New Avensis Owner Here! - S Reg - 1998 - 1.8 Gs

[bigup]

Hi guys

just got my first toyota, which is an S reg Avensis 1.8 GS, im liking it alot and cant believe ive never had a toyota before now.

just got a few questions about the car really,

1. it has has full toyota service history, its mileage is 81K at present, its last service was done 2 weeks ago, when is the next service due?

2. I need to get car mats, ive got grey velour interior, do i get black or grey mats? i don't know which would suit the car better..

3. around the back window, the seal is lose from one corner, it seems like the whole rubber seal that goes around the window has shrunk, because its a very tight fit and if i force it in one corner the other corner pops out. - how do i fix this? do i need a whole new seal?

4. in the engine, the tank on the left thats labeled as "engine coolant" the level of the coolant is just above the LOW line. Where should this level be? at the FULL line? if so, what coolant do i use as it doesn't seem to be just water, its a yellowy type liquid.

i think thats it for now!

thanks in advance for any information.

[Penfold]

Answers

1 = 12months or 6000miles, alternating A or B service.

A service = interim

B service = major

every 3 years = brake fluid change.

Every 60k or 5 years change the cam belt. you are due next year.

2 = I have grey in the wife corolla and they go a dirty brown colour too quickly. My Avensis has green trim, biege carpet and I've fitted black rubber mats cos they're practical and easier to clean when the kids have been playing footie or gone rambling....

3 = Saloon or Hatchback? Check to see if the glass is original toyota (matches the manufacturer details on the side windows) if it isn't you might have a defective window. If it is, then the chances are that the tailgate is twisted. If it's a saloon then you may have a bigger issue with the body. Take it to an automotive window repairer and see what they say.

4 = coolant level should be midway between the two. Use a protective antifreeze mix to top it up as it has an aluminium head. If you use plain old tap water it will promote internal corrosion of the aluminium which will clog the radiator.

I'm at 82k on a '98 2.0 and life is good - apart from the constantly blowing dome light (every year) and the mental alarm system during the summer months........

[bigup]

thanks for the detailed reply

its a hatchback the window is on solidly with no leaks of any kind, il check tonight to see if it is toyota glass, im pretty sure i saw it was.

its just the rubber seal thing that goes around the window, doesn't look like the tailgate is twisted, it closes flush.

il get it checked by automotive window repairer.

thanks once again!

[bigup]

I checked last night and it is a toyota glass, just like the rest of them,

was heavily raining this morning so checked the boot and no leaks as of yet.

[Electric]

Hi Bigup,

My Avensis is the same model as yours low mileage and perfect condtion but has the same problem with the rear window, it doesn't leak either but I've had no luck trying to stick it down.

Funny enough the wife drives the 5 door corolla made in the same year, the one that looks like a baby Avensis MK1, her rear window is fine even with more curve to the rubber surround.. its an odd one mate :)

[bigup]

Hi Bigup,

My Avensis is the same model as yours low mileage and perfect condtion but has the same problem with the rear window, it doesn't leak either but I've had no luck trying to stick it down.

Funny enough the wife drives the 5 door corolla made in the same year, the one that looks like a baby Avensis MK1, her rear window is fine even with more curve to the rubber surround.. its an odd one mate :)

glad to know im not the only one!

having said that, i called AutoGlass today and they recommended me going to a autoglass branch to have them look at it, they said the back window may need to be taken off then reseated again with the seal in place *eeeek!*

or they will try and stick the seal down somehow.

i wouldn't mind leaving it as it is, but it doesn't look right, i just hope it isnt a costly fix

im going around there after work so will update you on what they say

[bigup]

went to autoglass before, the guy advised me to use silicone sealant and tape the corners down to dry

he said the glass is glued in and wont leak.

or they will charge £75 +VAT + cost of new seal and the window will have to be popped out to resit it.

i went for the silicone route for now!

[Electric]

Hi there,

Thanks for that info - good one!

I've tried the clear silicone route myself with no success... :(

You need something to grip and hold the seal down while it drys which is a pain.

I would be interested to see how you get on

Cheers Electric

[bigup]

Hi there,

Thanks for that info - good one!

I've tried the clear silicone route myself with no success... :(

You need something to grip and hold the seal down while it drys which is a pain.

I would be interested to see how you get on

Cheers Electric

popped into B&Q last night to get some clear sealant, applied it to the seal last night but used masking tape to "try" and force the seal into place while it dries.

I will check on it when i get back home from work as the sealant says wait 24 hours, so will slowly take off the masking tape and hopefully it will be a temporary solution for the time being.

another problem i noticed on the car is i have some sort of leak under the engine, it looks like coolant or oil, i cant distinguish between them as the oil is is clear/yellowy and the coolant is a yellowly colour aswell,. the oil levels are fine, but the coolant levels are just above the LOW mark, but it was like this when i bought the car last week so im not sure whats actually leaking, it doesn't look like water and have not even used the A/C yet so can rule that out.

any advice on where to look at to see if i can see the leak?

thanks guys!

