TCD: How do you know its break fluid that caused your break failure?

I noticed that the brake pedal when depressed would go right down with little or no resistance, it felt spongy. So I knew something was wrong.

So I stopped.

Came out of the vehicle and checked around all 4 wheels and under the car, no signs of leaking brake fluid. So I opened the bonnet and checked the brake fluid level, it had gone low but not too low.

So I topped it up, pumped the brakes everything appeared fine.

So I went right back unto the road and would intermittently test the brakes, after depressing it a couple of times, I would give me the resistance I am used to (instead of giving it to me the first time and all the time as before) so I increased the gaps between me and the vehicles ahead of me to accommodate the longer braking distances.

So i strongly suspect that I had overheated brake pads ... which occurred after a power stop due to an encounter with armed robbers in transit and while I attempted to race away from the spot, oncoming traffic decided to u-turn just in front of me causing me to force the car to a stop from an extremely high speed.

Now if the brake pads overheated, then i strongly suspect the brake fluid also overheated.

I read that once brake fluid overheats it losses its effectiveness so that's why I had to do a flush as well as bleed the brakes

It is possible that air got into the brakes but I think after 30,000 miles a fluid refresh was in order.

A more comprehensive resource: http://www.epicbleedsolutions.com/blog/dot-brake-fluid-vs-mineral-oil/

BROKEN BRIDGE BETWEEN IBILO AND LAMPESE
A bridge between between Ibilo (Kogi state) and Lampese (EDO state) has been partially washed off due to heavy downpour.

Traffic from Lagos - Akure - Owo is diverted from Ibilo through Igarra - Auchi - Okpella - Okenne - Abuja road while motorists from Abuja are advised to follow Okenne - Kabba - Ekiti axis to Lagos.

Our men are at the spot directing traffic while relevant authorities have been contacted for repairs to be effected.
We shall keep you posted as we call for caution on the part of road users.

Wishing you all safe trips.

SOURCE: FRSC

I have never ever seen any post here on nairaland recommending that buyers of used cars should include changing the brake fluid as required servicing. I have seen change the transmission oil, engine oil BUT NOT brake fluid although everything points to the fact that brake fluid can degrade over time?

I read a lot about why brake fluid replacement is required servicing several weeks ago but put if off until I actually experienced brake failure (or should I rather say brake fade)?

Needless to say it was scary, it happened 200 miles into a 400 mile journey. When I returned home, I did what I read, i serviced the brakes and replaced the fluid with new.

I used DOT 3 as a temporary measure because I know DOT 5.1 is better ( by the way nairaland speed demons don't keep using DOT 3 when DOT 5.1 has the advantage of very high boiling points, relatively stable viscosity over a wide range of temperatures PLUS all the nifty water-absorbing characteristics of DOT 3.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brake_fluid#Glycol-based_.28DOT_3.2C_4.2C_5.1.29
http://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=421463

Please do not use DOT 5 in place of DOT 3, only DOT 5.1 in place of DOT 3.

While replacing engine oil keeps your motor hale and hearty, replacing brake fluid as and when due may very well mean the difference between life and death!

Been following your thread... 2 observations:

1. Sometimes it isn't the car but the driver that makes the difference ( in no way discountenancing that the car might be all the difference!)
2. Unbridled speed alone doesn't win a race, BUT a delicate melody of speed when the conditions allow and braking when it cannot be avoided is all you (sometimes) need to win a race

Double post ...deleted

Honda to Demonstrate New Automated Driving Technologies at ITS World Congress
Many automakers have released advanced smart cruise control features in recent years that allow a car to brake, steer and accelerate to maintain its lane and keep up or slow down with traffic on the highway. Honda is about to reveal its next step toward a fully autonomous car with the introduction new automated driving technologies at the 2014 World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems, which runs from September 7-11.

http://www.autoevolution.com/news/honda-to-demonstrate-new-automated-driving-technologies-at-its-world-congress-86142.html

I stand to be corrected but it seems to me that those multi-vehicle accidents during rains are caused by following the car in front too closely or faulty braking. Note: I have no evidence to proof what I said aka it's just a guess.

