Archives

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/brian_summit1.jpg

This is my 2007 Toyota Yaris Liftback in Blazing Blue Metallic. It has a 1.5L engine (1NZ-FE, Otto cycle) and a 5-speed manual transmission. It is the middle of the run of this lower model, meaning it has a factory stereo and the "cold weather package", but no power windows, etc. I do not like powered things like windows, locks, seats, mirrors, etc. as they are always the first thing to fail on most cars, and always cost way more to repair than they are worth.

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/car_lake1.jpg

My last car was a 1999 Dodge Stratus, which was very hard to maintain due to poor workmanship and had horrible fuel economy, even though it had an I4 engine.

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/brian_lake1.jpg

As you might have guessed, my Yaris is fond of Lake Tahoe and lots of mountain driving.

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/car_lake2.jpg

You can see the specifications of this vehicle here (http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/new-automobile-specs/t-2007-toyota-yaris-3-dr-hatchbacksedan-252.html).

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/brian_lake2.jpg

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/brian_lake3.jpg




Here it is at home:

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/pasenger_side.jpg

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/driver_side.jpg

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/frontal.jpg

Yes, that is a Toyota Tacoma 4x4 you see in the garage. My wife bought it before we met, and it's paid for. It is used so little nowadays that it's had less than 1,000 miles put on it in the last year.

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/rear.jpg

Notice the factory armrest, from an RS sedan version of the Yaris:

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/driver_side_open.jpg

You can see the yellow box containing a tire patch kit under the seat. It's part of my decision to dump the spare tire and jack in favor of a patch kit and small, portable compressor:

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/passenger_side_open.jpg

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/hatch_only.jpg

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/hatch_seat_down.jpg




Here's a better shot of the EBH plug:

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/block_heater_plug.jpg

And the timer that controls it:

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/block_heater_timer.jpg




I'm running on the stock Potenza RE92's:

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/tire.jpg

... at 60 PSI:

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/tire_pressure.jpg




Here are some shots of various declaration items on it:

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/license_plate.JPG

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/terrapass_windshield.jpg

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/bumper_cleanmpg.jpg

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/bumber_hypermiling.jpg




Here is the engine bay:

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/engine_bay_high.jpg

Notice the K&N panel air filter and grounding kit (the grounding kit is just for my peace of mind, with this being a drive-by-wire vehicle):

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/engine_bay_low.jpg

Here's the DIY PCV catch can I made, which currently holds about 15ml of crankcase oil, representing about 2,000 miles of driving:

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/engine_bay_pcv_catch.jpg




Let's move on to the interior. Here's my solar trickle charger and portable, fold-able solar panels for my hand-held devices:

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/dash_board.jpg

Here are the smaller panels folded up:

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/solar_panels_closed.jpg

And here the smaller panels are removed (simple velcro mount):

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/solar_panel_velcro.jpg

Here we see the cables coming from the smaller panels, which are connected to my cellular phone and PDA, along with my auxiliary MP3 player AC3 jack:

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/console.jpg





This is the centered console and cluster:

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/center_console.jpg

The driver's dash, sporting a ScanGauge II:

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/driver_dash.jpg

And the back seat (the plastic bottle there is about 6 months old and has been refilled and refrigerated about 150 times). Also visible is my trusty sun shield and my foofoo seat belt cushion:

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/rear_seat.jpg




The car currently has 7,400 miles on it, and was purchased in February of this year. It is my placeholder until a decent PHEV hits the market, and has served me very well thus far. It has much more interior and cargo space than the size of the vehicle makes you think, and its handling greatly improved with pumping up the tires.

Sweet ride Bailout ! I appreciate the end user pics much more than factory sales pics . If there had still been a Toyota dealer here in town ,I'd be driving one just like it !

Nice work, BailOut. Thank you for sharing so thoroughly about your car.

Where does one find the solar trickle chargers, was there much modifying to get it hooked up, and what do they cost?

that is one cute vehicle!! i love the color. now why can't honda make hybrids in a color like that, rather than 5 different shades of BLAH!!

