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Older Camry Maintenance and Repair

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Comments

  • chilonchilon Member Posts: 9
    My older 1995 Camry LE 2 door stopped at traffic light and now won't start!
    I had gotten oil change done at the dealer the same day around 3pm an dcamry stopped at traffic light at 11:pm! I had to get it towed to hoime. Now the car won't start. What could be wrong with this car?
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    A hundred different things could be wrong. It takes fuel/air, compression, and a spark....all in the correct proportions and at the right time.

    How many miles on your timing belt?
  • debshanedebshane Member Posts: 4
    Radiator is only about 5 yrs old and fine. We tested the motors and both are burnt out. I sold some tires and bought the fans, the switch and thermostat. But my machanic friend stood me up this morning. So, at least the big stuff will be taken care of, when he ever calls me back.

    Thank you for your help. I will let you know if that all works.

    Deborah
  • chilonchilon Member Posts: 9
    I have 73K miles on my car.
    Funny thing I had oil change done at this toyota dealrship also last time just like this time. At that ime they told me I needed a new timing belt.

    Funny because I thought I had gotten my timing belt changed about 4 months prior to that! But at a different dealership then this one.

    So when I got oil change done this time with this toyota dealership I went and asked the mechanic if he could look and see If my timing belt was new. This guy was shifty and he told me he had looked at my timing belt and it looked new!!!
    But last time they told me I neededa new timing belt!!
    But in between the 2 oil changes at that toyota dealership I didn't get any timing belt!!

    Why did the car stopped and would not start - I am wondering on the same day when I had my oil change done at this toyota dealership? I got oil change done at 3pm and the car stopped at 11pm when I stopped at a red light traffic light. And I drove the car on and off inbetween. And it was working.

    But I had gotten some service done almost 7 months ago at a different dealership(where I had timing belt change done also)
    And since then the toyota would stop after I had started it for 5 minutes and at traffic red light or a stop sign but then it would alawys start in 1 minute again.

    Now after I had that oil change done at this toyota dealership the car just stopped at the red traffic light and would not start. I had car towed to my home and it is still not starting.

    The car key would turn and lights would come on and as I turn the car key it a Ghrr and ghrr sound would come on - sound like when the car does not start? And car has not started.
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    As mentioned, it could be hundreds of things and nobody over the internet is going to be able to figure out your problem based upon the only fact that it won't start.

    Unless you know a competent mechanic who will come to the car with his tools, you'll need to get it towed to a garage, and have them diagnose what the problem is.

    You seem to be making a linkage in your mind between the oil change and this problem. Unless you ran out of oil, your oil light came on and you are out of oil, it probably had nothing to do with the oil change. You drove it for a couple of hours and any number of things totally unrelated to an oil change could have gone wrong.

    Let a shop look at it, and see what they find.
  • chilonchilon Member Posts: 9
    Is city garage good honest shop? They are charging almost $100 to diagnose why the car won't start? Is that okay price? Other issue I have is that I have only 2 AAA tows left. if city garage charge too much I may have to find some one else and then again get the car towed to that place.
    One question - could the problem be the starter? The lights come on and when I turn the key the car makes ghrr ghrr noise? So could it be the starter?
    or spark plugs?
    fule pump?
    fuel filter?
    or something else.
    One person told be it could be the sending unit? I don't even know what that is.
  • chilonchilon Member Posts: 9
    why did you ask for timing belt?
    Honestly I "thought" that I got it changed about 7 months ago but I am not sure.
    In my last oil change before this one the dealer recommended I get my timing belt changed and about "water pump leak"
    Could that have something to do with car stopping?
    I will take the car to get it checked this week.
    Also could I tow my car with another car? How do i do that? what equipment will I need. I am thinking of doing it as that car garage is only 2 miles from my place.
    Thank you.
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    Your car stopped running immediately, and has never attempted to run again even poorly. A lot of times when one of the many sensors are starting to go bad, it may run poorly for a while, and then even run okay.

