Britprius

In actual fact I used 0W20 oil in my GS450H for the past 3 years with the engine now approaching 135,000 miles. I find the car requires 1/2 Ltr of oil top up between the 10,000 mile oil change interval. In real terms a top up is not necessary because the level does not get near the low level mark, but since I use the car for towing a 20ft caravan keeping the level at or near the full dipstick mark seems sensible. Virtualy all the Toyota engines can use 0W20 oil as shown in the list below. Toyota Oil Applications.pdf

The problem with the above is that the 5W or 10W part of the oil viscosity numbers relates to the oils cold viscosity. A "thinner" oil will circulate faster from a cold start protecting the moving parts quicker. Further it is the shear point of the oil that protects when the engine is hot, and this has nothing to do with the viscosity of the oil. The higher number in the oil numbers relates to it viscosity when hot "100 C", but again thicker oil does not mean better lubrication. John.

Well done. As you have found for a little effort you can save a lot of money. I wonder how many perfectly good tyre monitors are discarded each week, and the man hours wasted programming in the new sensors at exorbitant costs. John.

The brake fluid should not be topped up as long as the level is between the low, and high markings. The fluid level goes down as the brake pads ware, but when new pads are fitted the level will rise again. The fluid top should also not be removed unless you need to top up or replace the fluid as the fluid is hydroscopic (absorbs water readily from the atmosphere). This lowers it's boiling point, and causes internal corrosion of the brake system. It should also be noted that brake fluid is a very good paint stripper so be very careful with handling it. John.

You can buy a new DVD to update the system 2017/18 from Ebay for around £40. Do a search on here for map update DVD, and see what comes up. Avoid the dealers unless you have got a spare arm, and a leg. John.

Welcome to LOC. By your avatar you seem to have next years model (2019) where did you manage to find that. John.

Alice. If you have any jumper leads or can borrow some try connecting one lead from the battery negative (- black) terminal to a clean bolt or piece of metal on the engine. Then try starting the car. If the jumper lead can be left in place temporarily this will help with bringing the battery up to full charge as well as helping the engine to start. If this improves or removes the problem the battery to body to engine cable should be replaced. On a number of occasions I have come across people that have replaced the battery, then the alternator, and even the starter motor still ending up with the same problem. Only then finding a cheap piece of cable cured the problem. John

The first thing I would check is the condition of the engine to body to battery lead. Connect a volt meter between the negative battery terminal, and the engine setting the volt meter to a low volt scale (usually 2 or 20 volts). Turn the engine over while noting the reading. Anything over 0.5 volts gives the condition of the lead as bad. John

Each time the car is started or the ignition turned on the hybrid battery will have charge removed. This charge will not be put back unless the engine is left to run in park or drive for a period. If the car is left in neutral even with the engine running both the hybrid battery, and the 12 volt battery will become discharged. It is the hybrid battery that starts the engine, and is also used to charge the 12 volt battery. The car has no normal 12 volt starter motor, and no 12 volt alternator. John

Congratulations on fitting the bar. It looks to have the same sort of clearance on the rear silencers as the bar fitted to my car. John.

Not owning an Is200 I may be wrong, but this sound as though the electric cooling fans are not turning on while the car is stationary. John.

If the scratch is not deep try rubbing it with Brasso or Tcut. The wood is covered in very thick layer of clear coat, and may well polish out. Start polishing at the ends of the scratch where it is not so deep to see if it shortens as you polish. John.

You can change the bushes without removing the wheels "just turn them either way on full lock", but it is easier with the wheels off. You can then reach them through the wheel arch without getting under the car. There is a plastic cover over the "U" brackets held by the three self tapping screw, and one clip. You can then unscrew the two bracket holding bolts to remove it. The bush will then slide along the anti roll bar, and opened up at the split to remove. Takes about 15 to 20 minutes per side. Shimming mine has definitely stiffend up the front end. Less body roll, and a tighter steering response. John.

I ordered the bushes from a local motor factor. They have quoted £16 for the pair, and that seems a good price going by Ebay prices. The dealers are 100 mile round trip for me. Shimming out the play as in my previous post works well, and is easy to do even "if only done for elimination purposes". It is very easy to do the hardest job is removing the plastic shield over the mounting bracket (three 10mm self tappers). The brackets are held by two 14mm socket size bolts. John

I hope that will cure the problem for you. I have also traced the problem with my car. This turned out to be the anti roll bar rubber bushes. It is difficult to find movement in these as the slightest loading from side to side of the car loads the bushes. I have done a temporary repair "until new bushes arrive" by removing the bushes then increasing the gap in the bush with a hacksaw by about 2mm then fitting a square of plastic about 2mm thick under the bush then tightening the "U" bracket back up. This has completely eliminated the Knock. I would suggest changing these bushes when replacing the roll bar links. John.