But I strongly believe in these words:

"It takes longer to stop in the wet, so increase your crash avoidance space and drive at a slower pace than you normally would.

Brake earlier, and less forcefully, than you normally would. This increases the stopping distance between you and the car in front, and signals to the driver behind that you’re slowing down."

Source: https://www.keys2drive.com.au/learning_to_drive/driving_skills__tips/tips_for_driving_in_the_rain.aspx

I have noticed that every day it rains we have several single vehicle accidents and several multi-vehicle accidents so I started this thread.

What do you do so you don't become involved in one?

Tip #1: If it rains and you can afford to, don't even bother to get on the road. The reason: You may be very careful but the other driver(s) aren't and you still become involved.

Tip #2: Slow down

Tip #3: Functional wipers. It was a shock to me several months ago when it suddenly rained and my wipers got stuck. That day I got to know that wipers are a safety device. Because all of a sudden I became blind. What saved me is that I have this practice of speeding ahead of the pack and giving myself around 3 to 5 minutes gap between me and moving packs of traffic. So I had to slow down, turn on hazard and carefully pull of the road. So check that your wipers are functional and not worn out. Needless to say I fixed it the very next day ( it happened at night)

Tip #4: Functional and filled up wiper reservoir tank - because dirt can muddy up the windscreen and wipers will make it worse without the aid of water from the tank.

I could go on and on and on but let others share their own tips

Some reasons to consider Synthetic ATF:

1 – Better Resistance to Oxidation
2 – Smoother Shifting
3 – Reduced Costs and Spent Time
4 – Resistance to Oxidative and Thermal Degradation
5 – Extended Transmission Life
6 – Rust Reduction

Read more: http://www.doityourself.com/stry/benefits-of-using-synthetic-transmission-fluid#.VAk2XVfCfwI

update, everything worked fine with Oando Dexron III until I tried to drive at speeds far in excess of 90km/hr ( don't ask me just how far in excess) and where, and within 1 hour of attaining such speeds two solenoids died in my transmission.

So i replaced the transmission and everything worked fine, so I decided to do the same thing again, and I got the exact same result - the exact same two solenoids started misbehaving then gave out, the shocking thing is that when the second transmission started acting up, the transmission fluid had not done up to 500 kilometres

So I said there must be something wrong - most likely thermal degradation

I will replace the solenoids since I have 2 perfectly functional transmissions less 4 broken down solenoids, which is why I said - don't try to drive very fast with this kind of ATF, it will create the kind of heat that will so break it down that it will not do its job of protecting your transmission

SUMMARY:

UK company delivers students to college in a chauffeur-driven $1.2 million McLaren P1
Costs $30,000 per day

GIST IN FULL:
That first day at college is typically fraught with nerves. The social aspect worries a freshman the most -- who will their roommate be; will he/she be friendly; what will the other students be like; will I fit in?

These are all valid concerns, but one UK-based company thinks it has solved the problem: Just rent a chauffeur-driven McLaren P1 to drop you off at school on your first day; you'll be the most popular kid on campus, and, even better, it'll only set you back $30,000.

That's Uni Baggage's business plan, anyway. The company's day job is to delivers students' luggage to their halls for the first day of college, but after some of their wealthier clients inquired about delivering themselves to school too, Uni Baggage expanded its business by purchasing a fleet of luxury cars. This includes a Rolls-Royce Phantom, a Ferrari 430, an Aston Martin and the $1.15 million, 903 hp McLaren P1.

Students that deem a luxury car to be too, er, inconspicuous can also arrive via helicopter for $33,000, or private jet (if one's college possesses a private runway -- and whose doesn't?) for $41,000.

According to The Sunday Times, Uni Baggage, who brazenly named the service "Very Important Freshers," expects to deliver 20-30 students to their first day of college via its luxury transportation service, as opposed to the 10,000 items of luggage it typically ships. The wealthy students, sure to become the most loathed kids on campus, are typically foreign and primarily use the service not to make an entrance, according to Uni Baggage, but because it's "what they're used to."

I was used to arriving to college by bus. Perhaps that's where I went wrong?

