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Toyota Camry: Problems & Solutions

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  • kanukanu Member Posts: 19
    My 97 corolla require Dexron III type. The toyota dealer did not sell it retail, so I'm look for one that I can buy from chain stores. What brand should I used? I heard it voveline.

    I had posted this in Corolla topic few months ago but noboday reply.

    Thank a lot.
  • 2k1trd2k1trd Member Posts: 301
    Replace the air idle valve,it's very common on the 4cyl's.The valve gets stuck and won't open enough when cold and leads to the low idle/rough idle condition at cold start.
  • bildowbildow Member Posts: 100
    Dexron 3 any good brand will work their all the same. you can also drain the transmission from a drain plug in the transmission pan this is a good way to keep your trans oil fresh. a good idea is to have an independent transmission shop drop your transmission pan and clean the filter and then ask them to do a second drain using the drain plug this will help get out more of the old trans oil. When you drain the pan the converter still holds about 6-8 quarts of dirty oil and a second drain helps get out the old oil. Another way is to find a jiffy lube or transmission shop who can do a complete flush as long as your transmission is in decent shape. :blush:
  • skyflyskyfly Member Posts: 3
    I have a '95 Camry with approx. 160,000 miles on it. Currently the transaxle seal is slowly leaking transmission fluid, although I keep an eye on it so it doesn't get low. The dealer quoted me $135 to fix it, but I tend to think dealers charge a little more than someone else who can do the same thing. Also, It has been a little more than 60,000 miles since I had the timing belt changed, and an independent shop quoted me $125 (after a $50 dollar discount) to change it. Are these good prices or should I shop around? Is there a specific type of part that will last longer or are they all pretty much the same.
  • malkbean2malkbean2 Member Posts: 2
    Can you tell me if you finally determined the source of the 87 camry stalling problem. i have the exact same problem.

    Thank you
  • malkbean2malkbean2 Member Posts: 2
    Can you tell me if you have determined the source of the 89 camry stall problem. You describe the same problem that I have.
  • pmerk28pmerk28 Member Posts: 121
    MC Hammer was on Top when this car was new. I bought it from my father in law about a year ago it has 170,800 miles on it. He put a new tranny and struts in it. It had a nasty oil leak coming from the oil pump unit seal/gasket. Very common to this car. To repair it they had to take off the front pieces to get to it so I got a new water pump and timing belt out of the job too. No more oil leak.

    It needed a ball joint when I first put it on the road this past September. My neighbor did it for me and had to pound the old one out with a hammer for hours. I drove around with bad brakes for months. When I finally took it it in it need new rotors, pads, drum liners, the drum it self had to be resurfaced, a caliper was sticking and the brakes needed to be bled. Now the thing stops so smooth it brakes like it was new. The cooling fan never shut off, they checked it and simply cleaned the connector plugs which has some corrosion. Now that works properly, only coming on when needed. I feel this car will get me well past 200,000 miles.
  • cooldad24cooldad24 Member Posts: 163
    Thanks. It is exact the problem diagnosed by the technician and fixed.
  • drgphilipdrgphilip Member Posts: 5
    Hi All

    what is the recommended idle rpm for 1999 - 4 cyl Camry
    (A/T) on cold start and when warm?

    Thanks
  • jteacher76jteacher76 Member Posts: 1
    I was wondering I have a 1998 Camry, which I received a letter about the engine and a sludge issue that may or may not occur. I have 140k miles and I have a stellar record of maintenance regular oil changes etc. Last night the engine shut down and my mechanic said it's the engine perhaps a rod. I got my letter called the dealership and they said they'd have to dismantle the engine to determine the cause if it is the sludge issue then it's all free. If it's not then it's $500 for the engine diagnosis and then I am looking at 3800 to 4200 for a new engine. My question is does anyone have experience with this issue and is it worth just putting in a new engine or should I scrap the car and get a newer/used car. :sick:
  • 210delray210delray Member Posts: 4,721
    Couldn't the dealer just start with pulling the valve cover (I assume this is a 4-cylinder)? It'd seem sludge would be evident there, if present at all. This wouldn't cost anywhere near $500.

