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Toyota Camry Engine Related Questions

317 messages,  Last post on Jan 16, 2013 at 8:23 PM

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What is this discussion about? Toyota Camry, Engine, Sedan

Messages Page 31 of 32

#299 of 317 Re: 2010 Camry engine vibration [houscar] by phalgun

Jun 24, 2011 (2:32 pm)

Replying to: houscar (Jan 25, 2010 10:34 am)
I am having the exact same problem. My car has been with the dealer for almost four weeks now and they still dont seem to have an idea of what is going on. They tried three things as fixes but the "check engine" light comes back on and so does the "slip indicator". Can someone suggest what my options are, if I want to opt out?.... here is my concern:
 
The first attempt to fix was at the dealer himself, who did some mundane things like topping off the oil levels and cleaning the vvt-i sensor etc - didnt work. Then they spoke to the Toyota Technical Engineers and gathered time-consuming diagnostics and then went it to open up the engine to change some washers and all - that didnt work either. The third time they fiddled around with the timing cam-shaft and they are again back at square one. This time they assured me that a Toyota Head Engineer will personally take a look at the car to see what's going on. Today's cars are so mechanized and computer-managed, that it sounds super strange that someone needs to look at the physical car... anyway my concern is the fact that their approach (even with Toyota Tech involved) has mostly been hit and trial and I am not sure if I want to drive it again... it has about 40K miles on it...and I am thinking I rather get it out of my hands before I add more miles to it... I dont even know if all of these engine troubles would show up on the car fax.....
 
this is my first car and i have no experience dealing with such issues... any suggestions would greatly help. Thanks.
 
- Sandeep

#300 of 317 Re: 2002 SE V-6 Throttle Body Replacement [mpred] by hobieslug1

Jun 28, 2011 (5:30 pm)

Replying to: mpred (Feb 13, 2011 7:16 am)
agree get a second opinion . first try cleaning the throttle body and the throttle plate . easy job check the vids on you tube . use sensor friendly throttle body cleaner sold at any parts store

#301 of 317 Re: 2002 SE V-6 Throttle Body Replacement [hobieslug1] by mpred

Jun 29, 2011 (4:00 am)

Replying to: hobieslug1 (Jun 28, 2011 5:30 pm)
I just did get a 2nd opionion from a Toyota Master Mechanic who owns his own business and he stated that the throttle body is fine. I am not sure what the dealer did to conclude mine needed to be replaced but the car runs fine and I trust the shop owner more than a service rep who works on comission.

#302 of 317 1999 Camry misfires at and above 4200 rpm by nwstehle

Jul 27, 2011 (5:54 am)

What would cause a 1999 Camry to misfire/act up at 4200 rpm and above?
 
We very recently had the engine replaced on our 1999 Camry (V4; it had 110,000 miles on it) while on a trip. There were some issues with the repair that have been resolved, but our local mechanic is having a very hard time solving one last problem they found. The car has been in the shop locally since last Monday (7/18/11).
 
The mechanics that installed the used engine do not know the exact year of the engine, but it is matched based on the vehicle VIN when the part is sourced. The manager said it was probably the 2.2L engine and within a year or two of 1999. The engine meets federal emissions standards, not California’s (as would be expected). They used the existing wiring harness from our car, as it is part of the engine block. The only new parts listed were the water pump, plugs, wires and timing belt. So my guess would be that the other items were transferred from our old engine.
 
Otherwise the vehicle drives fine (according to our local mechanic).
It is not the crankshaft sensor as it produced the expected square wave. They were initially pretty confident on this being the source of the problem on last Tuesday evening.
 
It is not the timing belt. It checked out fine.
 
They do not think it is a sensor issue since there are no electronic codes coming back so that is why they think it is a timing issue.
 
A few things they are considering:
1. Non-iridium sparkplugs were installed in the tune-up of the engine.
2. The fuel pump/pressure gauge.
 
In talking to the mechanic on Friday, he mentioned that the MAP sensor was reading 5-6 Volts? mV? (whatever the units are, but he said it was voltage) high. The upshot being that the vacuum in the engine at this level rpm (4200) is too high.
 
One of the problems is testing it at this rpm level since it is that accelerating up to highway speeds is the only thing that seems to cause it. I myself did not notice it while driving it home. Another compication is that there are no error codes.
 
I just want to know what should be looked at and have this issue resolved.

#303 of 317 "Ping-like" sound in 2005 Camry by bharaldson

Aug 24, 2011 (3:12 pm)

Ping is the best word that comes to mind, but it is not the high pitched, sharper sound a motor gives when using low octane fuel. It's a 4 cyl LE with automatic. My car has 72K miles and I have always used 87 octane fuel (Calif. blend). Maybe 10,000 miles ago I started hearing this low volume, ping, or knocking sound. This was shortly before the factory scheduled valve adjustment at 60K miles. That had no effect. The sound usually occurs (but not only) before the engine has reached normal operating temp., and usually when the engine has shifted up a gear and the RPMs have dropped. Unlike normal pinging related to low octane, the sound does not occur when I accelerate briskly. It never occurs at idle. Most driving is around town. I live in Eureka and when I drove to southern Ca last month it doesn't seem to have that problem. Whether is was the 650 mile trip at 70+ mph, or the warmer weather, I don't know.
 
I haven't tried using 91 or 93 octane fuel, but I had the car for 5 years and never had a problem. I've babied this car since new and it has always run smoothly and has had all scheduled maintenance. I've got original brakes with over 50% of remaining pad wear, so it hasn't been driven hard.
 
Anybody else had a similar problem?