:woot:

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/brian_summit1.jpg

This is my 2007 Toyota Yaris Liftback in Blazing Blue Metallic. It is the middle of the run of this lower model, meaning it has a factory stereo and the "cold weather package", but no power windows, etc. I do not like powered things like windows, locks, seats, mirrors, etc. as they are always the first thing to fail on most cars, and always cost way more to repair ......


You can see the yellow box containing a tire patch kit under the seat. It's part of my decision to dump the spare tire and jack in favor of a patch kit and small, portable compressor








Here is the engine bay:


.

It looks nice. :cool: Yaris was the one car on our list we didn't test drive because the nearest Toyota dealer didn't have one in stock. I like your set up-none of the nonsense power options--a man after my own heart.

I have just a couple questions: Does "cold weather package" mean no AC? How smooth is the underside, does it have bellypans?

Where does one find the solar trickle chargers, was there much modifying to get it hooked up, and what do they cost?
I bought it through Amazon.com (https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_/002-2433073-7588857?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Sunsei+Solar+2-Watt+12-Volt+Charger+%23SE-135&Go.x=6&Go.y=8&Go=Go) for USD $35. I drilled a 5mm hole through my firewall, right next to the heater pipes, to connect it directly to the battery. This was necessary because the 12V adapter is controlled by the ECU, and the entire chassis side of the ECU would initialize - and use lots of power - as soon as the charger started handing it some power.



I have just a couple questions: Does "cold weather package" mean no AC? How smooth is the underside, does it have bellypans?

The "All Weather Package" (which I have always called the "Cold Weather Package", since that's what it is for) just means DRL, a larger heater core, rear heater duct, a larger windshield fluid tank with a low level warning indicator, M+S tires, and a larger starter. Yes, I have A/C, which is part of the "Convenience Package", along with the stereo, audio jack, rear wiper/washer/defroster, and floor mats. I don't think you can get a Yaris in the U.S. without the Convenience Package, and it is automatically included along with the All Weather Package.

The underside is very smooth, and does employ two belly pans, along with inset pipe areas.



One thing I should have mentioned about the last picture is that the little water bottle changes shape according to altitude, either bowing out or becoming concave as I traverse my mountain commute. It's kind of funny. :)

Nice writeup Bailout. Everybody should do this.............post photos of their ride + driving scenery. I don't think I can top Tahoe though :)

Hi Brian:

___Great group of photos and captions to go along with them. I love the new stickers, the compressor and those shots of Lake Tahoe with you and the Yaris in the foreground are to die for! I wonder which one to use for the home page “My Ride” this week ;)

___Good Luck

___Wayne

I'm diggin' it!, your pictures look much better than the ones on the toyota website, and i've yet to see a LB in that color in person

Wish I could have gotten close enough for the bumper sticker to be read without my markup in the photo, but I saw this today...
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/546/tahoe_blue_copy.jpg
Who is helping out more - Bailout or him? ;)

This is the bumper sticker:
http://photos3.flickr.com/3624907_2a534fc9b7_t.jpg

Hi Chuck:

___Without question, Brian has it all over that guy :D

___Look at the body lean of that pig. The guy is lucky he is not going to lose it into a crowd of innocent bystanders the way that thing is starting to rear up as he nears an apex :(

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Googled so you can see the detail of the little blue sticker:

http://photos3.flickr.com/3624907_2a534fc9b7_t.jpg

ROFL, Chuck! I see at least a dozen of those stickers every day, and due to the high ratio of over-sized vehicles around here it's on an SUV or pickup truck better than 90% of the time.

Even more often I see the purplish "Protect Lake Tahoe" specialty license plate, and it is also usually on an over-sized vehicle. I saw one yesterday on an Envoy with a trailer hitch that was tagged "LV MAUI".

