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Older Camry Maintenance and Repair

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Comments

  • 210delray210delray Member Posts: 4,721
    About the timing chain, it should last the life of the engine, so there's no need to be concerned about it.
  • rearwheeldriverearwheeldrive Member Posts: 140
    Timing chain engine, Camry

    In 2002 Camry got a new seris engine, and you got it, the 2AZ engine. The water leak is a good issue to watch It is hard to see any leaks since you have a big catch pan under the engine

    Too bad you don't do your own maintenance but a mechanic should remove this panel in about two minutes and look for trails of Antifreeze on the bottom of the engine. He would be looking at the hoses mentioned in past post as well as the Timing Chain area because this is where the Water Pump is located.

    The water pump is much harder to remove. It is under the timing chain. However the trail of or stain of water will be visible under the crankshaft pulley if the Water Pump is leaking. The Antifreeze will collect in the engine under the timing chain cover, and stink up your engine. It will eventually evaporate or leak on to the ground or on to the panel that covers the bottom of the engine, Very hard to catch.You have to be under the car with a light and the bottom panel removed.

    Try and impress your mechanic and mention the 2AZ numbers and letters when referring to engine size. This is common jargon when talking about Toyota engines. Oh yea its a 2.4 , as in 2.4 liter, and a straight 4 cylinder engine, 4 spark plugs.It replaced the 2.2 engine much smaller. Now you are viewed as knowledgeable about Toyota's when around the shop.

    Chain is lifetime.
  • rah6rah6 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2005 XLE 4 cylinder with 85K miles. One source tells me I have a timing belt. Another source tells me I have a chain. How do I determine which I have?
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    You say you have a 4 cylinder, so it's a chain. It used to be a belt in the 4 cylinder as well, so if the generic older service book you have wasn't updated, it would be reflected incorrectly.

    You can't tell by looking at the vehicle, it's internal to the engine.
  • andrelaplumeandrelaplume Member Posts: 934
    thanks. To be honest since I popped the resevoir cap (which I thought might not have beed all the way on since it popped off so easy...and then snapped it back in place, I have not smelled it. Maybe the cap was not fully on...I did just have an oil change?
  • pdestefano1986pdestefano1986 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2000 Camry 2.2L. My water pump seized up and snapped my timing belt and that caused some valves to be bent. I had a mechanic put on a new water pump and timing belt and he had the head rebuilt. Now the oil pressure light stays on. He said he took the valve cover off to try and identify if it indeed had low oil pressure to the head. He said that there is good oil pressure in the front of the head but not very much pressure in the back side of the motor. Does anyone know what can cause this?
  • dvernondvernon Member Posts: 3
    This maybe a duplicate - as I wanted to reply - I also have a 2000 Camry 4 door, 4 cyl - - I was told that my car does not have a oil pressure light - and that was 100,000 miles ago - I can't find owners manual - but trying to find out what type oil as I want to get a few quarts for backup - It went from full to low in 2,000 miles. Good luck
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    Of course you have an oil light. Watch closely all of the lights come on during dashboard light test, when you put the key in the ignition and turn it to the on position.

    It's the little icon, that looks like a gravy laddle, that is dripping.

    For a 2000, the oil is 5w30
  • rearwheeldriverearwheeldrive Member Posts: 140
    Oh yea the radiator cap !!

    It will get you everytime .

    It's got to be pushed down and twisted like a child safety cap to get off. It can be trouble to get on sometimes unless you push down hard and twist Then you turn it one time more without pressure and it locks in place.
  • 210delray210delray Member Posts: 4,721
    I think he meant the reserve (overflow) tank's cap, not the main radiator cap itself.
  • onetoyotaowneronetoyotaowner Member Posts: 2
    Hi Folks!
    I have Camry 2000 4 Cyl. The car has been well maintained - Oil change every 3K Miles. Mileage has been about 75K however the timing belt has not been changed.

