₦airaland Forum

The first pix is the filter located at the back of the engine behind the power steering pump (i presume the engine has the same identical layout as mine). The second pix is the OCV which is located just below the valve cover on the engine.

CMGO: Thx 9icetoo, Never drove thru water, will find out if they set the timing right.
In one of your posts u stated that u once changed those components in ur vehicle, can u pls tell me d cost of each item just incase they need to be replaced. I stay in awka

Scan first sha before you proceed with any repairs. I bought the camshaft with the actuator for less than 10,000. I bought it with the guarantee that if the noise doesn't stop, i will have them remove it and won't pay for the parts but labor. The OCV is about 5k. I have come across someone willing to sell the camshaft for 5k recently. Much depends on ur bargaining power. The labour should be around 8k. Do not use cheap labour, those cheap guys might not be able to set your timing right after the fix. Mgbuka obosi is close to you since you are in awka.

I need to ask if you recently swam through a pool of water as well. Cos if you did, you might have bent your valves which is why you get that diesel engine noise. Was your timing set right after the chain adjuster was worked on? Scan the car and see if you can pull any timing related codes. If you did not swim through a pool of water and your timing is okay, then i guess your intake camshaft actuator is bad. That is the source of the rattle. Depending on where you are, go to a spare parts village where they sell engines and get a tokunbo camshaft with the cam actuator (sprocket) for your engine. replace the existing sprocket. These sprockets go bad when they are starved of oil. Do not allow him adjust the tappets on that engine. They are not adjustable. Check and confirm that the oil control valve which regulates the camshaft actuator still works by applying 12 volts power to the terminal. If the plunger in the ocv moves then it is still good. if it doesn't move then u have the reason why ur camshaft actuator broke down. Change the OCV as well if it is bad or else you will be back to the mechanic to change the camshaft again. Make sure that the camshaft u buy is not for the 2AZ. Both engines look identical. The 2AZ is a 2.4 litre while your 1AZ is 2.0 litre. You might have to go with your camshaft. make sure your timing is set right after this fix or the noise will continue.

TCD: thanks. What does SN above mean please, synthetic?

SN does not mean synthetic. The N after the letter S denotes the grade or quality of the engine oil. M means it is a lower grade and J an even lower grade. Synthetic oils are always labelled clearly as synthetic. If you have ever checked the price of oil in an oando filling station, u will realize that SN oil is more expensive than the SM oil. I think the quality is an indication of the amount of additives and detergents.

diarisgod: Exactly amingo, we could have even been dumped out in the Group Stage had it been Messi was not in our squad. Not even with the low plays from Gonzalo and Sergio...

Who is we? Are you from Argentina? Jeez. Nigerians have really taken fanaticism to a whole new level. By the way, Messi didn't deserve the award. He was below par. Robben deserved it more. Muller was better than him. Schweinsteger was also better.

send an email to ikenna. He will be able to guide through a step by step process of resolving this your overheating issue. I advice you park this car until it is resolved so you don't do more damage to the engine.

klodike: Pls i need clarification. What is the colour of lead and unleaded fuel respectively.

The color you see are probably dyes or colors from the additives added to the petrol such as detergents (Not omo and klin oo, lol). Petrol in its natural state is colorless. I do not know the color of leaded petrol but I do not think all pink petrols are leaded petrol.

tumababa: pls is d actuator also called d sprocket?

Yeah. Speed, i haven't seen the email oo. Please send me a mail. My email address is on my profile. Cheers

They are not generic. The 02 sensor for my 2002 model 2azfe engine may be different from the 02 sensor for a 2004 model 2azfe engine. On auto part websites, you will need to enter your vehicle model and year of production to get the correct match. Also note that the pre and post cat 02 sensors are not interchangeable. The numbers are written on the sensors currently on your car. get them and use them as a reference when searching for tokunbo replacements. Don't mind any dealer who tells you that they are all the same. THEY ARE NOT.

Lomomike, it is not. The 2az fe engine was so successful, toyota used it for more than 6 years and the variants are what you see in newer camrys. The issue of stripped head bolt was restricted to bad batch made in 2003. It is one of the most durable engines around. It doesnt have any issues with sludge as well. The rattle is not a problem unless your camshaft actuator is being starved of oil in which case you just change the actuator and you are good to go. The 2azfe engines have some of the highest recorded miles in cars in the US without a rebuild.

Emperoh: The bolded is the only person who has worked on the car.
We have brought down the CC to see if the indomie was still in there, and it was positive. We washed it and fitted it back and cleared the codes which came back after 2 days driving.

But something also is worthy of note. We checked the reading of the O2 sensors and the post O2 sensor readings where quite or way above normal. something in the region 3.0..... others where with 0.8 to 1.0.

I don't know whether this could be a pointer to the issue.

