anybody used the Toyota Techinfo online site?

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[quote author=e9999 link=board=2;threadid=14175;start=msg134036#msg134036 date=1081302205]
RT, could you tell us a bit more about how much time this all took and how you did it?
Did you have to find each file separately somehow or was there a way to figure out the directory structure and all file names?
No wildcard download eh?
thanks
Eric
[/quote]


it took me about 12 hours but I had to download the first 1/3 of the FSM twice as I figured it out about that far in how to do it right, also stopped for many breaks and 2 meals, it could probably be done in 4 or 5 hours, less if you did not make a folder structure along the way but that would result in useless mass of crap, if you are on Dial-up forget it

with the exception of the training manual the files download faster than you can click on them (average about 100KB only a few pages each) so it is not something you can walk away from wile it downloads, unless somebody knows how to write a script all 1,260 files have to be individually selected and downloaded

if someone can figure out how to automate this that would be wonderful! if not this is how I did it:

first uninstall Adobe acrobat reader, with it installed it tries to just open the file without saving it, makes it much slower or if you are like me and have AE 6.0 it just sits there and does nothing, The Tis site says you need to update AE to 6.01 or something to work with that site I just uninstalled it and every click brings up the Download dialog box

after you log on in the left upper pane select the vehicle, in the lower left pane select the manual and hit the “search” button

I used 2 different approaches, one for the FSM and one for the rest of the manuals/data (10 “manuals” in all plus some other odds and ends) create a folder for ecah manual

For the non FSM: in the right pane select all sections and click the “find” button this will bring up all the files in that manual, for all except for the FSM (repair Manual) this is fine, the list gives the title of the document not the file name, the actual file name is a contraction of the document tile, most are indecipherable for instance in the transmission overhaul manual OVERDRIVE DIRECT CLUTCH –“ is named “no006ove.pdf”
, you could rename the file to the document name as you download this would slow you down considerably but you would have a usable manual when you are done, I did not I will have to go back through and rename the files as I read them but there are only 404 non FSM files, and many I will never use, all manuals except for the FSM can be just dumped in a folder (one folder for each manual) the Non FSM manuals have fairly diverse file names with a fer repeats, for instance in the body manual there are 2 “Handling.pdf” when windows complains rename the second “handling2.pdf”, when done downloading find the properties of that folder and get a file count, this # should match the # of results for your “find” listed above the results, some of the “finds” return over 100 results finding the missing one is hard so be careful downloading ( I only had search for the missing file once)

the FSM is another mater, and required a different approach it has 856 files mostly using the same 20 or so file names, it is divided into 23 sections and the sections are divided into about 280 subsections, almost always none of the files in a single subsection have the same name so most of the time all the files in a subsection can be downloaded to the same folder without renaming

so on your computer make a folder for the FSM (Repair Manual) then inside a folder for the first section (introduction) on the Tis website select introduction in the section box in the right pane and click find, then in the introduction folder on your computer create the first subsection folder “how to use this manual” and download the 1 file Titled “General Information” but file named geninf.pdf to that folder, then create the second subsection folder “identification Information” and download its file, then create the third subsection folder Repair instructions witch has 2 files one is also titled “general Information” geninf.pdf this is why you must have separate folders for each subsection because so that “how to use this manual” geninf.pdf and repair instructions geninf.pdf can have separate homes, when finished with all the subsections find the properties of the section folder and make sure the file count matches your “find” result count then move on to the next section and repeat,

for those that do not know you can create and name and navigate folders right there in the download dialog box

when you are done downloading reinstall acrobat reader and you will have a very usable manual by just brousing through the folders when you get to the folder then names are usable remo.pdf is removal of whatever subsection we are talking about insp.pdf is inspection of that part ect. No later renaming of 800+ files is required for the FSM as long as you make the 300 or so folders

dam that was a long post :doh:

