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Toyota Camry Maintenance
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On '99 Avalon V6 the timing belt is listed to replace 90k in the owners manual. My experience with timing belts are: On my Supra the timing belt teeth wore out just shy of the 60k miles but I drove it to work and then home and to dealer next day. On the corolla with belt it snapped around 94k while merging and accelerating to over 55mph. Neither engines were damaged. Corolla with chain never replaced till it went to graveyard.
A gas thief would simply stick a screwdriver into the opening and, in less than a second, break the latch!
Not only did he steal the gas but now the car is damaged!
Why not just have the door open without a "lock"?
Long ago, a cop told me the dumbest thing a person could do was lock their glove box. A person looting through your car would assume you had valuables in the glovebox if it was locked and would break it open. Makes sense.
Of course I don't keep anything af value in it anyway.
Thoughts?
I found out the hard way that I was wrong when I forgot to replace the plug and started the car. A gusher of oil spewed out of the opening, making a mess of the engine compartment and the cement floor of my garage! In probably only a minute or so of running, the entire oil capacity was emptied out.
Well, so far the engine seems ok. And to get rid of the old antifreeze in the block, just circulate plain water through your engine and radiator (keeping the radiator cap off), repeatedly draining and refilling till the drained fluid is almost colorless.
To enhance the exterior of our bluish-green 96 LE V6, I ordered some chrome molding that installs around the perimeter of the wheel wells.
The internet order arrived at the house about 6 days after the order.
The installation is a tad difficult (especially having the mud flaps) but can be done with a drill, screwdriver, and some c-clamp assistance.
The shape of the molding may differ ever so slightly from the wheel wells (for any number of reasons). Two of the pieces fit perfectly, one was a hair off, and one of them was a booger.
If you ever try to do something like this, be very careful not to put too much tension on the clamps, as they may tend to bend the chrome piece. Use cloth inbetween the clamp and the chrome to prevent scratching.
Also you may have to use some spacers between the molding and the body which you will have to make yourself.
The Results? The results are great on the eyes! The chrome pieces really enhance the appearance of these cars. And I like the way they lined the edges that touch the paint with the strips of black vinyl.
: ^ )
Coolant Loss - Classic case of head gasket failure. Reason why you're noticing it at AM startup is that as the engine gets hot, the gasket and cylinder head expand and close off the split/crack. It's only going to get worse so you'll have to bite the bullet and have it changed before it blows up.
Flushing the Block - Don't know exactly how to do it on a 1990 Camry 2.2 but I used to knock out the freeze plugs. Another less violent way is to install a flush kit inline of the heater hoses and use water pressure to flush the block.
Timing Belts - A few years ago I changed the belt on a friend's Toyota Corolla with a DOHC 16V engine that had mileage in the low 80's. About 1/3 of the teeth were missing or cracked badly. The entire belt had heat/stress cracks on the outside. When I put the new one on, the engine ran great - very strong for a 1.8L. I was amazed by what I felt was significant wear. I can only imagine the extent of damage to that motor if the timing belt had broken. IMHO, it's plain foolish to wait longer than the mfr's reccomendation for belt changes. Like someone in here said - Just Do It.
The problem is that when cold (i.e. temp gauge is pegged at 'C'), the transmission will not upshift from 2nd to 3rd until 2800-3000 rpm, regardless of throttle position. For example, if I maintain a steady speed such as 35 mph, it will stay stuck in 2nd at a high rpm for a few minutes. It shifts fine once either a) the first delayed 2-3 shift occurs or b) the engine warms up above the C mark on the gauge. If I just sit in the driveway and let it warm up for a few minutes, then it shifts fine also. Normally it shifts between all the gears between 2000-2400 rpm since I accelerate very gently.
Is this a transmission problem, or just a "feature" of the ECT-i transmission?
I have cleaned it with hot soapy water, but the oily /slimy residue is still there. I also tried
hot water and baking soda. That did not work either. the opening is too small to get a bottle brush in there.
It wasn't so hard; the main problem was getting a wrench around the rear bleeder bolts. The angle of the bolts causes the wrench to hit the inside surface of the brake drums.
Unlike your neighbor's '97 Caravan which you said "was like pumping black coffee out," the old fluid in my Camry was somewhat more yellow than the nearly colorless new fluid. Of course, you can't see added moisture.
Car manufacturers make tons of money off their parts department. I work for a component supplier to Big three. Our cost for a canister type fuel filter is $2.28. At autopart store the same filter costs $11.00. Who knows how much dealer charges for the same item.
Glad the carb cleaner worked for you
they have a web site but do a seach for metro toyota. Ask for Greg. Extremely knowledgeable about parts, more so than local dealer
Ford doesn't do this trick stuff on theirs...but Ford stays alot busier than Toyota...that's for sure!
I have a Delco in my Camry.
Because your car is at least 1.5 years old, you should be considering at least the 1-year service, or even the 2-year service (30K miles).
You don't need the fuel injection service, ever (unless there's a problem), but there are other items in the maintenance manual, like checking the brakes, that may be advisable. If you have an "honest" service manager, maybe he/she could tell you what should be done and what could be overlooked, depending on your driving conditions.