    Today while driving on Freeway at 60MPH, the engine rattled, smoked and then more rattle and more smoke. Engine lost complete power. Managed to Pull over on the side and got it towed. The tow truck driver took a quick look and stated the shaft (rod?) has pierced the oil pan and lots of oil was leaking.

    a) What would cause this kind of catastrophic eng. failure? ( the roads were clean, I did not hit anything on the road.) Would timing belt breakage cause this?
    b)Would this kind of failure be covered under engine / power train warranty from Toyota?
    c) What would be needed to replace the engine?
    d) typical cost of engine repair: parts and labor?
    e) Would this be covered by insurance?
    f) If not repair, then ??

    Any inputs are very much appreciated.
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    Uggh, sorry to hear of your situation.

    We should be a little cautious here of knowing exactly what the problem is. I have no idea what 'shaft' he might be talking about. A 'rod', if it is a connecting rod, is indeed a major problem. A connecting rod connects the piston (which goes up and down), to the crankshaft, (which which turns around and around). If a rod breaks then the one piston stops moving, and the engine trys to run on 3 of the 4 pistons. Depending upon where a connecting rod broke, the piece that is still connected to the crankshaft can spin around (since the crankshaft is still turning), and starts poking things. It can scracth a bunch of stuff up, send metal parts flying around, and poke thru the bottom oil pan draining your oil and causing other engine failure. It's a major heart attack!

    This would not be covered under insurance.

    This would be covered under warrranty (or extended warranty), if you were withing the mileage and #years, which you are not. If you have had all of the maintenance done at the dealership you might try asking if Toyota would pick up a portion of the cost, it's a very long shot but worth a try to ask. This is (most likely) a multiple thousands of dollars fix (if it really was a connecting rod, and it really did break thru the exterior of the engine).

    If the engine continued to try and run after this problem, then your timing belt is not the cause. If the belt broke, then the engine would die immediately. Also if the belt broke, you would potentially bend valves not break a crank. I don't think the timing belt had anything to do with causing your problem.

    I think your options will be to junk the vehicle, or pay to have a replacement engine put into it.
  • rearwheeldriverearwheeldrive Member Posts: 140
    Ive had problems getting it to snap on too. Should be no leak problems, but more coolant fumes will get into the engine compartment if not tight. But a radiator type cap will cause you bigger problems, overheat, leaking water, if not on correctly.

    Misread the part.
  • rearwheeldriverearwheeldrive Member Posts: 140
    Unbelievable.

    Check the tightness on the oil drain bolt, or see if it is still there before you take it back to the oil change place. The oil could have been slowly leaking out or suddenly drained out, and in that case, engine failure is only minutes away. A disassembling of the engine could reveal more light on the way it failed. The oil filter loose, the oil pump failed.
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    rearwheeldrive,

    I think you misread his post. He didn't indicate that he recently had an oil change which caused the engine problem. He indicated that he has always had oil changes done on scheduled time.
  • onetoyotaowneronetoyotaowner Member Posts: 2
    Hi Kiawah / RWD;

    Thanks for reply. This is was not recent oil change issue. hi Kiawah, I could not believe it either, but during the tow when the car was lifted up what appeared to me was something like end of the piston , however I am no engine expert.

    I am wondering If it is worth fixing - replacing the engine or would I need to junk the car? I am not sure what else could have been damaged with the engine block with this kind of a damage - transmission, electronics?
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    It is most likely just the bottom end of the engine.
  • rassumrassum Member Posts: 2
    We just had the motor mounts replaced on our 1996 Toyota Camry. The car ran fine for about 30 miles but now it stalls immediately after putting it into drive. We are having it towed to our mechanic. It seems like a big coincidence that the car started having trouble after the motor mount work. Before this, we had no problems with the car. Our mechanic recommended that the motor mounts be replaced as preventive maintenance.

    Do you have any ideas on how replacing the motor mounts could cause the car to stall when putting it in drive? My son says the engine shakes after it stalls.

