Found a $350 camry, but not sure if i can fix it

[Figit090]

There's this toyota camry for sale near me that is only $350 its a 1988 V6 5spd.

apparently the only thing wrong with the seemingly nice looking car is the transmisison, its a 5 speed, and started "making a loud noise" which happens in every gear. the seller thinks it might be an easy fix but might just me eaiser replacing the whole tranny. he isnt a mechanic though. A mechanic did in fact check it out but only went far enough to know the tranny is the problem.

worst case scenario, how hard could that be to fix? i'm assuming worst-case is a complete tranny swap for a working one.

is it relatively easy? i dont know enough about front wheel drive trannys. if they are pretty much all trans-axels and the camry tranny is one as well...

i was wondering if somebody could tell me whats involved. i've done some mechanics (BHG repair on my supra) but no tranny work. since i have no experiance in this area and seeing how every car has its own quirks about repair procedures, i was hoping someone that has done work on this specific car and drivetrain could give a thumbs up or down on this one.

I dont have much free time to spend on cars and i cant have a project car...but the rest of the car is fine and if this is eaisly fixable i think i could get it and make some money/keep it. i need it.

[Razo-E]

like i said on supramania, if it's a V6, definitely get it, no matter what!

[Figit090]

lol...hello.
yes, thanks. I would just do it but i am very limited on time... nomatter what engine it has, if i cant fix it, i cant fix it. i dont want to buy a car to have it sit there and rot. is it worth a lot or something?

[IvanHoe]

The V6 5speed tranny is impossible to find at a junkyard, they are very rare.
Also Ive heard that it's difficult to find a clutch, let alone a rebuild kit for one. There are guys on the forum who have better knowledge on this subject, Im sure they can add more to this.
My suggestion would bo to go to a transmission shop and ask them if they can do the job for you, and see what they say. The shop will look up to see if a rebuild kit is available.

[luvmybeater]

man, that's a tough decision! V6 5 speed is rare, like ivanhoe said... I think It'd be worth it just to have and fix a bit at a time... the end result, even if it took a few years, would be worth it, imho.

[Figit090]

yeah, the big problem is i'll be in college next year. it might sit until summer. i'd probably have time then... i dunno. its iffy. maybe i should call the mechanic that looked at it and see what he thinks.

The owner tells me that he drove the car to portland a back, thats around 800 miles. then the car started acting up last saturday.

----EDIT----

i'm not sure for SURE if its the right tranny, but his ad said that he found a tranny with 50k miles on it for $75 plus around $80 for shipping. so assuming its the right tranny....

[white90dx]

You can use later V6 Camry 5-speed transmissions if you can find the gen2 V6 transmission - it should be a direct swap (I'm about 95% sure on that). You should be able to pick up a clutch without too much trouble either - though it will be expensive.

If the transmission truly is the problem, a transmission swap is not horrible, but harder than a RWD style transmission.

It sounds like you found a $1000-1500 Camry.

-Charlie

[Figit090]

Well, I'm not sure I can afford that much. I was hoping i could purchase it and get away with a running car for under 700.

theres one place where the previous owner found a tranny out of a 1990 that i guess fits, i checked it out and when i enter the year, engine, and tranny selection it comes up...so it should fit... but its got around 50k miles on it. its cheap for only about 150 shipped. so the car and a used but replacement tranny would be about 500 dollars, give or take. i'm not sure what is involved in this though, and I KNOW i'd run into other expenses... seals? clutch? I really hate finding good deals like this that are risky. its so hard to figure out if its worth it. i could fix the car and have it or sell it...or have more time for applying for scholarships...and homework. blah!!

here are the pics of the car... it looks pretty clean. no body damage besides sone dings. technically, the car has a MP3 CD head unit in there that is worth half of what the guy is asking. I cant get the car unless i know i can do something with it, thats the only way my dad would even consider it. he already told me no, but niether of us have worked on camrys and i cant just let it go without looking more into it.