[gazza1286]

The coolant will dry overnight. The oil will remain wet. Is it gear oil, which has a distinctive smell? Put some carboard under the car overnight. If it's Gear oil look near the inboard ends of the driveshafts. It will probably be one of the shaft seals. If its Engine oil it will more than likely be from the cam cover.

Coolant tends to be forced out under pressure when the car is hot. It therefore evaporates and there isn't usually any wetness to see. By the way. Have you checked the level at the radiator cap? This is the best way to see if your cooling system is full.

[bigup]

The coolant will dry overnight. The oil will remain wet. Is it gear oil, which has a distinctive smell? Put some carboard under the car overnight. If it's Gear oil look near the inboard ends of the driveshafts. It will probably be one of the shaft seals. If its Engine oil it will more than likely be from the cam cover.

Coolant tends to be forced out under pressure when the car is hot. It therefore evaporates and there isn't usually any wetness to see. By the way. Have you checked the level at the radiator cap? This is the best way to see if your cooling system is full.

many thanks for your reply

i checked the coolant tank last night and it was below the LOW mark, but the the radiator is still full. Just to point out the coolant it self isn't just water its more of a yellow oily liquid.

so this morning i topped the coolant tank to just under the FULL mark and drove to work (15miles on motorway), at work i checked under the bonnet and the coolant level seems to have gone down a little and i can see wet patches if i look straight down to the right of the coolant tank, the coolant tank doesn't seem to have a hole in it as around the bottom of the coolant tank it is no wet or doesn't show any signs of being wet.

i thought it maybe the radiator "empty" tap at the bottom, i checked that and it seems tight enough and started the car when it was still hot, and i cant seem to find any obvious leaks.

this is damn confusing!

[gazza1286]

When you say 'the right of the coolant' do you mean on the right as viewed from standing in front and looking at the car? i.e. more under the engine? If thats thae case you will have a leak in your water pump. The pump has a 'check hole' behind the pulley wheel under the bearing. This is designed to fail giving forewarning of a failing pump bearing. If you get underneath the car you should see white crusty residue and possible dampness.

If you aren't doing the work yourself expect to pay around £30 for the part and at least 3hours labour. If that is the fault it would be wise to change the timing belt at the same time.

Original Toyota coolant is that colour. BTW the previous owner will have probably been topping up (with water) like you have done. The coolant will by now be very weak and will also need replacing

[bigup]

thanks for the detailed reply mate

took the car to a garage and they put it on a ramp

firstly the gearbox refill nut was very loose! so he tightened that.

secondly a leak was found on the power steering pipe at the front of the car just to the left of the radiator, the pipe has rusted and was leaking power steering fluid. i think this is what was leaking.

went to the T dealer and have ordered the part for monday pick up

i didnt ask the mechanic to check the water pump, will do though to make sure that is ok aswell, would this leak be obvious?

weird though cos ive only had the car 1 week and mr T had done a service A 2 weeks ago, not sure why they didnt pick up on it.

oh and the seal on the back widndow was ok for 1 day, now the corners have started to lift up, i will probably get autoglass to try sort this out when i can afford to get it done. will insurance not pay for this?

[gazza1286]

The gearbox and filler are on the nearside of the vehicle (opposite to where you described the leak - so its not that)

The pipes for the power steering aren't anywhere near the radiator? There is an oil cooler next to the radiator and the air-con condensor - Are you sure he didn't mean these.

Are you sure you have a coolant leak? The levels in the expansion tank can change by around an inch or so up and down. This is normal. Keep a close eye on the levels. If its going down you must have a leak. Or the head gasket is suspect. How many miles has your car done?

The possible dampness and white residue would be on the water pump housing around the check hole. It can only be seen from below.

[bigup]

the coolant seems to be ok now, but it was low the other day, il keep an eye on it though.

the pipe that is leaking is attached to a smaller type radiator that is front of the main radiator

so i think you are right, i think it is called the oil cooler. The guy from the toyoya dealer came out and i showed him exactly what pipe was leaking, he brought out schematics and he has ordered the correct pipe.

a hose goes from the oil cooler and goes down into a metal pipe (in an L shape), well it is this metal pipe that has rusted and leaking, i do see rainbow effect on the floor from where it has leaked..

so is this leaking oil or power steering fluid? this is very confusing

il try get pics up later on, sorry im being very vague on my description!

also, there is 2 filler tanks at the back of the engine bay, what are these for?

thanks!

[gazza1286]

The item you describe is the oil cooler. These pipes do rust but the leaks will alsmost certainly come from the flexi rubber connectors. It is leaking engine oil. If you follow the hoses/pipes back you will see that they connect to a unit bolted to the front of the engine block.

The black plastic cap screwed into a black canister on the off-side towards the rear of the engine bay is the power-steering reservoir. There is a dipstick inside which will tell you if it needs topping up. There isn't anything else other than the brake and clutch reservoirs (these are see-through)

Get yourself a Haynes Manual - it covers all of this

[bigup]

thank you gazza, you have been a great help

part will arrive tomorrow so until then, il just have to manage with the leak, hopefully it wont be a big job to change the pipe