Ok, now for some new questions. (I'm delayed on some of these until the cumulative effect is getting to me.)
My air conditioner fan only works on max and high. Medium and Low settings produce nothing. My recollection is that the Low setting went out first and then a long time later the Medium went out. My first guess is that the Fan relay is bad but I can't find where it is. Does anyone know and do you think this will fix my problem?
Secondly, my interior light will not work when I open the door. I can turn the thing on using the "ON" position but the "DOOR" position won't work. For the record, the buzzer does come on when I open the door with the key in the ignition so that much of the circuit is ok. Any suggestions on this one?
Thanks again for your help.
know what the coarse would be.
I checked the manual and it recommended to tighten the fuel cap but that hasn't helped.
Component: FUEL:THROTTLE LINKAGES AND CONTROL
Manufacturer: TOYOTA MOTOR CO., LTD.
Mfg. Campaign #: 01V012000
Year: 1998
Make: TOYOTA
Model: CAMRY
Potential Number of Units Affected: 53061
Manufactured From: AUG 1997 To: NOV 2000
Year of Recall: '01
Type of Report: Vehicle
Summary:
Vehicle Description: Passenger vehicles built at the Kentucky plant. The accelerator cable housing could be deformed at the cruise control actuator-to-throttle body connection. The accelerator inner-cable could wear away and eventually break.
This could allow the throttle to return to idle or remain in its most recent position regardless of accelerator pedal operation, increasing the risk of a crash.
Dealers will replace the accelerator cable. Owner notification is expected to begin during February 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331. Also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Auto Safety Hotline at 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/recalls/recmmy1.cfm
Unfortunately, I do my antifreeze changes with the car on the ground.
To make a long story short, the repair would run appx $1300-$2500. Other than this, the car is in good shape (confirmed by my mechanic), as I have performed regular maintenance.
Just looking for some experienced opinions as to how long these cars go and if it is worth the expense.
I have no problems keeping the car for another couple of years, as I am used to high mileage cars. I just want to make sure the car will last long enough to make the repair worth it.
Just an idea..........don't kill me...........
Armtdm - A few months ago I noticed I was losing coolant slowly. Turns out my water pump was going. Didn't see the drips from the inspection hole since it is under the timing belt cover. Needed to change the timing belt anyway - $60 for pump. Six hours (taking my time and cleaning all the parts). How is the V6 with synthetic? You mention some leaks. I have a Sienna with 18K and contemplating going to syn. off topic Thanks.
-Greg
Synthetic oil, used it on this car since 1,000 miles, changed at 7,500 miles since about 30,000 miles, sooner prior to that as I was gaining experience with synthetics. Seepage first occurred around 90,000 tightened the valve cover bolts and that stops those seepages. None have ever been leaks where drops appear on the pavement. Not sure if I have a seepage now around the belt seal could be coming from a head gasket or crankshaft seal. Could be coolant have to pay closer attention to what it looks like. Pretty minor though. Synthetics will seep oil but on cars switched early (yours would be early) may not occur or not until 100,000 and hard to say if you would not have had it anyway. On cars switched later in life my experience has been about a year after the switch you will see some seepage. Usually valve covers, oil pan gaskets. I use Amsoil, Mobil 1 great and use a premium filter, Pure One, Mobil 1, Amsoil/Hastings
A co-worker has a '95 V6 with 89,000 miles on it. Original timing belt. Original battery!
Person up the street has '95 V6 with 85,000 miles...still running the original timing belt...
I'll be keeping my eyes on them....let you know more in a couple of months.
I don't know the specifics...that was the high level explanation that the transmission guy offered. He did state it is a common problem for Camrys with this feature. As I get more details, I will post.
Well, I currently own a 95 Corolla DX and am planning for a used Camry, pre 1997, preferrebly a XLE V6. Before I sign on the dotted line, I will look into Carfax and other reports.
Question: There is a 1993 Camry Le V6 with 75K and odd miles on the market now along with a 1996 V6XLE (which I am not interested 'cuz of cigarette odor in the car, otherwise this car looks great).
Toyota tells me that they do NOT have the service information on their system and hence they cannot tell me about timing belt replacement and important stuff like that. They told me to talk to the original owner and then speak to their mechanic - this is out of question and cannot be done.
Any advice or suggestions or comments??? Better yet, if you know anyone selling, let me know.
Thanks
S
armtdm - thanks! Thinking Mobil 1 5W-30 with Pure One or toyota filter.
-Greg
It may be better idea not to put any synthetic stuff in at all. When that motor came from the factory it didn't have no fake oil in it.
And, where does varnish and gunk go after being removed? If it go into the filter then it seems like oil will have to be changed more often. FWIW * If it ain't broke then don't fix it.
Synthetic stuff costs alot too. Much more than regular oil. Many say there is not no proof that it works any better than petroleum oil. Toyota don't say anything about it. Is it just a "cult" thing? What's the big deal about syntheytic?
Nobody wants to put something into their motor that will cause all it's joints to begin leaking oil all over the place. Leaks are awful.
rubicon52 - IMO, you may want to switch back to regular oil, if it is not too late. I hope it was just some splash drips and not costly head gasket work. Good luck!