I'm not sure if all FWD cars are this way, but is the tranny a transaxle? like i said i did a BHG repair once...how does it compare? maybe thats a silly comparison.

could you briefly explain whats involved in replacing the tranny? or rebuilding one? or both....

if i had an idea of whats involved...and what has to be replaced along with tranny repairs, such as seals... i could decide.

[timebuilder]

It sounds like you could, in a worst case scenario, break even. Why not take the car, have a trans guy you trust give you an estimate after a test drive, and maybe do the r&r work yourself to save a couple of bucks?

I had a 1968 BMW model "2002" in 1972, and one day the car just stopped putting power to the wheels through the 4 speed manual trans. I had it towed it to the local German car guy, and for less than $100 (remember, it was 1972) he replaced a broken clip (a $0.68 part) that completely restored the oeration of the trans.

I'd take it.

[Figit090]

thanks for the posts. this will help.

I'm going to ask my dad again later probably...

the car has a MP3 capable cd player, which he says is worth half the asking price of the car. so i'd finally have tunes in my supra!!

any further pros/cons to this idea are still appriciated immensely...for if i got it i might end up letting it sit in the yard until next summer....6 months. maybe if there was another vacation i could fix it then...

i dunno. thats the main issue....time!

[fredk]

hey figit, where are you at?

[Figit090]

haha....northern cali. are you in utah? there's a eureka there? there's one here too...weird.

[ASG14]

Oh, I do not think you will ever find a Gen 2 V6 Manual tranny.........this is all I can find in Cali right now, like, nothing, right? Get the damn car!

1990
Transmission
Toyota Camry 6 CYL- 5SPD MT 4J-22 $750 3M Auto Dismantling USA-CA(San-Jose) E-mail 1-408-998-8661
1991
Transmission
Toyota Camry M.T., 6 Cyl--GOOD 59550 $700 Greer Auto Wreckers USA-CA(San-Jose) E-mail 1-800-989-7278
1990
Transmission
Lexus 250 ES MANUAL TRANS 194,814 0E0140 $650 ABC Auto Parts Inc. USA-CA(San-Francisco) Request_Quote 1-415-826-8676 Request_Insurance_Quote
1988
Transmission
Toyota Camry 6-2.5L--U 99,000 A F076 $550 A-1 Auto Dismantling - Oceanside - RPN USA-CA(Oceanside) Request_Quote 1-760-757-1400 Request_Insurance_Quote
1991
Transmission
Toyota Camry 2.5,6M5,MFICAL,FWD 25,000 A 4K0806 $536.41 Viking Truck and Auto USA-CA(Redding) Request_Quote 1-800-338-7474 Request_Insurance_Quote
*NEW*Live Chat
1990
Transmission
Toyota Camry 19267 $500 Trolley Auto Parts USA-CA(San-Diego) Request_Quote 1-619-234-4141 Request_Insurance_Quote
1990
Transmission
Lexus 250 ES M.T- 5SPD 141,000 A A3700 $350 A1 Auto Wreckers USA-CA(San-Jose) Request_Quote Truck# 1-800-825-0064, Car# 1-800-997-3254 Request_Insurance_Quote
1990
Transmission
Lexus 250 ES M.T- 5SPD. A252 $350 Bells Auto Parts USA-CA(Sun-Valley) Request_Quote 1-818-983-1135 Request_Insurance_Quote
1989
Transmission
Toyota Camry M.T., 6 Cyl- M61605 $350 Midnight Auto Recyclers USA-CA(San-Bernardino) Request_Quote 1-800-872-5211 Request_Insurance_Quote
*NEW*Live Chat
1990
Transmission
Toyota Camry M.T., 6 Cyl- YARD $350 Steelhead Recyclers USA-CA(Goleta) Request_Quote 1-805-683-8557 Request_Insurance_Quote
*NEW*Live Chat
1988
Transmission
Toyota Camry V6,5 SPEED MT 6F0073 $350 Dorris Auto Wreckers, Inc. USA-CA(Hayward) E-mail 1-510-782-4393/1-510-782-4394
1989
Transmission
Toyota Camry V6,5 SPEED MT 5F0069 $350 Dorris Auto Wreckers, Inc. USA-CA(Hayward) E-mail 1-510-782-4393/1-510-782-4394
1989
Transmission
Toyota Camry -5SP,V6,12/88,M.T., 6 CYL--U 207,000 C 060458 $350 Tri County Auto Dismantlers USA-CA(Santa-Paula) Request_Quote 1-877-667-2787 Request_Insurance_Quote
*NEW*Live Chat
1991
Transmission
Lexus 250 ES M.T- 78802,A-30 1170 $350 Japanese Auto Dismantlers USA-CA(Los-Angeles) Request_Quote 1-888-589-3219 Request_Insurance_Quote
*NEW*Live Chat
1990
Transmission
Lexus 250 ES M.T--U 004023 $300 Coast Auto Supplies and Dismantling, Inc. USA-CA(Watsonville) Request_Quote 1-800-852-8802 Request_Insurance_Quote
*NEW*Live Chat
1988
Transmission
Toyota Camry M.T., 6 Cyl- 5SPD-U 990305 $300 Coast Auto Supplies and Dismantling, Inc. USA-CA(Watsonville) Request_Quote 1-800-852-8802 Request_Insurance_Quote
*NEW*Live Chat
1988
Transmission
Toyota Camry M.T., 6 Cyl- F3321 $300 Express Auto Dismantling USA-CA(Fontana) E-mail 1-909-356-5050