File%20Structure%20.jpg
 
[quote author=ppc link=board=2;threadid=14175;start=msg134105#msg134105 date=1081306517]
Pit-a-full, I guess I value my time just a bit more than others. You can spend $200 or $300 to buy every manual in existence or spend 24 hours downloading them all. 300/24 = $12.5 bucks an hour + $10 subscription fee.
[/quote]

agreed not a cost save by any means, I already have most of the paper manuals, but I have plans for the electronic manuals (carputer) also hate getting the manuals greasy this way I can print out a section get it as many grimy finger prints on it as I desire and toss it when done
 
Just wanted to post an update on this. For those of you that remember, I scanned in and created an indexed version of my FSM. About a month ago, or less, I was waiting around for some folks that were finishing a work project for me. I decided to pay the $10 and download some of the training stuff. Well, everything was going so quick that I started to download the manual too. WOW, a lot of great stuff and it only took about 2 hours (as I was doing other things). I built different folders and saved each one with a 3 digit numerical prefix so it would be easy to combine in the correct order when done. I still have to index it, but I'll do that some night this week when I'm waiting for something at work.

The hardcopy FSM is still great, but this downloaded version really is the macdaddy.
 
Junk said:
Just wanted to post an update on this. For those of you that remember, I scanned in and created an indexed version of my FSM. About a month ago, or less, I was waiting around for some folks that were finishing a work project for me. I decided to pay the $10 and download some of the training stuff. Well, everything was going so quick that I started to download the manual too. WOW, a lot of great stuff and it only took about 2 hours (as I was doing other things). I built different folders and saved each one with a 3 digit numerical prefix so it would be easy to combine in the correct order when done. I still have to index it, but I'll do that some night this week when I'm waiting for something at work.

The hardcopy FSM is still great, but this downloaded version really is the macdaddy.

I did the same thing a while back. The key--as you note--is to rename the files numerically (001.pdf, 002.pdf, etc) in separate folders as you go. Easier and quicker than it sounds with broadband. This allows Acrobat to reassemble them in page order with a drag-and-drop from your directory into a single PDF file (alternatively, so long as you save them from the site in the order presented to you, you can sort on the date, then select and drop into Acrobat to achieve the same effect). If you do this, don't skip the extra zeros, since when you merge them later, file 101.pdf will be sorted ahead of file 2.pdf when you merege them without the extra zeros 'cuz Windoz thinks 101 comes before 2 in a sort by name.

You will also WANT to do this, since these files are typically one or two pages long which makes for finding/reading things a tad difficult. The one file they didn't include for some reason was the index file. Guess I'll have to make my own one of these days. For now, I've merged only into logical chapters of the book (e.g, Steering, Front Axle, etc.). It's a really great addition to the paper FSM. While you're there, don't forget to get the EWD and TSBs too :D
 
I don't know how any of you guys feel about it, but on the other forum I read for my 89 Supra. Someone scanned in their whole TSRM and put it on their web page (indexed and all - very well done).
So now when anyone has a question about something either they can reference to the exact page and ask questions about it or the ppl answering can point out a page and explain it more. Since thats basically posting a whole manual online, I don't know how legal it is, but it sure is handy to have it online for reference or when you don't have your manuals with you on a trip.
 
gbell210 said:
... Someone scanned in their whole TSRM and put it on their web page.... I don't know how legal it is.....

It is not legal unless they obtained permission from Toyota or whoever owns the copywright to the manual. By the way, I don't want to get into a moral/ethical argument here. This is just what the law says.
 
I was confined to the house for a few days so I decided this would be a good time to subscribe to techinfo.toyota.com and download the FSM, EWD, NCF, and the other manuals that I was interested in having in electronic form. The service is easy and quick, with instant access via a credit card. $10 well spent and there should never again be any IH8MUD regular who says he can't afford a FSM.

Here are some pointers to add to RavenTai's post from a year ago.

* Forget trying to automate this process. I killed a few hours with HTTrack and WSGet. Don't waste your time.

* I could not get Firefox to work and had to use IE V6, along with Acrobat Reader V7. It would not work with Acrobat uninstalled; at least not for me. You must enable Pop-ups in IE.

