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Anyone else experience this (problem)??
Thanks!!
You should have had two and they should say Toyota on them.
Anyone think the Camry AC is weak relative to other cars they've owned?
By the way, does the Camry V6 require a "special" power steering fluid or can I just pick up a quart of something generic at Walmart??
Thanks -- Rick
I thought, in the Camry 4 cylinder (not hybrid) I had test driven, the AC was not as cold as the unit I have on my 03 Camry LE V6, however, (according to their experience) several hybrid owners disagreed.
I'm real sensitive to AC -- it's never be too cold for me. The best unit I ever had was in my 00 Camry LE V6.
Rick
Most modern day systems CHILL the airflow first for dehumidification and then a portion of the airflow goes through a reheat/remix cycle so the outlet airflow isn't so COLD as to discomfort you and your passengers.
But then if you want REALLY COLD airflow then put a manual shutoff valve in the hot water line from the engine to the heater to remove the reheat capability altogether and/or the results of radiant heating of the airflow from the close by, VERY close by, heater core.
Universally available and cheap Ford Type F or Dexron III automatic transmission fluid will be fine in just about any power steering system except a Honda's. (There may be several European systems that are fussy about their PS fluids, too.)
An unusually hot summer (polite-speak for days of heckish triple-digit heat?) and a black car put a very high demand on automotive A/C systems. If your car has automatic climate control, cut to the chase and set it to manual, recirculate, the heat control valve all the way to "Arctic Whiteout", and the fan speed set to "Tornado". Set the vents to the upper level, only, to blast your face with cold air. (Ironically, the rest of your bod can be broiling, but if your face and neck are cool, subjectively you feel cool. ) Don't worry about suffocating with the system set to recirculate. There is adequate fresh air flow through the cabin, nevertheless. Fuel mileage? PHHhhttT! - Your comfort is worth more than a few extra pennies at the pump, even at 3+ bucks a gallon. (In this life, you don't get extra points for needlessly suffering.)
That will help to force the HOT, super-heated, atmosphere from the cabin. Lowering the rear windows slightly will also help. If the interior surfaces have been really HEATED, as well they might, it would likely be worthwhile staying in this configuration for the early, brief, portion of your drive.
But once the interior has cooled down you should switch the system to recirculate (but NEVER use this mode coolish or cold climates), and turn the blower to a fairly low speed.
Remember that the longer warm milk remains in the 'frig the colder it becomes. The same is true of the airflow coming from those dash vents, the longer it takes t air to move through the A/C evaporator the cooler it will become.
In recirculate mode the high blower speed would cool the cabin, overall, just as quickly as in low speed, but at low speed "you" will be cooled, and/or feel the effects of cooling, much earlier, more quickly.
Rick
Drove the wife's Highlander today, which has auto climate control, and my "calibrated" fingers told me that the conditioned air is much colder coming out of the vents than the Camry when both are in re-circulate.
I'm sure part of the Camry issue is the black exterior (the Highlander is gold). Haven't been able to make an apples-to-apples comparion with comparable outside temps. Next time I have it in for service, I will have it checked out.
Thanks for all the comments.
If the above issue is true, then I have several other smaller issued that I would like help with.
1) I have to put premium gas for it to get the 29-31 mpg. When I put in a lower grad the mileage drops significantly (has not been tested recently - Tested about 4 yrs ago). Is there something I can do or is this normal in the 99 Camry?
2) The fuel tank release is broken and I need a replacement mechanism. Is it easy to replace? Where can I buy the replacement without going through the dealer?
This has been a great car for me. I have had it since day one (January 99) and I would like to keep it for another 3-4 years before buying something else. Please help - this is my first brand new car. I can't believe that it would be dying at 117K. My previous car was an 84 Camry that lasted 19 year and had 179K miles on it when I turned it in and the dealer still gave me $800 for it to buy the 99. I would like to keep the tradition of going over 175K.
Please help. :confuse:
P.S. If you in the SoCal IE area, please suggest some "trustworthy" toyota specialists other than the dealer. I think the owner of the shop I go to has retired and the new people got me mad because they would not answer my questions like the old guy. :mad:
*Many a drag racer with a beefed-up Powerglide run Ford Type F for one reason and one reason only: solid, spine-breaking shifts when the pedal's to the metal of a blown big-block Chevy "Rat" motor running nitromethane. B&M "TrickShift" ATF is nothing more than relabled and outrageously priced Ford Type F ATF.
In a purely hydraulic application such as PS systems, there'd be no problem either way. Both fluids use a light 5W base oil for cold weather operation and both have appropriate elastomeric seal swell agents to maintain leak-free operation as well as extreme pressure anti-wear agents to protect wear metal parts. The presence or absence of boundary layer friction modifiers* in the fluid has no bearing in hydraulic applications because there're no clutch facing materials involved. How did Ford get away without using friction modifiers in their earliest ATs? The company's friction facings were VERY hard - controlled slippage was a designed-in attribute. Eventually (~1975-ish) Ford "learned" from that "mistake" - hence FM doped Mercon, Mercon V, and Mercon SP ATFs...
