water pump, but after he fitted a new pump the needle just shot up to north and I had to bring it back to him and he figured out it was the gasket and the rest. I just parked my car up till it was shipped up North. To be honest its quite at the moment after the bank holiday, just take a few days off before you figure out what your going to do.

[westsider2]

lol dont know who you heard that from but the engine has nothing to do with reno..........nothing at all.....they dont even use an engine thats remotly the same...and they cant say your cars a taxi so your not getting the work that would mean their would be a lot of unhappy hilux,hiace and landcruiser owners.....

also company cars ie reps cars can do 000's more miles than your taxis some have done 100k in a lot less than 3 years and toyota repair these no problem..

what i would do is phone a uk dealer or phone a few then phone toyota customer care were you are and hit them with all your info...

i got someone in Cyprus a new engine after their dealers refused i gave them all the info ive given you and the job got done...

as said get as much info on this and then hit toyota with all your findings they will cave....

I've heard some of the engines in in the 2.2 are Renault since the cars were built in Europe hence the problem with some of them. I've already been through the route with Toyota that Richie is thinking off having to do, and it wasn't easy. Your garage may be good at helping people with problems with their Toyotas but others are not, and it was a lot of worry for me and even more so as it was my work car, and Toyoya Ireland did nothing to help me.

[ormi]

im sorry to hear that mate ive not really heard of any dealers here making it difficult for customers most are helpfull and the customer gets a car to use till theirs is ready regardless of the time.....toyota gave us more cars to give out..

[Sam29]

W in my experience signs to look out for are ,,, first heater does not blow hot air , if its blowing cold , check expansion tank and fill with coolant , gurgling noise coming from behind the glove box , probably a blockage , white condensation spots on the engine cover , first time the gasket went there was no change on the temperature gauge and no visible sign of oil in the expansion tank , second time it went , heater stopped blowing hot air and within a day , radiator and pipes full of oil and temperature going through the roof , this is my experience

Scary to read all these posts and sometime interesting. I am amazed to know (as mentioned by Ormi) that 2.0 D-4D is no different to 2.2 when it comes to head gasket.

Having said that I have some queries and I hope helpful people will not mind answering these.

1- After reading all these posts, I checked my coolant level (when car was cold) yesterday and it was slightly dropped. However today after 3 hour ride, I checked it and it was normal. Is it normal with Avensis to have difference in levels when car is cold and when its hot?

2- Gurgling noise from behind the glove box: Only heard once, is it enough to state the horror story.

3- Not blowing air or less Air: I had no issues in winter blowing hot air. But lately during the summer I noticed that when I turn on A.C at full and lowest temp (climate control version), it blow the air however after 2-3 miles it increases the blowing of aircon. And it happened many times. I am not sure if that is related to head gasket issue or temperature guage (when temperature guage goes to full, it starts blowing full)? Can somebody clarifies this?

4- white condensation spots on the engine cover: Now my questions is does it come under the engine cover or at the top of it.

Just stating my findings, I have noticed white spots on the sheet under the bonet. And very few below the engine cover but not at the top. I kept an eye on these for past 3-4 months and there is no progress on any of these. Is it sign and symptom of head gasket issue.

And my car is MK2 Avensis with 86K on it, properly and regularly serviced.

Cheers.

[simonward2007]

A bit scary this subject. I'm currently looking at a 2.2 D4D TX 3, 5 door on a 07 plate with 93k on the clock. To say ive been put off is an under statement.

I have been living out in Bulgaria for the last 7 years where i did quite alot of freelance work with Toyota. I saw this problem with the head gasket and small block replacement once. It happened under warranty at 60k Km Avensis 2.0 D4D on a 2006 plate. and was dealt with to a full resolution. IE replacement head, small block and gasket. I did see the state of the combustion chamber on no 4 cylinder (head) and it was wrecked. The engine was rebuilt with a new head and block and pistons.

The fault was put down to poor fuel quality which affects the whole of Bulgaria.

I would like to ask the people who have been having this problem about what kind of fuel have you been using? IE supermarket fuel, other forecourt fuel any bio-fuel veggie oil or any kind of fuel additives?

I owned a Peugeot 306 HDI (new) from 1997 to 2001. I was told under no uncertain terms by the service manager at Glanden Motors Preston that time not to use 'Sainsbury's) fuel as it was not good for the engine. so i did nt and had no engine problems with it (both diesel & petrol).