    If you have to pay for a new engine, I wouldn't bother, as the cost of the engine is basically the cost of the car. (I sold my '97 Camry with 111K miles two years ago for $4300 on eBay.)
  • bildowbildow Member Posts: 100
    Get a new car, at 150,000 your transmission is getting tired and will cost about another 2000.00 if it goes out. I was told by a toyota person to use mobil one synthetic oil to help keep down the sludge also if you drive a couple a miles a day this builds up sludge due to you need to get the oil to filter thru the oil filter taking around 6-8 miles also synthetic oil does not sludge as fast a regular oil. I have been able to run up to 400,000 miles on toyota's engines using mobil one oil and if I drive just a few miles a week on Saturday I go for a 15 mile drive on the freeway to get all the oil filtered thru the oil filter helping keeping down sludge and keeping the engine clean inside. :blush:
  • slarmondslarmond Member Posts: 1
    When I started my car this morning, the problem indicator light on the dashboard that shows the car came on (in the farthest left of the dashboard). I didn't have my manual with me to see what the problem could be, so can someone tell me what is going on. 1997 Camry LE with 162,000 miles.
  • scoti1scoti1 Member Posts: 676
    I agree with 210delray. They just need to pull the valve cover to see if it is sludge.

    Did you have any other signs or symptoms prior to the engine shutting down? With sludge there is sometimes visible smoke coming from exhaust (if you live in a cold weather area, this may not have been noticeable this time of year), check engine light can come on, and sometimes you can actually see the sludge around the filler cap and on the dipstick. Also, it would have seemed like your car was using a lot of oil if you were checking the level regularly.

    One other thing, I think that the free sludge repair under the policy was for 7 years from original purchase date, so yours technically would not qualify for the free repair unless they did it for a good will gesture. You would also have to prove that you reasonably maintained your car and it could be difficult to produce all of the service records.
  • 210delray210delray Member Posts: 4,721
    Actually the policy is for 8 years, so there may still be time for the free repair, depending on the purchase date of the car.

    If I remember correctly, you need only have evidence of one oil change per year.
  • 210delray210delray Member Posts: 4,721
    I no longer have my '97 Camry, so what symbol/wording is on the warning light?
  • scoti1scoti1 Member Posts: 676
    Sorry about that, you are right about the 8 years.
  • antcomantcom Member Posts: 1
    I went to 2 dealers one in NJ and NY. I looked at 12 2006 toyota camry le v4 vtti engine cars. All had rust near the plate and no shield. Why is that?
  • troubledinnjtroubledinnj Member Posts: 2
    I have a 2001 Camry and the rod blow through the block. The dealer took it apart found no sludge and said there is nothing that they can do they wanted me to pay for the motor to be put back together $650. I told them to put it all in the trunk and I will take care of it. They did not want to give my car to the tow truck man I threatened to get an attorney and they let it go. They are not paying for rods going through the motor unless there is sludge. We as consumers need to do something anyone with ideas
  • troubledinnjtroubledinnj Member Posts: 2
    My 2001 Camry motor has a hole the size of a baseball . I called Toyota in CA, I was told that if it was sludge they would pay for it. Unfortunately they said that there isn't any sludge. Bad for me, Toyota takes no responsability for there faulty motors. I feel as Toyota owners we need to take a stand but I don't know where to start. Anyone have any ideas as to how to get them to take action for there faulty product.
  • njeraldnjerald Member Posts: 689
    Sometime extended warranties are worth the cost.
  • kevcamkevcam Member Posts: 1
    I hope someone here can help me. My 1994 has a leak in front of the 'cat'. The 'cat' and the 'down pipe' are one unit connecting to the manifold. When I try to search auto parts online for a replacement, there are a number to choose from. How do I determine exactly what I need? I just hung up the phone in disgust from one online supplier who knew less about the parts than I did. HELP!!!!!!!!!!
  • scoti1scoti1 Member Posts: 676
    It seems to be in Toyota's best interest to say it isn't sludge, then they don't get stuck with the repair cost since you are out of the factory warranty. Did you see the engine? Were there any signs of sludge before the rod blew, i.e., smoke, crud on dipstick, use of oil, check engine light?
  • jteacherjteacher Member Posts: 1
    It is still at my mechanics shop. He said he doesn't think it's worth the $500 since I have not had any signs and he said the oil looked pretty clean . He suggested it would be a pretty big gamble. As for the smoke, I live where it's cold and so I couldn't even begin to say whether or not it had any smoke that was unusual. No check engine light either. I think I am going to try to engine replacement like my dad has said. Even withthe cost of it it's cheaper than a car payment. Thanky ou all for your input.
  • crandlemancrandleman Member Posts: 65
    I am buying a 97 Camry and the guy said the model is CLX. The VIN is legit, it has a sunroof, leather, premium sound, and is a 5 speed manual. Anyone ever heard of this model? Thanks in advance.
  • camryowner2camryowner2 Member Posts: 2
    I have a 2000 Camry and the fuel door does not open unless I stick something under the release lever and then manually open the door. Did anyone have the same problem? I don't mind this, but I'm planning to sell the car and was wondering how much it would cost to fix this.
  • drgphilipdrgphilip Member Posts: 5
    Hi
    My 1999 camry had the same problem. There is a V shaped spring like thing at the hinge of the lid door which helps the lid door to pop open when you pull the release lever. Mine was broken.You can buy it from the toyota dealer.Cost around 20 dollars.Pull out any remnants of the old one and clip on the new one .You are all set.
  • camryowner2camryowner2 Member Posts: 2
    Only 20 dollars - that's good news! Thank you!
  • tcam95tcam95 Member Posts: 3
    I have this powdery like coming out of the battery terminal.What is it? and how can i get rid of it?coz
    it keeps coming back everytime i cleaned it.THANKS...
  • user777user777 Member Posts: 3,341
    If any owner is experiencing hesitation in their vehicle, please read message #11642 and the more recent posts in the Avalon 2005+ forum. I think this link will take you there:
    sofl06avalon, "Toyota Avalon 2005+" #11643, 17 Mar 2006 8:21 pm