#304 of 317 Re: "Ping-like" sound in 2005 Camry [bharaldson] by geneseedepot

Aug 25, 2011 (8:39 pm)

Replying to: bharaldson (Aug 24, 2011 3:12 pm)
I've got the 2.4 4cyl in my 2008 RAV4, it has the knocking sound when driving at slower speeds and giving it gas at around 1600rpm. Seems most prominent when driving up the parking structure at work in the summer at 10-15mph. I've seen other complaints about it at the rav4world forums, so I don't worry about it.

#305 of 317 2002 Camry Still Smoking on start up by camryowner02

Sep 05, 2011 (2:30 pm)

Had engine rebuilt and still occasionally smoking on start. Replaced Injector in #2 cyl. Still wet in #2 cyl. Suggestions.

#306 of 317 Keep or sell 95 V6 Camry w/ 200K Miles by smm57

Oct 01, 2011 (5:32 am)

I have a 96 V6 w/ 200K miles. I am wondering if the timing belt" or some similar component "always goes bad" on these cars such that I should either get the timing belt and water pump replaced or sell the car and get another one. I look on Craigs list and can see other (0s camrys w/ a lot fewer miles in the $3K range and am wondering if I should keep my current one until it just dies completely or sell her for $23K and get a "newer" one for $3K and spend the extra $$$ on a newer car rather than investing any $$ in my current onbe, am very interested to hear of experiences of others, thanks in advance for any feedback....

#307 of 317 Re: "Ping-like" sound in 2005 Camry [bharaldson] by zaken1

Oct 01, 2011 (5:55 pm)

Replying to: bharaldson (Aug 24, 2011 3:12 pm)
This is a typical noise in Toyotas when they are warming up, and sometimes continues afterwards. It is called "piston slap" and is caused by the piston rocking excessively in the cylinder as it moves up and down. On older motors, this used to be considered as a sign of excessive wear; caused by piston to cylinder wall clearance which was too loose. However; it is now appearing on brand new or nearly new Toyotas which are very precisely machined and do not have piston clearance problems. The reason this is happening is that a few years ago, the U.S. Congress passed a law requiring all new vehicle dealerships to only use oil classified as "energy conserving" in every car they service. The use of energy conserving oil improves fuel economy by a fraction of one mile per gallon. The downside of this oil is that; because it is chemically thinned out to reduce internal engine friction; it has less cushioning and lubricating effect than regular oil. And that leads to piston slap, increased oil consumption, and increased engine wear. Who in their right mind would want to make such a destructive change to new vehicles? I'll leave the speculation up to you.
 
Those people who feel compelled to always have their oil changed at a dealership are permanently stuck in this rut; but those who change their own oil, or who have it changed by an independent shop can specify that a non energy conserving oil be used. Energy conserving oils will be labeled as such on the bottle. In general; most so called "high mileage" oils are not energy conserving, and are commonly available in popular viscosities. 10W-40 and 20W-50 oils are also not usually energy conserving. But the best non-energy conserving oil for all around protection is the full synthetic European Formula oil. This oil is usually available in 0W-40 or 5W-40. It is produced by Mobil 1 and Amsoil; along with many other companies. I have repeatedly found that Mobil 1 in 0W-40 grade will dramatically reduce piston slap, improve power and smoothness, and reduce oil consumption.

#308 of 317 Re: Keep or sell 95 V6 Camry w/ 200K Miles [smm57] by zaken1

Oct 01, 2011 (6:45 pm)

Replying to: smm57 (Oct 01, 2011 5:32 am)
The life expectancy of a vehicle is more dependent in many respects on the type of maintenance and use it has had than on the odometer reading. A car which has had regular oil changes at recommended intervals (especially if it has always used the same brand and grade of oil) will often be in better condition and have a greater life expectancy than a similar car with half as many miles on it; but which has received poor maintenance or been abused. Because of this; vehicles which have had multiple owners will typically not be in as good condition as a vehicle which has only had one or two owners.
 
The Camry V-6 of that era will easily run up to 250,000 or 300,000 miles if maintained well. But perhaps half of the cars on the road have not been maintained well. This is why it is essential to have ANY used car that you consider thoroughly inspected by an honest, experienced professional mechanic before putting one cent down on it. In addition; the automatic transmission is the one item which probably will not last that long. If you are one of the rare people who has a manual transmission; you will be immune to this built in limitation. Otherwise; be prepared to spend half the value of a car of this age to replace the automatic transmission when it fails.
 
Timing belts, along with fuel filters and spark plugs, are not intended to last the life of the car. They must be replaced at recommended intervals; in order for the car to be as reliable and to last as long as it was designed to last. The recommended replacement interval for the timing belt was originally 60,000 miles on the Camry; but was increased to 90,000 miles at some point (I don't recall whether that was before or after the model year of your car). If you buy a used car; you will need to find out when the timing belt was last replaced (if ever) and plan to replace it on schedule in the future; in order to avoid a breakdown. This can be an expensive repair on a Camry V-6. Because of the cost of the labor on this job; it is advisable to replace the water pump while the motor is apart; as there will be no additional labor charge to do so at that time.
 
Craig's list is not a place where I would expect to find cars which were well cared for; but there are always some exceptions. The used car market is a minefield of vehicles which were reconstructed from wrecks, bought at auctions after being stolen and abused or stripped, or have carefully concealed damage. This is one of the many reasons why you cannot buy a vehicle based on its appearance; but must have it inspected by a mechanic. This is as true for sales by dealers as it is by private parties. If a car has a cheap asking price; there usually is a good reason for it. And you may not discover what that reason is until it is too late.
 
If you have owned your car since it was new or young, and have cared for it well; there is a major advantage in keeping this car rather than risking buying someone else's problems. In 40 years of consulting on used cars, I have found that a really worthwhile car is only found about 10% of the time.

Messages Page 31 of 32

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