₦airaland Forum

I will keep you updated ray. there is a slight rattle from the timing area. not loud. just a slight rattle when i engage the drive gear. The code disappeared this morning. don't know why. will drive the car into town later in the day to see if it comes back. The P1346 hasn't come back though. But will still check the timing marks and the ocv.

So what should the advanced timing at idle be? Cos I have got a chart here with rpm, fuel octane rating and engine rpm. And for 400 rpm with octane 78 fuel, the timing is 2 at 800 rpm, the timing is 5. And increases gradually till 20 at around 2000 rpm.

I just got a scanner last week and scanned my car and got two codes. P1346 and P1349. I did a reset and P1349 came back within three miles. The P1346 did not. Things i have noticed; Power seems to be poor at low rpms, fuel economy has reduced (now down to 5km per liter ). The scanner states my timing is at 10 degress after car has warmed up and RPM has settled at 670 rpm. This is against 2 - 5 degress which a chart i downloaded says it should be at. (the timing increases as rpms increase but is way higher than that stated on the chat).
On my last post, i did mention that i changed my camshaft at onitsha which could point to the cause of the problem. I also wonder if the chain jumped a tooth or two while i have been driving around cos the codes didnt show after i changed the intake camshaft.
Has anyone experienced this before and how was it sorted? I intend to get a mech to check my timing tomorrow and set it right if it is off and then clean out the ocv valve strainer if it is blocked. then check the ocv valve if its still operational. I downloaded a checklist for it. Is there something else i should check?

Sorry chukel, i haven't been able to get the mechs number who did the job for me in onitsha. Unfortunately, i couldn't save the number. I have explained my situation with oroz to you. he will come in handy when i need a major overhaul done on my car (shey u hear oroz? lol).
@raycollins. yea, they had to open my valve cover and remove the two camshafts (intake and exhaust). Intake cam is the one close to your intake (plastic) manifold and exhaust cam is close to the exhaust manifold as well. They didn't have to open the timing chain cover though.

@ray collins. The actuator is the ( round stuff at the end of the camshaft with the sprocket (teeth or gear) attached to it as is depicted in the pix I attached. I stay in port harcourt. But the camshaft change was done in onitsha. There are reliable mechs who can do the job. The essential thing in the job is to get the timing right after changing the cam. From what I have read so far, cam failures do happen to vvti engines. I have not scanned the car yet but I haven't reset the codes either. Will do that when I can squeeze out time to visit my friend who owns a scanner. Mine is taking forever to get to me.

Update on the rattle. 2azfe owners might need this as a heads up. travelled a week or so ago to anambra with the car and the rattle got progressively worse (check engine came on). The rattle got louder and engine sounded like a diesel engine by the time i got to the villa but power or economy didnt take a dive though. took the car to the famous mgbuka obosi on friday and the verdict was my camshaft actuator
was toast (i didnt't use a scanner cos down there, no one makes use of scanners and mine hasn't arrived yet). After several consultations with different mechs who were recommended by reliable friends, i changed the camshaft. the noise disappeared. Have since travelled to lag and back with the car and no issues so far so i guess they were right. Heres an image of what the actuator looks like.

ray collins: Had a friend who had dat kind of problem. Pls ur car is 2AZ FE meaning it has a timing chain. Pls scan d car if ur check engine is on. If it gives u a DTC code P1346 chances that ur timing chain or tensioner or some oda stuff is worn out. My friends own make dis loud noise when starting and den die down after like 5 minutes.

My check engine isn't on yet. Haven't driven the car for a while now though. I serviced the timing chain tensioner last year when i changed the timing chain cover. and it was looked at again in feb this year. It was till clean back then. I will take the valve cover off over the weekend to see what the tension in the chain is like and what the timing is like as well. will call my mech over to have a look at the timing. Thanks.

lomomike, i only unscrewed the air intake chamber that houses the air cleaner. the maf is situated on top and just beside that chamber as well. In all i took out only four small bolts and put them back on securely. i read somewhere again that it could my injectors making that sound. but could injectors really be that loud? i can hear the rattling from inside the car and its annoying.

Okay, so heres my two cents. I have read somewhere on this thread that efi systems have something called a compensator on them that comes on when an extra load like an ac is put on the engine. This compensator works with the maf i suppose. Supposing your maf isnt really telling the ecu the truth, this compensator might not work properly hence the drag on your engine. In my recent post i wrote about my recent tuneup which involved cleaning out my maf and air cleaner. Guess what, it worked a treat by treating this same symptom u r complaining of. Since ur ac is stock, i believe ur engine should be able to handle its load without a noticeable drop in power. try cleaning ur maf, throttle body and air cleaner. It just might work.

