Hi everyone.

My car is an XLE Limited AWD year 04/05 .

Its over heating after about 3 days of use. Thermostat has ben changed with a new one I bought myself (from US).

OBD is also pulling p0306 "cylinder 6 misfire" every 2 days with CEL.

No milky discharge or wattery oil yet. no visible leakage of radiator water in engine area.

Is my gasket flat? should it be changed? how much does one cost for this engine? Or is there something else that causing this over heating.

Oh and as a side thought can ANYONE please fix the power sliding doors once and for all....

Thanks.

Are your fans working well?

Thanks @smartchoice. One of the fans is a little slower than the other so I installed an extra fan in front blowing into the engine. I just removed the new thermostat too, but it still overheated.

fikfik: Hi everyone.

My car is an XLE Limited AWD year 04/05 .

Its over heating after about 3 days of use. Thermostat has ben changed with a new one I bought myself (from US).

OBD is also pulling p0306 "cylinder 6 misfire" every 2 days with CEL.

No milky discharge or wattery oil yet. no visible leakage of radiator water in engine area.

Is my gasket flat? should it be changed? how much does one cost for this engine? Or is there something else that causing this over heating.

Oh and as a side thought can ANYONE please fix the power sliding doors once and for all....

Thanks.

Perhaps you did not purchase the exact model of the thermostat for your vehicle. You need to get an experienced auto mechanic to examine it. For your sliding doors, certainly, they can be fixed. I had similar problem sometime ago and got them sorted here in Abuja. You may need to state where you live. Regards.

Test the water pump.

Open the radiator cap, start engine and rev engine while observing the water. It should be turbulent and the level should go down with high rev. If the water is still while revving high, then the pump is bad.

U also need to know if there is a leakage or water overflowing from the reserve tank.

Who fixed it for you, can i have a name and number? thanks

bravolad:

Perhaps you did not purchase the exact model of the thermostat for your vehicle. You need to get an experienced auto mechanic to examine it. For your sliding doors, certainly, they can be fixed. I had similar problem sometime ago and got them sorted here in Abuja. You may need to state where you live. Regards.

Will do that in the morning and give feedback. there are no water leaks too.

adanny01: Test the water pump.

Open the radiator cap, start engine and rev engine while observing the water. It should be turbulent and the level should go down with high rev. If the water is still while revving high, then the pump is bad.

U also need to know if there is a leakage or water overflowing from the reserve tank.

Pumps working fine. I now may have to begin asking the question; how much is a top cylinder head gasket for this car and what are the things i should make sur my mech adheres to when changining it...

fikfik: Will do that in the morning and give feedback. there are no water leaks too.

Why are you asking if you're not sure of what the problem is? And why not just fix the misbehaving fan? Not by adding an extra but by making sure the factory one's work according to specifications. That is change them! Start small and avoid unnecessary expenses.

A P0306 code means that the the car's computer has detected that one of the engine's cylinders is not firing properly. In this case it's cylinder #6.

Symptoms may include: the engine may be harder to start the engine may stumble / stumble, and/or hesitate other symptoms may also be present

A code P0306 may mean that one or more of the following has happened: Faulty spark plug or wire Faulty coil (pack) Faulty oxygen sensor(s) Faulty fuel injector Burned exhaust valve Faulty catalytic converter(s) Running out of fuel Poor compression Defective computer

If there are no symptoms, the simplest thing to do is to reset the code and see if it comes back. If there are symptoms such as the engine is stumbling or hesitating, check all wiring and connectors that lead to the cylinders (i.e. spark plugs). Depending on how long the ignition components have been in the car, it may be a good idea to replace them as part of your regular maintenance schedule. I would suggest spark plugs, spark plug wires, distributor cap, and rotor (if applicable). Otherwise, check the coils (a.k.a. coil packs). In some cases, the catalytic converter has gone bad. If you smell rotten eggs in the exhaust, your cat converter needs to be replaced. I've also heard in other cases the problems were faulty fuel injectors.