Classic signs of a slipping worn out clutch. If you need to drive the car do not accelerate hard in any gear, but particularly the higher gears. If you feel that slipping sensation ease your foot off the accelerator. If you do not do this you will come to a hill that the car will refuse to go up. The clutch will need to be replaced in the very near future. John

Jeff. There is no reason why the solar charger cannot be left connected permanently to the car even when starting. The panel shown will only give out about 1/2 amp in good sunlight. A plug in charger is better than a solar charger because it charges 24 hours a day where the solar charger only charges in daylight hours, but this should still be sufficient to keep the battery in good condition. The problem with plug in chargers is remembering to both connect the charger when parking, and disconnecting before driving off. If you can do this without hassle it is a better way to go. A new battery should last some years, but unless you charge it on a regular basis there will come a time when you go to use the car, and it will not start. The battery you are considering is suitable for the situation. It's a bit like a water butt. You cannot keep taking water out even if it holds 40 gallons instead of 30. Unless it is refilled it will become empty. If you still have questions just ask. John

Jeff as you already realise the problem is the lack of use of the car. Lead acid batteries "those used in cars" are damaged by not being kept fully charged. No matter what battery you buy it will die in the same way. The battery needs to be charged with a trickle charger immediately after each run in the car "unless it's a long run." The best option if the car is parked outside is as has already been stated is a solar panel in the car facing south. This should be rated at at leased 6 watts preferably more, and can be left permanently connected. A battery that is only partially charged gets a coating on the cell plates called sulphasion, and this coating reduces the working area of the plates till there is insufficient working area left. The only way to prevent this is to charge the battery fully, and keep it charged. A battery with a higher AH will last longer, but only because it has more storage capacity to start with. It will still suffer if not charged soon after use. John

Things have speeded up greatly in the last hour for me. John.

My browser "Chrome" is continually timing out before a page loads over the last three days. A bank holiday weekend is not the ideal time to fix problems. John

Check the anti roll bar links to be sure it's not them. You can best check the by undoing the top ball to roll bar joint as this can be reached without removing the wheels or jacking the car up just turning the wheels on full lock. If after removing the top ball from the roll bar either ball joint can be articulated easily with your fingers the joint is worn out. It should be very difficult to move with your fingers almost as if they were seized. John.

I have the same problem on the GS450H. I have replaced the anti roll bar links, fitted refurbished front shocks, and it passed the MOT with no advisories. I cannot feel the knock through the steering, and although not a metal on metal noise the only way to describe the noise is as a knock from the drivers side. I am about to replace the rear roll bar links just in case, but I really do not think it's them. All the bushes look in good order, and there is no play in the ball joints or roll bar bushes. The noise comes from low down on the suspension,and it is not caused by worn caliper pins. The noise sometimes will be evident from the drivers side when the passengers wheel goes over rough a surface. John

I shall shortly be doing a write up on how to make your own pre-lube system for about £25 complete. They are available as a kit from the US for £250 up. Basically it is an inverted pressure container with a one way solenoid valve at it's inlet. Oil fills the container under normal engine oil pressure while the engine is running, and held there. Before you start the engine the solenoid is opened, and the oil is pushed round the engine filling it with oil before the engine starts. A lot of Toyota Lexus models suffer with this rattle at startup. Sometimes changing the grade of oil seems to cure the problem other times not. The Lexus cure for the problem is to change the VVT gears for only a lot of money, and then it's not guaranteed the noise will not come back. John.

You must remember with a hybrid vehicle that the initial braking is done through regeneration. That is the motors that are in the transmission act as generators to produce electricity to charge the traction battery thus saving energy for later use to accelerate. As you brake harder the normal braking system comes into effect slowing the car by producing heat, and wasting energy. This is probably the effect you are feeling. The more you can use regeneration the better the MPG. John.

I did have the same rattle at cold start with my GS450H. It is caused by the oil draining down from the VVT system. I have cured the problem by making up a pre-lube system. It works by storing oil under normal running pressure. The oil is released before the engine is started filling the VVT system and lubricating the rest of the engine before the engine is started. This not only cures the noise, but reduces engine ware by lubricating the parts before they begin to move or have load on them. John.