    Thanks.
    Sandy
  • 210delray210delray Member Posts: 4,721
    Replacing the engine mounts shouldn't affect the performance of the engine, but I'd surmise your mechanic may have forgotten to reconnect a wire, line, or hose somewhere. I'd take it back and complain -- the fix should be on his dime.
  • sks3266sks3266 Member Posts: 5
    Purch. 96 Toyota Camry (2.2L) from a friend - water pump had seized & shredded timing belt. Replaced both as well as plugs & wires. Bottom end is fine. Checked upper end of engine, had lots of build up on tops of pistons, etc. - cleaned all. Resurfaced valves & seats, etc. Have it all back together - getting fuel, but only 1 or 2 sparks on first crank (with #1 plug out to test), then no fire at all on subsequent cranking. Can let it set for a day, then get same response. Tried replacing distributor, (was told it could be the problem) - get same results.

    Have been told it could be crank sensor or the "module". Tested crank sensor & module - both test good. Any other suggestions/testing/troubleshooting anyone can suggest would be greatly appreciated!

    Thanks!
    Dave
  • ri2bri2b Member Posts: 2
    When cold shifting from 2nd to 3rd is delayed. Must rev above 2900 rpm to shift. After 1st shift or 3/4 mile all ok and shifting in all gears perfect. Any advise?
  • mcdawggmcdawgg Member Posts: 1,722
    Normal. This is done to warm up the car faster to improve emissions.
  • ri2bri2b Member Posts: 2
    Thanks mcdawqq. It sure is an irritating thing toyota did to improve emmisions. It's a prefect car except for this one "problem". It only has 46 k miles on it.
  • mcdawggmcdawgg Member Posts: 1,722
    I think other manufactures do this now. It really only lasts a very short time. Or just get a manual tranny, like I did!
  • c5t4rc5t4r Member Posts: 13
    I just had my windshield replaced. The seal at the cowl was pretty rotten already, but with the windshield replacement even more of it came apart. The shop offered to replace it for free if I could bring them the part. When I did a parts lookup I can't find a seal only, it looks like you have to buy the entire cowl grille piece (a left and right side), which is between 150-200 from what I can tell.

    Is this really all one piece or can you buy the seal separately?

    Thanks!
  • rearwheeldriverearwheeldrive Member Posts: 140
    1996 Camry Motor Mounts

    Is yours a four cylinder? Four's are easy to change, The mount on the front on the block, comes right out. Also there is another mount on the topside, but easy to change. It's like changing your Air Filter. The mechanic would only need to remove the mount itself.
  • rearwheeldriverearwheeldrive Member Posts: 140
    I know its not an oil change but it could be the bolt for the oil change is not there. If it is then the failure is inside, oil pump or oil filter clogged, an internal failure of some part in the oil system.

    At any rate the Toyotal engine swap for that car would be the easiest way to get it back on the road. First I would find out if this engine has some bad history the 2002 Camry has a different engine design better design but gonna be harder to find at a salvage yard.

    I swapped another Corolla engine into my 87 Corolla. I never took any parts off the "new" block, I just bolted the engine in and put on new water pump and the old manifolds. I didn't buy one gasket. The new engine had 79K miles compared to my old engine with 250K.

    A good Toyota shop will keep the parts off your old engine to make sure it works with a new engine. This engine could be a re-manufactured block with cylinder head attached, and no valve cover, or simply one pulled out of a wrecked, or older Camry.

    Your four cylinder is a 5S used in 1996-2001. Plenty of these in salvage yards. I paid $150 for my salvage engine. It was stripped of everything and only included the block, heads, valve cover, flywheel, and crankshaft pulley.
  • rearwheeldriverearwheeldrive Member Posts: 140
    No spark on 2.2

    Your coil should be on the fender well, it needs to have some volts on the small wires. Leave the key on for a few seconds and check the voltage there. The ignitor is under the coil, and it could be bad.They go bad if key is left on for 20 minutes or so.

