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The problem with the truck engines was the heads and head gaskets - I don't think other Toyota V-6's that shared the block series had the same problems.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
92-93: 3VZ-FE
94+: went to aluminum block, 1MZ-FE
the 3VZ-E, was the engine notorius for blowing head gaskets.
When starting from stopped position, I feel as though I need to really step on the gas pedal to get the car moving... That is, the engine doesn't seem very sensitive. And, say, if I really step on it, there's a moment of pause before the engine responds. I remember my previous vehicles a bit more responsive for some reason.
So, what do y'all think? Should I bring it over to the dealership and have it looked at? Or am I just a nit-picking dork? Thanks for your responses in advance.
then I started to notice the "brake light" is on/off when I was driving although my hand brake is off. and I heard some funny noise from engine. I brought car back to dealer again one week later and told them what I felt and ask them if it was something related to what they did to fix the plastic base last time. They checked and told me it was water pump leakage, water pump needs to be replaced. the "Brake light on" is because the front brake need to be replaced. and engine noise is because of rear left tire rod bend . both rod and limen need to be replaced. since my car is 43k miles. I decided to fix water pump this time, and do all the rest job at 45k maintanence. The next day, I can't even start my car. Called AAA to tow my car to dealer. It was discovered due to out of battery. Dealer checked the car thoroughly and said it was all set. One week later, which is last Friday, I can't start car again. Called AAA, they recharged battery by jump cables and started car. I drove it to my dealer and ask them to have it checked since I never had battary problem before and suddenly this happened twice in one month. They call me back today said my car starting up part(don't know what's the part name yet) doesn't work properly, need to be replace. and due to rear left tie rod bend, the rear left tire needs to be replaced. futhermore, dealer suggested to replace all four tires this time.
Just wonder is it normal for a three years*(43k miles) camry? How is my dealer, are they saying the truth? To me I felt the car started with a minor issue,which is "something hangging at front wheel", and became major problem, which is "can't started car at all".
Appreciated for any advice.
Btw, if my dealer is right, and if this is abnormal, is there a chance I can work with toyota for some deal? After all, it's 3 years old only.
Please take the few minutes it takes to do this. You will be helping all of us who purchased the Toyota Camry based on its reputation for quality.
my antenna motor does not shut off at the end of the "extend" cycle, producing a loud grinding noise. it used to do it only on 95F or hotter days, now it does it all the time. i have disconnected the motor power source with the antenna extended (for reception) to save the gear/mast insert, but would like to fix it. anyone have any ideas? thanks.
I'd look into the BBB and other forms of action.
Rear tie rod? B.S. Camrys are front wheel drive (except for the 88-91 All-trac)...there is a front tie rod...but not a rear tie rod.
The brake light idiot light is triggered by the parking light (like you said) or low brake fluid. If you heard squeaking while braking...it's probably time for new pads (and possibly rotors).
I'd go for a second opinion, because I don't really trust the dealership.
Did they change the timing belt with the water pump?
what is timing belt for? I'm not sure if they changed timing belt with water bump. They only told me they changed water pump for me. I'll check with them.
btw, they told me the reason my car can't start up is because "idle air control model??" I'm not so sure what it is. But they said this part doesn't work properly, need to be replaced. And they charge me $400 to replace it(including labor).
They said my front pads 60% worn. Is it time to replace it?
I don't know why they said left rear rod. They showed me the left rear tire worn quite a lot. Normally how frequently do you replace your tires? Average 4-5 years? or no need at all for whole life? I was told my camry's original tire is General Tire. Is it right? I thought original tire should be Mechelin. Where can I find the tire brand?
Is there a number I can reach Toyota? Just want to verify all these since my car is only 3 years old.
I don't really trust dealership too. The problem is I don't know how to fix car myself since I'm not a mechanician. who else I can trust? Other small garages? Where did you normally bring your car to?
Thanks!