    If a timing belt breaks, the engine will stop immediately and absolutely not run until it's replaced.

    I asked about a timing belt replacement, based upon the age of the vehicle. It would have cost you somewhere around 500 to $1000 to replace the timing belt, and they do the water pump also while they have everything torn apart.....since at 70/80/100K it's on last legs as well.

    The accessory belt is one that is on the outside of the engine that you see, and many oil change places ask you if you want it replaced since it's easy to do. Belt is probably 30 bucks, takes 10-15 minutes to do, and perhaps they might charge you 50-100 bucks.

    The timing belt is somewhat internal to the engine, and a major repair. The mechanic can test easily for cylinder compression, which if you have none is a major problem.

    But again, there are many many things that could be wrong, and you need a mechanic to look at it to determine what the problem is. You (we/me) should not be randomly guessing, based upon a 'no-start' a grr-grr sound. If you are not mechanically inclined with tools, let a mechanic diagnose this so you don't do any other damage and run the repair bill up further.

    If you have access to a pu truck (or something what can tow a 3500ish pound load, you can rent a car dolly at say Hertz for maybe 30-40 bucks a day. But I'd suggest to call a tow truck, let the professionals handle this.

    I don't know what kind of shape this vehicle is in, and how much money you are willing to sink into it before you cut your losses and run. But you should be doing a little research to understand it's value in a non-running condition, and a running condition. This may be a cheap repair, this may be an expensive repair. If you have a leaking waterpump already, you're looking at the timing belt/waterpump repair as stated earlier.
  • rearwheeldriverearwheeldrive Member Posts: 140
    Toyota Camry not start.

    Go to mycarspace for pictures. Seach:"blog:1990 q-45. Then scroll to 93 Toyota Camry V6 plug change".

    I'd check the wire harness to the distributor. Iif they are not clicked onto the ignition circuit harness tightly, they will vibrate off and on at a light. I know mine did this after changing the valve cover gasket I forgot to push the wires on tight.It drove ok for about a week then one day it shut off at the light then started right back up.

    One quick simple test is to pull a plug wire off, on top of the engine (comes from distributor too ) and insert a phillips srewdriver in the wire where the spark plug was connected or insert a spark plug on here. Crank the engine, and look for a spark.

    I do this test in the dark with the screwdriver touching some metal part on the engine. This eliminates timing belt, electrical, A 2minute test!! Tomorrow will test fuel pump.
  • rearwheeldriverearwheeldrive Member Posts: 140
    I read your problem wrong 93 Camry stopped .

    I think you now run your battery down or you have engine problems mechanical parts, not electrical

    Its one thing the car shuts off but another if it won't crank over. A Starter Motor is spinning fast, just before the engine runs. It sounds like it wont even crank over. Is it spinning fast still?.....No?

    So now you have two problems a dead battery, and the problem when it originally shut off at the light.

    When trying to start a car, if it dosen't start in 2-3 seconds something is wrong, More trouble shooting is required. Simply cranking the engine over and over will only make more things worst. Battery, fails.Starter Motor gets hot.

    Right now you need a volt meter connected at the battery, or a jump start. Then do the test in above post.Your battery should show 12.5 or more volts.
  • chilonchilon Member Posts: 9
    okay. It is 1995 Toyota camry LE 2 door with 73000 miles on it.
    The car won't start
    AND
    It won't CRANK.

    When I turn the key in to start it only that Ghrr Ghrr noise.

    There is no Cranking
    and I don't hear any engine noise at all.

    No I don not hear any starter motor spining fast.

    All lights come on when I turn the car key.
    After the car stopped I had tried to get battery charged but it made no difference.
    So the battery is okay.

    The background again:
    What happened was:
    I had the car serviced before. ONLY after servicing that the car BEGAN to stop after 5 minutes and only when I was stopped at a Traffic red light or a stop sign.
    But then it would start back in less then 1 minute maybe even in 30 seconds or so.

