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I test drive the 2008 Camry SE V6 and 2008 Honda Accord EX-L, no flare found on the Camry. Accord's transmission response more quicker in kick down. Personally don't like the back of the Accord while the front is ok.
To date I have not experienced any transmission flare problems.
My only complaint is the slight vibration I have at 70-72 MPH. Dealer has balanced and rotated the tires - which reduced the vibration, but it is still there.
Hope this feedback helps.
Mack
On page 9 of the factory service manual, it states the instructions for water pump removal.
Replacing the water pump on the Toyota 3.5L V6 require engine and transaxle removal!
For those of us who plan to keep this vehicle for as long as possible (200k+), it's very likely that we'll have to replace the water pump at least once. With this design, replacing the water pump is likely to be very, very expensive, possibly at least twice the amount it costs to replace the timing belt and water pump on a Honda 3.5L V6.
This is something that potential buyers of the Toyota 3.5L V6 need to keep in mind.
Makes me very glad I bought a 4 cylinder, Just checked the service manual, and the 4cylinder can be replaced with engine in car.
You'd think one of the important requirements of a good design is designing for serviceability.
It's not the design engineers fault that perfectly good water pumps are being replaced in order to line the dealer's pockets with more gold.
How many water pumps actually fail instead of being replaced..??
We might ask, how many timing belts fail instead of being replaced?
Since it's not likely they upped the robustness of the pump, i suggest they just made it more difficult for people to own and operate the vehicle, if the recommendation still stands.
Did Toyota change the part or the recommended service for the item?
Well accepted by who......???
"Practice" promoted by who......???
"....We might ask, how many timing belts fail instead of being replaced?.."
Yes, we might, for that is a damn good question. Glad you brought it up.
Just how many timing belts have been "needlessly' replaced?
Have you ever seen a post regarding a failed timing belt..??
"Since it's not likely they upped the robustness of the pump..."
Twenty or more years ago water pumps were unquestionably one of the main failure issues involved in owning an automobile. The most common failures seemingly involved the seal behind the shaft bearing failing thereby allowing coolant into the bearing area. If you paid close attention you could usually detect a pump in the process if failing since the coolant would begin leaking out of the 'weep' hole provided at the pump "nose".
I have no idea what was done on the order of twenty or so years ago to improve the robustness of automotive water pumps but it is clear to me that something was changed about then to substantially improve their reliability.
No doubt the pumps aren't designed to fail at or near the timing belt change interval, but then, neither is the timing belt, right?
I mean, the belt change interval is a conservative estimate for sure; the longevity of the belt population is distributed somehow - but it's the manufacturer that recommends the change interval and I presume they have better mathematical models on that failure distribution than you or I have. You're going to be hard pressed to convince people to NOT change their belt at the recommended interval.
Replacing the pump at the same time is merely a convenience and economically savvy thing to do (I think) because if and when it does fail, you're talking the same labor as a timing belt change (minus the belt of course). So if you're in there already, do the pump and up the likelyhood of problem free coolant transportation through the system.
And even if the timing belt and water pump maintenance schedule is designed to support the dealership network at the expense of the consumer (as opposed to hidden modelling of failure distributions of the belt, tensioner pulleys, pulley assemblies, pump etc), you're going to be hard pressed to convince people that a priori knowlege of the need to remove the whole engine to get to the pump isn't going to up their true cost of ownership.
We look at things differently. Peace.
Had a significant number of failures occurred in the intervening period either serious improvements to the design would have been made or the industry would have abandoned them.
Additionally I had a good looksee at one replaced on a 92 LS400 at 153,000 miles plus I know of a 91 LS, a 92 LS, and a 95 LS all approaching 150,000 miles without any attention to their timing belts. Plus, if I have my say, none of those will be replaced except for actual failure.
Merry Christmas!
Just for the record, both the Camry 4-cylinder and V6 engines use timing chains, not belts.
I did have a timing belt snap on me prematurely -- on my 1980 Volvo in 1990 after about 25 or 30K miles of service (the car had about 160K miles then). The engine was non-interference, so no harm done except for inconvenience.
I spoke to three dealers, all hadn't a clue about this problem. My originating dealer finally spoke to Toyota engineering, and was told that this is a safety feature to prevent fogging of the windows. We all know that for years this is why most cars don't allow the defroster to operate on recycled air. But why have they done this on all modes choking drivers in tunnels, behind buses and in industrial zones??? Is there any fix for this?
Key words are "two layer flow" and "ventilation loss".
To alleviate loss of effort put out by the climate control system the system will now recirculate, beyond your direct control, as much as 30% of the airflow. As one can understand that results in dramatically increasing the potential for windshield and window fogging.
http://www.braindex.com/patent_pdf/patents/US6311763.pdf
Also, because of the uniqueness of these systems, even with the A/C operating for the duration of the use of recirculate mode, the follow-on results can be extremely hazardous as it will often lead to the windshield suddenly and unexpectedly fogging over to the point wherein you have no forward visibility.
Make sure you get a case number from Toyota corporate confirming the complaint.
I will let you know more about the alarm when installed."
Looking forward to hearing more about the alarm, thanks in advance.