I am not too conversant with 02 values. You might want to swap in a fairly used post cat 02 sensor to check if that will clear the problem. If it does, then you can start saving up for a new one. Please make sure you buy the sensor with the correct part number or same part number as the one you are replacing.

sleekman: who says lead doesn't reduce d octane content of petrol? Where did u get that from? Lead makes d petrol lighter. Higher d lead content d lower d octane level.

I guess you didn't read my post very well. Firstly, lead is one of the heavy metals and a very heavy element. Look up the atomic mass of lead (Pb) on the periodic table. It cannot make anything lighter. Secondly, Wikipedia and Google are your friends. If they aren't yours, they are mine. Google 'leaded fuel' and assimilate the knowledge. You can also check octane rating of petrol while you are there. Lead was added before the eighties to increase the octane rating of petrol. After the eighties, other compounds were introduced to replace lead in petrol. These compounds did the same thing lead was supposed to do and that is increase the octane rating of petrol. The higher the octane rating, the less likely it is for the petrol to pre-ignite and the more advanced an engine can be timed.

Innovation4real: I appreciate u all 4 ur timely responses.

@nissparts. Yea d fan comes up immediately d ignition starts.

@costee. Wont it be of any implication if d radiator is flushed at dis stage cos d coolant (water) in it is stil very green? Sorry I may sound a bit novice!

Hope 2 learn more frm u great guys.

Unless the temperature gauge indicates your car is overheating, do not tamper with anything. If the temp gauge stays at the half way mark all through your daily drive, then ur car is okay. Engines generate heat and if you don't drive with A/C you might feel the heat in the car if the insulation is failing. You will also fell this heat when you open the bonnet. It's normal.

islovehard: Appreciate all the advice. Is there any good car one can get under a million naira (including registration, duties and all). A friend said I should spend a day shopping at Berger (Apapa).

It depends on what you want. If you want tokunbo, yes its possible. Registration and plate number purchase shouldn't take more than 50k. However, you can also check sites like cheki for cheap well maintained nigerian used cars. i once saw a renault megane with mileage as low as 40k kilometers for sale at N600k. I will advice you to be patient and take your time to browse thru ur options. Do not worry about cars that chicks will dig. They won't share the maintenance bills with you.

before you go to the mechanic OP, please go to a car wash and give your radiator and condenser a good wash. We are in the rainy season and mud and debris that accumulate on the cooling fins of the radiators reduce their efficiency which leads to over heating. If after this, your car still overheats, then you may visit a mechanic. It would be nice if you can post a pix of your temp gauge when this overheat happens so we can know if you call overheat is actually an overheat. Also do not overfill your coolant reservoir. That may also lead to an overheat. There is a full mark on the reservoir, try and keep the water just a bit below that mark.

Emperoh: Could this be the reason why my Lexus is throwing up the Malfunction Indicator Lamp saying that my Catalytic Converter efficiency is below threshold?

All the car needed was to take a trip from Lagos to Abuja and that came up instantly. I am already planning on doing a CC change. Which is quite pricey.

What are your thoughts?

Maybe, but that may not be the reason too. Failing pre and post cat 02 sensors sometimes make the ECU think the cat is failing when it isn't. You will need a good auto shop to check out your pre and post 02 sensors to confirm if they are still working within spec. If they are and you do not have any leaks, then you have to change your catalyst. If it is indeed your catalyst, then the quality of fuel here might have contributed to its early demise. If you are in Abuja, you can seek out the counsel of Ikenna or Car Doctor, they'd be of good help. Don't gut out the cat yet until you confirm.

ruggish10: I hear Toyotas hv uncommon fuel consumption efficiency, that is the reason i got a toyota...but to my greatest surprise my hyundai seems to conserve more fuel than the toyota for the same journey.
I hv changed out the fuel injectors and replaced with new ones but this didnt solve the problem....anybody with suggestions can advise.

Before you murder your toyota at the hands of a mech, kindly tell us the model, year and engine type and size. You see, a lot of people buy 3.0 litre vehicles and expect to get the same fuel economy as their neighbour who owns a 1.2 Litre kia picanto. That is just not possible. So before you continue your torture on that faithful toyota, please give us the info we need and also give that of the hyundai. Thanks.

ruggish10: I hear Toyotas hv uncommon fuel consumption efficiency, that is the reason i got a toyota...but to my greatest surprise my hyundai seems to conserve more fuel than the toyota for the same journey.
I hv changed out the fuel injectors and replaced with new ones but this didnt solve the problem....anybody with suggestions can advise.

Before you murder your toyota in your quest for fuel efficiency, kindly state the toyota model, engine type/size, perceived fuel economy currently being experienced. Also state same for the hyundai and then we will be able to compare. You don't compare fuel economy of a 1.8L enigine and a 4.2 L engine especially for city driving.