    Evidently there is encouraging news that by simply adjusting one's foot position on the pedal, the operability of the vehicle is dramatically different.
  • cam2003cam2003 Member Posts: 131
    Do you really want to put whole foot on gas pedal?
    By doing this, you can not tell how far you apply the pedal. Besides, it would make your foot very tired.

    I do not think this is a solution.
  • user777user777 Member Posts: 3,341
    i agree. if having to do so is the solution, it seems like the pedal has too much compliance or something. i think though if your exclusively foot tip driver, you could change your style to use more of the foot. agree with your conclusion it would be tiring to use the whole foot.
  • bildowbildow Member Posts: 100
    The powdery stuff is battery acid you can take off the cables and use a glass of water with baking soda clean them. Also go to a auto parts store and get battery terminal protectors they are green and red circular pads that go around the battery terminals to keep out the acid. Put the pads on the battery first then put on the cables. This will help keep down the battery acid. :shades:
  • bildowbildow Member Posts: 100
    When you replace your timing belt always change your water pump with all the fan belts. I learned the hard way because I changed the timing belt :) without changing the water pump and within 20,000 miles it went out and I had to pay the labor again to replace the water pump. So when you have the timing belt changed the water pump is right there and so pay it now or pay it later. Also change the transaxle seal and check axle boots the outer ones they usually crack and go bad it saves a lot money to do them before you ruin the velocity joints which are housed inside the boots.
  • razvanrazvan Member Posts: 2
    I have a brand new 2006 Camry and the washer fluid level is dropping about 0.5 inch per day from the filler neck even though I'm not using it. There's no pool of fluid under the car, I have no idea if there's a leak or the fluid is simply evaporating from the thin filler neck. Anyone else having this problem?

    Thanks,

    R
  • toostoos Member Posts: 12
    My wife was driving her 2004 Camry XLE (4 cylinder engine) on 25 March and it suddenly accelerated, hitting my Jeep and taking out part of our garage wall. I was in the house at the time. I heard what sounded like someone trying to do a "burn-out" (brakes hard on while the the tires spin), then two bangs. My wife was pretty shaken, but uninjured. No airbag deployment.

    She came up the driveway, was going to turn around and leave the Toyota out (we have a circular driveway). She braked (you have to, the driveway ends and the garage is 100 degrees to the right)and then started making the turn when the car started accelerating on its own. She tried to keep it turing right, towards the circular driveway, but ended up going 90 feet before hitting the garage wall and the axle falling out on the right (after it hit the Jeep in the garage I presume) kept it from going any further.

