Toyota Camry: Problems & Solutions

toyotaken

The engines that Toyota use will run on 87 octane fuel, but you will have reduced performance from your engine. Similarly, you can use premium fuel in an engine that only recommends 87 octane, and you will get better performance. Toyota seems to do this on more of their premium or upgraded engines to maximize their performance numbers such as HP, Torque, and speed.

8u6hfd

Which places were those...wished I lived near there because eveyone wanted at least $400 to do the valve clearance adjustment and the Camry V6. The main reason is the rear cylinder bank, it's much more work required to access the rear (1-3-5) valve covers.

You have to drain the coolant from the plenum and throttle body, you need to remove the plenum (add new gaskets also)...which tack on about another hour, or $70-$80.

Not everyone does it because it can be a pain in the [non-permissible content removed] to do.

Most shops (not everyone takes their car to the dealership) add a surcharge to transverse V6's for the spark plug replacement. It can be a pain in the [non-permissible content removed] to do. For the Camry V6's, it's more tedious (than the 4 banger), unless you have skinny arms (like I do), you would remove the intake hose and reach in and change it "blindly". Most people will be using at least 2 universal joints to do the rear bank. The clearance between the valve cover and the bottom side of the plenum is narrower on the 1MZ versus the 2VZ or 3VZ. It takes more time (thus more money). Denso platinum plugs (retail over the counter) costs about 10 bucks a pop (which was why I used Bosch myself).

8u6hfd

you know what happens when you use premium fuel in a engine for 87? The 2 worse things that will happen is increased emissions (HC especially due to the incomplete combustion of the air-fuel mixture) and increased carbon deposits in the combustion chamber, thus over time increasing the compression ratio, so that you can't switch back to regular without the proper work done. To combat this you advance the base timing.

Toyota uses premium fuel on many of its "upgraded" engine is because these engines are running higher compression ratios (around 11.0:1). The use of regular and mid-grade fuel, due to the increased compression, thus increased heat from the compression will ignite the air-fuel mixture before the spark comes. This why Toyota installs knock sensors on this engines. When the knock sensor hears knock, it sends a signal to the ECU to retard the timing until the knock is eliminated. This may reduce the power output and fuel economy.

pundat

Does anyone know how to remove the '90 Camry distributor cap and rotor for cleaning the carbon on the cap posts and rotor with ignition file? It is a 4 cylinder engine. Thanks in advance!

8u6hfd

Just get a new cap and rotor

There should be 3 or 4 phillips screws you need to remove for the cap.

The rotor, I can't remember if I has a small screw on it or not to remove.

rubicon52

I've done valve clearance adjustments on several cars in the past and I can tell you that the results are very dependent upon the time and care you put into the task. I would be reluctant to have my local Toyota dealership do it. Somehow, I doubt that the mechanic that left black grease marks on my ivory leather steering wheel when he did the oil change is going to exercise the proper care. This is also the kind of task that unless he really screws up the adjustment and you have something like a loud tapping, you're never going to know what kind of job he did on the valve adjustment. I have two Toyotas with V-6 engines and my approach is to use a good synthetic oil, hope for miminal internal engine wear, and don't even try the valve adjustment. Not saying this is the smartest approach, but I feel comfortable with it.

nippononly

the folks doing the oil changes are never the folks doing the more serious mechanical work.

8u6hfd

I forgot, the 3S-FE distributor comes with the spark plug wires only. You can't get them separately.

armtdm

The Toyota V6 engines do not require a valve adj unless they believe they have a problem Although my Service Manual (not the owner's manual) says to do this at 60,000 Toyotal Central informed me the manual is WRONG. No adjustment is required unless a problem is perceived. Now 149,000 and never adjusted., not to mention this is a costly job on the V6

8u6hfd

which was why I never did it on my old 88 V6 (even at 200,000 miles)...over $400 to do it....on a college budget...not to feasible.

wain

said adjust the valves at some rediculous frequency like every 30 k miles.
I put 150k miles on one and never touched valves. they stayed quiet too.
the procedure may function as a wallet vacuum.