If you need to know the exact location, any Chilton's repair manual or Haynes will show you, or you could even get the official (expensive) Toyota repair manual.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Plus, I am not sure, but I THINK the throttle linkage in the new camry is electronic, meaning the pedal you are pushing is not even pulling open the throttle any more, it is just telling a computer how much to open it.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
The idle air control module is probably still covered by warranty, either under emissions warranty or under powertrain warranty - if I were you I would check this out. But I would get a second opinion from a second dealership too. Plus, if this was the original cause of the problem, they should give you a refund for your new battery.
Rear tire wear could be caused by bad suspension, 43K is early for that to go but it is possible.
Question is, how much care has this car had in the first three years? Has it had maintenance, and has it been driven hard? I am surprised to hear of a leaking water pump at this age.
Brakes at 60% are not an indication that they need to be replaced, and that would not normally cause the brake light ot be on. You can check the brake fluid reservoir for yourself - it is a little clear reservoir next to the firewall under the hood, right in front of the driver, and it has a black cover that says DOT 3, or something like that. If the fluid level is below the "min" line, you should add some. If this does not make the light turn off and stay off, there is a problem in the brake system, and you should get someone reputable to find it. BUT make sure your hand brake is completely off - sometimes the sensor gets out of adjustment - try wiggling the hand brake around a little bit.
The timing belt is the one inside the engine that turns the valvetrain, so it is very important to make the car run. In this car you would normally replace it every 60-90K miles. (I would do it at 90K, some people do it at 60K for peace of mind). If it breaks, the engine will stop running, but no damage will occur, you will just have to have it towed and the belt replaced.
Not sure if that got it all - bottom line: GET A SECOND OPINION. It sounds like they are taking you for a ride.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
The car just passed 3 years(36k)warranty. It's still under 5 years(60k) warranty, which only covers for engine related problem. My dealer told me "idle air control module" isn't counted. I'll call toyota to double check.
Too later, I agreed to change "idle air control module" yesterday since I had no idea what it is and I was so eagering to get my car back so that I can drive to work today. Just called my dealer, they told me they are still working on the car. I have to stay home one more day. Hate it! I'll see another dealer for the rest problems.
Confirmed, dealer did replace both water pump and timing belt. So I no need to worry about timing belt at least another 60k, right?
Thanks for the clarification. You are right. They topped off fluid in master cylinder cleaned and adjusted rear brakes. The brake light is off now. Without your clarification, I didn't realize this fixed the problem. I thought it was normal maintenance. When they talked to me, they said light on means brake needs to be replaced. Now I started to hear "ga-zi.."noise from rear brake when the car stops. they just never let problem go.
We had a road test yesterday since I compained some funny noise from engine. Dealer told me again it's due to tires. They strongly recommend to fix rear left rod, and replace all four tires. As 8u6hfd said, camry doesn't have rear tire rod, I'll ask them.
My car had two small accidents, the first time was body work only, the second time front brake and one part of air condition were replaced. Could these explain why my car had water pump problem?
Again, thanks a lot! This forum is really GREAT! Love it!
Tires? Don't know without actually being there.
Other people are complaining about rattles, so you can search for those on the boards also. Good luck.
i got two 1999 Toyota camry which both have this problem. the 99 CE model need to go back to the dealer for 4 times in one year to get it fixed....
Now today, the other 99 LE camry (with 26,000 mileage on it)i have can't be started..so i have to tow it to the dealer..and they told me it is that stupid ISC valve again!!!
they are asking for $370 for this piece of valve...could someone tell me what is that? and what cause it to go wrong? oh ...shall this thing be under that Powertrain warranty??
my 3 yr/36,000 warranty just expired last month..so unfortunate!
can i negotiate this problem with toyota?
to me .....after have this problems for both of my 99 camry...i m starting to feel that it is the manufacture defect on the car itself..
anyone got this problem too??
the symptom for this defect are...
1) car cant be started
2) even if i got it to start, it would run rough
2) or stall
please help!!
1. An abnormal "whine/hum" when engaging the clutch.
2. A hesitation in the motor around 3000 RPM, only while accelerating.
3. A ticking while idling.
Any thoughts as to what might be the causes? Thanks!
Several people have mentioned the hesitation around 3000 rpm - perhaps this is something the dealer has seen before.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
2000 camry seems to just unscrew the trans plug.
Yet the 91 seems to have differenial along with
trans.
