That is way more money than I'd expect for 2 low pressure hoses, I too appreciate OE parts, but man they make it tough when simple parts like that are so expensive. Still better than doing the job twice with JUNK aftermarket parts.

I had a local hydraulics shop redo two AC lines for me, he also told me he can do power steering lines with Parker or Aeroquip hose but too many people buy parts store hoses for that.

I have the worst luck with aftermarket parts! Pay once, Cry once!

I've had a few made by hydraulic hose shops......They NEVER get them clocked right. I would buy an Edelmann replacement....But they have the same issue with clocking & they use JUNK price-point hose.

How's the Avalon doing?

The engine is ready to go......Still need to reseal the trans.

I just haven't had the time to be honest, Been building a few transmissions on the weekends. I'll keep ya'll updated!

The engine/transaxle is finally ready for install.

I'm sure this has already been covered but my wife's family had two 1996 Avalons with the 3.0L. They were exactly the same. The even came off the assembly line together, one right after the other.

My wife's dad meticulously took care of his. Got the oil changed every 3,000 miles without fail and had complete maintenance records to back it up. It still sludged at 130k miles on the odo if i remember right (i inherited this car for its last 40k).

My wife's uncle had the sister car. He was just as anal about the maintenance but he is a big Amsoil guy. He ran SS in it and I'm not sure of the interval, but I think it was 10k. He still owns his to this day with almost 200k and no sludge issues.

I know people say these engines are fine with regular maintenance but I personally do not believe this to be true. I think anyone with these sludger 3.0L V6s would be best using full synthetics if they want to keep the car a while.

Good luck!

Looking forward to having this in the car and running. It's looking good. Did you elect to replace the brushes in the alternator as a preventative measure? When I did the timing on Laurens 3MZ for the second time at 180,000 miles I installed new brushes, the original brushes were about 2/3 or maybe a little more worn. I figured that replacing the brushes was cheap insurance against getting stranded with a dead alternator. Ended up selling the car a few months later at 190,000 miles. I always loved how smooth the 3MZ was.

I'm well aware of the issues with the 1MZ-FE, It will be fed Mobil 1 5w30 on a 5,000 mile OCI.

I believe there are other factors to this "sludge" issue, Such as.......If the engine never reaches operating temperature from a malfunctioning thermostat &/or short-tripping.

There was several revisions to the valve cover baffling & the PCV system during the MZ production run. I'm running the latest steel 1MZ-FE/3MZ-FE PCV Valve that screws into the VC instead of the plastic valve & grommet set-up.

I agree.

The one that sludged for us was used as a commuter car for my wife to drive to work. THe drive was 25 miles each way. THe thermostat was always fine and the PCV was still in operating condition. We had it fully checked out when the sludge appeared and everything was working properly. It just sludged.

It was never short tripped. When her father owned the car, his daily commute was 30+ miles each way. That thing cruised great on the highway. So comfortable.

I'd imagine the guy who did 3k oil changes used dino, and the Amsoil guy obviously used synthetic. Could that have been the difference?

You seem to know me at little too well!!
The alternator was sent to a local shop (Fort Worth Starter & Generator) & had new Denso brushes installed, I'm using the alternator off the JDM engine & could have been put directly into service.
Had the same outfit install new Denso contacts & plunger in the starter.

It seems to be coming along great. Would you know if that place sells original Denso brushes, its almost impossible to find any OE brushes and regulators other than Bosch.
Any idea when you will have it in the car? New CV boots and a regrease?