Overall Maintenance for a 1st Gen xB that just turned over 190,000 miles.

Things that come to mind that I am wondering if they are needed or not:
-Timing belt or Chain
-Alignment as needed
-Engine Oil Change as needed
-Tire Rotation

Issues I have that I would like to get insight on as well:

My xB wobbles above 40mph and I have had an alignment and rotate/balance.

The VSC and TRAC OFF lights are on and will not clear off does anyone know what that tends to be caused by?

Lastly, I am considering installing a Oil Catch Can like my brother did on his wife’s Kia Soul. (reference photo)

Has anyone installed one on their 1st Gen, if so have you seen improvements of any kind? Also, how many ports would the catch can need for a 1st Gen xB Automatic?



Oil Catch Can install on a Kia Soul

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When my first tC hit 158,000, I could tell my suspension was wearing out. I would recommend tie rod ends and ball joints, possibly bearings if your drive is noisy.

Theoretically, the timing chain is for the life of the engine, you'd spend a lot of money getting a chain replaced. However replacing the water pump would not be a bad idea as well as a coolant flush.

 

The thing is I have replaced passenger and driver:
-Lower control arms which include the ball joint
-Tie Rods
-CV Axels
-All 4 Hubs

 

At 161,000 miles, the only real repairs or maintenance for my 2005 xB has been 2 water pumps, 1 serpentine belt and power steering belt, front brake rotors and pads, 2 sets of spark plugs, one transmission oil change (automatic), a few air filters, and lots of motor oil changes. It's stock and still drives and handles great. My only complaint is rattles I can't pinpoint.

 

Why do you think you need an oil catch can? There is no logical reason for one on an xB.

 

I found the hose going from throttle body to firewall line going back to tank was rotted on mine. replacing that turned off chk eng, trac off and vsc lights. it had evap codes when i checked with my scan app and now all good.

 

@Ackindig: "190,000k 1st Gen Issues and recommend Maintenance.." Yesterday I start driving in the Morning. After 13 Miles the red color light of the coolant turn ON!!! I had one gallon of Distilled water and from the AutoZone the bottle with Magic nano technology military strength. When I open the radiator cap there was no red color Toyota coolant. I put the water inside, and all the water comes to the street asphalt. Then I use the green bottle with the Magic staff. The front aluminum Radiator was working again and no more red color light. I drove to the closest Mechanic. There the top hose we check was hot, the fan start spinning. The bottom red radiator line was cold. The diagnostic was the thermostat is stuck in close position. So is no water coolant circulation. What is the right temperature for the thermostat to get open? 120 Degrees or 200 Degrees? When one replace the thermostat on Scion xB 200, must replace also the water pump (and the damage radiator)?



The AMSOIL full synthetic looks clean. I drove just 3,000 Miles.



The green bottle have a magic brown color material inside. That material color will switch to an extreme powerful white color. Yes was working. I do not know if this can be a good fix.



Here is the bottom radiator line. I touch with my hand and I do not feel that line is getting warmer. Maybe is just my mechanic and me!



My odometer is not at 190,000 Miles (184,149), and he want to tell (yell at) me something about this car!
After temporary fixing the radiator leaking problem, I got the usually three red failing lights.
I need to order the Front Radiator and thermostat.
I just replaced the Radiator about one year ago, and the thermostat with the water pump three years ago.
The water pump was leaking red color coolant, and was making noise at that time.
The electric cars are maintenance free?

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Dude,

Why do you insist on dumping all manner of different fluids in your car...that green stuff you show is labeled and 'Gasket & Block Repair' and you're using it to fix a radiator. That crap would be a last ditch effort to fix something on a car that you didn't want to invest any money into repairing and were hoping to get another six months out of it.

If you put water in and it ran straight out and onto the ground I would say there is no way you are not going to have to replace the radiator unless it's a hose. "The green bottle have a magic brown color material inside. That material color will switch to an extreme powerful white color. Yes was working. I do not know if this can be a good fix."