rubicon52

I wonder what is meant by "unless a problem is perceived". My understanding of valve clearances is the same as paul29's. Namely, that too large a clearance will result in loud valves which THEORETICALLY could be detected by listening to the valve train. However, too small a clearance causes a quiet valve which cannot be detected by sound. Also, as paul29 points out, this quiet valve with insufficient clearance may be the more serious case because it can burn since the valve is not in contact with the cylinder head long enough to transfer enough heat. Call me skeptical, but I wonder about a mechanic listening to 4 cams and 24 valves and being able to detect if one or more of the valves is off. Is there another way of detecting a problem without removing the valve covers and measuring clearances other than sound? Perhaps, someone familiar with Toyota service procedures knows the answer.

armtdm

First the VW Beetles of old adjusted the valves every 3000 miles as they were not hydraulic and self adjsuting. The Toyotas I believe are. Loss of power I believe is an indicator of an adjustment, very loud clicking another. Service manual does not provide indicators of a problem.

8u6hfd

Not all Toyotas are. Most of VVT-i are self adjusting. If I'm not mistaken, the 02 ES300 with the VVT-i V6 went back to shims because it is quieter.

The Chilton manual does have a nice description.

wain

how can shims ever be quieter than no lash hydraulics?

8u6hfd

less moving parts is my best guess.

armtdm

Okay, last night, having nothing better to do, I siphoned out some brake fluid from the reservoir and refilled it. This AM my wife says the brake light is on and will not go off. Brakes are functioning fine. This is a 92 Camry V6.

What do I do to reset the light or turn it off? Obviously triggered a sensor somewhere?

HELP?

alcan

If it uses a low fluid level indicator mounted in the cap or reservoir instead of a pressure differential valve, make sure the float isn't sticking.

wog1

I JUST bought a 99 xle gold edition with the sunroof. the back floor is loaded with water.I had toyota inspect the car ..air conditioning drain.moldings etc but yet could find no leak..has anyone else had this problem and if so what was done to correct it.This is a beautiful acr but right now I'm really bumming out..can anybody help? thanks!

armtdm

Well the sensor wire jsut plugs into the side of the reservoir and removing it etc. did not reset the light. However, after examing the reservoir it became apparant that I had pushed the float down when siphoning off the fluid. Try as I may I could not get that float to come back up. So, I resorted to the infamous rubber hammer and wacked it a few time. Sure enough, that did it.

Brake light is now off. It works as it does come on when the ingnition is turned on but goes off immediately so all is fine. Love that that rubber mallet.

allenmhull

I own a 96 Camry 4cyl that I bought new. I have had no problems whatsoever with the car, with the exception of the automatic antenna malfunctioning - I may still be able to fix it for less than $20 just haven't gotten around to it. Electronic overdrive is fairly commonplace in many cars these days, and replacing the timing belt is required on all cars anywhere from 40k to 100k miles so it's nothing unique to Camrys. The 4cyls are cheaper to maintain and give adequate power. I've never owned more than a 4cyl - never felt I had a need to (not towing any boats or anything). Of course, the car has 80k on it now so I don't know what to expect in the future but I don't expect to have major problems since I have maintained the car well and they do come highly recommended. I plan to drive it to at least 150k. Just make sure the oil has been changed regularly and the timing belt should have been replaced if it has more than 60k.

joq

Consumers Reports says what us owners already know, the new Camry quality has dropped. There are actually a lot of Korean and American cars that score better than the Camry now.

Consumer Reports spokesman said he "was surprised by the decline in scores for the Camry"

rubicon52

What issue? What article?

914runr

I too am having problems - with power windows and power locks. Checked fuses, all appear to be good. (#34 = PW,PL and is under driver kick panel) Thought it must be master power window switch - as power lock on passenger side is functional..bought one at Toy salvage ($65) and yet still not working...anyone have any suggestions?

amccarri

Someone posted a message about a "rubbing" noise when turning. We have an 02 Camry SE with the same problem. Took it into the dealer and they identified that it is coming from the rubber boot that surrounds the steering column as it goes from the passenger compartment to the engine compartment. Initial solution was to put some silicon on the boot and that fixed it for all of about two days. It's now back in the shop and they are trying an "experimental" fix because toyota has no official fix for it.