    But last thursday it stopped as I was coming home from running errands after getting the oil change done by the toyota dealer.
    And it would just not start unlike before.

    There is no cranking. I hear no engine noise when I turn the key.
    It seems to have died on me.
  • chilonchilon Member Posts: 9
    The car has only 73k miles on it.
    well I went to auto parts retailer today. He recommened a mechanic to me. Also he told me don't go to 1 AAA recommened garage. "those guys are crooks." I don't know what to say. I asked him why. He said they overcharge you and gave me an example of a lady who he said was overcharged.
    Yeah I got to find out if my timing belt was changed 7 months ago.
    See I asked the dealers' auto mechanic if my timing belt was new. He said it looked new, but at the prior oil change the dealer said I needed timing belt changed! But in between these 2 oil changes I did not get any timing belt replaced!!

    Now I am suspicious of that dealer's mechanic. May be he did something to my timing belt. You can tell if someone is shifty and not honest. I could be wrong.
    I don't know really if that dealer's mechanic actually did something to my timing belt.

    But I will get the car checked this week. probably call someone to tow it.
    One guy is charging almost 98 dollars and other almost 70 dollars! one way of course and that is only 3 miles far from my house!
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    The timing belt is inside the engine, nobody could have done anything to it.
  • rearwheeldriverearwheeldrive Member Posts: 140
    Camry wont start

    This is confusing when you turn the key you say the lights come on To me that means headlights Try and just turn the lights on without the key . This test will tell you if the battery is charged, and in good condition. Leave the lights on for Two Minutes. The lights should stay on if you have a good battery. If the lights past this test go to the next step, and turn the lights off.

    Next try and spin the motor over with the key in the start position, NOT the run position. Does it spin over at all? Or does it make a groaning noise, like when the battery is dead?

    It is important to isolate the problem to the battery, or the engine. If the battery is good then your engine is bad. If the battery is bad we can't test the engine till you fix that problem first.

    I can't tell if you have a good battery because you say the lights come when you turn the key on. The key has nothing to do with the lights. Then you say it makes a grr grr sound, like the Starter is not spinning the engine.This is a dead battery!!
  • chilonchilon Member Posts: 9
    The lights came on without using the car key and they stayed on for the 2 minutes you told me to time.
    The engine does not crank when I turn the key.
    One question
    do all/most shops include the car diagnosis cost in the labor cost if I get the repairs done from them?
    Or is it a separate charge?
  • 100way100way Member Posts: 2
    I have just inherited a 98 Camry from my brother, which I use to drive my mom around as I'm the new care giver. He drove like a mad man.

    Issue: When cold, it has trouble changing to the next gear and afterwards, hesitates and lags at a constant speed (30ish)(auto trans). Runs fine after a few miles. Has 100,000 miles. Seems the oil has been changed regularly but other maintenance I do not know.

    Any advice before I take it to the shop? Thanks.
  • rearwheeldriverearwheeldrive Member Posts: 140
    Camry no start

    Great, you can't spin the engine at all. This is an electric problem. The key is fused the lights are not. So we have to check fuses to the to the ignition key.

    If your not afraid to look under the hood you can start looking for the fuses. I have a picture of where this is. A 95 Camry, let me look.

    Diagnosis could be over hundred dollars. Then the labor to fix the problem more. Fixing and diagnosis is two separate things.
  • rearwheeldriverearwheeldrive Member Posts: 140
    98 Camry trans lags

