New owner of 1991 Camry station wagon -- questions about some issues

[snapdragon]

First-time poster! I got a 1991 Camry station wagon on Monday. The title will officially be transferred to me on Saturday. Although I'm 23, this is my first car -- I've been using public transportation, bicycles, and my good ol' feet. Pretty exciting.

I have a LOT of questions. If this is too long, let me know and I can split it up into a couple of threads.

• 1991 Camry station wagon DX FWD, 4-cylinder and automatic transmission
• 137,000 miles
• Color: Maroon or "Red Pearl"... looks great.
• Power windows
• Remote control locks
• New windshield -- replaced last week
• New Michelin rain/mud/snow tires filled with nitrogen, apparently better than the ones on my mother's brand-new car (my father keeps joking about stealing my tires!)

This car has been well cared for. I know its history, so there shouldn't be any major surprises. My father's best friend's mother was the original owner, and my parents bought it in 2001. They gave it to me on Monday when they bought a new car. My father is a machinist and an automotive and mechanical genius -- used to have his own auto repair shop and other shops would send their "problem children" to him. (The guy rebuilds motors in our driveway!) He's made sure this car is in top shape and even replaced the windshield and tires before I got it. If it needs repairs, he'll fix it if I buy the parts and help him (which I'd insist upon anyway, I've been dying to get him to teach me more about cars).

Despite the good care it's received, my car does have a few major quirks that my father hasn't found the source of. If anyone knows of any potential causes or has had these issues, please let me know. It'd save me and my father a lot of grief.


Major problems (mostly quirks and annoyances)

1. Brakes squeal badly at times. (It's not the brake pads, rotors, or axles -- all have been changed and there was no difference.) Seems to be worse when it's warm outside. They've been like this since my parents bought it, but it does seem to have gotten worse within the past 4 years. My father swears that it's safe, just [painfully and embarassingly] noisy.
2. Eats through brake pads like crazy. Not sure how often, but the pads don't last anywhere near as long as they should.
3. If you shut it off before it's been on for 20-30 minutes, it won't start again for another 20-30 minutes.
4. Occasionally seems to unlock itself. Not sure if this is because of someone on my parents' block having a remote on a similar band or if it's the car itself. I've never actually seen it unlock itself, but I've seen it get locked and go out in the morning to find it unlocked. Either way, huge problem!

Minor issues

1. Some pencil eraser-sized and smaller spots of bare metal, plus some scrapes and dings. I don't care about the dents, I just don't want any exposed metal. I found a small bottle of touchup paint in the glovebox... I don't suppose it would be any good after 17 years?
2. Tiny rust spot on the hood and a bit over the wheel wells (can't see it unless the doors are open).
3. It desperately needs a good washing and waxing. A guy friend and I spent Monday scrubbing it until our muscles ached. It looks great from a distance (my coworker exclaimed "WOW!" when he saw it this morning), but there are still some slight splotches. I did use a special soap and sponge specifically made for cars. Any specific suggestions on what to use to get it cleaner?
4. Fan on low doesn't work. Medium and high are fine. Could the problem in this thread -- Air Conditioning Issues I'm having. -- be a similar issue?
5. Hub caps VERY badly scratched and tons of stubborn dirt. It's just cosmetic, but I might replace them if it's not too expensive. First, what should I use to clean them beyond regular auto soap? And should I stick with ordering stock hub caps, or is there something that would look nicer that isn't too much more expensive?

Thank you VERY much for any help!

[fredk]

sounds like it needs an ignition coil and blower resisters

[TBayToyotaBoy]

I'll weigh-in on a couple of these issues. For cleaning the paint finish, try rubbing compound or "Spray Nine" on stubborn stains (like rust stains).

Fredk is right about the resistor coils for the fan speeds not working. The resistor array is screwed into the firewall at the passenger's feet (under the blower motor, gain access by removing dash/glove box).

There are only three reasons a car will "eat through pads" faster than it should: a) driver is hard on brakes; b) calipers/wheel cylinders are sticking; or c) lower-quality parts (known as "white box").

For the locks unlocking themselves, they may do this if there is a fault/short in the door switch. Generally the most use is seen on the master switch in the driver's door panel. You may be right, though, and the remote lock is operating on the same frequency as another neighbour's car.

Sounds like you got a decent set of fuel efficient wheels...treat the car right and you won't regret it.

[HomeGrown]

Congrats on the new wagon and welcome to the forum! That's relatively low miles.

I gotta agree with Tbay on the brakes... he pretty much covered the issues that would cause eating thru pads too quickly.

If the paint is badly oxidized, try rubbing compound. If not, you can use polishing compound (basically the same thing as rubbing compound, but not so abrassive). Either way, you need to wax the car after going over it with compound. Rubbing compound is applied like wax, but you should wash it off rather than buff it off after it dries. I just did this routine with my '89 I just picked up. Keep it waxed often, and it will keep looking good.

You can get cheap wheel covers at Wal-Mart, but they are just that.... cheap wheel covers. I suppose they look better than trashed OEM covers, but they still cheapen the overall look of the car. You can get OEM replica covers, but they're around $30 each, if I recall.

[TBayToyotaBoy]

Just to add to what HomeGrown said about wheel covers: try calling around to scrap yards in town (there should be dozens of them in Seattle). You can usually get original, used hub caps for pretty cheap...the Wal Mart stuff is only good for a few months' use (cheap-o plastic).

[jcb62988]

yeah, get some new or reman calipers to fix your brake problems

[disregard]

do the break pads have grease on the back of them ? where they connect to the inside of the caliper.
if not over time they will squeak.

[white90dx]

Originally Posted by TBayToyotaBoy

Fredk is right about the resistor coils for the fan speeds not working. The resistor array is screwed into the firewall at the passenger's feet (under the blower motor, gain access by removing dash/glove box).

No need to remove the glove box to get to the blower motor resistors. Just pop off the black plastic under tray on in the passenger footwell. Find the 4-wire connector that looks like it is connected to the firewall behind the blower motor, remove that and one screw and it will come right out. You should be able to see the broken ressitor. Resolder it or find a good replacement at the junkyard. New ones from the dealer are expensive ($50+) but will last you another 15+ years if you want.


-Charlie

[TBayToyotaBoy]

Heh heh, can you tell it's been awhile since I replaced the array? Shame on me for adding unnecessary steps onto the procedure! Definitely work around the glove box as Charlie recommended--it'll save you time.

-Tim