SOURCE:
https://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motoramic/uk-company-delivers-students-to-college-in-a-chauffeur-driven--1-2-million-mclaren-p1-160809966.html

Graphy: Thank God u and ur sis are alive,dat car is total wreck,pls u guys shuld go for proper medical check up to make u sure u are 100% ok

Seconded! Many apparently ok victims of collisions later died from internal bleeding or organ ruptures

Michel886: Hi guys, I need your opinion on this. I'll be driving from Lagos to Sokoto for the very first time. Though I'm not new to driving, I'm sure as hell have never driven that far! How challenging do you all think it will be?

https://www.nairaland.com/1440070/new-driver-attempt-interstate-roads Sure you are not new but the rules don't change because you are old? Safe journey and let us know how the trip went!

Several words stand out from the exchanges on this thread, they include :

Split second

Decision

Accident

Emergency

Evasive Action

Spur of the moment

Instinct


Every driver should expect to be in one sometime, if that is the case, I think it pays to give thought to what actions to take and what actions not to take. Failure to do so can result in faulty instinctive evasive action in effect worsening an already bad situation e.g., slamming the brakes in response to tire failure.

Quote: "In split second decision making time is of the essence, often the decisions need to be made in a minute and sometimes in a few seconds. During this short process of the "making of the decision" you are using your best judgment and that's why it's important to have developed and honed the ability to make the right decision based on a a few key input variables. Split second decision making it's about "thinking on your feet" to save a situation . However, no matter how the decision making happens, there's still a context to it. In this type of decision making, we rely heavily on our past experience, knowledge and memories. This is one of the reasons that aircraft pilots and firemen spend countless hours rehearsing fire drills and flying on the simulators. This is so that when an actual situation occurs when they need to make a decision in the blink of an eye, they are able to sub-consciously draw on their past experiences and memories and make the right decision."

Source: http://www.managementskillsadvisor.com/split-second-decision-making.html

This is important because "Safe, accident-free driving isn’t a matter of luck. Rather, it is dependent on the decisions made while driving – usually in the space of three seconds. About 95% of vehicle accidents happen due to indecision or poor decisions on the part of one of the drivers. Only 5% are caused by mechanical failure of the vehicle.

Thankfully, most of us were taught proactive, rather than reactive, driving techniques. Add to that the principles of decision driving and it’s easy to learn to make split second decisions with confidence." Practicing decision driving can reduce if not eliminate several split-second life and death situations. 5 tips related to decision driving are considered here http://risttransport.com/time-react-practice-decision-driving-road/

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration review research on traffic speed in 1998's summary states:

That the evidence shows that the risk of having a crash is increased both for vehicles traveling slower than the average speed, and for those traveling above the average speed.
That the risk of being injured increases exponentially with speeds much faster than the median speed.
That the severity/lethality of a crash depends on the vehicle speed change at impact.
That there is limited evidence that suggests that lower speed limits result in lower speeds on a system wide basis.
That most crashes related to speed involve speed too fast for the conditions.
That more research is needed to determine the effectiveness of traffic calming.
Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic_collision

Pays to hit the brakes irrespective of whether you swerve or decide to hit in an emergency

Swerving saved lives here, a collision was clearly not an option if lives mattered: http://www.atu.org/media/news/atu-hero-peterborough-member-makes-split-second-decision-to-avoid-crash . Although it was a split-second decision/manoeuvre it was executed with care and caution.

Except that the manual specified Dexron III not Mercon and since Dexron III has been superseded by Dextron VI. I think I need to move there. Sadly, to the best of my knowledge and belief no company in Nigeria produces Dexron VI whether dyno or synth

Which is why I need to look outside

To add to the discussion I found this: http://forums.finalgear.com/general-automotive/this-is-why-you-dont-swerve-to-miss-a-deer-35976/ and this: http://www.wikihow.com/Do-an-S-Swerve-in-a-Car

Seems to me all drivers need to add the ability to swerve to their skill-set since it may be called into play someday!!

Costee:
Somehow you just never mentioned your car make/model. I presume it's Mazda from that transmission number.

Spot on

appleshop: @ Tumababa

I wasnt my intention to call you out.