Update:

- I had the top cylinder gasket changed and no more p0306 code.
- But I noticed that every 3-5 days, my water level goes down and if i don't top-up my temp goes above half!
- Again, no visible leakage. Once the water is topped up in the car, the car can be in a go slow for probably days and not overheat. After about 5 days it'll take about half a 1.5L ragolis bottle
- Since the gasket change, i'm now getting error P0016 & P0018 from OBD (no noticeable misfires in engine)
- still havent found someone to fix my sliding door issue (dont mind changing the whole assembly with new)

Any idea on how i can stop having to add water every 5 days? Thanks everyone!

While not being a Toyota fan , I believe there are diagnosis tools for Toyotas not just code readers! So why not find a specialist that has the right tools needed?

How reliable these Toyotas are

When you start digging into your engine your mechanic won't stop, you had a simple problem, misfire and over heat.

now you are still losing coolant and other things are creeping up.When the mechanic went into the engine he took out the spark plugs cleaned them then reinstalled them which could have fixed your p0306 in the first place cyl 6 misfire.

Guess who is going to make more money with your upcoming problems

fikfik: Update:

- I had the top cylinder gasket changed and no more p0306 code.
- But I noticed that every 3-5 days, my water level goes down and if i don't top-up my temp goes above half!
- Again, no visible leakage. [/b]Once the water is topped up in the car, the car can be in a go slow for probably days and not overheat. After about 5 days it'll take about half a 1.5L ragolis bottle
- Since the gasket change, i'm now getting error P0016 & P0018 from OBD (no noticeable misfires in engine)
- still havent found someone to fix my sliding door issue (dont mind changing the whole assembly with new)

Any idea on how i can stop having to add water every 5 days? Thanks everyone!

Really you use water? I would advice/advise Coolant. Its cheaper in the long run (considering the cost of a new water pump and flushing your radiator)

- Since the gasket change, i'm now getting error P0016 & P0018 from OBD (no noticeable misfires in engine)
Did He Double the gasket. Most time they use the wrong gasket and double it. WRONG MOVE

Any idea on how i can stop having to add water every 5 days? Thanks everyone!
The idea is to use coolant. Not rocket science, no other magic

fikfik: Update:

- I had the top cylinder gasket changed and no more p0306 code.
- But I noticed that every 3-5 days, my water level goes down and if i don't top-up my temp goes above half!
- Again, no visible leakage. Once the water is topped up in the car, the car can be in a go slow for probably days and not overheat. After about 5 days it'll take about half a 1.5L ragolis bottle
- Since the gasket change, i'm now getting error P0016 & P0018 from OBD (no noticeable misfires in engine)
- still havent found someone to fix my sliding door issue (dont mind changing the whole assembly with new)

Any idea on how i can stop having to add water every 5 days? Thanks everyone!

Some of the problems you have on your mini van can be fixed seamlessly here in Abuja. That was exactly why I asked you in my earlier response to your post. There is man that can fix your power (sliding doors) here but I do not have his permission to give out his number on this forum. I use the same model of vehicle. Moreover, there is also a competent garage here that can handle your overheating problem. But as I said, I do not know how they would feel about my giving out there detail on a public forum. Better still, u can leave your email address here.

Regards.

bravolad:

Some of the problems you have on your mini van can be fixed seamlessly here in Abuja. That was exactly why I asked you in my earlier response to your post. There is man that can fix your power (sliding doors) here but I do not have his permission to give out his number on this forum. I use the same model of vehicle. Moreover, there is also a competent garage here that can handle your overheating problem. But as I said, I do not know how they would feel about my giving out there detail on a public forum. Better still, u can leave your email address here.

Regards.

Thanks, please send me a private message with the phone numbers and email

Thanks for the replies everyone.

For those who are concerned about mechanics milking me, I'm an adventurist and am OK trouble shooting my car like this. I'm an engineer and to a large extent have done alot of research myself before I sanction these changes. Besides, I'm of the mentality if you dont give some other people opportunity to make money, how will you make money yourself.