* I created a directory structure with the numbering scheme recommended by Scamper and Junk. You can get this structure by clicking on this link. It will download a zip file with empty files named exactly like the names used on the Techinfo.Toyota.Com web site. It has a directory structure for almost all of the manuals that I needed for a 1997 Land Cruiser. The main difference is the NCF manual that best describes the '96-'97 FZJ80 is the 1996 LX450 New Car Features manual so that is in the directory along with the minimal NCF manual for the '97 LC. You will also see a document for the A442F transmission which I got from the '93 NCF manual. When you "Extract" the files in the downloaded ZIP file it will create you an empty manual.

* When you select manuals from Techinfo they will pop up in an IE window with the Acrobat plug-in; select the "Save-As" icon, select the directory & filename that corresponds, and click "Save", then close the Acrobat window and repeat.... over a thousand times. It goes pretty quick this way.

* The Technical Training manual section is incomplete. I started downloading and quit because most of those manuals/pages were not relevant. Either ignore this section or re-do it.

* Manuals in the "empty" directory structure are:
.. RM This is a version of the '97 Land Cruiser FSM.
.......... It is slightly different than my 5th printing of FM510U.
.. OM This is the 1997 Land Cruiser Owner's Manual
.. EWD This is the 1997 Land Cruiser Electronic Wiring Diagrams
.. NCF This is the New Car Features for the 96 LX450 + one for the '97 LC
.. WHR A generic Wiring Harness Repair manual
.. ATM This is for the A343F Automatic Transmission
.. MS Maintenance Schedules
.. BR Body Repair
., TSB A few of the TSB's that interested me
.. TTM Technical Training Manuals (incomplete + non-relevant vehicles)
.. VIP A few documents on programming of the RS3000 alarm and keyless entry

The above sequence would be how I would recommend retrieving the manuals from most important to least important.

This is what the directory structure looks like.

Directory_Sample2.jpg


This shows a different approach than that taken by RavenTai with less folders and longer filenames.

-B-
 
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Nice work -B-, having a framework to drop the files in will make it go by much quicker.


I did not realize the 96 LX450 NCF was more complete than the others, I guess I lucked out?
 
RavenTai said:
I did not realize the 96 LX450 NCF was more complete than the others, I guess I lucked out?

I thought you had mentioned another time that the '96 LX manual was more complete because that was the first year for the LX450. It looked like I would have to combine the '91, '93, and '95 Land Cruiser NCF manuals to approximate what was done with the '96 LX450 version so I went with that one.

I'm hoping other years have about the same structure on Techinfo; otherwise the '96-'97 guys will be the only ones that can use the template with the empty files.

Next up is combining the individual PDF files to get complete manuals that can be searched a little easier; and maybe some way to index the FSM.

-B-
 
Beowulf said:
I thought you had mentioned another time that the '96 LX manual was more complete because that was the first year for the LX450.

That does sound familiar, did I say that? :doh: I do remember someone said that their NCF was light with not much info, AFIK you are the first too actually compare and confirm.


** found it, I did say that but it was an unconfirmed guess.

Raven said:
hmm I wonder if the 96 LX being the "First year of the FZJ-80" as far as Lexus is concerned made the NCF more comprehensive?

https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=37513


I still have not grouped my files together into larger PDF's,

In some of the PDF's there are links to other PDF's the links no longer work because of the file structure. woudl be interestign to get those working.
 
RavenTai said:
In some of the PDF's there are links to other PDF's the links no longer work because of the file structure. woudl be interestign to get those working.

I noticed that, but getting those links to work would be waaaay more trouble than it's worth, AFAIAC.

-B-
 
I've played with the catalog feature of Acrobat without too much luck in creating an index. It's probably becuase I don't know what I'm doing with it :rolleyes:

But there's got to be some way to create a searchable index with Acrobat, and also have it link to the section in the manual where the word occurs. I'll eventually get around to it if/when I have time, unless someone comes up with the menthod first and saves me the trouble :D
 
As was stated above, HTTP through a java app only, you have to click on each file, that is part of what makes it so time consuming.