Also, as a side note, after 1 year of ownership the camry's rotors were warped. We paid $26k for the camry, and $33k for my Lexus. Lexus service is 100 times better, worth the extra $7k IMHO. I'm not happy with the Camry.

jewilibi

wog1 I had a similar problem with a '91 and found that the drain hose for the sun roof had slid out of its hole and was filling my trunk. It was a small clear hose and I had to remove some interior panels to find it. Good luck

yrmac

My '95 Camry also developed that kind of electrical gremlin. Took me about 4 troubleshooting tries and countless hours to figure out the problem. Basically, the wiring harnesses on your doors become frayed after years of use. Check each one on your door (you might have to remove the door panel to check this or you can just push/remove the rubber boot that protects the wiring)and you might find that one, two, or all of the wires are broken.

camrytoyota

93 camry with 100000 miles automatic. My overdrive light does not show up on my dash at all though my overdrive appears to work and the reverse light on the dash does not work in the morning unless I hold the shifter in place. For the past 6 months the car had problems reversing. It used to happen once a week now it happens once every other day. I put the car in reverse then it doesnt want to go. I have to put it in drive or back to park first. Otherwise the car drives excellent. The transmission fluid is a dark brown and I dont notice any unusual smell or particles in the fluid. I had the transmission serviced at 80,000. Could my transmission be going out or is the problem with the shifter.Thanks

medic4tx

camrytoyota---I had my tranny fluid changed at 25000 and I now have 37000 and the fluid is still bright red, I wonder if they did not change the filter when they did the fluid?

donnao

I leased a 2000 Camary LE and the lease is up next month, I "was" planning on buying the car
until....
I saw a small leak under the car and took it to the dealer this week. They told me that they had to drop the tranny to replace the front gasket and while they were in there they replaced the clutches!! I never got a straight answer on why the clutches were replaced, they just did. I also had a small leak in mid April which they told me was a gasket on the differential housing...
The car has only 30,000 miles on it and it seems odd that the tranny would have these problems...
Now I'm on the fence whether to purchase the car or not, (I love the car) has anyone else had problems with the tranny with so little mileage?
The tranny will still have another 2 years warranty but I feel like once you have tranny problems you always have them, I'm very concered.
Help, I need to make a decision....

silvercrown

I posted this in the Camry forum and got no response, so I figured this is the more appropriate place to ask this question anyhow. Here it is:

I have a 2000 LE V6 and the other day, I noticed some red fluid in my driveway as I was backing into my garage. At first I thought it was transmission fluid leaking (which scared me a bit). Although it was dark outside, I checked it and it looked normal. No warning lights were on, so I figured I'd keep an eye on it to see if anything else happened.

A few days later (during daylight hours), I opened the hood to replenish my windshield solvent and I noticed some dried fluid on top of the coolant reservoir. Since the coolant is also red, I thought that maybe it was coolant that I saw on the driveway, that leaked out. Or worse, overflowed? Again, no warning lights, but this made me a bit nervous.

I took my car for an oil change yesterday and asked them to check it out and see if I had a leak and/or find out why it would have overflowed. The service tech claimed that this is "normal" for Camrys, that it does happen on occasion and the mechanic who said so has been doing this for 15 years, blah, blah, blah. They cleaned up the reservoir container and that was that. It was late in the evening and they were about to close.

This didn't sound right to me and I know that dealer service can sometimes make poor excuses for a problem and even lie on occasion. Especially when dealing with women, so many mechanics treat us like we are brain dead. I'm not happy with this rather pat answer and I don't believe that a car should have any type of coolant overflow problem and that be considered normal.

This is the dealership where I bought my car in 1999, but I normally have it serviced at another dealership closer to home. I have generally been satisfied with Toyota dealer service, but this bothers me. I feel like they are trying to pull the wool over my eyes and I'm not having it. I'm not letting this go until I have a better answer or have been assured that it's been fixed. I haven't had any major problems with my car and I don't plan to start now, especially as it's getting cold and winter is fast approaching.

I have an appointment with my usual dealer to fix my trunk release, since there wasn't enough time for the other dealer to look at it yesterday. This trunk release issue is an annoying (although small), recurrent problem with this car, but that's another story. I'm going to ask them to look at the coolant reservoir, hoses, etc., as they will have more time with the car.

Has anyone else had this type of problem? If so, did you get this kind of response? What do you guys think about this?