    The insurance examiner tells me, after several hours discussion and exam of the car, that he is convinced something did happen out of the ordinary. I have asked Toyota to pull the codes on the car and do whatever is necessary to find out what happened. I have been contacted by them, but did not get the sense they were going to look into it very deeply. When I told the Toyota rep I wanted their examiner to pull the black box codes, she responded they would look at the car, but it would take a technician to do that.

    I could write at length about why I believe there is a problem with the car, but I figure that would take too much space. I have filed an NHTSA report (10154294). Will see what happens.

    As for the car, well, I am insured and it will be covered, however, a car that my wife treats like it is jewelry, with only 16,000 miles on it, kept in the garage on rain and cloudy days, and only 2.5 years old, should not suddenly go flying into my garage. My garage also will never be the same (it is block and brick, which is hard to match). Has anyone else out there heard of anything happening like this with a Camry? I bought it because I wanted a car that was as reliable as a refrigerator.
  • njeraldnjerald Member Posts: 689
    Sorry, I would guess she pressed on the accelerator pedal instead of the brake.

    The brakes will stop the car even if the accelerator is on full.

    An insurance examiner is convinced???????? Most of them are clerks!!

    The accelerator instead of the brake happened to me once and I couldn't believe it.

    There is probably about a 1% chance of auto malfunction and a 99% chance of driver error.

    Humans are not as reliable as a refrigerator and machines malfunction ocassionally.
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    What would be your very first instinct if you stepped on the brakes and the engine ROARED to life...?

    STOP what you're doing, get off the brake immediately. But the engine/drivetrain is still wrapped up.

    Remove the carpet mat from behind the brake pedal but laying over the accelerator pedal...
  • laavilalaavila Member Posts: 1
    hi. i have a 2006 camry with 4,000 miles. recently, it has started having problems shifting from park to reverse. the occurences are unpredictable and don't seem to follow a pattern. yes, the engine is on the brake pedal depressed. has anyone ever experienced this situation. any tips?
  • toostoos Member Posts: 12
    Well, I would remove the carpet, except there is no carpet in the car to slide or remove.

    She had to come to almost a dead stop to make the turn, 3-4 MPH maximum, and turn very hard right. Insurance guy kept looking at the cruise control lever. Told me if she had a death grip on the wheel and turned it left, it would have accelerated. I pointed out that if you did that and turned right, you would be pushing the lever down, not up, causing it to coast. She was not making a left hand turn, or she would be in the lake below our house. Cruise should disconnect on braking anyway. Then again, she rarely ever uses cruise on the highway, never elsewhere, and was not using it that day. She had 90 feet from the turning point to react if she had her foot on the accelerator, which she did not. Has not had an accident in 25 years of driving either. This was a Saturday, stress free, until the accident.

    I guess what bothers me is there is no urgency to look at the electronics. I assume they have a black box on these, perhaps not. If she is at fault and Toyota has no problem, you would think they would be racing here to check the codes. Of course the electronics is suspect, but I'd like it done nonetheless. If she hit the gas mistakenly, which I doubt, then it would show that perhaps. Then again, its easier to say, driver error, and wait for the next one to go by itself. But I'll see what Toyota does in the next few weeks. Perhaps they will come through and do a little more than just look at the wreck and say, yes, its broken.
  • user777user777 Member Posts: 3,341
    my impression is if any paramters are stored in the system for the last few seconds of driving, then it will only be done if the airbags deploy...

    i'm not sure of this, and so i cannot claim to know one way or another; it's just an opinion.

    maybe you want to research it.
  • njeraldnjerald Member Posts: 689
    What would be your very first instinct if you stepped on the brakes and the engine ROARED to life...?

    STOP what you're doing, get off the brake immediately. But the engine/drivetrain is still wrapped up.

    That is not the first thing you would do if you were surprised by sudden acceleration.

    Logic does not rule in those situations as you think it might.

    You would push harder on what you think is the brake pedal. With enough time/distance to think about it, you will come to the correct realization, but not in 90' of acceleration.

    Internet excerpt:

    Most S/A cases I've had were "from a stop" in which "the car just roared to life and took off," which is the most commonly reported scenario. Usually, the driver is sure they were on the brake, but the car just kept going. "The harder I pressed on the brake pedal the faster it went." Yes, I have actually had people say that to me. Sometimes they say the shifter jumped into gear, as well. I've never found a problem with the brakes, the shifter, or the throttle in any of these cars, but not for lack of trying.