How do you change differential fluid on 91.
seems to have to use syringe to fill the
differential component, any idea ???
On my car you do have to change the diff. fluid separately and it's a pain to get to the plug/fill hole (up behind the trans/engine and out of sight - might even need an Allen wrench). I refilled mine using a small squirt bottle. If I recall correctly the manual says to refill to just below the fill hole. Hope that helps.
have to take the cover off,to take the nut off of
differential compartment???
43K summary
Gas consumed: 1828.434 Gallons
Cost of Gas: $2910.56
Average Economy: 23.55 MPG
Best: 34.3 MPG
Worst: 16.8 MPG
Gas Cost per mile: 6.66 cents
Maintenance Cost: $2388.28
Maintenance Cost per mile: 5.5 cents
Miles Covered: 43,670
Running Cost (Gas + Maintenance): $5298.84
Running Cost per mile: 12.13 cents
Bought in November 1999 for $27,538.
Sold in October 2002 for $16,700.
Depreciation: $10,838
Depreciation per mile: 24.8 cents
Direct Cost of Ownership: 36.93 cents per mile
Insurance approx. $600 per year for 3 years = $1800
Insurance per mile: 4.12 cents
Total Cost of Ownership: 41.05 cents per mile
I appreciate the philosophy at work here, BUT since my car has the same thing going on, and I live close to the freeway, in the mornings I have to take the service road that parallels the freeway to the next entrance, because if I get on right away, the engine revs go up to 4-5K rpm, and I don't want to do that to it when it is stone cold!
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
www.nhtsa.dot.gov
I'm thinking the gas mileage isn't too much less than a 4 cyl.???
A couple of terms I have run across is: electonic overdrive.. is this a good thing? or something that may just end up being a headache?
The other thing I don't know about, but hear a lot of, is the timing belt... mostly I've seen that the timing belt has been replaced -(and mostly I see this on used Honda ads...)
Is this something of a problem for a Toyota Camry?
Any advise would be greatly appreciated. I want to buy a good car for her and want to spend my money wisely...
Thanks
Kathy
To remedy this problem I just installed new brake pads and cleaned up the rotors as well as inspecting rear emergency brake system. No luck.
I consider myself pretty handy but this noise is, forgive the pun, "driving" me crazy.
It's a CE V6, and otherwise has been a problem free car.
Maintenance is easier and cheaper on the 4 cylinder as well.
Timing belts, the engines are non-interference, so no worries about ruining an engine if the timing belt snaps.
Electronic overdrive, nothing to worry it's just 4th gear to get better fuel economy.
Make sure all the maintenance is up to date.
sabretooth: have you checked the wheel bearings? Are you sure the squeak now is not just the new pads seating to the rotors?
kathy: there is no maintenance difference between the 4 and 6 cylinder engines. The only maintenance cost difference is two more spark plugs to buy every 60K miles.
Timing belts are at 90K on these cars, and one thing that highly recommends the 6-cyl over the 4 is that all the 6-cylinders have rear disc brakes, which makes a lot of difference in braking feel and in wear - some people including friends of mine that had 4-cylinders consider the brakes to be weak on those cars.
By the way, electronic overdrive has been on all automatic Toyotas now for quite some time - I wouldn't worry about that.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
has this new tsb really fixed the problem or should i move on to a 2003? i like the 2002 prices right now
Though premium fuel is recommended for the best performance in the V6, a lot of people go with regular.
I then asked about timing belt replacement, and I have to agree with you here: timing belt replacement cost between $20 and $40 more for the V-6 than the 4-cyl. So, once or perhaps twice in the life of the car you will have to pay $20-40 more to maintain it. A very negligible cost.
I then asked about valve adjustment, and was told at two of the three that this is highly uncommon to have to perform on these cars, and they usually go by the sound of the engine, whether or not it is necessary. If it is, they charge the same for 4-cyl or 6-cyl. The third place just quoted me a price of $150 regardlessof 4-cyl or 6-cyl.
I have known several people with V-6 camrys, none of them uses premium, and none have appeared to suffer for it. The manual says regular is fine, although Toyota officially recommends premium for best performance.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)