Gen2 probs and more probs - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

proj87c · 03-15-2007, 01:14 AM

My 87 3SFE was making some noise like something spinning was coming loose. i took the car to get some food and it overheated after half a mile with the above mentioned noise. A classmate took a look at it and laughed after seeing the thermostat because the previous owner, another friend of mine, had put like half a tube of silicone in it -.-...and he also thinks that the underdrive pulley coming loose is making that noise. I tried to drive 4 miles with it to a golf course i play at cuz i can leave it there as long as im not afraid of it being broken into. Just when i turned into the parking lot, i stuck it in neutral and lost my power steering...meaning, my engine died..the temp gauge showed nothing unusual just on the E of TEMP but when i poped the hood it was steaming, mainly from near the heat shield.

Do any of you think my gen2 is even worth fixing? Oh and its got a 1200-1400 idle now in neutral..thanks for your opinions guys

Kep · 03-15-2007, 01:10 PM

The short answer is "Yes". The car is worth fixing. In fact, there is an eBay vendor with some good prices on used parts located in HI. However, it will only be feasible if you do most, if not all, of the work yourself. This will mean a lot of hours spent trying to figure out things and tracking down parts. I'm sorry, but I am reading between the lines here. After reading your various excuses for why things happened to you I just don't feel that you will have the temperament necessary to apply yourself to fixing the car. If you take it to a mechanic to fix it for you you will likely pay way more than the car is worth. However, if you plan to keep the car it may be worth it. That would be up to you. In good condition they are a reliable car that are inexpensive to drive and maintain.

It has been done before. Do you want to make the effort?

Kep

proj87c · 03-15-2007, 08:55 PM

i absolutely love the car and would like to fix it myself if i had enough mechanical knowledge.friends have been telling me to get another used car because the work and money is not worth it.my roommate is borrowing an old mustang but i dun wanna drive it, i wanna stick to my camry..if anyone can offer suggestions how i can track the problems and perhaps some directions how i might be able to do it myself that would be great..been looking around for mechanic books..

ironpig · 03-16-2007, 08:02 AM

have you checked the fam belt to see if its tight enough and not cracked and spinning on the pulleys?

proj87c · 03-17-2007, 02:19 AM

i havent had the time to do so yet but i will check it, thanks for the suggestion..when i got this car it already had overheating problems perhaps because the radiator has a crack in it? and when i push it hard up slopes i occasionally smell something burning, so i was thinking it could be the piston rings..maybe i should do a full tune up some time..its got 108k miles on it

proj87c · 03-17-2007, 10:34 PM

another friend took a look at it today and said it doesnt sound like a timing belt problem because the engine is still running smooth, just something near the top of the block hitting the walls, so he asked me to take off the valve cover sometime and see what the camshaft or maybe something else down there looks like..so hopefully i can do the fix myself..then i can narrow down the problems to overheating and the temp gauge being odd..

Kep · 03-19-2007, 02:53 PM

Over heating can cause the block to warp and consequently, water to get into the oil and cylinders, etc. If you haven't damaged the engine from overheating yet I would encourage you to quit using the car until you fix it. There was a previous poster who related that running the car without pressure (you said the radiator was cracked?) would not circulate the water properly and damage the head. Once you warp the head then you're looking at a very expensive fix. If the head is indeed damaged then it doesn't make a lot of sense to spend money on the other repairs until you have fixed the head.

You said that it was steaming near the heat shield. Can you be more precise? Was the steam coming from the radiator or from the engine?

When you first start the engine do you get a puff of white "smoke"? Actually, that is probably steam and is a good indication that your head gasket is blown.

You're also going to need to be clearer about the spinning noise. It might be your water pump which might explain the over heating. However, changing out a water pump is not for the feint of heart. You're going to need the tools to dismantle the engine and the correct Camry shop manual. Is there any water on the ground after you park the car? On the passenger side? If you do decide to replace this (or the water and oil pump) figure it's going to be an all weekend project and most, if not all, of each day.

If I understood you right, you said that the previous owner used a lot of silicone to repair the area of the thermostat. All of the silicone needs to be removed and then whatever the damaged part was needs to be replaced. If you're lucky he was just trying to make a gasket. Go ahead and buy the right gasket(s) and use those.

Something hitting the walls is worrisome. The lifters and such tend to clatter a lot when low on oil or low oil pressure. If it is low oil pressure you're going to need to be in the same area as the water pump. Do them both at the same time if they are both bad.