    Thus the issue of "pedal error" looms large. Despite the insistence of some people in the field that "nobody could possibly goof that badly," I have personally documented three cases where that is exactly what happened, using the data recorded by the airbag module. Two of them were normal passenger vehicles, and one was a hand-control-equipped handicap van, in which the driver insisted he had pushed the lever forward (brake) but instead got full throttle. The data recorder in all cases showed full throttle with no braking in the seconds leading to the collision. See my CDR page (mfes.com/cdr.html) for more info on this system. Further to the pedal-error issue, research into "Human Error Probability" (HEP) has shown that many tasks (including reading a digital display, setting a multiposition switch, and turning a control) have error rates in the 1 in 1,000 range (Swain & Guttmann, 1980). A study by Rogers and Wierwille (1988) which monitored driver's pedal usage during extended driving periods in vehicles having various pedal configurations recorded 15 serious pedal errors, with 12 of them being errors which involved depressing the throttle instead of or in addition to the brake when the brake was desired. Given that there were about 7,000 pedal applications in this study, the potential for error appears to be right in line with the earlier reported HEP for other controls. It is interesting to note, though, that there were no occurances of sustained pedal error, such as would be required for a vehicle to roar to life and cross a parking lot. This perhaps speaks to the infrequency of such S/A complaints: Even for a high complaint-rate vehicle, there is approximately one incident per 400 driver-years. That is to say that an average operator, with average driving habits would experience one S/A incident in about six or seven lifetimes of driving. (NHTSA, 1989)

    If there is nothing wrong with the car, no codes will show. The computers are not constant cockpit data recorders in these vehicles that can replay the last 5 minutes or so.
  • master1master1 Member Posts: 340
    There's nothing wrong with your car
  • junepugjunepug Member Posts: 161
    Looks to me like another case of using the left foot to brake and the right to accelerate. Should use only the right foot for both.
  • rajubhai55rajubhai55 Member Posts: 1
    Can anybody gieve me a copy of the above mentioned emission warranty for Toyota 2001 camry. I get P0440 code.
    The above link is not working to view the document.

    The warrnty states something like this below
    "Here is an Excerpt:

    "The enhancement coverage is on the Evaporative System and is extended to the components specified below for a period of 14 yrs or 150,000 miles from the vehicles in service date, whichever occurs first.
    -Evap storage canister
    -Evap system pressure sensor
    -Fuel cap
    -Fuel tank
    -Fuel tank filter neck
    -Purge valve
    -Tank vapor vent line
    -Three-way valve
    -Any ohter part or component, including any maintenance parts, between the fuel tank and teh intake manifold (but not including the intake manifold) designed to contain or conduct fuel vapor from the fuel system"

    please help

    thanks
  • cam2003cam2003 Member Posts: 131
    Was possible electronic components got wet under your hood ?
    It happened to me once, when I run the corolla over big puddle water, card suddenly accelerated. I had to put transmission into neutral. It took 10 minutes for the idle came back to normal.
  • funkyshufflefunkyshuffle Member Posts: 1
    94 camry ever so often my little 'engine' lite symbol comes on that says 'check' under it then it will go off...a week later it pops back on for a min ??????? What do i check? ty
  • nohasslenohassle Member Posts: 7
    Anybody have any advice on removing a CD that snapped in two when it was struck while in the eject position. It is now jammed in there and eject button doesn't work.

    Would I be better off taking that to an auto sound shop rather than the dealer to save a few bucks? Or is there a way I can do it myself?
  • wydrivewydrive Member Posts: 8
    My 06 Camry XLE 's RPM meter spike a little bit:
    Every time after I accelerate above 2000 on the RPM, then I let go of my gas pedal. The RPM meter would jump a little and I also would feel the car jerk slightly as the RPM meter drops below 1200. It happens very consistently on the flat pavement road, but not as much on a bumpy street. My car has less than 1800 miles. This problem occurs since day 1 that I owned it.

    Please: any suggestions, comments?
    Greatly appreciated
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    If you can pull it out yourself, sure, take it to an auto radio shop, definitely. That's what the dealer would do anyway, farm it out.

    No, don't try to get it out yourself.
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