[acetip]

W in my experience signs to look out for are ,,, first heater does not blow hot air , if its blowing cold , check expansion tank and fill with coolant , gurgling noise coming from behind the glove box , probably a blockage , white condensation spots on the engine cover , first time the gasket went there was no change on the temperature gauge and no visible sign of oil in the expansion tank , second time it went , heater stopped blowing hot air and within a day , radiator and pipes full of oil and temperature going through the roof , this is my experience

Scary to read all these posts and sometime interesting. I am amazed to know (as mentioned by Ormi) that 2.0 D-4D is no different to 2.2 when it comes to head gasket.

Having said that I have some queries and I hope helpful people will not mind answering these.

1- After reading all these posts, I checked my coolant level (when car was cold) yesterday and it was slightly dropped. However today after 3 hour ride, I checked it and it was normal. Is it normal with Avensis to have difference in levels when car is cold and when its hot?

2- Gurgling noise from behind the glove box: Only heard once, is it enough to state the horror story.

3- Not blowing air or less Air: I had no issues in winter blowing hot air. But lately during the summer I noticed that when I turn on A.C at full and lowest temp (climate control version), it blow the air however after 2-3 miles it increases the blowing of aircon. And it happened many times. I am not sure if that is related to head gasket issue or temperature guage (when temperature guage goes to full, it starts blowing full)? Can somebody clarifies this?

4- white condensation spots on the engine cover: Now my questions is does it come under the engine cover or at the top of it.

Just stating my findings, I have noticed white spots on the sheet under the bonet. And very few below the engine cover but not at the top. I kept an eye on these for past 3-4 months and there is no progress on any of these. Is it sign and symptom of head gasket issue.

And my car is MK2 Avensis with 86K on it, properly and regularly serviced.

Cheers.

Coolant level will differ at different temps as antifreeze does expand as it gets hot.when cold it should be at max level.

[Sam29]

W in my experience signs to look out for are ,,, first heater does not blow hot air , if its blowing cold , check expansion tank and fill with coolant , gurgling noise coming from behind the glove box , probably a blockage , white condensation spots on the engine cover , first time the gasket went there was no change on the temperature gauge and no visible sign of oil in the expansion tank , second time it went , heater stopped blowing hot air and within a day , radiator and pipes full of oil and temperature going through the roof , this is my experience

Scary to read all these posts and sometime interesting. I am amazed to know (as mentioned by Ormi) that 2.0 D-4D is no different to 2.2 when it comes to head gasket.

Having said that I have some queries and I hope helpful people will not mind answering these.

1- After reading all these posts, I checked my coolant level (when car was cold) yesterday and it was slightly dropped. However today after 3 hour ride, I checked it and it was normal. Is it normal with Avensis to have difference in levels when car is cold and when its hot?

2- Gurgling noise from behind the glove box: Only heard once, is it enough to state the horror story.

3- Not blowing air or less Air: I had no issues in winter blowing hot air. But lately during the summer I noticed that when I turn on A.C at full and lowest temp (climate control version), it blow the air however after 2-3 miles it increases the blowing of aircon. And it happened many times. I am not sure if that is related to head gasket issue or temperature guage (when temperature guage goes to full, it starts blowing full)? Can somebody clarifies this?

4- white condensation spots on the engine cover: Now my questions is does it come under the engine cover or at the top of it.

Just stating my findings, I have noticed white spots on the sheet under the bonet. And very few below the engine cover but not at the top. I kept an eye on these for past 3-4 months and there is no progress on any of these. Is it sign and symptom of head gasket issue.

And my car is MK2 Avensis with 86K on it, properly and regularly serviced.

Cheers.

Anybody else to take plunge on these.....

[cmia]

You have an MK3,

it doesnt suffer from HG.

It sounds like

1 - coolant expands when warm, and shrinks when cold

2 - You have air in your cooling system

3 - could be blocked pollon filters, or your aircon compressor.

4 - It could be that becuase you have air in your system, it is over pressuring the system causing splash back.

[Sam29]

4 - It could be that becuase you have air in your system, it is over pressuring the system causing splash back.

Thanks Cmia. Really appreciate your input. When you say I have air in the system, which system are we talking about here? Coolant circulation or something else?

Rest for other points,

1) I think I will top up the coolant.