Start searching the old posts with your symptoms. You will be amazed at how much information is on this site.

Kep

proj87c · 03-20-2007, 08:48 PM

Kep,
thanks for your resourceful reply. the previous owner put jb weld over the radiator crack tho occasionally if it overheats it does leak a bit.

the steam is coming right out of the gap between the exhaust manifold and the engine, and no my car does not puff white smoke at all at any time.
i still dont know what the noise is coming from because i can only try to check my car during the weekends and since my car is parked relatively far(~5 mile walk) i havent progressed much.
i am still a newbie with engines but i have been learning more lately and can start to understand what you're talking about, but it's still really hard for me to do the repairs myself. what i will do is have my friend check my engine thoroughly to diagnose the problem(s) before i decide what to do.
i think i will probably be looking at replacing the water pump, camshaft, radiator and piston rings at the very least.
thanks again

TBayToyotaBoy · 03-20-2007, 10:51 PM

Don't worry yourself with camshafts and piston rings yet. Those are big jobs and so far nothing convinces that you need to replace them.

The steam: could it be from coolant spilling out of the radiator, down onto the fan blades, then being sprayed onto the manifold?

And when you remove the oil filler cap or the oil dipstick, is there white goo mixed in with the oil? These are two fairly reliable signs that your head gasket is leaking coolant into the oil (though you say that you're not getting any excessive moisture in the exhaust).

ANd not to insult your intelligence, but are you sure it's steam emanating from the exhaust manifold? Could it be oil burning? A leaking valve cover gasket (simple fix) might allow small amounts of oil to drip onto the hot manifold...

Don't get ahead of yourself, though. Piston rings and camshafts are lengthy jobs; wait for a professional appraisal. Good luck--keep 'er running!

Kep · 03-21-2007, 02:56 PM

Priorities from my view point: You need to establish what is causing the steam/smoke from the manifold area, what is causing the clanking, and what is causing the spinning noise. The cost of repairing any one of these might preclude spending any money on the car at all. Don't repair one of them until you are reasonably sure what the fix is for all three.

Once you decide to go ahead also replace the radiator with an all metal radiator as well as the other three solutions. The JB weld is probably not holding sufficient pressure and may well have contributed to the other problems. Each of the four problems may affect the other three so if you're going to fix her fix all of her.

I agree with TBayToyotaBoy. I wouldn't be thinking about the cam shaft or piston rings just yet. Even if they were contributing to the noise, what caused them to wear out? Try to test a part before buying a replacement. Just "throwing parts" at a car is confusing as well as expensive. The Toyota shop manuals have loads of information (and I think they are on line). Get familiar with the troubleshooting sections as well as the maintenance sections.

Kep

proj87c · 03-22-2007, 12:31 AM

how long does it take for the engine to warm up and the fans kick in? i was trying to see if the fans were working but didnt wanna leave it on for too long because of the abnormal noise so i turned it off after a minute..the fans hadnt come on yet at that time. i checked the oil dipstick and nothing is white but seems like its really low on engine oil..its like right above the E..

Tommy · 03-22-2007, 03:51 AM

well, obviously if your low on oil, put more in there.

you need to overhaul your cooling system. new radiator, hoses, thermostat and a good flush. get your haynes manual, test the temp sender on the thermostat and on the water inlet housing. one on the thermostat controls the fans, the one on the water inlet housing runs the gauge.

JB welded radiators are bad, you can replace all the stuff i listed for less than $200, and you likely never have to replace anything on it again.

After getting the cooling system back in check - and you need to do that asap - aluminum head+iron block = easily warped by overheating. You may want to replace the exhaust manifold gasket.

What does the smoke smell like?

proj87c · 03-22-2007, 03:53 AM

no smell.. but usually when i push it hard up the hills it smells like its burning oil..and thanks for some more info haha hope i can keep it running

Tommy · 03-22-2007, 03:54 AM

If you want to check to see if the fans work seperate of the temp sensor, you can unplug the connector on the top of the thermostat housing and the fans will turn on by default. If the car is just idleing, and its 70 degrees outside, itll take 4-5minutes or more before the fans will kick on.

proj87c · 03-22-2007, 03:57 AM

yea ill do that definitely dun wanna risk having the engine run for a long time..lol i actually wanna have some fun in it