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Sedans Toyota Camry Toyota Camry: Problems & Solutions 
5279 messages, Last post on Aug 22, 2006 at 1:43 PM
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Replying to: smile1017 (Aug 09, 2006 1:26 pm)
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Replying to: toyoman1 (Aug 09, 2006 3:21 pm) Is the smoke white or blue? I believe you (smile1017) said white, which usually means coolant getting into the engine oil, which in turn could very well be head gasket failure. Are you losing engine coolant? You cannot put off replacing the head gasket. However, blue smoke on startup is generally caused in the Camry 4-cylinder by worn valve stem seals. It can be put off for a while, until it gets worse. I don't think it'll affect the emissions test if it just happens when you first start the engine in the morning. You said, I switched a couple of time to 87 and I notice a huge difference in the mileage because I was going to the pump more often. When I asked the mechanic, he just said that it was a typical occurence in cars built in the 90s and early 2000s. The mechanic is flat out wrong, certainly for the 4-cylinder Camry, which has always been designed to run on 87 octane. The key words in your statement are "switching a couple of times." Unless you ran with multiple tankfuls of 87 for a lengthy stretch of time, you're not going to get the real story. But I'm not going to keep arguing about gas mileage -- like our receptionist at work who swears she gets 28 mpg out of her '03 Tahoe V8 on her short commute to the office!  Geez, if the truck really did that well, GM wouldn't have worry about hybrids or displacement on demand! |
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Replying to: ramelan1 (Jul 10, 2006 11:02 pm) |
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Replying to: smile1017 (Aug 09, 2006 1:26 pm) If you indeed see WHITE smoke and you are losing coolant. It really could be head gasket and price quoted sounds about right. Make a few more calls and see if you can get a better price. I don't think $450 can replace head gasket -- maybe like Jeffy lube, charge you but never really do the work. 
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Replying to: jander111 (Aug 09, 2006 10:24 pm) 
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Replying to: jdeib (Sep 27, 2005 5:56 am) 
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Replying to: toyoman1 (Aug 10, 2006 1:13 am) I can't imagine an Oil Express Lube handling a head gasket replacement -- too big a job. How long did the job take, since you were watching it? If about an hour or so, it would have been the valve cover gasket.
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Replying to: jander111 (Aug 09, 2006 10:24 pm) With regard to the mpg, I will try again when I get the car back. Last night it was at 1/4 tank and was time to go to the gas station. I will try it for a month (4 tanks) or so and I will get back with the result. I appreciate everyone's help. Thanks. P.S. better than spending 30K on a new car. New Ducati here I come.
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Replying to: smile1017 (Aug 10, 2006 8:57 am) It was oil leaking into the engine causing a little bit of overheating. They are going to refinish the cylinder head and replace all the seals and the head gasket. Talked to the mechanic and he said that the engine other than the 117K miles on it should be good as new. He is also going to replace the idle control for me. Grand total $1393.  I won't get the car back until early next week. He has to send the cylinder out to be refinished because there were some minor "dings" in it. With regard to the fuel door, it was fixed with an easily replaced spring part for $5 at the dealer. I know I could have probably gotten it for cheaper, but for 5 bucks? Just popped the old one off with a screwdriver and snapped the new one into place. Since the ending price tag was not too much of a shock based on the various calls i made, I guess I have to be content. At least no sludge like some other have.  I will get back with the mpg issue, but this new mechanic did suggest that when I originally put the 87 in, I may have been in the breaking in period. I'm not too sure, I don't really remember so I will test it again when I get the car back. Thanks to everyone for their input.
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