    Short answer is to check the level of the fluid in the trans. I believe it should be running and in park.
  • 100way100way Member Posts: 2
    Thanks, will do. I think I read how to check the trans on this site: drive ten mins, park, shift into all gears and then check level while running. ....drum roll....
  • 210delray210delray Member Posts: 4,721
    Yes, and make sure the transmission is fully in park and the parking brake is set firmly. Also, clean off any grease and crud on the top of the dipstick and tube before removing the stick (easy to do on the Camry because of its positioning right up front). If the level is between the hash marks and looks cherry red, I wouldn't add any more, as 10 minutes generally isn't enough to get the level up to the "full" mark.
  • sbaker75sbaker75 Member Posts: 3
    4 cycl 2.2-- motor cranks/new battery---fuel pumps works/new pump/chked relays good/ has fuel thru the filter/ new filter--- motor will run on starter fluid/has fire---checked ohms on injectors/good but could not find what the voltage should be to them. it just seems that there is no fuel to the injectors or they are not opening. looking for ideas. thanks
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    You indicate the fuel pump works, did you verify that it works in the vehicle and there is fuel pumping out as input to the injectors? The fuel pump power, is controlled by the Engine computer, thru a relay called the circuit control. That relay sits behind the glove box. If that relay is bad, or the ECM is bad and isn't turning it on, you won't have power to the fuel pump.

    The injectors power come from the 30A AM2 fuse, then thru the Ign switch to the injectors, and then from the injectors grounded and controled thru the ECM. Since your engine will run on starter fluid, I would assume that all of this power is working okay.

    If you do determine that the computer isn't turning on the fuel pump circuit relay, then I guess the next logical approach would be to try and determine whether some input to the computer is bad which is telling it to keep the pump off....or whether the computer itself is bad.
  • chilonchilon Member Posts: 9
    what is the purpose of alternator in the car?
    I am asking this because my 1995 Toyota Camry stopped at the traffic light- after I had stopped at the red traffic light. And some one told me it could be the alternator. what do you think.
    Here:
    I was driving the car and when I had stopped at the red light the camry just stopped and would not start.
    Now one guy is telling me it could be the alternator.
    I have not yet taken the car to repair shop or dealer as it is stormy weather here.
    That is why I am asking this. Thank you.
    I don't want to get ripped off by dealer or car repairmen so I am trying to find out this as much as I can.
    thank you
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    The alternator charges the battery back up. It converts the mechanical energy of its' pulley being turned, to electrical power which it puts into the battery.

    So your headlights, radio, starter, fans, electric windows, all use power from the battery. The alternator puts the power back into the battery to keep it charged.

    And to answer your question, YES, this 'could' be your problem. But as previously said, so could hundreds of other things be your problem. Just take your vehicle to a reputable shop, you're worrying about this way too much. They'll have one of the technicians look over your vehicle to figure out what appears to be working and what appears to not be working, and zero in on the problem area. It's not hard to do with someone who is knowledgeable.
  • sbaker75sbaker75 Member Posts: 3
    yes i have verifed that the pump works in the car.. i get fuel thru the filter to the rail.... so if i can run on starter fluid does this mean the injectors are working? if so it sounds to me like i have a blocked fuel rail. and i wonder how something got in there.... mmmm. ok thank you very much and i will get back with what i find..
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    Have you checked the fuel pressure at the rail?

    "so if I can run on starter fluid does this mean the injectors are working?" - No, that means your injectors don't appear to be working and delivering fuel. Could be don't have enough pressure on the rail, the computer isn't telling them to fire, or some number of them are defective.

    If you are able to run on starter fluid, then the compression and spark appear okay and your problem is in fuel delivery.
  • rearwheeldriverearwheeldrive Member Posts: 140
    Camry wont start

    Did you do the Battery test? The alternator keeps the battery charged if the battery is charged the Alternator works.

    I can't believe people tell you it might be this or might be that. If you desribe the problem correctly, then they should be asking you more question narrowing down the problem, not the other way around.

    How can you find out what is wrong if you can't answer the troubleshooters question. You shouldn't be asking what this does or that. They should know what it does and be sure it is this or that not it might be.

    I can tell you what is going on if you do the test I asked you to do. This is basic troubleshooting 101.

    I saw a 95 Camry at the junkyard today the fuses are right next to the battery did you see them?
  • rearwheeldriverearwheeldrive Member Posts: 140
    the injectors have a fuse too

    Check the inj fuse or put a simple test light on one of the connectors to the injectors and watch it light up when you turn it over.It should be in the engine compartment fuse box.

