I Hate My Car :(

[Mackers]

I got an Avensis 1.8VVT-i 'X'Reg, and the engine light came on last week,

Showing:

Mass Air Flow Fault,

Air Temp Fault,

Bank 1 Sensor 1 Fault

and NO power in the car.

So i took it to toyota they plugged it on and said it was the MAF Sensor on the air box playing up and it was inturn setting the rest off, anyways ordered the sensor (goes into the airbox lid) and replaced it meself £93(2 phillips screws), took it back got it cleared and sorted....... cept lack of power.

Took it to a mates........ seeing as the light was now off and he's ok with cars himself. only to find out the lack of power is a knackered CAT...... you could hear debris in the cat when ya knocked it and when idleing, so ordered tha t(another £230) and had it fitted, but when changing it looked up the pipes of the manifold and "MANIVERTER" i have 2 cats...... lucky eh??? to find 1 section with the "normal" hunnycone section in it and the other empty, but not a mak inside to indicate that there was a cat matrix in there to begin with, cars back got the power and runs ok...brill............

.....

.....

..... until a few days later, when the light comes back on with the car spitting small clouds of blue/black smoke only occasionally and at a certain rev it's popping too, (jus like it does on de-celleration), the same mate says to book it in with TOYOTA..... hmmmmmmmm, and pay silly prices...... NO, any idea's whats up, me mate recons it could be a burnt valve or somat, my god father (a mechanic) won't touch it when the light is on, so i'm a but stuck ATM.

Basically if i need a new bank 1 sensor 1 it'll cost about £130 and the maniverter will set me back £530, along with whatever is causing me to burn a bit of oil, nice xmas eh???

ANY HELP APPRICIATED.

Wayne.

[Mackers]

any one got any idea's

i've heard that the bank1 sensor1 is some kind of heater element thing, is this true, could it have stuck "on" and burnt the cat out??

[purvesh81]

Hi mate,

Sorry to hear your having troubles. I'm not sure what is specifically wrong with your car, but I am surprised that issues have been raised with regards to the CAT. When I had problem with my power drop they suspected my CAT also, but it turned out to be fine and mines done 110k - so I'm surprised yours has failed. I know they can 'knock out' if you have a freak incident, such as it getting splashed with cold water when it's really hot.

You live quite far, but there's is an ex-Toyota Technician who I use who is excellent.

Hope you get it resolved, keep us posted.

[Black Knight]

The bit about the oil burning worries me a bit. Whilst the gas is normally heading downstream in the exhaust there's a little bit always gets drawn back up the ports as the valves close and the pistons move onto the intake stroke.

Seen several occurences where a shattered cat in a maniverter drags the light fragments of the ceramic cat back into the bores and absolutely decimates the rings and bores.

Hopefully it isn't this but I wouldn't bet against it