That said, I've decided to:

1. Get coolant dye and use it with UV light to detect where the leak is coming from
2. Change the timing belt which will hopefully get rid of those OBD errors. (many people are saying a tooth on the belt is missing or misaligned).

icemann:


Really you use water? I would advice/advise Coolant. Its cheaper in the long run (considering the cost of a new water pump and flushing your radiator)

- Since the gasket change, i'm now getting error P0016 & P0018 from OBD (no noticeable misfires in engine)
Did He Double the gasket. Most time they use the wrong gasket and double it. WRONG MOVE

Any idea on how i can stop having to add water every 5 days? Thanks everyone!
The idea is to use coolant. Not rocket science, no other magic

-wont the coolant still just leak out? and coolant is much more expensive than water...
- No they didnt double the gasket. It was the right one (for 3MZ engine) and I dont see any oil in the water or vice versa.

sultaan: How reliable these Toyotas are

When you start digging into your engine your mechanic won't stop, you had a simple problem, misfire and over heat.

now you are still losing coolant and other things are creeping up.When the mechanic went into the engine he took out the spark plugs cleaned them then reinstalled them which could have fixed your p0306 in the first place cyl 6 misfire.

Guess who is going to make more money with your upcoming problems

This is nothing, trust me. I used to drive a Honda Oddyssey and that was HELL....

Thanks though, I'll definitely continue to keep my head up moving forward.

fikfik:

Thanks, please send me a private message with the phone numbers and email

If you live in Abuja, take your van to AutoGenesis, they will fix whatever problem you have with it. They are in Wuse 2. For your sliding door, I have tried sending an email through your profile but it requires you to be online at the time of sending the mail.

bravolad:

If you live in Abuja, take your van to AutoGenesis, they will fix whatever problem you have with it. They are in Wuse 2. For your sliding door, I have tried sending an email through your profile but it requires you to be online at the time of sending the mail.

Thanks, have sent you an anonymous message, just reply it and we'll be connected. Where is Autogenesis? I think if you put both phoen numbers here (for autogenesis and the sliding doors guy), it will be of benefit for other with similar probs and also help promote the company.

fikfik:

Thanks, have sent you an anonymous message, just reply it and we'll be connected. Where is Autogenesis? I think if you put both phoen numbers here (for autogenesis and the sliding doors guy), it will be of benefit for other with similar probs and also help promote the company.

I have sent the two numbers (AutoGenesis & the power door) repair guys. I trust they would be helpful. Please update the house when your vehicle problems are resolved.

Meanwhile, I could not post their phone numbers here because as I said in my earlier posts, I do not have their permission to do so. Even though posting the numbers here could generate further business for them but people frown at such without the express permission of the owners. Personally, I would not take it so I would not do same to another person.

bravolad:

I have sent the two numbers (AutoGenesis & the power door) repair guys. I trust they would be helpful. Please update the house when your vehicle problems are resolved.

Meanwhile, I could not post their phone numbers here because as I said in my earlier posts, I do not have their permission to do so. Even though posting the numbers here could generate further business for them but people frown at such without the express permission of the owners. Personally, I would not take it so I would not do same to another person.

@bravolad, thanks. I'll let everyone know how it goes.

UPDATE

Thanks @bravolad. The car is running great now. Here's what I did:

1. Got this lime green dye that you add to the radiator water and run the engine. After running for a wile, you wear ultraviolet goggles and look around all the engine to see where parts of the die are. This revealed a leak under my water pump. I changed the water pump and no visible leaks anywhere else. Finally I do not have to top up water every week.

2. The power doors are all working great. That Francis guy is amazing, he redid the whole assembly of both doors. Changed many tiny parts and now everything's fine. Though I just noticed that when on a hill sloping downwards, one of the doors doesn't hold when opened, but I'll take that to Francis within the week. Its like heaven to have these doors working seamlessly again.

What did you do as regards the timing codes?