Toyota Parts Blog

Toyota engines

 Toyota has been building some of the worlds most efficient and longest last Engines since the late sixties.At first they were laughed at as the underpowered competition to Detroits big three.But when the gas /oil crisis hit in the early seventies everything changed.Suddenly Americans were buying the Toyota  products and realising the longevity of these small powerplants.Two hundred thousand miles was not uncommon for high quality precise engines.Genuine Toyota parts were built to highly precise standards and were consistant from batch to batch.It was pretty well known if you took care of your Toyota it would take care of you.In the early eightees Toyota came out with the 22R for Trucks,Celicas.This powerplant almost proved indestructable if maintained with Toyota parts.In 2005 Toyota released the first Engine featuring variable valve timing.This new feature came from Formula One racing,the valves actually changed timing based on RPM thereby  flattening the torque curve.This gave the engine both bottom end and top end.The new 2010 Camry has many new features including more horsepower and more fuel efficient.Some of this can be attributed to the new 0w-20 oil that Toyota is recomending for this vehicle.The engines specs and tolerances are much tighter than normal so they work well with this lightweight oil.I think Toyota will continue to go that direction in using the lighter weight fluids lowering resistance and creating more gas mileage.  

Camry and Avalon 1997-1999 front suspension thumping noise

On 1997-2000 Camry and Avalons some Toyota drivers have experienced a thumping noise that is coming from the front suspension.Toyota dealers chased this problem for years changing front suspension struts and other notable Toyota parts . In January of 2000 Toyota came out with a new set of strut mounts that corrected the problem.The new mounts have a much thicker rubber bushing that eliminates the thumping and corrects the problem.Toyotas part numbers are 48603-33021 and   48609-33011 .A front end alignment is needed after the repair is completed. You can find more info on Toyota service bullitens at a tsb site.

Toyota Tech Rear brake pad change

Park your car on a level surface. If you have a stick shift car make sure the car is in gear. Place blocks in front of the frt tires so the car does not move while you are working on it.

Step2

Open the hood of your Toyota and find the Brake master cylinder If necessary, remove brake fluid until the level in the container is less than half full,however this probably wont be, but if you must A turkey baster is a good tool for this. Put the brake fluid in the plastic container and dispose of it the way you dispose of motor oil.Remember use a quality DOT 4 brake fluid

Step3

Raise the back end of your car with your car jack. Remove the rear  wheel and tire assemblys.

Step4

Use the socket wrench to remove the caliper mounting bolts. Slide the caliper off of the disc rotor and hang it in the wheel well with a small bungee cord or wire hanger. Do not let the caliper hang from the brake hose.

Step5

Remove the brake pads from the caliper. Also remove any shims, springs, wear indicators and support plates from the caliper.Always replace with high quality toyota parts

Install the new Brake Pads

Step1

Inspect all of the old shims and mounting hardware and replace with Toyota Brake padsReturn the support plates to the caliper bracket. Place the wear indicators from the old brake pads on the new brake pads making sure the arrow on the indicator plate points in the direction the tire rotates. Place the shims on the outside of each brake pad and insert the pads into the caliper bracket.

Step2

Use the recommended piston caliper tool if necessary to turn the caliper piston clockwise while pressing it into the caliper bore. Place the caliper over the brake pads. Insert and tighten the caliper mounting bolts.

Step3

replace tire and wheel and lower to the ground

Step4

Pump the brake pedal a few times to seat the brake pads.This is very important. Do this before trying to move your car.

Step5

Add fluid to the master cylinder container to replace any you removed, if necessary have an authorized toyota dealer flush the brake system if the fluid looks or smells cantaminated.

Step6

Season the brake pads by making only gentle stops when you are driving for the first week after you install the new brake pads. Try not to do any hard stopping when you are seasoning the brakes.

Toyotas Tech-DIY blog

Toyota Prius is moving on to its third generation,the Prius builds on its eco-technical base to provide more power,more miles per gallon and of course more of the futuristic features that have made Prius the number 1 selling Hybrid in North America.

  Prius offers a optional solar moonroof that helps keep drivers cool.While the car is parked, solar panels power a fan that radically reduces inside temps.The owner can even turn on the AC on His or Her keyfob while approaching the car....cool huh

   The new Prius arrives in  showrooms across the country  this spring.The new models powerplant is a 1.8 liter four cylinder engine that beefs up performance.A common complaint of generation 2 and 1 of the gas mizer was that they were all about sipping gas and nothing about zero to sixty.The new model goes from zero to sixty in 9.8 seconds (a full second faster than its previous model).The aero package has also improved,the car has been stretched slightly and has complete covers in the underbody making it slicker yet.

  A really cool new feature is a heat collection system that actually utilises the coolant that flows through the engine to extract exhaust heat to warm up the engine increasing start up fuel economy which is a major challenge for all of the hybrids.The new design also has shed some weight,the entire Hybrid system weighs less.

   From a beltless engine compartment to a fuel tank with a carbon cannister, advanced technology prevails with the new Prius.And of course The dealer will offer a full line of Toyota accessories to further customize the gas sipper.How about a high tech option called lane keep assist, this system is designed to allert the driver when the car is drifting out of a lane.Optional park assist enables a driver to park a vehicle without using the steering   ..  wow.

   I wonder if Toyota parts centers will be busy selling warranty parts for the Prius high tech electronics or if they will prove to have Toyota reliability.You can find out more at Automotive.com