I have come across people who sell conventional oil @ N3000 per litre so if you are selling synthetic at N2400 per litre you are definitely adding value. But herein lies the problem. Other people are doing exactly what you do just slightly cheaper because they place their items in a container containing cars. Upon arrival the car owner ends up clearing both the car and the oils without knowing. If you have ever witnessed containers being offloaded you will see what i mean. The agents always empty the container before the owner arrives.

As i stated earlier your costs are high as so therefore your selling price will equally be high. The contact details of your competitor have already been provided by a nairalander. You might want to touch base with him to see how he is able to control his own costs and sell at nearly half your price. He sells in 5 litre jugs and not 1 litre bottles.

On a closing note you seem to prefer either full synthetic or conventional but not something in-between simply because you are unaware of the percentage composition of the final product. Can it be worse that any of the 2 types of oil it was made from? Warm water cannot be worse than Hot or Cold water.

Hi there, I like the cool, calm and collected manner of putting your point across. You are really a nice guy.

sultaan:

WHat type of fluid did you use in what model year car?

I am guessing Acura MDX and for that you needed DW1 no other fluid.

There are 4- 5 types of fluid in the market used in most brands, Toyota Type F, Honda DW1, Ford Mercon, GM Dextron VI, and CVT fluids.

Fluids depends on who built the transmission.If the same transmission is in Jaguar,ford, Aston martin, then you use same fluid.
If it is in jeep, mercedes, chrysler, use same fluid understanding that most manufacturers now only build the engines and other parts are outsourced is knowing what parts are compatible with other brands.

Fluid used: Oando Dexron III

Transmission is GF4A-EL. Same transmission is used by Ford, Jaguar to the best of my knowledge.

Since the manufacturer specified Dexron III and the standard has been phased out, I am moving to Dexron VI and I am considering trying Valvoline and/or RedLine.

My two accidents as described above were all caused by sudden and drastic and ill-though changes in course.

I have driven at very high speeds I do not wish to mention but I never had accidents until I decided twice to perform the above described manoeuvres.

I repeat unless you cannot help it ,as much as possible avoid sudden and drastic changes in course at speed. If you do, then never forget Newton's Third Law of Motion: For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

After recovering from each of the above incidents which thankfully involved no one but myself, I went back to "driving school" as it were by doing studying accidents like I was given an assignment, watching videos for hours and days on end, to give me some idea why accidents occur, and why I lost control of the vehicle in the circumstance, and what I could possible do to save myself from future accidents. Like they say, to be forewarned is to be forearmed. Infact, I think this needs to be part of driver education!

I still drive fast, very very fast...but I am extremely careful and cautious and wary of sudden and drastic changes in course at high speed. And i try to keep a cushion of space between me and other drivers in front and behind and even sideways as a margin of safety/precaution whenever and wherever possible.

I survived two of them, I don't intend to toy with my life anymore and I think its reasonable to pass on the message to all who will read this post

If you must drive fast, then you had better be a defensive driver as well, which means among other things anticipating moves and as much as possible keeping self out of harms way and if the worst comes to the worst try your best to put into practice the rules of emergency driving since they can save your life: https://www.sgi.sk.ca/individuals/licensing/studyguides/drivershandbook/advancedskills/emergencydriving.html.

In both of my accidents, I braked so hard that the vehicle skidded, and once it skidded I never could control it again. Had I known before then that I shouldn't brake so hard that the brakes lock, the tires skid, and I'd lose traction, I doubt I would have been involved in both accidents.

So I share the lessons learned in the hope that together we can make the roads safer for you and me!

Like they say, speed is nothing without control!

Costee:
My reading of this was that you test-drove the car after installing a new (used) transmission. The fluid in the transmission must have completely degraded. So what fluid did you now use?

Quite correct.

On the day it was fixed, i did 50 miles on the expressway heading to Asaba then made a u-turn back to Benin. Everything was fine. The next day on my trip between Benin and Abuja I experienced symptoms earlier described.

Oanda Dexron III was used during the fix, and I am currently using but i intend to switch to either Valvoline Dextron VI Fully Synthetic ATF or RedLine D6 Fully Synthetic ATF

abatically:

My brother, let's just thank God for the op's life. This is not a Honda or Toyota thing. All SUV's and crossovers have high rollover rate. In fact all tall vehicles have a high rollover rate and it is clearly written inside the vehicles. We have seen BMW x6 and g wagons rollover .