    You can hear them clicking when you crank it over if you place a hose or long srewdriver on the injector and other end is in your ear.

    You also have a cold start injector, and need the air duct connected, and cold temp sensor working properly to get a cold engine started easier.
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    RearWheel,

    The poster (he/she) is not technically proficient, and any even basic problem isolation techniques are difficult to do, particularly hard if there is no underlying understanding of why things work the way they do. He/she could spend hours and thousands of dollars chasing 'it could be this', or 'it could be that'. The absolute best direction in my opinion, is to get the vehicle to one of many competent shops who very quickly can isolate the problem down just by observing the vehicle with some very basic testing.

    And by the way, there are a number of fuse boxes in that vehicle, and the main one is by the drivers left knee, behind the ash tray.
  • sbaker75sbaker75 Member Posts: 3
    did not have a pressure gauge... found a clog in th fuel hose between the filter and rail, removed and repair now runs great. it appears to have been some knd of wax buld up in the hose. look like ill need to do a system flush. thanks for all yor help.
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    Good job!
  • rearwheeldriverearwheeldrive Member Posts: 140
    Kiawah

    I can't help them your right, they're all over the place. I think the battery is dead.

    I leaning to the fuses at the battery, the 80, 60, 40, amp fuses are there. These could be bad if she has no power at all to the ignition switch.

    This car could have been drivin without oil and the engine froze up for all we know!! I can't believe it only has 79K not 279K miles. No history to go on, and 20 years old. I have a 93 V6 Camry sitting in my drive way.

    I used to work on Toyota's in the late 90's and did service on these all the time. We never had to do troubleshooting because it was always the same things breaking over and over.Plug wires going bad, radiators fans failing, motor mounts, and some electric window cranks.
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    As you know, a solid failure is much easier to find than something that is intermittent. Since that vehicle won't run, it shouldn't take too long at all for a mechanic to zero right in on the area that is keeping it from running.
  • chilonchilon Member Posts: 9
    It is 95 camry - 4 cylinder automatic car with 73000 miles on it.
    I don't know how to describe it better. True I don't even have basic understanding of car mechanics.

    Again first the background:

    I had service done on the 1995 Toyota Camry 2 years ago - cooolant flush, break fluid change, body throttle, spark plugs etc. Immediately as I drove the car after the service the steering froze up and the car stopped on the side road!!! As I waited after a couple of minutes it drove fine!!!! I immediately drove back to the mechanic who worked on the car. He told me it could be the fumes trapped where engine is!!! He said I would be okay. I did not know too well so I said okay.
    After this the car ran okay for a little while. But then one weird thing happened.
    I would start the car and it would start. Then after I drove it for 2-3 minutes, and I stopped at red light or stop sign the car would stop and would only start after 10 seconds or so!! It kept on happening like this.

    Now:

    I had oil change done. The dealer's mechanic told me my battery was at 425 ampheres and it should be at 725 ampheres or so but said I was okay and battery would recharge as I drive the car.
    And I drove the car for several hours after oil change.
    And I stopped the car at red light and it stopped and died on me! A good samaritan came behind me and stopped his car and gave me battery jump through his cables. But the car woould not start. When I turn the key it gives me 2 ghrr ghrr sounds the sound when you try to start the car and it would not start.
    Thank you.

    The weather is bad here now and has been like this for some days now! So I will take the car to mechanic on Monday. I take ride to work with a friend meanwhile.
    Would the dealer charge much more then the local mechanic?
  • rearwheeldriverearwheeldrive Member Posts: 140
    This is really going in three different direction

    First: the shut off its a bad electric connection to the ignition.

    Second: the grr grr sound is a dead battery or a bad starter motor. A voltage check will determine which. A jump start should get the cars starter motor spinning, if the battery is not damaged, and the the wires are clean and tight.If the car is really 70k miles the battery is probably the original, and needs replaced.

    Third: the 425 amp hours is a reserve built into the battery by the manufacture It can never be changed by charging. Find another mechanic who isn't baffling you with B.S.

