Wankenstein

2000 Toyota Camry Solara Coupe
4 cyl, 2.2L engine. Automatic Transmission
132,000 Miles. Purchased 3 months ago. No service records.

I know this isn't a Honda but, I trust in the braintrust here and the car's issues are mostly generalized. If, this is deleted I understand why.

History: Car was purchased by my ex-wife for our college age daughter. As stated no service records with car. Overall, in good condition and my ex had a mechanic replace two motor mounts (one is considered transmission mount), purchased a set of four new tire and alignment. Now that our daughter is home for winter break I got time to spend with it yesterday.

Repaired Yesterday:
1) Car was hard shifting badly and old ATF was dark brown and slight burnt smell. ATF transmission flush by disconnecting return line, running engine on and off as needed while adding new Castrol Multi-Vehicle Import. Replaced 5 quarts. So far it's shifting very smooth and only slight hard-shifting on intermittent (usually higher speeds) downshifts.
2) Oil and filter change. PCV valve grommet replaced: valve is good (ball rattles).
3) Checked air filter and is breathing well. Noticed air intake into throttle body was cut short or torn at TB end and not connected to throttle body (? how long). Cleaned TB (did not remove) with throttle body spray and used a hose clamp to secure what is left of the air intake hose to the TB... seems to be holding fine so far.
4) Adjusted kicked-down cables.. loose adjusting nuts which weren't even secured/tigthened. This may have accounted for hard-shifting too. Idling before around 1000-1300 RPM and now down to 700-800 RPm after cable adjustment and tightening/securing nuts.
5) Inspected fluids and all are good (*see below). and cleaned engine top to bottom.
6) Physically and visually inspected steeing and suspension and everything looks good with the exception of a lot of grease on the passenger side inner tie rod boot.

Remaining Issues:
1) Heater core intermittent gurgling noise. Heater works but not as hot as it should/could be.
2) * Checked radiator fluid three days ago (engine cold), couldn't see fluid so, added 3 to 4 cups of distilled water to level of fill neck. Also, checked reservoir and it was between low and full. Coolant is green and rust not appearent (note: OEM coolant is red (undiluted) or pink 50/50).
Checked fluid again yesterday and is still at fill neck level. reservoir still between low and full.
3) Previous owner(s) wired in a bypass so that the radiator fan runs all the time. Not sure why this was done , if it could be a future issue, if it effects the interier heater (core) from getting as hot as it should be?... Temp gauge works and at operating temp stays in middle between cold and hot.
4) Intermittent squealing/squeaking noise. While I was under the car yesterday I accidently pushed up on the exhaust pipe under the engine and it made an audible squeaking noise. Shook it lighlty by hand and it squeaked each time. I couldn't pinpoint exactly where sound is coming from. Pretty sure this is the squealing sound I am hearing while driving.
Accessory belts look in good shape and looks like the alternator sets tension for alt, a/c to crank pulley. I plan on changing the accessory belts anyway for routine maintenence/lack of service history. I don't think they are the source of the squeal and I don't see a tensioner for the power steering pump either.

All replies, tips suggestions welcomed.

mcnoople

Toyota coolant for that generation is red. Super long life coolant which is premixed and started being used around 2004 for is bright pink. You do not want super long life, there have been issues with insufficient waterpump lubrication with super long life.

If the heater core is gurgling, the coolant level is low=end of story.

The 2.2L (5sfe) engines do need thermostats from time to time. Be warned that the engine coolant system is very prone to airlock when filling from empty. What this means is the head doesn't fill with coolant fully and it is hard to get all of the air out of the system.

The 2.2 was a good engine in general. Not very fast, but lasts forever when cared for. It is a timing belt engine, but does NOT bend valves in the event that the belt breaks. Of course, if it is a daughter college car you don't want the car to break away from home.

After cleaning the throttle body you need to unhook the battery so the car can properly relearn its idle speed. If the air intake boot is badly torn/split you should replace it. It is a mass airflow car and leaks in the boot can and will cause a variety of issues. Some are as minor as a CEL, others are as bad as very poor idle/accel all the way up to the vehicle not running.

Grease on the inner tie-rod would likely have come off of a leaking CV shaft boot, but not always. When I worked at a toyota dealership the older stuff was extremely reliable and around the same level of quality as honda.

Wankenstein

Thank you mcnoople your responses are what I was hoping for.
Considering the info you provided I plan to do a coolant system drain and fill with red OEM or equivelant. Would it help if I installed a T-style fush kit and flushed the coolant system prior to refilling?
I'll make sure to bleed air from system as best as possible. Does it have a bleeder valve (haven't looked that closely yet)? This looks to be a good read on types of coolant, flushing and purging: http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars...o/a91/1272436/ Looks like this is a good option if Dealer want too much for OEM: http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/de...patibilityTab_

Non-interference engine..that's good

Presently, it's idling well but, I'll reset the ECU tomorrow. The air intake I'll scrounge for at a local U-pull salvage yard. I may be able to rig a sleeve for it as well in the meantime.