Any car will rollover even sedans and sports cars. It depends on the driver, speed, center of gravity and angle.

All SUV's and crossovers have high rollover rate. And much higher than the rate for sedans. That is my point, what a sedan will forgive an SUV or crossover won't. Hence the need to be aware at all times of the vehicle dynamics in the vehicle one is driving at any point in time.

Of course, I am happy he survived. But each accident is an opportunity to be a better driver, whether I caused it or I learnt of it or saw that. That's my drift.

OP will drive again, so I felt like sharing with him my survival tips.

Everyday one comes home alive one needs to thank God because the same vehicle which facilitates movement can easily turn into a corpse maker

I think i really like this emergency driving guide: https://www.sgi.sk.ca/individuals/licensing/studyguides/drivershandbook/advancedskills/emergencydriving.html.

I hope it helps someone!!

I practice so much of what it says and I have gotten out of so many potentially life-threatening/property-wrecking situations as a result

Sorry for your loss.

I have driven a Honda CR-V before.

The vehicle has a high rollover risk. Indeed there is such a notice in the vehicle. And there is a warning to avoid sudden manoeuvres.

Indeed vehicles like Toyota Prado have the same problem and that is why I really don't like such vehicles. I have swerved at high speeds in wide roads in other types of vehicles (lower vehicles) to avoid such incidents and potholes without losing control or tumbling, I'd never try that in a CR-V or Prado and the like.

Its all about understanding the law of vehicle dynamics: A moving vehicle will always operate within the "laws of vehicle dynamics." A transfer of weight from one point of the vehicle to another occurs whenever you, the driver, brake, steer, accelerate, or perform some combination of these actions. This transfer of weight affects the traction of the vehicle.

The key to controlling your vehicle is knowing how much to brake, steer, or accelerate. If your command is inappropriate, your vehicle may become out of control. Like in the instance case, swerving which made the vehicle tip in one direction without a counterbalancing act which would have stabilized it

If I was faced with your situation I would try threshold braking to massively reduce the speed of the vehicle before impact rather than swerve to the left or the right. http://www.trackpedia.com/wiki/Threshold_braking. Indeed such braking might even reduce the speed of the car to the extent that just 1 to 3 seconds before the hit, if you made the swerve to avoid the hit, the forces acting on the car might not have been sufficient to such it to tumble ( talking as someone who has done this before)

I believe and I stand to be corrected that if you had hit the guy in front frontally the damage to your vehicle would have massive but definitely not as severe, neither would you have suffered those several somersaults.

Don't get me wrong though, I have made several mistakes in my driving. I have had 2 lone accidents, in the first case, i lost one wheel (left front) and the second case I lost 2 wheels (right front and right rear) due to high speed swerves in very narrow roads resulting in hitting road kerbs, but no somersault so I know what I am talking about, I mean the need to understand vehicle dynamics and the effect of sudden abrupt manoeuvres on vehicle stability

There is something I do which I think you should copy...I try to study each and every accident report in the news and then try hard to think, if I were in his situation what would I have done differently to avoid such an outcome. That's what airlines and pilots do, why can't it be applied to driving.

I find that thinking about problems in advance of their happening helps me to plan well-thought out as opposed to panic responses to such incidents.

Once again I am sad at your loss. I hope you have another vehicle or the funds to get another one. Once you get 4 additional legs (making it 6 in all), there is no going back to 2 legs.

All the best

Costee:
Had nothing to do with the ATF if the recommended one was used. (Nothing really special about synthetic.) The transmission was bad ab initio.

The complete OBD fault error was ATF low or deteriorated.

Once I dropped the ATF and replaced with new fluid it went away. I also noticed that some of the lines were not properly tightened. Ever since then it has shifted properly and has been a faithful servant on several long distance trips.

So i guess it had to do with either/both the leaks ( as I said it was fixed the day before and I didn't really take the time to check all the lines, you think a professional should not consider his job done without such verification) and the possibly heating beyond acceptable paramaters.

