NewHilux.net

Hey guys. I'm sorry, I haven't read the entire thread. I just don't have the hours unfortunately. I've read a fair chunk of it, but I have a couple of questions.

1. Is there any way to monitor what's going on with the injector seals and oil pickup using an OBDII connector? I read on another thread about Toyota's Techstream software which appears to use a wired OBD connector. Techstream can, apparently, read oil pickup and injection feedback values. Can other software or apps do this too? I use Torque Pro on my Android devices, but it doesn't seem to include support for those values.

2. My 2010 KUN26 has 230000km on it now. I bought it at 120k. To my knowledge the injectors and seals have never been looked at. They definitely haven't since I've owned it and there's nothing in the service book to suggest they've been done before. I changed the oil on the weekend and the oil pickup mesh looks perfectly clean and shiny. No sign of any deposits. I didn't think to strain the oil, but I will next time I change it. Is it worth having the seals changed, or am I better off not screwing with it until I (hopefully never) see the carbon deposits begin to appear? I'm thinking I should at least get the valve clearances done, so I'm guessing it's worth getting the injectors checked and seals replaced at the same time? Can't you only reconnect the fuel lines twice before they need to be replaced?

3. I know it's been asked already and the advice has been to get Toyota to do it, but how hard are the seals and valve clearances to do myself? I'm pretty handy. Have changed my own clutch a few times along with countless other jobs. Timing belts, water pumps, alternators, radiators, transfer cases etc. Would love to hear from people who have done it.

4. Does anyone use an inspection camera for an Android phone to get a better look at the pickup mesh? If so I'd love suggestions on which one to buy. It would obviously need an incorporated LED light, and a close focus ability. I wonder if such a thing could be used to look for carbon blobs in the bottom of the sump too?

It really seems like the carbon blobs in the sump are the most reliable early warning sign of the injector seals failing. So being able to pick that up as early as possible seems like the key to knowing when the seals need to be changed. Every 45000km seems like it will be a very expensive exercise for someone regional like me who does those sorts of distances every 2 years. Yeah I get it's not much compared to a full engine rebuild, but while my pickup strainer is clean, I'm finding it hard to justify the cost.

cheers

From what I have read here and elsewhere if your oil pickup strainer is clean, all good. Probably best left but watch and act if/when the strainer gets carboned. Regular oil changes and quality oil will certainly help protect the engine.

@Wombat81

I saw your questions and thought I would reply with the thought that other might see this thread bump and comment.

My 2006 KUN26 has 225,000 km and I've owned since about 60,000 km. No seals replaced, sump pickup screen inspected every 10,000 km - No issues. Injector feedback values between -2 and 2, minor noise on start-up. I've never had valve clearances checked........Unless I need to take the rocket cover off, I'll continue on current path. What did you do?
Injector lines can be used 3 times according to another thread.

Some expensive diag tools can read the injection volumes etc but I havent seen the apps like torque etc do it.

There is a lot of info in techstream - the outputs are in the thread on the issue. From the range of measurements, you can work out what is roughly going on. This info needs to be taken into context though - eg if you have done 150,000kms+ -2 to +2 is considered worn out. But if your pick up clean and and are happy with the fuel consumption, then thats fine for your situation. Just note though, that toyo might consider this in the range of incorrect combustion which may lead to a cracked piston (I'm not trying to fuel fires here - given to 10s of thousands of 1kds in Aus alone, it is rare but a known issue across the 1kd fitted vehicles). There is even a tsb on it.

In another situation, like I have at the moment, I have relatively new injectors and one of them is reading -1.5... this might mean that I have some leaking around the seat. The pickup is clean for now... but I am looking at ripping the bugger out and changing the seat washer. In my situation, my lux is unregistered for 9 months of the year, so I have the time to play with these things.

So in short, monitoring the range of info that is available is the best option. Techstream is easy to get - I just installed v.12 loaded on a virtual box which was very easy to get running. Cables are cheap too. But the sump pickup is by far the easiest to look at and interpret if you are mainly worried about injector blow-by.

I note that it is best to change the pipes each time you unscrew them (I know it makes for an expensive job). They run at 30,000+psi so any bending or incorrect seating may result in a busted or leaky pipe - it does happen.

Thanks for the replies guys. So what does the injector feedback value actually represent? What type of sensor is that data coming from?

I have seen this before somewhere but these words are stolen from another thread on another forum: according to the diagnostic manual, units for the feedback values are mm3, so volume of fuel. The description is:
Value of injector fuel injection volume compensates for differences in combustion condition of the cylinders.
- Positive values indicate control which corrects combustion degradation
- Negative values indicate control which corrects excessive combustion pressure
- If problem exists, revised injection volume may deviate from -3.0 mm and 3.0 mm range
/quote

I have no idea how it works these out - perhaps it is monitoring rotational smoothness via the crank angle sensor among other things. The feedback values are coming from the injector.