*This chemistry allows initial controlled slippage and then "locks" the driving and driven pieces as they heat up for full engagement. FMs got their start with GM "Type A, Suffix A" ATF fluid and then progressed with the various Dexrons. The Japanese and Europeans signed on to Dexron initially, but eventully realized if they branched out with their own clutch facing materials (and specified proprietary ATFs ), they could catch a ride on the gravy train for field service. Now proprietary $6.00/qt. automaker ATFs are a reality. Ain't progress jist wunnerful?...
For another take, though, Ford appears to backtrack (or at least not aggressively recommend) Ford Type F ATF for non-Ford PS systems. Your call.
(I still find it annoying doing the slidebar lateral jitterbug to line up text on my legacy monitor... [snicker] )
Well, you're right; that was good news. But there's somewhat bitter irony attached if you're the original owner... Had there been sludge in your engine, you might well have been elligible for a complete engine rebuild on Toyota's nickel (as long as you could supply evidence of at least one oil change per year). Toyota extended the warranty on the 1995-2001 "sludgemonster" engines to ten years, unlimited miles. By necessity that would've included remilling the head as needed to achieve proper sealing and replacing the head gasket.
(Ever get the feeling that the powers that control our destinies sometimes have a perverse sense of humor?)
Like I always said - Look around you and try to tell me that God does not have a sense of humor. And if we are truly "made in the image of God" then our "perverse sense of humor" must come from somewhere.
I just ordered a replacement taillight for my Nissan Frontier from them. They sell through eBay also; in fact, they are one of the largest sellers on eBay, and you can get discounts that way.
I have a 93 Camry LE Wagon. Last year I suddenly had a problem with my reservoir boiling over if I drove longer than an hour or so. I would not get any warning lights, although after it was boiling over, the thermostat would show the car running hot. The only way I would normally notice it was that I would hear the boiling sound, particularly after I turned off my car or if I was sittingon the passenger side. My local service station couldn't reproduce the problem when letting the car idle for more than an hour, but was able to reproduce it when they put the car up on blocks and gased it as if driving it for more than an hour. They ended up replacing the full radiator, the several radiator caps three times to better and better quality ones, the thermostat, and the reservoir tank. The problem continued. I asked a local Toyota repair manager what he thought should be my next step, and he suggested they test whether the head gasket (I think it was?) might need replacement. The original service station tested it at my suggestion, and said yes it would need replacement, but refused to do any more work for the $1,000 I had already paid them. I decided to have the Toyota dealer take over. They did the test, said it did NOT need that work, but instead sent the radiator out and had it "boiled" and they claimed it removed blockages that had somehow been created when the new radiator had been installed by the other service station. They also replaced the thermostat again. This cost me another $600-700. They assured me they drove the vehicle for over an hour to test it, and that they had fixed the problem. I didn't have reason to drive the car more than 20-30 minutes for the next several months, but when I did, the problem reoccurred. I haven't had the money to pursue any other solutions to the problem, so for now, I'm just driving the car less than an hour at a time. I've asked several 'gearhead' friends, and none of them can think of anything else that should be checked or replaced. I'm at a loss.
You have to access it from underneath the car. It's best to use a cap-type wrench, with an extension.
When you loosen the filter and some oil starts to run out, just leave it alone for a while to drain (with a pan underneath of course) before you continue. Otherwise, you'll get oil running down your arm.
Good luck!
(apologies to George S. Patton...)
I wouldn't use ford transmission fluid in a camry, and you can drain your transmission fluid by using the drain plug on the transmission only use the toyota type 1V transmission fluid it has special additives to make the trans shift smoothly don't use dexron 3 in a 03 camry if you choose to use synthetic trans fluid use Amsoil you can find them on the internet it is expensive but it does help the tranny to run cooler in the summer and also in cold weather it ready to flow in the trans when it get really gets cold.
Has anyone else experienced this type of sloppy service from a Toyota dealership? I have never run into this until now.
You could patronize a locally owned independent shop instead -- get recommendations from friends, relatives, or co-workers. I'd avoid the "quickie lube" places as well as chain tire stores.
This is one of the major reasons I've always changed oil myself. It's easy, and at the very least, I know it's done right. My local Advance Auto Parts store is my oil recycling depository, and this system works very well.
This has happened maybe 5 times in 15 months. It never happens when I start it up "first thing" (meaning in my garage). It has never happened on a long trip.
During one episode a kind-soul had a voltmeter and checked the battery. The battery was fine. When one turns the key during these "won't start" episodes, all accessories come on, but there is only a starter "click, click, click." It takes only a touch of the jumper cable for the car to fire right up.
I'd be interested in your thoughts.
This may sound completely crazy, but I have a vague suspicion (nothing more) that it might have something to do with the daytime running light system.
Oh, one more thing. The original owner installed an aftermarket alarm/automatic starter device. It was a piece of crap, and the original owner disabled it long before I bought the car. I don't know what's left from this.
Thanks in advance for your help!