TIA,

SilverCrown

wain

to examine the engine looking for leaks.
Also put paper under the engine where you park it to find leaks.
use blue fluid for the washer. trans fluid is red.

nippononly

someone overfilled the coolant overflow bottle? If no-one had touched it in a while, and then suddenly it was doing this, I would suspect a leak, and you should have your regular dealer follow up.

camrytoyota: sounds like the shift linkage on your transmission is beginning to get out of adjustment. If you take it in they can correct this, but as long as it will still work when you jiggle it, I would leave it alone if it were me.

silvercrown

No one has touched the coolant bottle since my last maintenance visit at the dealership back in August. So this does seem a bit sudden.

When I first saw this, I did put some cardboard on the floor so it would be underneath front of my car while parked. Yesterday morning, I noticed some spots on the floor of the garage right where I park my car, but missing the cardboard. I guess I didn't place it just right, but there does seem to be some sort of leakage.

I have an appointment with my regular dealer and I will definitely have them follow up on this. I just can't swallow the explanation that this is "normal" for Camrys. This has not been normal for my car in the 3 years that I've owned it. I'm disappointed that they tried to explain it away like that. But I guess I shouldn't be too surprised.

Thanks again for the suggestions.

SilverCrown

wain

whats the standard failure on the Camry 94 up drivers auto power window switch?????
Mine stopped yesterday, that is the driver's side front window would not work at all, all 3 other windows worked fine.
About 10 min later it worked fine and does today.
Can you replace just the auto down switch in the master group of 4 switches, or must you replace the entire 4 switch assembly? What do the switches cost if you can buy them one each?
Thanks

wain

look for the leak yourself - look at the hose on the bottom of the bottle, and at the bottle itself. On GM cars I have had the bottle leak at the "casting" line. Bought another one - Oldsmobile parts man said "this one will leak too in about a year".
My 94 Camry the bottle does not leak.

bdesai

As a current owner of a '98 Camry (LE, 40K miles, AT) I feel that I can say this without insulting all you Toyota fans. While this Camry has remained mechanically problem free, just too many stupid little things have me totally p'd off.
1. Drivers door does not close the way other doors do (from day one). It needs just a little extra push - I know, I know - picky, picky! Heck ya, I'll be picky and expect perfection. I thought Toyotas were only made after a lot of thought and with great detail in mind ?? Not so sure now!
2. Both rear doors squeak. Granted we do not use these doors often, I have lubed/oiled them regularly.
3. Rattle from the B pillar on driver’s side. Taken to the dealer multiple times and had some of the trim re-installed but this problem still continues.
4. Passenger side door armrest trim cracking. I can't believe this.
5. Driver side door trim that has the window switches is peeling paint. Again, I can't believe this crap.
6. Hood does not prop up at all when lever pulled from inside the car. It will open without problems but at times it has been left open since
it is easy to forget it is open since the hood seems perfectly aligned and no visual clue to remind that it is open.
7. Ditto as above for the trunk. Both of these since day one and when taken to dealer they said, "Well, that’s the way it is".
Bottom line for me:
1. This model Camry is cheap, cheap, and cheap. Plastic quality is horrendous. Plastic trim pieces don't fit perfectly.
2. The "attention to detail" factor is just plain missing.
3. Seat fabric feels cheap esp. now after 4 years.
4. I think Toyota seems to putting its good resources to Lexus and SUV products since they fetch a fat profit, and leaving the Camry’s and corollas to their inexperienced teams. While this makes immediate business sense, not taking care of its core and bread and butter products is going to come back someday and bite their [non-permissible content removed].
5. '98 Camry: Very amateurish.
6. I am done with you TOYOTA. When its time to buy a new car, I am going to HONDA. Asta La Vista, baby!!

northernscot

The arm rest between the seats is lower than the door arm rest ,it is also farther away from the wheel you cannot drive with your right arm on the rest and your hand on the wheel.
Is there a solution to this I rtemember the 1988 Camry .and the dealers had an addon the helped. Does anyone Know of such an item for the current model??

nippononly

that is a great list! I was laughing out loud!

If you think Camry is amateurish, try driving an Impala sometime. Better yet, pick up an Intrepid and own it for four years, tell me what is peeling and not perfectly aligned!

I realize it is a tough call to make, but I will take some misaligned plastic over failing transmissions (Honda Accord) and other major mechanical faults that will not only cost me a bundle (possibly) but will certainly strand me when they occur.

