Newbie with an avensis t22

[Laudrin Kevin]

Hello everyone

I'm a happy owner of a t22 avensis td4d that has been in the familly since the start, my parents bought it to fit the baby needs ( aka me ) in 2001. For as long as i recall this car has been a staple of vaccation, as a student 6 years ago i begged to have it ( instead of their initial plan of scrapping it and getting a dacia sandero ). At the time the car had around 375k km on it and ran kinda well ( had to swap the solenoid valves on the injection pump ). Unfortunatly over the years of being a studdent in a mountenous area the poor thing didn't have proper maintenance and developped some issues ( rust, brakes seizing and such ). I told myself i would give her the overhaul she needed as soon as i can or when she hits 500k km.

So here we are today, the car has 508k km and is being worked on ( by me, which i'm not good at lol ) and is very slowly getting back to it's former glory, there is still tons of work to do and it's not in a running state ( not that it matters as she diddn't pass MOT )

I must appologize if my english is a bit broken as it's not my native tongue, never the less i wish you a glorious day.

Yours truly, the friendly french man

 

PS: i'm not a mechanic so i do very much appriciate any and all tips and tricks

[Bper]

Hi Kevin, welcome lots of good advice when you need it and always welcome when you give it.😃

Reading your story about the Avensis, it’s clear how much this car means to you and your family. It’s a credit to you that you’re keeping it alive after all these years, especially with such high mileage. And don’t worry about your English it’s perfectly fine.It’s great that you’re taking on the restoration yourself, especially as you’re not a mechanic. That’s no easy task. Check for rust as it can be tricky and time consuming to deal with, but it’s important to remove it all, even if that means cutting out and replacing sections. Spending the time now will definitely pay off in the long run. A good rust converter and some paint will help protect the metal afterwards.If the brakes are seizing up, consider rebuilding or replacing the calipers, and be sure to check the brake lines for any corrosion. It’s also worth changing all the fluids, checking the timing belt, and inspecting the suspension, especially with the mileage your Avensis has.

Restoring a car is a lengthy process so take your time. Every little bit you do is progress, and I’m sure your Avensis will be back on the road soon. If you need any more advice or just want to share how it’s going, just post a question many members will be happy to share their experience. Good luck😃

[Laudrin Kevin]

It's quite on it's way as well, i'll be dropping the engine and gearbox very soon as i plan to take a closer look to it. It was an oil burner/pucker for the last 10 years and got bad enouth that it didn't pass the MOT.  The pros to this is that the underside is completely coated of grease so bolts are easy to loosen and it's devoid of rust. The cons, i have absolutly no clue to where the leak is and everything is super slipery lol.

Halfshafts were quite used so i'm replacing them, the brake calipers and discs too, doing a timing on the engine, new clutch kit is ready and i possibly want to take the engine to a shop so they can check it's overall heath ( piston rings, cams and bearings ).

In the mean time i plan to get rid of the rust ( either try myself or get the car to a bodyshop for that ) unfortunatly i tried a couple of years ago some shops but they wanted none of it, now that the engine will be gone for a while i hope that somebody might accept the work.

Regardless it's a long process that i'm looking forward to 1 weekend at a time XD

Anyways i'm getting carried away, many thx for the advice and encouragement @Bper !!! ^^

[Xanadu_999]

Hello and welcome, Kevin.

[FROSTYBALLS]

Hello Kevin - welcome to Toyota Owners Club.