new 91 Camry LE V6 owner

[holmesnmanny]

hi everyone, im new to Toyotas, owning only Hondas. i got a few questions.
1. what kind of gas to i use, 87 or 91? i believe i got the 2VZFE engine?

2. i think my o2 sensor is bad. i smell unburned fuel and whe cold the engine runs good but when warmed up the idle fluctuates at times. i figure it it was a vacuum leak it would be more consistent. when i start the car up after running it it really bogs but kinda straightens out but i gotta rev it first...i think its the o2 sensor unable to give good readings to the ecu. also do i have two sensors and does my upstream have the flange type or the non-flange so i can get a new one. my mpg's are 18 to 20 right now.

3. i have an oil leak somewhere near the front of the engine down by the front of the oil pan. it doesnt appear to be the oil pressure switch but if it is can i just pull it and re-teflon tape the threads and throw it back on? how hard is it to replace the oil pan gasket? the book says to use sealant only but fel-pro makes one, can i just use that and do i have two pans?

[white90dx]

Originally Posted by holmesnmanny

hi everyone, im new to Toyotas, owning only Hondas. i got a few questions.
1. what kind of gas to i use, 87 or 91? i believe i got the 2VZFE engine?

2. i think my o2 sensor is bad. i smell unburned fuel and whe cold the engine runs good but when warmed up the idle fluctuates at times. i figure it it was a vacuum leak it would be more consistent. when i start the car up after running it it really bogs but kinda straightens out but i gotta rev it first...i think its the o2 sensor unable to give good readings to the ecu. also do i have two sensors and does my upstream have the flange type or the non-flange so i can get a new one. my mpg's are 18 to 20 right now.

3. i have an oil leak somewhere near the front of the engine down by the front of the oil pan. it doesnt appear to be the oil pressure switch but if it is can i just pull it and re-teflon tape the threads and throw it back on? how hard is it to replace the oil pan gasket? the book says to use sealant only but fel-pro makes one, can i just use that and do i have two pans?

1. It would be best to check your owners manual. As you have a '90+ V6, you have a knock sensor, so higher octane (89 or 91) should give you a slight performance boost.

2. It sounds like you might have a few non-related problems, based on your description. Maybe a bad ignition coil, idle air controller, and/or some other parts. Fuel mileage sounds a bit low, but if you only do around town driving and you have an automatic, it might still be normal/ok.

3. Don't use teflon tape on the oil pressure switch. It needs a good ground to work, otherwise it won't turn on the light on the dash. More likely leak locations are front/rear main seals, cam seals, distributor seals and valve cover gaskets. Don't use a gasket on the oil pan. Use generic RTV or the real Toyota FIPG (formed-in-place-gasket). A normal gasket (normally cork) will leak almost immediately. The 2vz-fe (the V6) has a normal single piece stamped steel oil pan.

-Charlie

['88 All-Trac]

Originally Posted by white90dx

3. A normal gasket (normally cork) will leak almost immediately. The 2vz-fe (the V6) has a normal single piece stamped steel oil pan.

-Charlie

I can vouch for this fact. I once put a cork gasket on a transmission fluid pan and it didn't leak- everyone I told was amazed by this fact. The pan had to come back off, so I replaced the gasket... My transmission started leaking. Turns out the new gasket promptly split in two or three places.

Used some Permatex Formagasket (More or less the Toyota FIPG stuff) and it hasn't leaked since. Good stuff. Did the same for my oil pan, and its leak has also stopped.


I don't know about the 2VZFE, but the 3SFE in my mother's '91 Camry was having the same issue as your #2... Turned out to be a failed TPS that would only give us issues once warmed up.