Everything is back to normal, no slips, hence the above conclusion

kc007: I presently use recommended engine oil grade on 2001 year model of Audi a4 but notice shortage. The manual said 0 - 30 was first used in the engine, but 5-30 or 5-40 can be used. I found Forte Synth10000 with 5-40 grade & used it. The car's mileage is 190k+. presently the oil change in early April has covered about 2,250 miles,between that period & now there has been additional 1litre oil to achieve normal gauge .
There are oil stains noticed around the engine body but not to extent of dropping on the ground.
My question is, in view of the high mileage & oil shortage, do i switch to conventional oil? or are there other possible causes of the shortage?
Meanwhile the vehicle doesn't smoke.
Any ideas are welcome. Thanks.

Where are the oil stains noticed aka found? Close to seals? if yes, purchase and replace the seals and the leaks will stop. If its around the drain plug, tighten it. Check all the other bolts around the engine

I do not recommend conventional oil if synthetic oil can serve the application.

I hope this helps you: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/how-to-fix-oil-leak.html

To set the discussion rolling let me share my personal story and end it with a question:

I used a dyno ATF in a transmission i replaced and the next day, I drove the vehicle like i stole it from Benin to Abuja in 4 hours, the next day when I hooked up the OBD reader, it told me that the ATF has deteriorated and should be replaced. The distance I covered was not more than 500 kilometres.

Midway through the journey the transmission started slipping between 3rd and 4th gear. When I arrived, it smelt burnt. Needless to say, I replaced it ASAP following the OBD reader's result I spoke off above.

Would that have happened with a synthetic ATF? What do you think?

If you want to drive an automatic to its limits, should you use dyno or synth in its transmission? What's your opinion?

So many threads about synthetic engine oil, next to none about synthetic ATF.

Is anyone in the house using synthetic ATF?

Did you use dyno ATF then switched? Or have you always used synthetic ATF?

Please share your experiences and recommendations. You might just succeed in saving a (car's) life or even extending it. Who knows?

I will answer your question by sharing with you what I do.

I have 146,000 on my odometer and I have used Mobil 1 0w-40 (severally) and Forte Synth10000 (just once currently), no leaking from any seals, no shortage, no trouble. Before switching to Mobil1 I used the common 20w-50 and somewhere between 3,000 miles and 5,000 miles, I would start getting low oil pressure warnings on my dash. Since the switch, the oil pressure warning light does not even come on at start up in the morning like it used to do with conventional oil, although it comes on at every other restart during the day. I do 5,000 miles no oil pressure warning light, 6,000 miles the same thing, even 7,500 miles the same thing. So it seems to me synthetic is clearly better.

I have never used 5w30 although that is recommended. But I intend to switch and you should too I feel. I will do that during my next oil change will be anywhere between 5,000 and 7,500 miles from the last oil change at 145,600 depending on how I feel. At that oil change, I intend to switch to Mobil1 5w30 Extended Performance. I hope I notice a difference! Seems 5w-30 is lighter than 5w-40 which should translate to better fuel economy than I can ever hope to attain with 5w-40 or 0w-40!

I don't recommend 2. MRS premiere 10w40 at #6400 ( i don't even know if it is synthetic although the price makes me suspect it is), assuming 1. MRS premiere 5w40 at #6600 is synthetic I would recommend it, just as I would recommend Forte Synth10000.

I am hearing of MRS Premiere for the very first time. Can you share a picture of the same?

I haven't used Mobil Quartz, and I would not recommend using oil whose rating is in doubt. But i strongly suspect its a synthetic. Did you mean to say Total Quartz, not sure I have heard of Mobil Quartz before

My vehicle manual recommends conventional oil, and conventional oil changes at 3,000 miles and filter changes at 5,000 miles. Since going synthetic, I have replaced the oil at 5,000 or 6,000 or 7,500 miles severally without issues and the filter at the same time, although once or twice, I changed the filter midway but kept the oil up to 8,000 miles or changed the oil without changing the filter in effect doing 10,000 miles on 1 high capacity oil filter without issue.

My recommendation is this - go synthetic, if the seals fails, they were already bad and should simply be replaced and the leakage will stop.