I wiped alot of it off yesterday and will monitor it. The tie rod boot is in good shape with no rips/tears evident.

ezone

I personally would not install any flush tee, that just ruins a perfectly good heater hose and makes 3 new places the system can leak from.....and the flush tees always leak.

If you want to use a garden hose to flush green stuff out, disconnect a hose or two to do it instead. Stick with the spring loaded hose clamps too, they are far better than screw type.



If you do use a garden hose for this, keep in mind

A) Garden hose water is not deionized, so you will probably want to change the coolant out again at 2-3 years or so

B) You will have a lot of plain water stuck in the block that you can't drain out, so when you add antifreeze you need to pour it in straight (undiluted), then run the engine to circulate and mix it well, then test the freeze protection with a reliable tester ....because even Florida can freeze LOL.
(I got a $3 Prestone brand tester from WallyWorld and it was straight up garbage, could not read brand new straight antifreeze correctly, nor premixed brand new antifreeze. Garbage. Threw it away.)

Freeze protection level lets you gauge if you got it close to 50-50 mix or not.
Even if you aren't worried about freeze protection, it's still protecting against boiling, and corrosion, and lubes the water pump.

Wankenstein

I've installed one before about 5 years ago on a Mazda 3 and after doing so I was always concerned it was a weak point. Fortunately, it lasted 3 years without issue up until car was totalled in a wreck (no injuries to either party). I will not use one and will flush using hose with and without block drain bolt removed.

Okay..will do. The recommendations for flushing in that link I previously posted seems good.

I plan to drain block before adding cooant mix. Will test antifreeze afterwards. Thanks Ezone

ezone

I didn't know that would have a block drain. Makes it simpler, won't hold near as much plain water that way LOL

Wankenstein

I haven't messed with the coolant yet. The squeaking noise is coming from exhaust/heat shield and I plan to use a large hose clamp and coonect it to a nearby motor mount (metal core).
The a/c clutch bearing sounds like it's on it's way out. not squealingor grinding yet, but can't hear it wobbling.

For past two days after changing out 4 quarts of ATF the transmission is slow to go in gear when drivetrain is cold. Once, the engine is warm to operating temp it shifts much better than before doing ATF change. This has me concerned but, not giving up yet. Very hard to read the ATF dipstick also while checking in idle at operating temp.

Wankenstein

Posting updates so I don't come off as one the OP's that ask questions and then get answers but, never reply or give results. Anyway, due to the holidays and my work schedule I've yet to flush the coolant sytem. My suspicion is that the previous owner experienced a blown head gasket and tried to fix it the **** way by pouring in a bottle of head gsaket leak fix.
A also suspect that stuff is partially blocking the heater core and ruined the previous radiator as the current one looks new (installed by previous owner).
The cylinder head and valve cover have white oil-based marker writing on them that says: Camry and 2000... parts from a salvage yard.So, it appears that the HG leak fix didn't work and the previous owner had to do it the right way.

As I mentioned before there is sloshing/gurgling sound that seems to emit from the heater core as well as coolant smell after each drive. I did some Googling and found this post:
"My 03 Camry SE 4cylinder had this problem. I heard sloshing and just kind of dealt with it. Then a few months passed and I began smelling coolant after every drive. Didn't think much of it. Then one day, my engine temp began going up when driving so I shut the car off, my coolant was empty, I had to add water. I had to add coolant/water every few weeks so it wouldn't over heat. I searched all over the internet to find what it could be and couldn't find anything. Found bits and pieces of info about what it could be. Finally was able to pinpoint that on these 5th gen engines, the aluminum short block was manufactured incorrectly, so the head bolts will eventually strip and begin leaking coolant. They will either leak out and drip onto the exhaust pipe where it will burn off (hence the smell of coolant after a drive) Or it will leak in the engine mixing with the oil"

I plan on doing a block test before a coolant flush. Also mentioned before is the radiator fan is wired to run constantly which (my guess) would help keep the engine from over-heating or possibly slow down coolant loss.
It seems like it may be very, very slowly losing coolant from radiator and gaining in reservoir.

Lastly, I ended up doing an ATF drain and fill and replacing the transmission filter. Now, no more delayed engagement and is shifting very smoothly through all gears.

Wankenstein

Did block test today and results are no appearance of gases in coolant: blue test fluid did not turn yellow or green.

Drained, flushed and back-flush coolant system by removing thermostat, with and without block drain bolt. Also, did a separate heater core flush and back-flush using low pressure water. The old coolant/water was mostly water throughout the coolant system and I think I was wrong about a possible head-gasket sealant being used as the old coolant/water was pretty clean other than minor rust.