TCD: thanks. Pls how much does the timing chain cost for the engine I mentioned above. Any ideas?

Your timing chain costs about N10,000. You might get it cheaper if you are in Lagos. Whats the mileage of your car? Do not go for the cheap timing chains! Most timing chains can last well over 200,000 miles depending on oil change history. I changed mine at 170,000 miles.

sleekman: Anything that isn't wanted in a mixture/compond is an impurity. Leaving lead in fuel decreases d octane content and makes d fuel burn faster than unleaded fuel. Unleaded fuel is a high octane fuel which burns slower and is used primarily in high capacity petrol engines eg Aluminium block engines found in benz S-series or AMGs. The higher octane fuels sometimes don't work on some engines cos they supply 2 much oxygen 4 it 2 operate optimally. Perhaps this is why honda has these issues. I don't think though that Acura will have have this problem cos they have high performance engines.

I agree that anything that isnt desired in a mixture is an impurity. However, lead does not decrease the octane rating of petrol. Before the eighties, petrol was sold with lead in it to prevent detonation> The lead content actually acted as an octane booster. The advent of catalytic converters made lead in petrol undesirable cos of the negative effect it had on the expensive catalytic converters. Other chemical compounds were formulated to boost the octane rating of petrol. Unleaded fuel is not high octane fuel as you believe. Almost all the petrol sold today the world over is unleaded except for very few petrol stations around the world (i don't think nigeria is included) who sell leaded petrol and they clearly mark it out as leaded so you don't mistakenly put the leaded petrol into your modern car. In fact, the dispensing nozzle on a leaded fuel pump will not fit into the petrol receptacle of your modern vehicle. Unleaded fuel is not for high performance cars alone let alone being only for S series or AM whatever. Higher octane petrol are needed in engines with high compression ratios. The higher the compression ratio, the higher the chance of pre-ignition and detonation which could be catastrophic for the engine. Lastly, the higher octane petrol does not supply the oxygen for combustion; atmospheric air drawn into the combustion chamber through your air intake manifold does.
Honda and Acura cars often have engines with high compression ratios sometimes greater than 10:1. With compression ratios this high, low octane petrol will pre-ignite from the immense pressure in the cylinders. The engine management system detects this as knocks and retards the ignition timing which leads to a loss in power. This effect is what the OP noticed. It goes away once you fill up again with a higher octane petrol. Toyotas seem to be immune from this effect because most toyota engines run with moderate compression ratios. My 1.6 litre honda has a higher compression ration ratio than my toyta camry so i am particularly careful about where i buy my fuels for the honda. I refuel the honda at only Total filling stations.

The trailers parking along the road might be part of the problem but no one seemed to notice that cars were driving against traffic on the right. how the hell do you expect to have congestion when people drive on the other side of traffic and trap oncoming cars? We lack patience in this country. Those guys driving on the other side of the road and the state of the road are the major reason for that congestion.

[quote author=Godfullsam][/quote]I think you are wrong here. The impurity in crude oil is not lead. There are a lot of impurities in crude oil from sulphur to water and others. A lot goes on during refining than just heating up the crude and trapping the different fractions. Certain compounds and processes go into the fuel blends to give you the desired octane rating. Our refineries are a bit behind in this process so our fuel is not up to scratch and we do not have any body that enforces the quality of petrol sold here. That is why we see different colors of petrol at the station and experience different MPGs all the time.

abatically: I'm not saying u shouldn't use ur horn. For example if ur trying to overtake someone and u notice that person is swerving towards u , u can blaze ur horn gently so the person can correct himself, that is what horns are for. Not just honkig whenever u see a vehicle in front of u. Jeez some people even use horn for no reason, I mean stuck in a non moving traffic and ur still blazing ur horn. For what, when its obvious the person in front of u can't go, the person in front of the person in front of u is also stuck, so why the horn?

Are u also in support of using horn in hospitals, campuses and estates?

No, I am not in support of that. Yeah, i know some folks are a bit overzealous with the horn. lol. I toot toot twice when i want to overtake a car or flash so the person is aware i am going to overtake. I toooooooooot tooooooooooooot at crazy bus and taxi drivers as well . In all, my horn gets a pretty good work out everyday. I have driven in lag and ph and i must confess, u will need to work that horn more here in ph.

