Idling time before diesel engine stop

[Gerald Walsh]

Greetings fellow Avensis lovers! 

Please refer to page 199 of the owners manual for the t27 Avensis diesel. This states that after a long motorway trip, on completing your journey, do not immediately switch off the engine. Leave the engine running for the period of time specified in manual on page 199.

I was not aware of this and only stumbled a cross this as I was glancing through the vast manual. For weeks now, I have been having issues with dash warning lights, such as check parking brake, check vsc, and the cel and other ancillary lights. Despite two attempts at diagnostics, I was not getting a definite diagnoses. Engine performance was an issue also. 

Then the other night, I started the car, and lo and behold, all issues GONE. How come? Well, the day previous, I had given the wife a lift to visit a friend. I stayed in the car and left the engine running as I knew stop start driving is not good for a diesel engine. This obviously is what cured all the issues, as next time I used the car all the issues gone. 

Had I continued to be oblivious to this stipulation of leaving the engine running, the turbocharger would eventually need to be replaced.... Ouch! Why on earth don't Toyota have this warning in bold letters at the start of the manual?? 

So, beware fellow Avensis enthusiasts!! 

? 

 

[Konrad C]

This is a general warning to all turbo cars, diesel and petrol. Also known for decades that it's best to 'warm down' before shutting off. Some cars even let the fan run after shutting off the engine. 
You either have an intermittent fault, or the diagnostics are not find the exact issue.   

[yossarian247]

TBH I've never been convinced of the necessity of this on diesel engines. On petrol turbos yes, the turbo can get so hot that it will glow cherry red after sustained hard driving and allowing them to idle for a while afterwards does help the turbo to cool down. 

On turbo diesels however the turbo doesn't get anywhere near this hot. It obviously concerned Toyota enough to put a note about it in the manual, but I can only point to the large number of diesel vehicles we have at work. They are thrashed up and down motorways pretty much constantly, often with little mechanical sympathy by the drivers, kept for sometimes 200k plus, and I can't recall ever having to replace a turbo on any of them.