The reservoir tank inlet was completely stopped up and it took a screw driver and hammer to clean it out. Also, washed and scrubbed inside of reservoir which was nasty inside. I think the reservoir blockage was part of the reason for the coolant smell after each drive. The other part was one of the two radiator fans was disconnected either by accident or on purpose the prior owner. This was also the reason one fan ran all the time. Now both are working fine. The interior heater is working much better now.. most likely due to proper coolant/water mix and radiator fan is not running all the time now.

The To Do list:
1) Drive belt
2) Driver side door latch
3) CEL P0401: EGR related. Possibilities include: EGR valve, EGR modulator, VSV (vacuum switching valve)
4) Most likely going to need an A/C compressor bearing.

ezone

P0401 is EGR insufficient flow. Most of the time that's clogged passage(s), but anything that causes the valve to not open could set the code too.....

Clue: Does the EGR valve housing incorporate a position sensor, or not? If a position sensor is built in, then your P0401 is probably caused by a clog.

Wankenstein

Thanks Ezone.
Not sure if it incorporates a position sensor in the housing. Many threads I've read point to the modulator's bladder not inflating properly due to tears or leaks. The VSV comes up a lot as well as the culprit. My plan is to first remove the EGR valve and clean it with brake or throttle body cleaner and if that doesn't solve it then move to the modulator: http://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/egr-...g-help.712093/

My daughter is leaving for college tomorrow so it may be a month or so before I can get time with it again. Her mother may bring it to a mechanic within that time if our daughter spends some time with her first.

Wankenstein

My daughter brought her car back this weekend. Before she drove down a local mechanic near the school she attends put a serpantine drive belt on it ($30 labor, $15 part) and it quited down what was a prior intermittent belt squeal. The a/c compressor bearing noise has become more pronounced. The mechanic found a pinhole leak in the IAC water bypass hose but, said it was okay to drive until she got home.

Yesterday, I replaced the IAC water bypass hose, removed, cleaned the throttle body and IAC valve. Removed and cleaned EGR, applied vaccum and it's working properly. Removed vacuum module, cleaned filter, tested with compressed air and suction and it's working properly. At this point seems like it must be a bad VSV: vauum switch valve which is pretty common amid the threads I've read. I plan to change it within the next month or maybe have the mechanic near her replace it. .

The automatic transmission is back to hard shifting again. Would a thorough valve body cleaning resolve this? Not something I would take on myself though. It was shifting very smooth after I replaced the filter and ATF so, I'm not sure why it's back to hard shifts. I've though about possibly trying Valvoline Maxlife ATF which is full synthetic and has seal conditioner in it before trying a valve body cleaning. However, it's viscosity is "thinner" than the Castrol MVI (non-synthetic, no seal conditioner) that's in it now. Probbaly won't solve issue but, worth a try for $20. Reading this: http://www.carparts.com/transmission.htm is it possible an ECU or EGR related (VSV) that could cause hard shifting?

Still needs:
1) Driver's side door latch and possible hinge pins
2) A/C compressor bearing
3) Passenger door mirror that she broke off two days ago pulling into our place..lol
4) Driver's side interior door handle that broke off last night

My son said there's a lot of Solara's in the local junkyards.. I don't doubt it..lol.

ezone

CEL? Got codes?

Wankenstein

Only CEL is P0401: EGR related.. most likely caused by failed Vacuum Switch Valve.

I got some replies on Toyota Nation concerning the a/c compressor bearing and clutch replacemnt and it's a PITA. Most ended up reclaiming freon, disconnected pressure lines, and remove and repair compressor or replace compressor.

Heres my thread on Toyota Nation: http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/10...l#post10729161 My username is Buckteeth *****.

ezone

I sure would not expect EGR codes to cause anything to happen different on the trans side.....but then I don't deal with those cars either.

Wankenstein

Yes. I doubt the VSV replacement will help the hard shifts issue but, hopefully solves the EGR issue. Ezone..have you ever removed, cleaned (unstick), replaced transmission valve bodies? If so, did it help?

ezone

Yes and no.

Is your scanner able to retrieve transmission related codes and data on the Toyota?
If you disconnect a battery cable on the Toyota, will that erase engine fault codes from the PCM?

Wankenstein

It's a basic scanner so I doubt if it does... but, I try to find specs for it

Yes. tried it and CEL returns after second or third start (driving in between starts).

ezone

I was thinking maybe if there is a trans code or some other problem you can't see, a battery disconnect may get the trans to shift softer until some fault reoccurs. Just an idea, but again I don't normally ever deal with that brand of car.

Wankenstein

I tried an ECU reset a couple times but didn't help shifts.