2) To take out air bubles, what should I do?

3) Recently changed the pollen filter but will check it again to see if there is any blockage.

Thanks.

[cmia]

@Sam29

Well the system is self bleeding.

to help air escape quicker you can mount a high kerb with both your front wheels

start the car and making sure its cool remove the radiator cap.

If it starts bubbling. You have air, run untill it has stopped.

BUT the car needs to be cold and needs to warm up for the thermostat to open and start to

circulate the coolant.

If the coolant is at normal levels, dont bother. Having too much will only cause the system to throw it out,

when under pressure.

As for the climate control system. could be something simple as the pollon filter to the aircon compressor, running low on gas.

Maybe even the climate control unit its self has a fault.

Always try the cheapest steps first.

good luck

[Sam29]

@Sam29

Well the system is self bleeding.

to help air escape quicker you can mount a high kerb with both your front wheels

start the car and making sure its cool remove the radiator cap.

If it starts bubbling. You have air, run untill it has stopped.

BUT the car needs to be cold and needs to warm up for the thermostat to open and start to

circulate the coolant.

If the coolant is at normal levels, dont bother. Having too much will only cause the system to throw it out,

when under pressure.

As for the climate control system. could be something simple as the pollon filter to the aircon compressor, running low on gas.

Maybe even the climate control unit its self has a fault.

Always try the cheapest steps first.

good luck

Cheers mate. Really appreciate.

[Heidfirst]

You have an MK3,

it doesnt suffer from HG.

depedns upon how you classify Mks - iirc Sam has an original (i.e. non-facelift) T25 & afaik they can suffer from HG.

[cmia]

You have an MK3,

it doesnt suffer from HG.

depedns upon how you classify Mks - iirc Sam has an original (i.e. non-facelift) T25 & afaik they can suffer from HG.

If you reffer to non facelift then his is a mk2.

But if you include the facelift its a mk3.

Ive never know a mk3 suffer from HG. They are notorious for bad EGR valves.

We have had around 25 of these cars come through the doors, not one has had a HG, but all have had the EGR replaced.

EDIT..

Both use the 1CD-FTV,

one is @ 109HP

the other @ 116HP

Edited August 10, 2011 by cmia

[irishjay]

Fill it full of water and sell it , but a Skoda Vw Audi or Passat, Avensis pre D4d , 2.2 bullet proof??? lmao thats funny ,,,, these engines cant do big miles without problems , fact , i got head gasket "sorted" again under warranty by TOYOTA and guess what ? it went again , get rid ,oh alternator went , poor starting forced me to change starter , injectors went very rumbly on cold mornings , replaced , eats tyres , no good for taxiing , you might love it but believe me when the gasket goes again you will come to hate it , take the advice

[irishjay]

Ps : i will never spend more than 2 grand on a taxi again , currently driving a 97 Audi A4 that had a full years Public Service Vehicle certificate on it , bought for £500.00 going like a dream , new engine priced in scrapyard (if needed) £230.00 !!! also have a E300 merc 97 auto , £800 ,,, have a look at belfast gumtree ,, n o point in taximen spending big money on cars for drunks to wreck , as long as the wheels are turning and its legal go for it

[nuksoocow]

Hey lads havent posted in a bit,this is the story to date:

I drove my avensis 07reg 2.2 D4D to SHELBOURNE MOTORS in portadown 2 and half weeks ago to have a new engine fitted under warranty, I have to say the garage looks the business. They were very polite and made me feel at home, they even dropped me to the train station as part of the service, got the train home and waited for the news of when my car would be ready,

The next day they rang me and said it would be ready in two weeks,what a relief, I received a couple of more calls to say everything was going well and that it would be ready tues 23rd Aug, got the train back up and car was ready to drive away with me not having to pay a penny,the staff there were very professional and went through the paperwork with me and assured me that i would not have the same problem again as the new engine has a modified head.

I have the car working again as its a taxi and it is going great thank god.

As I have posted in the past I bought my car in the UK so it was under the UK warranty of 112k miles or 7 years. Here in Ireland they wouldent even look at me as they have a stupid 3 year warranty and with my car being outside the 3 years and being a UK car, NO hope. I know where Ill be buying my next car!!,

There is oviously a problem with the engines in these cars,

Just a few people to thank,WESTSIDER2 a fellow taxi man who had same problem and gave advice on where to go,and ORMI who really knows his stuff about anything to do with toyota's and the whole warranty issues, also the staff in shelbourne motors,brian in services and neill who looks after the warranty end of things.