I do agree, however, that it is a disappointment that you cannot spend $20 large on a car and get one that is perfectly assembled and quiet. The way the market works for autos, you have to go the extra yardage for a luxury brand to get that level of perfection these days, IMO.

you complained about having to push the doors slightly harder to close them??!! Sheesh! That means the car is well sealed - most people would consider that a plus! Trim cracking and interior plastic paint peeling after FIVE YEARS of exposure to the sun and the elements, seems to be within the realm of normalcy.

And I don't even understand #6, unless you mean to say the hood does not pop up when you pull the inside lever, but if it opens without problems, how could this be considered a problem either? There are many many cars where the hood does not pop up, but is merely released by that lever.

wain

What is the noraml life of a dist cap?
My camry has 101k miles and runs great.
I put a rotor in it at 95k .

How long does the cap usually last as the metal electrodes in it wear all the time due to the spark arc??

nippononly

I used to change my cap and rotor every 15-30K. None of this 100K mile stuff! I bet you will notice an improvement if you change it. It is what, about $8?

I think the standard maintenance interval for it for most post-1980 cars up until they stopped using them was 30K.

wain

did you use OE cap or aftermarkt?

nippononly

aftermarket, for my non-Toyota cars. For Toyotas, I would notice a remarkable difference between OE and the Pep Boys stuff, so I started buying electrical parts direct from the dealer (then I got an internet connection and bought them wholesale, but that is another story!).

Toyota distributor caps were a little more, maybe $12, with another $4 or so for the rotor. make sure to do them both at the same time.

wain

yeah years ago on gm cars the oe would have copper buttons, the aftermarket was alu.

whats a good internet forOE?

nippononly

that in a car mag someplace, I forget what it is right now. Do a google search on Toyota parts and I am sure you will get a lot of hits on wholesale distributors. They are Toyota dealers that are willing to sell and ship parts at cost, rather than retail. They do big business this way over the internet.

8u6hfd

Well the electrodes, due to the spark jumping develop over time, a less conductive oxidation coating which reduces performance.

viche

Hey all,

I'm about to buy a used 2002 Camry SE 4 Cyl with 25,000 miles on it.

I've heard that the main problems are with sqeaks and rattles.

Do you have any suggestions for stuff that I should specifically check out on the car?

Thanks!
Viche

pixiemartin

I drive a 97 Camry LE 4-cylinder, and am the second owner.

First question: Whenever it rains, I wash my car, or just drive through something wet, my alarm and horn pretty much go mute. After a few hours to a day, a pathetic, wheezy little honk appears, and then within 2 or 3 days, the horn works just fine. Is this odd, or is it just me?

Second question: My car has Hercules tires on it, and I was trying to find out if they come standard on this vehicle, or if they would have been installed by the previous owner -- who courteously didn't pass along any service records. I did read online that Dunlop tires were standard, and from the Hercules website, I gleaned that they also vend/manufacture(?) Dunlop Tires. Anyone know anything about this?

Thanks.

1camry

I own a 2002 LE 4IL. It only has about 1,500 miles on it and has no functional problems and no rattles. I've read a great deal of the postings here at Edmunds on the Camry and it seems that these are some of the common problems to look for:

1) Rattles; test drive it on a bumpy road.
2) Seat comfort; hard seats if not leather.
3) Clunking noise when first shift from park or reverse to drive; ABS resetting?
4) A/T gear-searching between 40-60 mph (only for 6-cyl?)
5) Rough ride because of SE stiffer suspension.
6) Popping noise from stereo when turning ignition off with A/C on.
7) Two air-bag recalls on early 3-spoke steering wheel models (6-cyl only?)
8) Soft brake pedals (to the floor with ABS?)
9) Misalignment (wheel, front-end or strut), veers left.
10) Tire squeals (14-inch wheels only?)
11) Trunk lid only opens 1"-2" ajar when using auto-release.
12) Japanese made (VIN JTxxxx) better than Kentucky made?

In my opinion, the 2002 Camry is an excellent car. Good luck on your purchase.

suv4x4

my 98 camry LE recently makes noise from right front wheel when driving on the bumping road. can anyone please tell me what is the problem and is it easy to fix it by myself?