Last weekend, i cleaned out my air flow meter with ethanol and carb and choke cleaner. The ethanol was to clean out the oily film left by the carb cleaner. i equally cleaned out my air filter. I started the car up and got this rattling sound that wasnt there before . it dies down at high rpms but is there at low rpms and at start up. I have checked some other online forums and have seen things about intake manifold resonating and timing belt tensioner getting bad and even checking the ocv filter (i intend to tackle that one this weekend). What do you think could be the cause of this loud rattle?

adanny01: Do an experiment for me. Go to Lokoja - Abuja road and drive at 80km/h. You will become an obstruction just like the trucks plying the road. You stand a risk of being hit from behind. You will be over taken from the left and right. You will be cursed at.

Better still find a road that has a history of terrorising armed robbery then run at 80km/h.

You could sleep while driving all day at 80km/h. It is boring at that speed so the tendancy to sleep is higher. Thats the reason why truckers are drug addicts and donot match their brakes for smaller cars coz they are jealous if you.

Dont forget to come back and tell us your story.

That is if he is alive to tell the story. LWKMD. I can just imagine what those trailers will do to his car. True story: A green mazda 626 was rammed from behind during my last trip to abuja. He was driving too slow. two trailers racing neck and neck to god knows where came up behind him. the road was only wide enough for two cars not to talk of trucks. the trailer on the slow lane horned for the guy but couldnt slow down quickly and rammed him from behind. the poor dude lost control and drove into the bush. you drive slowly on our expressways at your own peril

da student: Always switch off the engine first.Then you can do any other thing.Do not go near your breaks though.

Switch off your engine?!!!!!!! Like seriously??!!!!!!!. You know ur steering will lock right? and u r gonna lose your brake and power assist from the engine? Abeg no try am again oo. Odikwa risky.

And there lies a big arse problem. where does he get to do a compression test in naija? I have visited so many mechanic workshops here in ph and some of them have not even heard of compression test not to talk of having ever done it or having the kit to do it. Op, check and make sure your ac gas isnt overfilled. Though i don't know if that could be the cause. Somehow it still boils down to your engine cause that is what drives ur compressor. But if u can get a garage to do ur compression test, that would be a good place to start.

Double194: Lexus and Lomo, I JƱڪτ̲̅ sat out and watched U guys fight it out. [No be me dey learn from the argument??] Anyway thanks for being mature and understanding. U guys actually fought like big boys.

Back to the matter. It seems Toyota cars have lots of factory engine problems because Lomo talked about Transmission and ECU problems and now Lexus is talking about excess oil usage which eventually leads to “Oga ur engine don knack ooh” and we all know what it means. What I want to know is, is it like a phenomenon for toyota in the sense “Nobody Complains” or does it come with usage and handling.

Almost all car manufacturers have had to recall their cars to fix faults except mercedes i think. toytas have their issues as well as hondas and bimmers. the important thing to know is what the problem is and how to prevent it. these cars were made by humans who inherently are error prone. the reason why people actually buy toyotas is because of availability and price of parts. the parts are everywhere either brand new or tokunbo. Same applies to honda and to an extent now, bimmer. u can still source for these parts abroad. i still advocate for the honda crv though. have used it before and wasnt disappointed.

Double194: Lexus and Lomo, I JƱڪτ̲̅ sat out and watched U guys fight it out. [No be me dey learn from the argument??] Anyway thanks for being mature and understanding. U guys actually fought like big boys.

Back to the matter. It seems Toyota cars have lots of factory engine problems because Lomo talked about Transmission and ECU problems and now Lexus is talking about excess oil usage which eventually leads to “Oga ur engine don knack ooh” and we all know what it means. What I want to know is, is it like a phenomenon for toyota in the sense “Nobody Complains” or does it come with usage and handling.