    Your dealer is the best bet Have the age of the battery ready so maybe you don't get charged for that too.Sears or Auto parts store can look up your battery amp hour rating for your car You can buy a big 700 amp hour battery, but why? The battery can start your car with the minimum required, whatever that is. 425 amp hours sounds right for a Toyota 4 cylinder engine. Its not the problem here.
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    RearWheel,

    Nobody can tell from an internet written description of "grr grr" what that means. To me, that could be the sound of the starter turning the engine, but it not firing (ie, no fuel delivery or no spark). If the battery were totally dead, you'd expect an internet description of "click", or perhaps if battery was low on voltage a "slow grr grr".

    This situation just needs a local mechanic to look at it, it shouldn't take long to diagnose.
  • alex24alex24 Member Posts: 54
    93 toyota camry cruise control , As I turn it on, it works for a while, then it starts going off and on and the cruise light starts blinking, then it stops working, and will not work again untill I shut the ignition off and restart the car, then it works again, but then does it again, what could be wrong with it ?
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    For that model, you have a separate cruise control computer, which is up behind the glove box.

    An intermittent problem like this in that circuit really takes some sleuthing to figure out. There are three power sources which provides power in some way to that circuitry, start by making sure all three fuses are fine:
    - 15A ECU-1G,
    - 10A Gauge
    - 15A Stop

    Next, there are a number of 'inputs' to the cruise control computer, so you'll need to take each one and try to isolate down whether it is working correctly:
    - Backup light switch
    - stop light switch
    - parking brake switch
    - cruise control clutch switch
    - the combo switch
    - the vehicle speed sensor (would also effect your speedometer)
    - the main engine computer (which you really can't check)
    - the dash combination meter (your speedometer, which you really can't check it's input to the cruise ECU)
    I'd look as to whether there are any other symptoms which you didn't originally catch (like your brake lights not working right, etc). If something in the list above isn't working, then focus on fixing that. If nothing obvious, then you need to put a meter on the switch and continually work it back and forth to make sure the switch is consistently working correctly.

    Personally, I'd suspect some of the switches that have gotten used consistently for 15 years (brake light switch, stop light switch, combo switch, etc). However, the fact that it is blinking and won't go back into cruise mode seems to be an indicator that it is finding some error condition it doesn't like, and isn't allowing it to be turned back on until it is 'cleared' by turning off the ignition.

    If you have to go much further in diagnosis, it's going to start costing you bucks because you're going to have to swap out the cruise control ECU (might get one from a junk yard), or the cruise control actuator. Whether this makes sense to do in a 93 camry I guess depends upon how much money you have available to throw at it, and how much 'cruising' you actually do. I guess you could also try unseating and reseating connectors, to make sure they are getting a good contact surface.

    Good luck.
  • rearwheeldriverearwheeldrive Member Posts: 140
    Kiawah

    Well we never hear back from the Camry won't Start. It had to be a dead battery. Sometimes they just wear out. Sounded like somebody looked at it and suggested a bigger one. And it had 70k miles on it. And never been changed or someone put in a cheap small one just to get by in the 12 year old car.

    It could be she/him was driving, and the battery didn't take a charge. Then when she came to a light and hit the brakes, the brake light comes on, and it zap the little electric left in the battery to keep the engine running. Never got it to jump. It wont jump because there's no water in it, and is damaged.

    I should of had her/ him check the water level in the battery, It was probably dry. The battery cell is shorted now and damaged. This would be a simple visual test. But they wouldn't pursue the dead battery theory, just kept repeating a 2 year history and it wont crank. Duh!!

    People they ask for help, then when you offer some they don't even want to hear you, I was suggesting start at the Battery Battery Battery.
  • rearwheeldriverearwheeldrive Member Posts: 140
    Great troubleshooting we all benefit

    I guess you could say you already did the flush, the old fashioned way, but some chemical flush won't hurt.

    Good Job!!