I wonder if there's a single vehicle anywhere in that driver's life that isn't an environmental killer. :rolleyes:

Did you install the engine block heater yourself or was it the more difficult "freeze-plug" type? What about cost?? These things rev high when cold, and burn much gas til warmed, so I am interested!

Nice ride. Nice shade of blue. Compliments the sky rather well! I almost went for the Yaris, too. She's a beauty.
brian

Thank you, Brian. :)


Johnny,

I installed the EBH myself. I would say it's moderate in difficulty as you need to disconnect 2 shift linkage points to clear the hole for it, and you need to disassemble a semi-hidden channel panel behind the bumper to route the cord.

It costs $34. It turned out to be a bad investment, though. Electricity in my area costs about $0.13/kWh. The unit pulls 400W and takes about 3 hours to warm the water from 40F to 130F. With the small mileage boost it granted me (especially since I was already maximizing my hypermiling techniques) I was basically spending about $0.20 worth of electricity each morning to save about $0.17 worth of gas.

As such I feel that the EBH is a useful tool if it is necessary for keeping one's block from freezing in extreme weather way up North, but from a fuel efficiency perspective it is likely a losing proposition.

Mine shorted out after just 7 months anyway. I cut the cord off and called it done.

Thank you, Brian. :)


Johnny,

I installed the EBH myself. I would say it's moderate in difficulty as you need to disconnect 2 shift linkage points to clear the hole for it, and you need to disassemble a semi-hidden channel panel behind the bumper to route the cord.

It costs $34. It turned out to be a bad investment, though. Electricity in my area costs about $0.13/kWh. The unit pulls 400W and takes about 3 hours to warm the water from 40F to 130F. With the small mileage boost it granted me (especially since I was already maximizing my hypermiling techniques) I was basically spending about $0.20 worth of electricity each morning to save about $0.17 worth of gas.

As such I feel that the EBH is a useful tool if it is necessary for keeping one's block from freezing in extreme weather way up North, but from a fuel efficiency perspective it is likely a losing proposition.

Mine shorted out after just 7 months anyway. I cut the cord off and called it done. Yikes!! Thanx for the "heads-up". I actually went to the dealer today to inquire about them. He said they haven't sold any here "that's usually up north" is what he said, so I told him I would research it further. Fortunately I did not have him order one for me!! I wondered about the electric cost, but also it never occurred to me that it might "burn out" especially in such a short timeframe! Thanx for your valuable input - you've saved me some grief!!! :)

Thanks for posting the pics! Gotta good look at the engine, but it seems like a hard to maintain engine! Like where is / how do you change the spark plugs? When I try to buy a car, I like easy maintenance also! Sucks how so many modern cars have hard to maintain engines. It must be a major conspiracy to get more dealer profits!

All engines are hard to maintain.

Some cars are harder than others. Cars with small engines in big compartments (e.g. 4 cyl Ranger) are usually easier than cars with small engines in small compartments. AC makes things tighter/more complex.

The Yaris engine compartment does look a little tight. Looks like you would need to take the cowling off eventually to help get at some components. On the other hand, electronic power steering seems like it would make scheduled maintenance requirements a little easier and, depending on implementation, might be more reliable and make repairs simpler for the DIY'er.

With its size and drive-by-wire control systems the Yaris seems like it would be a prime candidate for a DIY EV conversion.

Like where is / how do you change the spark plugs? When I try to buy a car, I like easy maintenance also!

It's not like any car is easy to work on but the Yaris has got to be up there. Every maintenance component is "right there" in plain sight and easily reachable unless you've got thick arms.

All fluid fill points are visible and accessible in the top area of the engine bay.

To change the spark plugs you remove the 4 10mm nuts on the cowling and set it aside. Just underneath it you'll see the 4 coil-over-plug boots. Pull them upward and out of the way. Use an extension with your deep well socket to remove the plugs from the wells. It's worth noting that the car isn't due for its first tune up until 100k miles.

To change the oil filter come from the front of the engine bay and look down. It's about half way down the front assembly and easily reachable. If you use an oil filter with a wrench-able end it's even easier.