Almost all car manufacturers have had to recall their cars to fix faults except mercedes i think. toytas have their issues as well as hondas and bimmers. the important thing to know is what the problem is and how to prevent it. these cars were made by humans who inherently are error prone. the reason why people actually buy toyotas is because of availability and price of parts. the parts are everywhere either brand new or tokunbo. Same applies to honda and to an extent now, bimmer. u can still source for these parts abroad. i still advocate for the honda crv though. have used it before and wasnt disappointed.

he didn't come here to listen to our arguments about bimmers vs toyotas vs hondas. To each his own i'd say. I drive a camry and it has never failed me on my numerous journeys. From the list of cars so far and according to your budget, i would suggest the honda crv. its cheap to maintain and the parts are readily available. the workings of the car is straight forward too. being a newbie in automotive stuffs, u will need a car u can understand and learn its mechanisms easily and quickly. however make sure u check the vin and post the details of the vin here for the gurus to help you choose a problem-free car with decent mileage and good maintenance history. one piece of advice, do not buy an avalon just cos u like it, consider ur budget and how much u can afford to throw at the car should it need repairs. cos automobiles are machines and they sometimes break down even after we have done our best to prevent such. cheers amd good luck with your hunt.

can't see the pictures.

cne010: If you do 240km/h you would cover the stretch in 10mins

lol. u just busted that dude.

yungboss: it may be real, that is probably a Toyota Camry; it is a 4speed auto...tach could go possibly ad high...
highest I have done is 200km/h

that was done by a friend.

Mr Aboki: Is a Bike supposed to be on that road for starters?!

Yes Mr Aboki, a bike has every right to be on that road. it is a road and bikes with a stipulated engine capacity can travel on that road. There is this warped thinking in naija that bikes should be driven on the pedestrian walkway instead of the roads. That bus driver probably didn't deem that bike rider as a legal road user. I have seen people shout at bikers to leave the road cos they are driving a vehicle.
same way truck drivers feel all cars should leave the highway for them cos they are driving a truck. that is very sad.

obinna 222: I agree with you. My Golf 6 Tdi uses 30 litres of diesel from Lagos to PHC (420 miles)

Until the fuel subsidy is removed, the difference between the diesel mpg and fuel mpg will remain negligible. I used about 55 litres for the same journey in my 2.4 litre toyota camry. if i do the maths, u spent 5100 naira on diesel (diesel at 170)and i spent 5300 naira(petrol at 97). Nigerians will embrace diesel, when subsidy is finally removed.

Like u rightly pointed out OP, automatics are meant to ease the stress of driving. driving an auto with both feet is just stressful. To the guy who said his left foot hovers over the brake pedal just in case, i wonder how u would feel after an eight hour drive. lol. You would die of cramps i tell. I drive the auto with one foot as it is suppoed to. Even in a manual, u do not brake with the left foot, u still do it with the right while the left controls the clutch. Unless you are a rally driver, u should drive an auto with one foot.

Check and make sure ur 02 sensor is still connected and working. Make sure ur Mass air flow meter is still working as well.

MrAboki, did you u process ur number plates yourself? if so, can you give me the address of the rivers state board of internal revenue where u did yours? i plan to do mine this week. cheers.

kingk: Oga..........no one is doubting here ok, what I'm after here is the speed aiit, to me oh except you're on auto road test before you will do such speed but for normal road user mehnnn I doubt oh.

Go and read about the autobahn, you will be enlightened.

For peace of mind and economical reasons (MPG), I stick to 120km/h. Speeds in excess of that is not economical. I used to do 140km/h but realised it doesnt really save me much time if u consider the numerous stops and starts on our roads. Also at 120km/h, I would have enough time to make decisions when i encounter potholes that pop up overnight or a blown tyre or a pedestrian that decides to forget how to cross a road.

[quote author=joinnow]Dear All,
We are in mber months and the tendencies is that Nigerian like to travel alots.
Please this topic is tempting

Please value your life and the life of others with you in your car, in other cars, or walking on the road?

overspeeding is one of the major cause of accident in Nigeria road.

In Nigeria road 60-80km per hour is ok in most highway.
Remember if you do 180,200,220 /hr the person maintaing 80km will catch up with you ?How you may ask.

60 km an hour on the highway is way too low. you would actually be causing obstruction and might case an accident. trucks could run into you as well. 60 km an hour is okay within the city where the road condition, traffic and human traffic permit. Do nottry that 60 km and hour shit on asaba benin expressway or those trucks will use you for brakes. its a highway to get u from point a to b fast.
I hate it when i see people ambling along at 30 km along the road causing a lot traffic to build up behind them.