    Distributor has some circuits but I would have to check a wire diagram to see how it is wired.
  • heisman98heisman98 Member Posts: 5
    I have a 1994 Camry and while I am driving the A/C light starts to blink and it stops blowing cold air. I have already had the freon and compressor checked. It blows very cold while it is working.
    I have replaced the clutch relay under the hood on the drivers side but that has not fixed the problem. Is there another realy somewhere that I should be checking or change?
    The only way I can get the A/C to work again is to pull over and turn the car off and on again.
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    Next time this happens and the light blinks, pull over without stopping the engine, and indicate whether the compressor clutch is engaged and the compressor is turning....or whether the compressor clutch is un-engaged and the compressor is not turning.

    You should look at it beforehand, to understand the difference. Run the engine with the a/c turned off to see how it looks, and then have someone turn the a/c on so you see the clutch engage and the compressor turns.

    Can you also indicate whether the a/c compressor cycles on and off by itself, when the engine is running at about 2K rpm.
  • heisman98heisman98 Member Posts: 5
    When the light blinks the compressor definately disengages just like it would if you manually turned off the A/C. Any ideas on what it could be?
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    You didn't answer the question, as to whether the compressor cycles normally when running at 2K.

    It should be cycling on and off.
  • heisman98heisman98 Member Posts: 5
    Sorry about that. Yes, it does cycle itself on and off and runs just great when it is working. Sometimes it will work for 20 minutes before the light starts to blink and sometimes it last for 5 minutes before it blinks but it you can hear the compressor kick on and the rpms increase when I am just idleing.
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    Are the radiator fans turning on, and spinning?
  • heisman98heisman98 Member Posts: 5
    Yes, both fans kick on and turn once the engine gets hot enough.
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    At this point, it will probably require some hands on to diagnose this.

    Things we know/suspect at this point....
    - Your system is cycling at 2K, which tells me that the compressor is able to pull down a vacuum low enough that it turns the compressor off (so low pressure switch is working, compressor is working, compressor relay is working), and it also tells me that the freon level is not overcharged. You also indicate it's cold when running, so freon level seems like it's not to much, and not too little, so that's goodness.
    - The fans are turning on, so that tells me the temp switch appears to be working, the relays and fans themselves are working.
    - You indicated that when idling and the compressor kicks in, the idle speed increases, so we know the idle up VSV is working and EFI main relay are working.

    There's a couple things left which would be hard to figure out are working or not via the internet. There is a revolution detecting sensor on the compressor, which is used to verify that the compressor is turning and how fast it is turning (so it doesn't overspin). This sensor might be bad, or the wiring to the sensor is bad. There is also an A/C amplifier used for control, and the ECM computer.

    The symptom that you mention that when you have this problem, you turn the engine off, and then back on and it works correctly, points me to an electronic control issue, which may be intermittent. Some error condition is getting set after a while of running, which turns on the error light and turns the system off. You turn off the vehicle, error condition is reset, and doesn't immediately return.

    Other than the compressor sensor, I think you're going to need to get this to the dealer to trouble shoot further. Having a dependable failure is most helpful for the dealer to actually see the failing condition.
  • heisman98heisman98 Member Posts: 5
    Thank you very much for your input and expertise. You have been very helpful. I will see what I can do about getting it diagnosed at a dealership.
    I just have not had much luck at dealerships and sometimes they are not trust worthy. It could be something as simplistic as a sensor and they might want to charge me to redo the entire system.

    Thanks again for your help.
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    The reason I'd personally go to a dealer, is that most A/C shops are very good with the basic A/C functions (freon leaks, replacing parts, pressure switches bad, compressors bad, freon recovery and/or recharging, etc). Your basic functions appear with what you are telling me, to be working correctly. It is pointing toward Camry specific electronic controls. Dealers certainly know this and can look up what they may not know.