To drain the oil undo 2 12mm bolts underneath in order to flex the rear plastic underbelly cover out of the way. The oil filter is just as accessible from here as it is from the top.

To drain the radiator remove the forward belly cover (5 12mm bolts in front, 2 in the rear) and use the petcock at the right bottom corner.

To change the air filter pop the 2 finger clips off of its housing and pull the upper housing away. Replace the filter, align the top housing's 2 tabs and seat them into the rear catches, then clamp it down with the finger clips.

The battery is in plain sight in the engine bay and must be tilted about 20 degrees to the front in order to remove it. If you need more space to work on the battery terminals while it is in place you can remove the lower plastic fitting piece above it by undoing 2 pop clips

Serpentine belt replacement is done like it is on most vehicles; by first loosening the alternator on its bracket to provide slack.

The wiper motors and washer fluid pumps are accessible by loosening 4 pop clips on the lowest plastics below the windshield and removing those individual fitting pieces.

All suspension and steering joints are "maintenance free" and have no grease gun nipples so there's no need to worry about them.

The entire front bumper and grill assembly can be removed in about 2 minutes as it is held on by just 10 pop clips and 5 bolts.

To change a headlight undo the 6 pop clips along the front top edge of the frontal assembly (this takes less than a minute) and pull it forward to gain access to the "hidden" 3rd screw at the lower-inside of the light's housing.

The interior door panels can be removed in less than a minute. The hardest part is using a rag to catch, flex and remove the clip that holds the window crank on. Once you get the hang of it this becomes easy.

The vertical dash pieces pull apart and reassemble by hand.

The center console has 2 screws and then comes apart by hand.

The cabin air filter is accessible by flexing the rear of the open glove box to free it, and then removing a cover plate with finger tabs.

The fuse boxes are just like every other modern Toyota I've seen... one under the hood next to the battery, and one in the main cabin on the lower left side of the dash next to the OBDII port.

The shift linkage terminator is in plain sight in the front between the bottom of the engine block and the air intake assembly. The clutch linkage terminator is set back a little and is more easily visible by looking/reaching over the air intake tube. There is no secondary clutch cylinder.



That's all the maintenance stuff I can think of.

Yep, the only thing I've noticed that might be difficult is adding, or removing brake fluid from the brake-fluid reservoir. Not sure what they were thinking with that placement??

Looks like a gas saver indeed!

Is the increased PSI in the tires because of your elevation?

Is the increased PSI in the tires because of your elevation?

It is for decreasing rolling resistance, which increases MPG. It also had the side effects of making those crappy OEM tires much more stable, and increased their tread life by 40%.

Hi Bailout, Thanks for the pictures. Great looking car. What does the PCV catch can do for you?

Hi Bailout, Thanks for the pictures. Great looking car. What does the PCV catch can do for you?

You're welcome, and thank you for the compliment. :)

The PCV catch can keeps noncombustible compounds from the crankcase from making it back into the throttle body where they will either become gunk that sticks to the metals (that stuff is sooo fun to clean off) or solid exhaust materials that pollute my local environment.

Bailout, thanks again. I saw your snowy pics. What a beautiful, yet dangerous place to drive everyday. If the Condensator didn't catch anything in the CleanMPG test, is is possible your 15ml collection was from break-in of a new engine? In other words, It would interest me if you emptied it and began a new collection cycle. If you collect nothing, then we might assume a Condensator would be useful at beginning and perhaps end of life mechanicals. The fact that you constructed it yourself for $30 is a testament to your innate ability. Good job. Thanks for passing your information on.

You're making me blush. :o

Yes, I empty it about once per quarter. It has been steadily capturing 3-5ML every 1,000 miles.

wow!!!!!!!! what great pictures any houses for sale near your place???