Transmission
'88 6 cyl 0398 $300 Kar King Auto Dismantlers USA-CA(Onterio) E-mail 1-800-843-8349

Transmission
'89-91 6 cyl 0398 $300 Kar King Auto Dismantlers USA-CA(Onterio) E-mail 1-800-843-8349
1990
Transmission
Toyota Camry 5 speed manual 002357040 $300 Ace Auto Dismantlers USA-CA(Modesto) E-mail 1-209-537-4722
1990
Transmission
Lexus 250 ES M.T- 118,000 A 04007 $275 Fresno TAP Recycling USA-CA(Fresno) E-mail 1-559-268-7100
1989
Transmission
Toyota Camry J258 $Call San Luis Auto Salvage USA-CA(San-Luis Obispo) E-mail 1-800-222-9509
1989
Transmission
Toyota Camry 5SP,2.5L,4-89,FWD RR0053 $Call Pacific Auto Salvage, Inc. USA-CA(American-Canyon) Request_Quote Local Calls only or Email sales Request_Insurance_Quote
*NEW*Live Chat
1988
Transmission
Toyota Camry 5204 $Call Standard Auto Recycling USA-CA(Chula-Vista) Request_Quote 1-619-426-1166 Request_Insurance_Quote
1991
Transmission
Lexus 250 ES RWD,V6,F5,FLR 9503 $Call Jamies Auto Dismantling USA-CA(Fresno) E-mail 1-559-233-4674
1989
Transmission
Toyota Camry 2 89,FWD,2.5,5 SPD,FLR 94,000 A 6370 $Call Elite Auto Parts Company USA-CA(Sun-Valley) E-mail 1-818-767-0445
1991
Transmission
Lexus 250 ES M.T- NOF $Call All Toyo Lex Auto Recycling USA-CA(Chula-Vista) Request_Quote 1-877-778-6968 Request_Insurance_Quote
*NEW*Live Chat
1991
Transmission
Toyota Camry LT783 $Call K & P Auto Dismantlers USA-CA(Fontana) Request_Quote 1-800-909-6898 Request_Insurance_Quote

[diengcamry]

How the hell you find all those places? I've looked for a manual for my swap and had no luck.

[ASG14]

www.car-part.com