    You'd probably be hit or miss at a general A/C shop as to whether they know the Camry specifics.

    Good luck.
  • dtownfbdtownfb Member Posts: 2,918
    Is it possible that he may have a problem with the actual control unit on the dash?

    I just purchased a 2006 Camry LE and came from a 200 Olds Intrigue. One of the issues that many Intrigue owners complained about was the A/C cycling on and off. it was caused by a bad control unit. replacing the unit fixed the problem. Since all else seems to be working with regarding to the AC system, maybe the control unit itself is the problem.
  • kfrohlichkfrohlich Member Posts: 6
    I have a 96 Camry with 167K miles. After driving home from work, I heard the coolant was boiling in the radiator and saw the reservoir was full. There's overflow and some coolant was on the driveway, but the temp gauge was normal (not overheat). I turned off the car and let the engine cool down. The coolant in the reservoir went back to the radiator. I opened and checked the radiator and it was full, but the coolant level in the reservoir was low. I took the car to the shop where I had the water pump replaced six months ago for repair (the warranty was 12 months). The mechanic drove 17 miles and told me there's no visual leak and the car was normal.
    The coolant in the radiator is boiling and filled up the reservoir which then causes an overflow when the engine is hot. Is this really normal?

    Kenny
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    Visually check that your radiator fans turning on to cool down the radiator. If they are turning on correctly, then you may have a bad head gasket in your engine which is permitting exhaust gasses to enter the coolant chamber.

    I'd suspect your cooling fans first though.
  • aub789aub789 Member Posts: 19
    In the last month or so have noticed that my 01 Camry 4-cyl automatic (146k) has a 3-4 second lag in shifting from park into reverse. Only happens when car has been sitting over weekend in garage, never just overnight. Last transmission service 29k ago at dealer. No spotting of fluid on garage floor, and the dipstick reads appropriate fluid level. Is this merely an annoyance, or an omen of a transmission about to fail? Any insight from other owners will be appreciated.
  • glorjcglorjc Member Posts: 2
    w/128K miles, seems I have a "bad piston" - 2 mechanics tell me this. One says to run it and keep adding oil (a pain), the other says to replace the engine.

    Any opinions? What should I be looking for the cost on an engine with less than 100k miles vs oil for life.

    I love my car, bought it with 9 miles on the odometer, kept up on all scheduled maintenance.

    Thanks for any and all advice
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    and your third option is for someone to take the engine apart to actually see what is really wrong, it it is the piston.

    Is the engine running okay, but just burning oil and smoking out the back? Or are you running on 3 of the 4 cylinders and the engine is making a clacking racket?
  • glorjcglorjc Member Posts: 2
    The engine is running fine, No smoke, just, what I call, and irritating flutter when I accelerate, makes me think I'm driving a clunker. If it wasn't for the flutter it would run like the day I bought it.

    Is taking the engine apart going to cost as much as a used engine with low miles?

    Thanks for your help.
  • dvernondvernon Member Posts: 3
    I had all rear bulbs replaced - slight grinding I noted on back rear side - had all brakes replaced a year ago - what can I do to get that yellow warning light to go out on instr. panel??
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    Have you checked the level of brake fluid in your brake system?
  • dvernondvernon Member Posts: 3
    Mechanic checked the brake fluid container under the hood - do you mean to put it up on a rack and see if there is leakage - - :confuse:
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    Checking the brake fluid in the master cylinder, is what I was referencing.

    Can you check to see if your brake light bulbs in the rear are operating correctly. You may have a bulb out.
  • chris789chris789 Member Posts: 37
    The dealer assessed my car for a trade in and offered my $600 on my camry le 1996. The rear wheel make a noise and he thinks one of the struts might of come lose and need rewelding. Does anyone know how much this repair might cost? If its going to cost over $1000 then I might just take the $600.

    Thanks,
    Chris
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