Grouped lots of Maintenance

Why is it apart?

1-4 are mostly "as needed". Granted, your sway bar links are probably bad (OEM are rather trash), but your suspension, brakes, and spark plugs are probably good for a while. You do need to check that your brake caliper slide pins are still slidey, and that will allow you to get a better view of the pads and rotors.

Head gasket seems really pre-mature, I'm not against doing it as maintenance, but I'd at least push to 150k at the min, maybe even shoot for 180-200k.

I'd just add transmission fluid replacement, inverter coolant replacement (I'm assuming you're replace engine coolant), and brake fluid replacement.

What oil sensor?

 

"Sometime" through model year 2014 Toyota revised the piston rings, to ones with more outward spring, and subsequent engines have proven less prone to oil consumption. They lost a few tenths of a mpg rating in the process, which I guess was the purpose of the original rings. See attached.

My take on your intitial post: that's an ambitious list. I would slow down, prioritize. Do you NEED rotors, sight-unseen? Is the suspension giving you any problems? How long have you had it, and do you know the service history, like when the plugs were last replaced? They are due, by miles.

Yup. ASAP. See my signature, top two links. (on a phone turn it landscape to see signatures)

Addendum: also attached, a spreadsheet summary of the maintenance schedule in the Toyota USA Warranty and Maintenance Booklet, plus an extrapolated version, past 120k miles..

 

1) follow the maintenance schedule that came with the car
2) prioritize the egr circuit
3) change the tranny fluid when you have time and it's up on supports
4) clean and inspect everything else and change what looks or performs badly
5) do an early engine coolant changed if the schedule doesn't call for it yet
6) all the best!

 

First time you’ve mention that. When in particular do you get “death rattle”?

That tests for carbon monoxide in coolant, which is not what happens, at least not in the early stages (of head gasket failure). Typical first stage is coolant leaking into cylinders, one and/or two, at the common wall, on the exhaust side.

 

I would diagnose the rattle issue before doing anything honestly. Do you mean to say that you regularly get cold start rattles for the last 6 months but didn't notice? I could be wrong, but I don't think the EGR system would cause that in-and-of itself, instead people think it causes the head gasket to go, which in turn causes the cold start rattle.

 

Yeah, death rattle is vague, mysterious. Engine trying to compress coolant with mixed success, stressing the pistons, crankshaft and damper (between engine and transaxle), more succinct.

 

Pads AND rotors? Are you hard on the brakes?
Unless the rotors are scored and/or have a lip, pads would be find.
Just make sure you clean the guide pins and regrease. Don't forget the rears!
They will still quicker because they are used less.

You don't need coils, unless they are bad. Mine are 357,8xx miles on.....
Plugs, yes....

EGR system, YES! Cooler and intake manifold are most important.

If the engine is hot, and the outside temp is cold, you will get condinsation in the intake
manifold, which will cause some knocking on a cold morning.

Head gasket failure? "Maybe", it's kinda early at 120,000 miles unless you do a lot of city
driving. A bore scope in #'s 1 and 2 with a coolant pressure tester will show any coolant
leaking from a damage gasket....

 

Yes to first question. As to second: symptoms of EGR clog are any third Gen with over 100k miles.

 

A clogged EGR will throw a P0401 trouble code.

 

Holy crap. You're not doing all that in one sitting are you?

 

A clogged egr is the same as your putty knife test, no exhaust gas flow to the intake causing P0401.

A sticking open egr valve that is flowing exhaust at idle or low rpm’s can cause engine roughness and usually P0401 as well. The putty knife egr block test is to rule out this scenario.

Yes the theory is a clogged egr cooler or egr intake passages will cause a head gasket fail. Toyota Europe put out a hg fail tsb blaming the water pump logic and excessive idle, stop and go or heavy loading.

Toyota engineers tried new pistons, rings, intake manifolds and a revised egr valve. Some of it was for roughness and stumbling.

There is a big difference between roughness and a hg severe rattle that sounds like a thrown rod but clears in seconds and does not repeat for days or weeks in early stages.

This is a hg severe rattle and results if ignored;
Shudder video

In person it is “oh sh… my engine has blown” bad

Toyota Europe HG Recommendation

 

Just editorial: the head gasket is not “rattling”. It’s leaking coolant. The rattle is due to the pistons, crankshaft and damper (between crankshaft and transaxle) struggling in vain to compress that coolant.

 

Didn't you ask this in another thread???
Pressure test with a bore scope. You can usually rent one from a parts store.
You pay for it then they return you money when you return the tool.

 

I cobbled this, an automotive fluid transfer syringe, with a couple of check valves. The arrows indicate the flow directions. As set up now it’ll apply-and-hold vacuum. If the valves are reversed, it’ll apply-and-hold pressure.

The transfer syringe, T-junction, surgical tubing and check valves I got on Amazon:

 

1 cO test fluid at overflow tank w bulb and beaker
2 pressurize system w pressure kit and plugs remove, then crank
3 pressurize and use horoscope
4 examine antifreeze level
5 sniff exhaust
6 read OBD codes
7 move coil and plug and clear codes, see if code follows
8 look for leaks
9 gen 4, canister post car ruptures
10 look at color of plus
11 boroscope and see if pistons are washed down
12 get YouTube videos and buy many tools
13 look downsp plug wells, look for oil from well seal leaks
14 examine coils for electric leakage damage between plastic and boot
15 send car to qualified shop