Just wondering what you meant about being "not sure at first about this Camry stick."
I am very happy with my 5M, and agree that it adds "Pizazz". Everyone who sees it can hardly believe that a Camry can be bought with a stick. The only problem with it is the cup holders - impossible to keep anything in the front cup holder, because it interferes with shifting. Wouldn't be a problem with an automatic.
People have misconceptions on the sticks and I almost listend to them. The car dealers, my wife, friends said "you don't wan't a stick". Sorry, they were wrong. I drove sticks 20 years till 1998. I've had autos since then. Slowly I was brainwashed to the auto. The stick is more fun, gives the driver control and 'connects' you to the car. People who wouldn't go in the rain without an umbrella or play in the dirt or ride a motorcycle will want the auto, not me. Now I wish my truck had a stick.
No problem with the cup holders here, they don't get in the way at all. Perhaps you use tall cups? like 24 oz? The biggest issue for me is the steering. It gives almost no road feel. The heater controls need a piece of rubber around the circumference or somthing sticky to grab. The car has 480 miles on it now, the gauge is on 1/4. I plan to fill up after this message, I think this is going to be a great surprise!
The alarm was installed this morning, it works fine. The fob has 2 buttons and is black.
Glen
Mack
Google for:
Denso "two layer flow"
or:
Deno "ventilation loss"
In general it is only the newer Denso systems with the unique patent "two layer airflow" aspect that unconditionally will not allow the driver to have control of the recirculate function. That's because the lower level, floor level, airflow might already be in recirculate mode, automatically, without your knowledge, any indication to you of same.
No, this one belongs SOLELY in the hands of automotive design engineers, manufacturers, and most likely at the head of the list the manufacturer's BEAN-COUNTERS.
At the core, the VERY core, this problem is the result of the industry's REFUSAL to consider the issue of windshield defogging/demisting as a separate function from passenger, human comfort.
So they just keep compromising, attempting to make the HVAC, climate control system, do two separate, basically disparate, tasks.
All it would take to implement a simple and total, completely independent, solution to preventing and removing interior windshield fog/condensation would be a small heat exchanger using engine coolant and a fan dedicated to keeping the interior windshield surface above the dewpoint of the cabin atmosphere when the outdoor climate is conducive to same...COLD!
The only downside might be some level of human discomfort due to initally HOT, but predominantly only warm, airflow reflected from the windshield surface toward the front seat passengers. With a good, correct design, that airflow would be cooled by flowing over a coolish windshield surface and therefore would not be so very discomforting.
And now the REALLY good news.
The A/C compressor will then need only be used for cooling the cabin, or even only initially cooling the cabin down, and that would undoudtedly have a POSITIVE impact on FE, FE of the TOTAL national and international FLEET.
Get into almost any car of european origin and even on the hottest/brightest day of the year when you activate the defrost/defog/demist and you will ALWAYS get a high level of HOT airflow to the interior surface of the windshield.
Get into one of asian origin or one with a Denso, NipponDenso, design and as the cabin warms up initially you will get a flow of warm airflow for defrost functionality but once the cabin begins to approach the level of your comfort setpoint you will NOT get HOT airflow, not even warm, in defrost/defog/demist mode.
Idiots....deserve to be sued, Sued, and SUED...!!
Is the anyone using this all-weather mats? Do you find any problem?
I could not believe they had to recall them because a few people were dumb enough to not read the directions and/or use common sense!!!
Talking about rental cars, my rental G6 last spring in Vegas featured zero oil life remaining according to the onboard monitor and an empty windshield washer reservoir.
I have an '04 LE and an '05 XLE -- I know for the former, it stays in recirculate until I choose to change it. I'm not so sure about the XLE with auto system. (I realize you have an '07 or '08 which could be different.)
There is virtually no harm in using recirculate during the summer months, warmer weather, as the windshield and window surface temperatures are not very likely to decline below the dewpoint***. Using recirculate during the summer also has the added benefit of lower the A/C compressor load and thereby an increase in FE.
*** Unless you happen to be driving a Toyota or Lexus, or any vehicle, mostly asian, using the horribly flawed NipponDenso, Denso US design. With those designs it is possible to CHILL the interior surface of the windshield using the A/C in defrost/defog/demist mode. There is a CAUTION warning against this in EVERY Toyota/Lexus owners manual.
European designs, mostly Bosch, will ALWAYS HEAT the interior surface of the windshield in defrost/defog/demist mode even on the hottest, brightest, day of summer.
Problem solved!!!! Note that this is only for the non-automatic systems in the higher
end models.
Please send your check to... just kidding!
Running for an extended period in RECIRCULATE mode raises the potential for windshield and/or window fogging, perhaps dramatically so, depending on the surrounding COLD outside climate.
And keep in mind that these systems are often EXTREMELY poor performers when it comes to quickly removing windshield condensation once it forms.
And personally I simply cannot imagine anyone being so inexperienced as to put the inlet airflow back into recirculate, FORCE it back into recirculate, with the system in defrost/defog/demist mode. That's just asking for TROUBLE...!!
Bottom line - proceed with caution, but you can fix it to stay on recirculate, if you wish.