Some questions [Echo 2004] - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

Ferraz · 05-18-2011, 02:44 AM

Just a few questions here. How do I know the maximum speed I can go at in each gear? I'm sure I read it somewhere (first gear was about 52 km/h I believe, can't remember the others), but just can't find it back at the moment. Also, if I got a tachometer for the car (looking at getting a ScanGuage II, actually) how would I know at what rpm the redline would be? Is this documented somewhere as well?

I did an oil change about two months ago, and maybe about ten days ago I realised that the level was about half. Is this normal? Did some searching and people were saying that the oil could get burnt out, or "used up". I don't have a leak so I'm ruling that out for now. Is there any thing to be concerned about at this point?

And a more general question... Is there any difference between having the car in neutral and having it in gear with the clutch fully pressed in? For example, if waiting at a traffic light, would it make a difference? (i.e. would I wear out the clutch, in the same way as having it halfway up, while driving)

2005RS · 05-21-2011, 05:52 PM

The rev limiter kicks in around 6500 rpm. 2nd gear gets me up to about 80km/hr @~5000rpm (when I'm in a hurry)

Oil can get burned around worn or sticking rings or valve guides. What's the mileage on the car? How hard are you driving it? How many km's did you do in the 2 month period?

The clutch won't be wearing when it's fully depressed.

Ferraz · 05-22-2011, 04:21 AM

The mileage is about 196000 km. Sometimes (maybe a lot of times actually) I drive hard, I dunno, depends. Within the two months I've done about 3500 km I guess.

2005RS · 05-23-2011, 07:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ferraz

The mileage is about 196000 km. Sometimes (maybe a lot of times actually) I drive hard, I dunno, depends. Within the two months I've done about 3500 km I guess.

same mileage as me. hard to know if you have the right weight of oil in the engine.

I use synthetic from carquest. I change it every 5000Km. It's probably overkill but still cheaper than going to a quick-lube. I get some soot in the oil, but I don't lose any.

Ferraz · 05-23-2011, 09:05 PM

Actually, just realised it's 4500 km I've done, not 3500. Someone mentioned to me yesterday that the more recent Toyotas (dunno if the Echo counts as one) uses oil as part of the cooling system so the level may in fact drop because of that. Guessing (hoping!) that's the case here. In any case I'll probably change it soon and top up.

2005RS · 05-24-2011, 07:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ferraz

Actually, just realised it's 4500 km I've done, not 3500. Someone mentioned to me yesterday that the more recent Toyotas (dunno if the Echo counts as one) uses oil as part of the cooling system so the level may in fact drop because of that. Guessing (hoping!) that's the case here. In any case I'll probably change it soon and top up.

I'm not sure about the context of what you were told, but new or old, the oil isn't consumed in cooling the engine. Like you said, keep it topped up and changed regularly. Another 10 to 15,000 should give you a better picture

Ferraz · 05-25-2011, 03:25 PM

Another question here (yes, I'm very new to maintaining a car). When I top up do I still change the oil at 5000km from the last time I changed it (even though some of the oil is "newer"?

2005RS · 05-25-2011, 06:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ferraz

Another question here (yes, I'm very new to maintaining a car). When I top up do I still change the oil at 5000km from the last time I changed it (even though some of the oil is "newer"?

yep. that gets rid of all the soot and other contaminants that the filter doesn't pick up. also the anti-wear properties of the oil break down. I believe toyota recommends a 6000 km oil change interval, though it's traditionally 5000 km.