Even though we have tried so far nobody has been able to get around this, if you can figure a way around this you would save yourself and future users a lot of time,

I would imagine it will take somebody who knows something about writing for Java, I know what it is and what it does but have no idea how to manipulate it.
 
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Oh. That sucks. I saw the Java reference but ignored it because a lot of folks mean "javascript" when they say "Java." Clearly, you know what you're talking about.

Java's tough to get around. They're probably using it to easily mask their file locations.

Well, thanks for the clarification on that. I sure would like to get that manual at that price, but I barely have time to work on the LC with two tikes to care for, let alone point and click for several hours.

I'll stick my neck out here. I'd hate to screw Toyota, but if anyone has downloaded a copy ... I have an FTP server up and going 24/7... I know I'd be willing to share once I had a copy.
 
I emailed the TIS site admin inquiring about the challenge in downloading an entire FSM. Here's what I received in reply:

**************

Thank you for your TIS feedback.
We appreciate your input on the site. The TIS system is intended to assist independent service providers, hobbyists and the general public in maintaining, troubleshooting and repairing specific problems with their Toyota, Scion, and Lexus vehicles. If you are seeking specific information, individual sections can be opened and then subsequently saved to disk and/or printed, for your personal use only. We have thee different subscription lengths to choose from to meet your needs. We understand that some individuals will require extensive amounts of information over a long period of time. In addition to the option of getting a monthly or yearly subscription, we also provide the ability to order most manuals through the Toyota/Lexus Material Distribution Center (see below). However, because the bandwidth requirements for full manual downloads would be excessive, as well as for legal reasons, we do not permit the full download of manuals in electronic form at this time. We would also like to remind you that a subscription allows you to obtain the most up-to-date information, including Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs) as they are released.

If a full copy of the manual IS required, printed copies of all Toyota, Scion, and Lexus service support information can be purchased directly from the Toyota Materials Distribution Center or MDC. The MDC stocks printed versions of most Toyota service information products, including legacy model information that is not available on the TIS site.

Note: Certain inventory items are produced in limited quantities and may not be reprinted or reissued once initial inventory is depleted.

MDC telephone operators accept Visa and MasterCard credit card orders, Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM Pacific Time.

To place orders please call 1-800-622-2033
Regards,
TIS Admin

*************

I suppose I could call this number tomorrow to find out, but does anyone know off-hand about how much a paper manual costs?
 
RoscoeJFish said:
I emailed the TIS site admin inquiring about the challenge in downloading an entire FSM. Here's what I received in reply:


I suppose I could call this number tomorrow to find out, but does anyone know off-hand about how much a paper manual costs?


If you have a LX you do have to get manuals through the MDC IIRC the FSM was over $80 the other manuals were $20-30

If you have a LC call CruiserDan.

It is interesting that you got a very different reply from them than I did above, how did you pose your question? Do you still have a copy of it?
 
Gosh in this day and age you would think Toyota would offer the FSM on DVD. Human's are still the stopgap for all our wonderful digital technology...kind of a dichotomy eh?
 
Guys,
Quit whining about the download from the Toyota web site. Get the directory and naming structure that I provided in the link above, pull out the credit card and spend $10, allocate 3 hours, and download the manuals you are interested in.

I guarantee you it is worth it.

-B-
 
The response Roscoe got did not differ from Raven's. They told Roscoe that they didn't allow download of the entire FSM due to bandwidth issues--fair enough and understandable. They told Raven that they didn't disallow it if you wanted to spend the time (all paraphrased). Those two are not inconsistent. They're simply saying that if you want to spend the time downloading, have at it. But they won't make it easy by providing a full FSM for download--again, fair enough.

Bottom line is that if you do enough work on your truck, you will prob want both. One to read, the other to print and toss once you've greased it all up.
 
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