I hope this helps other people with similar problems, as irishjay posted earlier watch out for coolant level dropping and heater not blowing hot air and finaly the temp gauge heading north,cheers lads safe driving .

[acetip]

Hey lads havent posted in a bit,this is the story to date:

I drove my avensis 07reg 2.2 D4D to SHELBOURNE MOTORS in portadown 2 and half weeks ago to have a new engine fitted under warranty, I have to say the garage looks the business. They were very polite and made me feel at home, they even dropped me to the train station as part of the service, got the train home and waited for the news of when my car would be ready,

The next day they rang me and said it would be ready in two weeks,what a relief, I received a couple of more calls to say everything was going well and that it would be ready tues 23rd Aug, got the train back up and car was ready to drive away with me not having to pay a penny,the staff there were very professional and went through the paperwork with me and assured me that i would not have the same problem again as the new engine has a modified head.

I have the car working again as its a taxi and it is going great thank god.

As I have posted in the past I bought my car in the UK so it was under the UK warranty of 112k miles or 7 years. Here in Ireland they wouldent even look at me as they have a stupid 3 year warranty and with my car being outside the 3 years and being a UK car, NO hope. I know where Ill be buying my next car!!,

There is oviously a problem with the engines in these cars,

Just a few people to thank,WESTSIDER2 a fellow taxi man who had same problem and gave advice on where to go,and ORMI who really knows his stuff about anything to do with toyota's and the whole warranty issues, also the staff in shelbourne motors,brian in services and neill who looks after the warranty end of things.

I hope this helps other people with similar problems, as irishjay posted earlier watch out for coolant level dropping and heater not blowing hot air and finaly the temp gauge heading north,cheers lads safe driving .

Glad its all sorted for you without you having to pay for the work.

cant undrstand how warranty varies from country to country, does not make sense.

yes ORMI is a Godsend to these forums and i beleave the Lexus ones too.

[nuksoocow]

Cheers acetip thanks to these forums we would'nt know where to start with our problems.

[cmia]

Glad its all sorted for you without you having to pay for the work.

cant undrstand how warranty varies from country to country, does not make sense.

yes ORMI is a Godsend to these forums and i beleave the Lexus ones too.

Now now...

Dont be giving Ormi a big head :P

[neil4768]

I have a 55 plate 2.2 d4d 96000 miles, at the beginning of last week it developed a water leak, not being mechanical minded as I couldn't see a problem with dripping water etc, I took it to my local mechanic who later informed me of the problem, and the likely cost Had a search on line for this problem and thank God for this forum I found this thread and Ormi. Just been to my local Toyota Dealer who has booked it in to be looked at on Tuesday next week, they are very busy!, and confirmed that if it is a gasket or head problem Mr T will pay.

[westsider2]

Hey lads havent posted in a bit,this is the story to date:

I drove my avensis 07reg 2.2 D4D to SHELBOURNE MOTORS in portadown 2 and half weeks ago to have a new engine fitted under warranty, I have to say the garage looks the business. They were very polite and made me feel at home, they even dropped me to the train station as part of the service, got the train home and waited for the news of when my car would be ready,

The next day they rang me and said it would be ready in two weeks,what a relief, I received a couple of more calls to say everything was going well and that it would be ready tues 23rd Aug, got the train back up and car was ready to drive away with me not having to pay a penny,the staff there were very professional and went through the paperwork with me and assured me that i would not have the same problem again as the new engine has a modified head.

I have the car working again as its a taxi and it is going great thank god.

As I have posted in the past I bought my car in the UK so it was under the UK warranty of 112k miles or 7 years. Here in Ireland they wouldent even look at me as they have a stupid 3 year warranty and with my car being outside the 3 years and being a UK car, NO hope. I know where Ill be buying my next car!!,

There is oviously a problem with the engines in these cars,

Just a few people to thank,WESTSIDER2 a fellow taxi man who had same problem and gave advice on where to go,and ORMI who really knows his stuff about anything to do with toyota's and the whole warranty issues, also the staff in shelbourne motors,brian in services and neill who looks after the warranty end of things.

I hope this helps other people with similar problems, as irishjay posted earlier watch out for coolant level dropping and heater not blowing hot air and finaly the temp gauge heading north,cheers lads safe driving .