Speed, please send me your email so i can send u a pdf manual on how to troubleshoot the two codes. U can use it as a guide along with ur mech to pinpoint the cause. cheers

Well, you have to use your horns in Nigeria. I have nearly been side swapped three times in one journey from Lagos to Enugu by careless drivers who didn't bother to look before changing lanes while i was overtaking. My horns saved me. Now i keep beeping them whenever i am overtaking. Abatically, blocking someone from overtaking you is a very bad move. Some people (me included when i am infuriated and driving my dads jalopy volvo 740 without ac and power steering) will ram you off the road. trust me i have seen it happen. Nigerians have the highest disregard for road traffic rules. Taxi drivers stop in the middle of the road to pick or drop passengers; bus drivers brake so hard you nearly run into them and they haven't got functioning brake lights; keke drivers swerve into ur lane when they realize they can't squeeze their tricycle between ur car and the trailer on the opposite traffic. Thank God okada has been banned. Jeez. Without a horn, you would probably boil with rage in your car if you drive in a major city in Nigeria.

Tumbaba, no one is arguing. Lol. Since your check engine is not yet on, then i guess you have nothing to worry about yet. You probably just have noisy valve lifters (that's a guess since it cleared when u switched to slightly thicker oil) or the pin in the camshaft sprocket that locks the cam in retard angle is slightly worn (Also happens to high mileage 2AZ FE). Both aren't major issues though. One other thing you should check is your self adjusting serpentine belt tensioner. They are also known to make that sound just when a car is moved from a stand still. Speed, I am based in Ph but not there at the moment.

Tumbaba, scan the car first. If you get codes P1346 or P1349, then come back and we will know what next to do. However if you are not getting any of this codes, then ur camshafts and OCV are still okay. The oil u r using might be causing the noise. What oil are you using? I hope u r not using any of the 20 weight oils. Heavy oils like Mobil XHP or oils of similar weight will have the car make that noise at start up.

If u plan to get the Matrix, please do well to get the XRS model. Its got an impressive amount of horses under the hood. 170 or more of it depending on the year. (just make sure u never overrev it though). It's a lovely car. Forget about the interior being bland and all. The car is functional and easy to maintain and the power and economy are impressive as well.

ray collins: @ 9ice too thanks for d write up. Wish I w as in PH so ur. Mrchanic can fix d car. What is ur average miles per gallon now. Pls find a way. To send me ur no or if u r on BBM ur pin. Thanks

It depends on the codes ur car is throwing Ray. if its the P1346, its a whole days work. U can come to ph during the holidays (20th onwards) and see what can be done. I haven't driven many miles since i fixed the P1349 yet. Just drove the car home from the mech and its been parked since. my number is 08131562123. Will keep the house updated when i fix the P1346. Anyone know where i can get the VVT camshaft sprocket? I don't want to buy tokunbo.

I guess it has to do with ur transmission. Probably it is stuck in lower gears and as such is putting a lot of stress on the engine and using up more fuel since it can't get into higher gears. Look for the input shaft speed sensor and the turbine shaft speed sensor. I read they are easy to get to. get them out, clean them and swap them. If the issue continues, u might need to replace the sensors. (So i read). There are tests that can be done on this sensors to determine if they are still okay but i doubt if thas something our mechs will be willing to do with u. un;less u have the time and skill to do it.
it was also written that the ECM could be a culprit but i wouldn't change the ECM until it is confirmed the sensors are good.
Cheers

So it's true Siena. U really have started working on TOYODAS!!! Lol. I bet u r going to be getting a lot of PMs.
I can get the timing chain and all other accesories where i am except the VVT cam sprocket.
Parts dealers here don't seem to have it and are suggesting i buy a tokunbo which sounds crazy to me. (why put a new chain on an old sprocket?) . Anyone here know where i can get the VVT cam sprocket in ph?

Some do, some don't Ray. My mech calls it plunger. Lol. Well, we got the OCV out and tested it, it worked. (U test it by connecting a 12 volt battery to the terminals. The actuator would move the valve inside.) I however realised that the valve was installed the wrong way probably after checking it and servicing it last time around some months ago. Instead of the two oil outlets facing up and four oil inlets facing down, it was the other way round and as such my camshaft was being starved of oil which led to the failure of the first camshaft. The replacement is also rattling now slightly cos of oil starvation as well. I tried to get to the filter for the OCV. It is located behind the power steering pump. You would need to get that out of the way to loose the nut securing the filter. The nut is a ten alien (hope thats what its called) nut. So u will need a ten alien key for it. The bad news is i wasn't able to get the filter out. It wouldn't come out despite the best efforts of me and the mech. As a last resort, we decided to give it a good spray with a carb cleaner. To check if it was now thru and oil was flowing thru it, we disabled the efi and cranked the car a few times to see if oil will flow out from the OCV port. Oil did flow out. It was getting rather late so i could not check the timing marks. rescheduled that for this weekend. After this fix, the P1349 is gone but the P1346 is back. I will be changing the camshaft and the timing chain this weekend to clear that code. If you have got the P1349, i suggest you have it looked at before you wreck your camshaft. Will update after the camshaft and timing chain change. Cheers.
Attached is a pix of the ocv. Notice the two oil outlets on top. Mine was mistakenly reversed.