2009 Verso 2.0 D4D Service Advice Needed

[talldave]

Hi all,

I have a 2009 Verso 2.0 D4D which will need its annual service in a month or two. I've had if for 18 months and so far it's always been serviced at a main dealer. I'm now planning to service it myself. I've serviced other petrol cars for over 20 years so have no problems with the basics of oil/oil filter/air filter/spark plug changes. However I've never done a diesel so any advice for any differences would be useful.

Obviously there are no spark plugs - do I need to look at anything in their place?

Is the oil filter/air filter easily accessible?

Does anyone have a list of things to replacecheck?

Also how do I remove the plastic top engine cover - does it just pull off? And the bottom plastic shield - does this have plastic clips? None of my other (older) cars have had these.

Thanks in advance.

[alan333]

Some of the diesel engines are prone to cylinder head problems, although I'm not sure if yours is one of them. Toyota have a good-will system in place which covers that specific issue for 7 years, but only if your car has full Toyota history all the way. This might be worth considering before you home service.

The main service items are oil & filter (annually), then things like air filter, fuel filter, alternator drive belt, brake fluid change, anti freeze condition etc are normally at longer intervals - your service booklet should state the intervals. Obviously things like brakes should be checked, along with a good general look over including suspension components. I'm not sure if your engine has a timing belt but it'll need changed at a certain age/miles if it has one.

There are injectors in place of spark plugs but they're not a service item.

[korat102]

The plastic cover over the engine is an interference fit - just pull it off and push it back on. Try one corner at a time.

Before doing anything on a common rail diesel, remember that the fuel system runs under high (really incredibly high) pressure so if you disconnect any hoses make sure everything is nice and tight before turning anything on. You don't want smelly diesel all over the place!

If you intend to service the car yourself, you should get a decent OBDII reader that's compatible with your car so you can read the fault codes and reset them.

[Bod&Hammie]

Changing the oil filter is a real pain in the bum and very messy if you're laying down on your drive. It's a paper filter in a housing.

You have to undo a plug in the bottom of the housing and insert a special drain tube that comes with the filter. Once that clips in the oil drains from the housing then you can undo the housing remove the paper filter, clean everything and get ready to put it all back.

The problem comes when you try to undo the plug. It's usually tighter than the housing so as you try to undo it the whole housing unscrews and oil just goes everywhere.

When you put it all back together the plug and the housing have to be torqued up. The only problem is, is that the torque values are different so you need to torque the plug in the housing first and then torque the housing on the engine using a special tool.(I made mine)

Air filter, dead easy.

Fuel filter, hard to get at. Remove air induction piping and anything else in the way, undo filter housing mounting bolts and gently pull the whole lot forward to give you room to get your filter strap in, hold the aluminium housing with some grips and undo filter with strap. Here comes the mess again as diesel pours out all over the place. Fill the new filter with clean diesel if you can, little bit of oil on the seal ring and whack it all back together. if you can't put any diesel in the filter just use the hand pump once it's all back together.

Biggest job is then to clean up all the diesel spillage.

It is all doable but awkward and messy.

Good luck,

Bod

[talldave]

Bob&Hammie - thanks for your reply. I've finally got round to doing the service. Re: oil filter - I now understand what you mean. I bought a tool to remove the housing but I don't have a tool to remove the plug that screws into the housing so I wasn't able to remove the housing. What size is the square recess in the plug? I didn't have anything to fit it.

Thanks

[Bod&Hammie]

Can't really help you there Dave. Mine was a 14mm nut plug. If yours is a square then it should be either a 3/8" or an 8mm. 8mm is what is usually found on a french car and it's unlikely to be a 3/8" imperial English size on a Japanese car. You could ring the service dept at your local Mr T dealership and ask a technician.

Bod

[talldave]

I phonned my local Toyota garage this morning. They say I don't actually need to remove the recessed square nut as this is just to drain the oil out of the filter. I ought to be able to just remove the housing with the tool I have that fits around it. However it was very tight and even applying reasonable force using my 50cm bar didn't move it and I didn't want to force it and break anything. Toyota did say the housing can be very tight - have you found this?

[Bod&Hammie]

As far as remember it was tight the first time although it really shouldn't be. I think it should only be done up to 27ft lb with a torque wrench but do check that first before torquing up.

I don't mean to be patronising when I say don't forget that it still un-does anti clockwise and you are lying on your back so it may feel like you're turning the wrong way. Sorry if that sounds like I'm teaching you to suck eggs.

Bod.

[talldave]

No offence taken Bod. It's a good point to check about the way to turn it - but I was definately trying to turn it the correct way (anti-clockwise). I always double check when doing something like this as you're right - when you're lying on your back things can seem different. Anway I think I'll admit defeat and take it to my local (non Toyota - but cheaper) garage. Thanks for your advice on this.