I was ready to buy the Yaris,,,, untill I saw the speedometer in the MIDDLE
OF THE DASH !!!!!!! Did it take you long to adjust to this or have you been
able to?
I am now leaning to buying a Corrolia wagon IE: Matrix/Vibe.

Those Pictures are the best!!!!

Thank you. :)

The middle dash took about 2 or 3 days to get used to but now I prefer it because I can see the gauges regardless of where my steering wheel's spokes are.

I also feel that it gives me a better view of the road when I use it, via peripheral vision, than I ever got via the upper part of my vision with a driver's mounted dash.

It also has the side effect (benefit, IMHO) of letting everyone in the car see the gauges, too.

any info on those solar deals you have setup on the dash?

Chris,

The large one hooks directly to the 12V battery and can be found here (http://www.amazon.com/Sunsei-2-Watt-12-Volt-Charger-SE-135/dp/B000BTCKYY) (Amazon).

The smaller ones are not what they're cracked up to be. They are designed to charge portable electronics but only operate at 3.6V. This means they only work on about half the stuff out there, and none of my own. :rolleyes: For example they work for my wife's iPod and my buddy's Nokia phone but not my RAZR or Palm TX.

It took me a while to figure that out as it will make just about any device appear as if its charging... the right lights flash, the right screen appears, the right icon flashes, etc. but none of my stuff actually gets charged.

If you have lower charging voltage devices you can find the little flip-out panels here (http://www.amazon.com/Sunsei-2-Watt-12-Volt-Charger-SE-135/dp/B000BTCKYY) (eBay).

If you search eBay for "solar mp3 charger" you can find lots of stuff now. When I started into this a year ago the ones I linked were the only ones I could find. Beware the stuff from eBay, though... most of it is made in Taiwan but is being marketed by people in China that know nothing of the units or their operation. I was once sold a much more expensive, larger, fold-able 6-panel set that was supposed to produce 65W of power "and comes with adapters to hook to ANY laptop". Neither was true. I had to scavenge the tip of an existing power supply and solder it on in order to hook it to my ThinkPad, and in direct sunlight on the brightest day it would only produce about 29W which wasn't enough to put my laptop into a charging state (minimum 35W required). It had also been hyped as waterproof but every connection inside the open leather outer was bare wire. The jerk that sold it to me gave me the run around for a week until I finally filed a complaint with PayPal. He refunded my money that day.

While you must beware the eBay stuff it's also one of the only places you can find a large collection of these things. You won't find them at any retail outlet in the U.S. except for the high-end adventure-type stuff starting around $100 and ending in 5 digits sold on-line by places like REI and The North Face.

Anyway, I finally ended up just putting in powered USB ports to charge my own stuff, figuring it is well offset by the larger 12V panel. I created a DIY for it on YarisWorld: http://www.yarisworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10321

I still keep one or two of the little flip-outs in the car for the rare occasion I have a passenger with equipment that can utilize them. You can turn an adult back into a child when they see their device charging from the sun. I once had a contractor hold the flip-out by hand for more than an hour on a drive to Sacramento, constantly tracking the sun with it. It was like he was playing Twister in my car. :p

Thanks for posting the pics! Gotta good look at the engine, but it seems like a hard to maintain engine! Like where is / how do you change the spark plugs? When I try to buy a car, I like easy maintenance also! Sucks how so many modern cars have hard to maintain engines. It must be a major conspiracy to get more dealer profits!

Toyota engines are never hard to service. The plugs are buried deep inside the engine. Just get that plastic cover off and loosen 4 screws to pull out the coils (one for each plug)

Download the document from toyota describing the engine series:
http://www.spyderchat.com/1zzfe.pdf (Very interesting article!)

Together with a scangauge to pull codes you are done.

BailOut one quick question. How did you hook up your solar trickle? Did you hook up directly to your battery?

that car looks so cool i cant decide whether i want to hug it or be scared that it will bite me like an evil little terrier
toyota got it perfect with the styling on this car it is so cool
props on having what i think is one of the best looking cars ever made, not to mention sensible and fuel efficient