Avensis Pinking

[dmc]

Hi all,

I own an Avensis 2003 (same as 2002 model) 1.6vvti with approx 95k miles, I own the car for approx 16 months and bought it with 75k miles. Over the last few months it has started to pink (pre ignition) when accelerating or going up a hill, it is especially noticable at 2400rpm.

I do not have any engine management light on and I brough it to a garage and no errors or faults were found, engine is good on power, does not burn oil (approx a cup full in 5000 miles) and runs well.

Is there anything I can do to fix this? I know it probably not a big issue but it really annoys me at times. The car and engine are very clean and well kept, engine oil changed every 5k miles. I use 10w40 Mobil 2000, would a petrol additive such as Redex be any use or something else.

I also have a whine of engine noise in the cockpit, this has always been there since I bought hte car and has not got any better or worse, the mechanic I brought it to said the noise was coming through the engine bulkhead - has anyone ever heard of this? The noise is only heard when sitting inside the car, when standing outside the car it cannot be heard.

All opinions greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Dmc

[rockerbox]

Hi all,

I own an Avensis 2003 (same as 2002 model) 1.6vvti with approx 95k miles, I own the car for approx 16 months and bought it with 75k miles. Over the last few months it has started to pink (pre ignition) when accelerating or going up a hill, it is especially noticable at 2400rpm.

I do not have any engine management light on and I brough it to a garage and no errors or faults were found, engine is good on power, does not burn oil (approx a cup full in 5000 miles) and runs well.

Is there anything I can do to fix this? I know it probably not a big issue but it really annoys me at times. The car and engine are very clean and well kept, engine oil changed every 5k miles. I use 10w40 Mobil 2000, would a petrol additive such as Redex be any use or something else.

I also have a whine of engine noise in the cockpit, this has always been there since I bought hte car and has not got any better or worse, the mechanic I brought it to said the noise was coming through the engine bulkhead - has anyone ever heard of this? The noise is only heard when sitting inside the car, when standing outside the car it cannot be heard.

All opinions greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Dmc

Just a suggestion - pinking can be caused by the ignition timing being too far advanced - so it might be worth getting it checked. The timing though shouldn't change unless the distributor has been moved or replaced and if you haven't done this it is unlikely to be the cause - but it would still be worth confirming the timing is correct. The tinkling 'pinking' sound is caused by the piston rings clattering in their grooves and it would be a good idea to avoid high load situations until you sort it out. Try to get by with higher revs and smaller throttle openings until it's fixed.

The noise through the bulhead may be because of badly fitting grommet seals around the various cables and controls that pass through to the engine. Also - the car will seem noisier if the sound proofing on the underside of the bonnet has been removed for some reason - so worth making sure yours is there.

Hope you sort it - good luck!

[dmc]

Many thanks for the reply, the ignition timing on this engine is controlled by the ECU, on older distributer engines the timing could be advanced/retarded easily but when controlled by the ECU it can't. The ECU continually monitors ignition timing and should adjust it to prevent pinking.

I have brought it to a garage and there is noting wrong with the ECU and way the engine runs, no error codes etc.

I have found the source of the noise inside the cockpit! The rubber boot where the steering shaft exits through the bulkhead to the steering rack is torn in a lot of places. I put some tissue around this to see if it made any difference and it is now a completely different car. Much quiter and very smooth, you can't even hear the pinking now unless you listen very closely when going up a steep hill. Does anyone know how hard it is to replace this rubber boot? Does the shaft between the steering rack and steering wheel need to be removed - I imagine it does but if anyone can offer any tips on this it would be much appreciated.

Thanks

dmc

[rockerbox]

Many thanks for the reply, the ignition timing on this engine is controlled by the ECU, on older distributer engines the timing could be advanced/retarded easily but when controlled by the ECU it can't. The ECU continually monitors ignition timing and should adjust it to prevent pinking.

I have brought it to a garage and there is noting wrong with the ECU and way the engine runs, no error codes etc.

I have found the source of the noise inside the cockpit! The rubber boot where the steering shaft exits through the bulkhead to the steering rack is torn in a lot of places. I put some tissue around this to see if it made any difference and it is now a completely different car. Much quiter and very smooth, you can't even hear the pinking now unless you listen very closely when going up a steep hill. Does anyone know how hard it is to replace this rubber boot? Does the shaft between the steering rack and steering wheel need to be removed - I imagine it does but if anyone can offer any tips on this it would be much appreciated.

Thanks

dmc

Apologies for the duff info on the ignition system - scary to realise that even what were once relatively simple DIY jobs such as timing are perhaps now in the realm of a specialist. I have an old carina 2ltr that uses a distributor - and it's been absolutely excellent - my other recently purchased car is a 2000 Avensis VVTi. So far I see no advantage in the increasingly complexity of the newer car - mpg figures are similar - and in fact the carina is quicker off the mark despite being lower powered. But I digress.

On the steering grommet: Some kind souls on this forum helped put me right in regard to fixing a steering knock - which apparently is commonly caused by the grease drying out in the sliding fit splined shaft connection just above the grommet you have described. Now according to others on this forum - the steering column can be pulled up sufficiently for the male splined section (the lower yoke of the universal joint at the base of the column) to clear the female shaft that connects to the rack pinion. This will allow the grommet to be replaced.

Now - according to the haynes manual - in order to lift the column - the lower fascia panel has to be removed - (section 11:24) - this involves first unscrewing the bonnet release handle (2 screws) - and then the screws at each lower corner of the panel after which the panel can be detached from it's upper locating lugs and removed. There are - according to haynes (section 10-18) - two upper bolts and two lower nuts - holding the column in place - and according to contributors on this forum there is enough slack in the cabling to allow the column to be lifted off the splined female shaft - this can all be done inside the car. The grommet can then be replaced and the steering column reconnected. The key thing here is to ensure that the male splined shaft re-engages in precisely the same place in the female section it left earlier - so mark the upper and lower splined shafts so that they can be lined up.

But - as the grommet is easily accessible - even without removing the fascia panel - It might be best to first try sealing the tears/holes with some silicone rubber smoothed thickly all round the surface of the grommet and leaving it overnight to set. No guarantees with this - but is IMO well worth trying.

Good luck!