the valve itself

pcv valve location

chukel, my car had all the symptoms above which led to my search. Although rough idle and backfire is another symptom, i didnt experience those. here is a step by step way of doing it.
You will need a 10 and 22 spanner and a plier. A combination (ring and flat), will be ideal.
You will equally need a solvent like thinner or alchohol or fuel. (thinner worked better for me)
Remove the plastic cover on your valve cover with the ten spanner.
you will see two tubes protruding out of your valve cover. the tube on your right is routed to the air intake (just after your air filter) while the tube at the back of the valve cover to your left is routed to your intake manifold. that tube on the left at the back of the valve cover is connected to the pcv valve.
With ur plier remove the clip attached to it and slide the clip back.
then pull the tube out of the pcv valve. Sometimes the tube refuses to pull out (it happened to me). just twist gently and pull. If it can twist but wont pull out, let it be.
then with the 22 spanner, loosen the pcv valve the tube was attached to the valve cover.
with the pcv out of the valve cover, it will be easier now pull it out of the tube if it is still connected by using a plier and then applying a twisting and pulling motion. be careful with the tube though so u don't crack it. After so many years, they become a bit brittle.
when u have got the pcv out, inspect the end that was inside the valve cover for deposits and clean out as much crud as you can with the solvent and brush. (in my case, i soaked the pcv in thinner for thirty minutes)
perform a check on the pcv valve by shaking it. If it rattles, it means the spring is still okay.
blow in air with ur mouth from the end attached to the valve cover. if air comes out, it works. then blow in air from the barbed end connected to the tube. Air shouldn't come out from the other end. if air does come out, then it means it is time to replace ur pcv valve. it is very cheap i hear. about 3k or less.
i hope this helps. Please when reconnecting the pcv valve, do not tighten it too much cos the valve cover is just magneium and isnt very tough.
Also wait for the thinner to dry out very well or rinse off with petrol befor u fix the pcv valve back. thinner is a nasty solvent and u dont want it in your engine.

I observed something lately on my car and went on a search as to what the problem could be. these were what i noticed.
1. Poor Mpg in city driving. really poor though i understand i stay in a very crowded town but that really doesnt explain the really low Mpg
2. Synthetic oil turning black after less than 3000 miles of use. Most of these miles were highway miles so sludging shouldnt be an issue. (I have done a cat delete sometime ago so that rules out blocked catalyst)
3. Visible crud deposit on oil filler cap. This was a give away sign that sludge was gradually building up in my engine.
4. Oil consumption. My car needed another 1 litre of oil at 3000 miles when i checked the dip stick. I was alarmed. That's a very high oil consumption bearing in mind i had wanted to carry out oil change at 5,000 miles since i was using synthetic and had travelled mostly on the highways
5. oil stains around the dipstick hole. I noticed what looked like oil stains around the base of the dipstick slot near the base of the engine.

So i searched the internet and found out that something called a PCV valve could cause all this symptoms. Its job is to vent the crankcase and prevent excessive pressure buildup. It also takes away unburnt hydrocarbon that escaped into the crankcase through blowby. Somehow people think its not a part that should be serviced like the IAC, TB, and other stuffs that need attntion after say 50,000 miles or so.
I proceeded to check mine out. To my dismay, mine was blocked by very thick hardened oil deposit. the previous owner most likely never serviced it and it got really fouled up and got blocked.
So i was practically driving around with an engine that had no means of venting its excess pressure.
I cleaned it up as best as i could and have put it back. I blew in air to check if it works and it still worked. Its supposed to let air pass through from one side but not from the other side like a check valve. The PCV is located on the valve cover of my car (Toyota camry 2.4L 2AZFE) and is connected to the intake manifold. You can google where yours is located. I really hope people carry out this simple fix to save themselves a lot of headaches especially if their cars are high mileage like mine (above 100,000). I wish i had pictures but did the work at night so couldnt take pictures. Will see if i can download pictures from the internet. cheers.
Its something you can do yourself if you have got ten minutes or more and u don't have to take off the valve cover. All i used was a nose plier, 10 and 22 spanner, carb cleaner and iron brush.

happimis: I had an accident some weeks back with my kia cerato (2010 model,I think)which my hubby bought for me in 2010(brand new), please do you advice I sell it off like that or repair and sell it.
the accident affected the front bonnet and some component in it like the battery , wind screen and the driver side( both the door and the window) . I cant explain it o . maybe I should just upload the pix( which I don't have now).
my hubby showed a workshop the pix and they requested about 500k to repair while the local work shop requested abt 300k when they saw it. but he doubts the price, he thinks its low and doesn't want to commit to it and then later for them to request for more money.
anyway, the bottom line is we want to sell it, should we repair and sell or just sell it that way?

thank you

post the pix happimis. some peeps here might give u a rough estimate of how much repairs will cost.