    93 Camry station wagon a rare breed? I think of all the Camry's on the road I rarely see one of these.
  • andrelaplumeandrelaplume Member Posts: 934
    WHAT SHOULD I DO? I have 1 week and 500 miles left on my Platinum warranty. My 02 4cylinder Camry has 74.5K miles. It has had all its service. It had a head gasket job w/in the last year at the dealer under warranty (was blowing smoke). On a few occasions over the past few weeks I swear I get a wiff of anti freeze smell in the garage. I had and oil change not too long ago. I popped the hood and saw nothing unusual....recovery tank was at appropriate mark. The lid may have been loose---not sure. No signs of a leak anywhere? Should call the dealer? Bring it in? What will they check? What will it cost to check it? How long do the water pumps last? Whats a water pump job run out of warranty? Opinions please!
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    Did they replace the water pump, when you had the head off for the head gasket..... or is still the original pump?
  • andrelaplumeandrelaplume Member Posts: 934
    They replaced the head gasket under platinum warranty a year ago...no mention of water pump change. I see no leaks in my garage. Still original pump as far as I know. My timing belt was squeaky and replace under original warranty at around 30K. My existing belt should be good for another 15K or so...almost 2 years they way I drive. Just thought I'd mention that.
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    It probably wasn't your timing belt that was changed at 30K (which isn't visible and is inside the engine), I'm guessing it was your accessory belt (which is outside the engine) and doesn't last as long as an internal timing belt.

    If anyone replaced your timing belt, that typically is a 500 - 1000 dollar job, they typically would replace the water pump since they're in there.

    If you are really smelling anti-freeze, then it could be just a simple problem like a hose clamp that needs tightening or a cap that needs replaced, or it could be more serious (radiator leak, water pump leak, heater core leak, etc).

    If your anti-freeze level isn't dropping, then there is no need to excessively worry about this, just continue to monitor the level.
  • andrelaplumeandrelaplume Member Posts: 934
    Whoa...on that timing belt thing...I was under the impression, on the 02 and later Camry's that there was only one serpentine belt...nothing in the engine...were these not called timing chains? In fact I think I remember getting coupons for a 'timing belt' replacement for $200+ or so...am I wrong? I also believe that with this design, if the belt brakes, no harm comes to the engine....as it does with older fashion timing chains....
  • andrelaplumeandrelaplume Member Posts: 934
    so there is no real magic test the dealer can do except look over everything....would they even see a water pump leak? How much is a new water pump on an 02 Camry?
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    Ahh sorry,

    For a 2002 internal to the engine, if your engine is a V6 then there is a timing belt....if it is an I4 then it is a chain. On the outside of both engines, there is also an accessory belt.
  • andrelaplumeandrelaplume Member Posts: 934
    just spoke w/dealer...you are correct, the 2002 4cylinder has a chain in the engine...if it goes it can cause great problems...YET...he told me there is no replacement inteval...said it is designed to last as long as the engine..if you keep up with your oild changes it should not be an issue.....DOES THIS SOUND RIGHT?

    He said the other belt is about $90 to change unless a new tensioner is needed then $300+.

    He said only to change the water pump when it fails....could also cost $400.

    Does all this sound about right?

    Should I take the car in and have them look at the water pump...would they even be able to tell if its starting to go bad...I should have asked I the guy I guess.....like I said, warranty is good for another week only....
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    Unless you are seeing antifreeze dripping from the shaft of the waterpump, see a puddle of antifreeze on the floor, seeing a loss of antifreeze level out of your recovery tank, or hear the waterpump shaft squealing....taking it to the dealer will most likely result in a no trouble found (and a potential charge for that analysis). Nobody will pull and replace a waterpump because you think you smell antifreeze. It is much more likely you have a leak from a hose clamp that isn't tight enough anymore.
  • andrelaplumeandrelaplume Member Posts: 934
    ok, thanks..I'll just kepp and eye and nose on it this week!

    So about that timing chain..is it true it should last and need not be repalced on any given interval.....
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