If you decide to do just one or 2 oil changes a year, then by all means get a high-mileage oil filter to go along with it.

But since it is a Toyota which is known for sludge issues, please replace the oil and the filter on a strict 5,000 miles schedule if using synthetic and 3,000 miles if using dyno.

I would even recommend until sooperrescue suggests otherwise to accompany every oil change with engine oil sludge treatment just to be on the safe side. Online research seems to favour AutoRX, Schaeffer's Neutra every 50,000 miles or thereabout.

The oil sludge problem appears to come from using dyno oil, short trips and trying to do 7,500 mile Oil change intervals. Hope this link helps you:http://www.hometheaterforum.com/topic/116001-oil-sludge-in-engine-how-to-get-rid-of-it-toyota-sienna/

And do not forget, the fact that you are using synthetic does not mean that you will not check the oil levels constantly at least twice a week say on monday and friday.

Seems you do not even know what oil came with the car. Even more reason to change it ASAP

interesting read.

is anyone using a by-pass oil filtration system in Nigeria?

We receive many oil samples from clients who don't understand what is required to run unusually long oil use intervals in their engines. The accumulation of wear metals, blow-by materials, and oil oxidation products in their oils is alarming. It has been our experience that one cannot simply add oil of a particular brand or base stock and expect it will be useful for an extended period of time, lubricating, cleaning, and cooling as required. Oil that becomes contaminated needs to be changed promptly. In our opinion, there are no magic oils or additives.

There are, however, auxiliary systems you can add to your engine's lubricating system that will keep the oil clean enough to use over an extended period of time. By-pass filtration units are the most common system used for this purpose.

In-line oil filtration, which comes installed on your engine from the factory, filters oil entering the engine down to roughly 30-40 microns (millionths of a meter). This is about as finely as in-line filtration can filter, because when the oil is cold or the filter is partially plugged, a finer filter would cause too great a pressure drop, forcing open the filter by-pass valve and allowing unfiltered oil to circulate through the engine.

By-pass filtration works differently. When this type of auxiliary system is installed, some of the sump oil by-passes the in-line filter system, passing continually though a by-pass filter and then returning to the oil sump. Using this method, sump oil is constantly being cleaned any time the engine is running, and it can be filtered down to a very fine size. All you have to do to maintain the system is occasionally change the by-pass filter.

Not only do the by-pass filtration units cleanse the sump oil of blow-by and oxidation products, they also reduce wear metals and silicon accumulations, both of which are abrasive. Oil does not wear out. Its usefulness is limited by contamination. By-pass filtration removes most of the contaminants.

How long can an oil fill be run using by-pass filtration? We've heard claims of large (Class diesels going 1,000,000 miles on the same fill of oil with no harm done to the engines. We have analyzed oils which have been in service 240,000 miles and found nothing unusual in the analysis, other than higher than average iron and lead (from steel parts and bearings), and these wear accumulations were not intolerably high.

After having run many tens of thousands of diesel engine oil samples, it is our opinion that a by-pass oil filtration system is one of the most important factors in extending oil drains. If you are interested in extended oil drains, we suggest you investigate adding this type of system to your engine.


source: http://www.blackstone-labs.com/by-pass-oil-filtration.php

nurey:

No P bro.
@op if you could get the sienna symphony it is a silver on silver colour car, very lovely. You can this by checking where the sienna tag is at the boot underneath the sienna tag is SYMPHONY in a signature form. I have never entered one so I don't know how the interior looks but I think it comes in Le or Xle try and make a research for it.

Thank you for your observations!

http://www.edmunds.com/toyota/sienna/2002/

Extract:
What's New for 2002

Nothing major is in store for Toyota's minivan this year. The most significant change is the availability of a new "Symphony" special edition for LE models.This special edition includes items like keyless entry, a roof rack, captain's chairs for the first two rows (six-way power driver seat), a premium JBL audio system, power swing privacy glass, color-keyed heated power side mirrors, an overhead console with HomeLink and painted bumpers and cladding. There's also a new color this year exclusive to the Symphony: Lunar Mist Metallic. The base CE model's Extra Value package now includes a roof rack and keyless entry for no extra cost.