Glad to hear you got your car back Richie, hope it all goes well from now on. As a side note to the whole saga I had with my Avenis I just recieved the cheque from Hurst in Belfast to cover some of the cost of repairing the dent and damage to the bodywork that they left my car with, three months after I sent it ip to them. Never again I hope.

[nuksoocow]

I have a 55 plate 2.2 d4d 96000 miles, at the beginning of last week it developed a water leak, not being mechanical minded as I couldn't see a problem with dripping water etc, I took it to my local mechanic who later informed me of the problem, and the likely cost Had a search on line for this problem and thank God for this forum I found this thread and Ormi. Just been to my local Toyota Dealer who has booked it in to be looked at on Tuesday next week, they are very busy!, and confirmed that if it is a gasket or head problem Mr T will pay.

Hi neil i hope you get your car sorted its great if MR T sorts it out for you fingers crossed let us know how you get on talk soon m8.

[Red diesel]

Hey lads havent posted in a bit,this is the story to date:

I drove my avensis 07reg 2.2 D4D to SHELBOURNE MOTORS in portadown 2 and half weeks ago to have a new engine fitted under warranty, I have to say the garage looks the business. They were very polite and made me feel at home, they even dropped me to the train station as part of the service, got the train home and waited for the news of when my car would be ready,

The next day they rang me and said it would be ready in two weeks,what a relief, I received a couple of more calls to say everything was going well and that it would be ready tues 23rd Aug, got the train back up and car was ready to drive away with me not having to pay a penny,the staff there were very professional and went through the paperwork with me and assured me that i would not have the same problem again as the new engine has a modified head.

I have the car working again as its a taxi and it is going great thank god.

As I have posted in the past I bought my car in the UK so it was under the UK warranty of 112k miles or 7 years. Here in Ireland they wouldent even look at me as they have a stupid 3 year warranty and with my car being outside the 3 years and being a UK car, NO hope. I know where Ill be buying my next car!!,

There is oviously a problem with the engines in these cars,

Just a few people to thank,WESTSIDER2 a fellow taxi man who had same problem and gave advice on where to go,and ORMI who really knows his stuff about anything to do with toyota's and the whole warranty issues, also the staff in shelbourne motors,brian in services and neill who looks after the warranty end of things.

I hope this helps other people with similar problems, as irishjay posted earlier watch out for coolant level dropping and heater not blowing hot air and finaly the temp gauge heading north,cheers lads safe driving .

Glad you got sorted - at least youve some chance of getting value out of the car now, incidentally i see some franchised main dealers (Toyota, Ford etc) in Ireland are actually bringing in UK cars now to build up stock due to poor car sales in 09 hitting supply of 2 to 3 year old cars (Uk spec level badges on them plus Toyota GB markings on the window lol). I wonder what would happen if a car like your Avensis was bought in by a Toyota garage as a 2nd hand import from the UK for stock and this happened. Personally i think id not bother buying a UK import from an Irish main dealer and instead would rather purchase direct from the UK main dealer. Best of luck with your car in the future - hopefully Toyota may have modified the later versions of these engines - if they have hopefully you won't have this problem again.

Red diesel

[nuksoocow]

Hi red diesel cheers for the message , this forum started out from a guy buying his uk imported avensis from an irish dealer had problems with them at the start but got it sorted in the end due to his own hard work if anyone has similar problems with their toyota they should read through this whole forum alot of info here that will help:)

[neil4768]

I have a 55 plate 2.2 d4d 96000 miles, at the beginning of last week it developed a water leak, not being mechanical minded as I couldn't see a problem with dripping water etc, I took it to my local mechanic who later informed me of the problem, and the likely cost Had a search on line for this problem and thank God for this forum I found this thread and Ormi. Just been to my local Toyota Dealer who has booked it in to be looked at on Tuesday next week, they are very busy!, and confirmed that if it is a gasket or head problem Mr T will pay.

Hi neil i hope you get your car sorted its great if MR T sorts it out for you fingers crossed let us know how you get on talk soon m8.

Well after a bit of a wait, no engines in stock from Toyota! I finally got it replaced last week for free. I also got the clutch replaced at the same time as it was nearing the end of its life and would work out cheaper as there would not charge me any labour for doing it at the same time.

Once again thanks.

Neil