No, it's not a good fix.

The thermostat is going to open between 180-190 degrees if I had to guess...far above 120 degrees. If you dumped that crap in I would say it wouldn't hurt to replace the water pump but you don't have to do anything with the water pump in order to replace the thermostat.

What "usually three red failing lights" are you talking about getting?

And once again no, no car is 'maintenance free'...

 

Yup that's why there are no Tesla mechanics or shops. Notice you've also never see on on a tow truck.

 

The only thing that pouring any "Mechanic in a Bottle" (like you used) into any fluid reservoir in your car will do is temporarily band-aid a problem. The stuff you used will almost certainly plug your radiator, heater core and small cooling passages in your cooling system. (That part will be permanent though.) And that will lead to an overheat and a blown head gasket or motor. As has already been said, all of that crap is intended for use in a car you're just about to unload on some poor sucker who's dumber than you are. You need to stop reading and believing the marketing BS that so many useless products contain. Just because it says it works on the bottle, box, ad on TV, etc. doesn't mean it does.

 

Off topic but I've seen a few Teslas on flat bed tow trucks here in Denver and most of the major cities have a Tesla Service Center. Oddly enough Tesla even goes so far as to provide a list as to where you can find one:

'Ghost' Service Centers

Lots of stories about Teslas needing all manner of service, so kind of shoots that claim of maintenance-free cars down and even if the motors and battery never needed service you'd still need crazy things like tires, brakes, windshield wipers, etc. I'll stand by my original claim.

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Oh yeah forgot the SarcMark. Ok maybe if you buy a 500k Bentley it will never need maintenance

 

So you lost all of your coolant, then instead of seeing why / where you lost it all, you poured water and magic glop into the radiator and it's magically working again. Very poor trouble shooting technique there. The leak may be plugged, but that doesn't mean your radiator is actually working. And if you poured cold water into a radiator of a vehicle that's already overheated, that's exactly the wrong thing to do because you'll thermal shock the block and head.

The big thing I want to focus on is the diagnosis though. A thermostat stuck in the closed position? Yes, that could cause an overheat, but you're now driving the car with a thermostat stuck closed, with water and magic gorp for coolant (no antifreeze) and a bad water pump? Good lord, you're driving a ticking time bomb. And how did this lead to a leak in the radiator? You need to find a better mechanic.

 

@2stroked, Hi. I find an other mechanic. His young lady student customer is selling her black color Scion xB first generation. I am not interested to get another one. The mechanic, open the thermostat, and say that that Magic stuff (the one I add) is bad for the car. We find that the front radiator is leaking on bottom and on the top middle side. We replace the thermostat, and the radiator. I just drive 2 miles. The interior heating core start getting the hot air out measured to be 100 Degrees Fahrenheit (possible more if I will drive more than 2 Miles). We check for the leaks of the working cooling system. There are no leaks for now,
and no more red color cooling light ON at the dash board. Thank you.



We look under the car to check for coolant leaks. Was non. Then I find the catalytic converter in very rusty condition. The O2 sensor2 have the extension so I will not get the check engine light ON.



The pipes connected to the front radiator are like 2 years old. The red silicone pipes looks in good shape. I need to add transmission red color fluid.



How a cheap $40 (free shipping) aftermarket radiator can fail me? After only 2 years of driving? I not expect that to happened!



That funnel is special. There is a stick inside and can stop the drainage at any time. The neck can be adjusted for small radiators of 1.3 BAR.

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You wonder how a $40 radiator with free shipping could have failed you in two years...I'm actually surprised it lasted that long and you should consider yourself having done pretty well for getting two years out of it.

That funnel is pretty cool but that mechanic, as competent as he might be, needs to clean his stuff. Most mechanics are pretty OCD about taking care of their tools, given that it's how they make their living, and to see a funnel covered in all kinds of junk like that makes me cringe. I've still got my first real socket set that I got when I was 12 years old and 40 years later I haven't lost a single piece and they look like new and I don't depend on them to keep a roof over my head.