:( GEN 4: Supension/brake/smoke/battery problems

[DaFOBulous1]

My beloved Camry is getting up in age but I would like to give it at least a 4-5 years.

But there are a few problems:

(Smokes when it starts up occasionally)
- I use 5W30 and I know 20W50 should help it. I believe it's that sluge problem that it's known for. Anything I can do except thicker oil to fix it? I really hope it's JUST a oil seal.

(Clicks when I stop)
- I thought changing the brakes would fix it but everytime I stop, it would click...I'm guessing the back now. I haven't changed the back brakes but could it just be that?

(Clicking when I drive)
- I believe it comes from the same rear area...at first the clicking was usually the CV joints which I need to replace also. I hear it could be the cambers damaged as well.

(Clicking when turning)
- CV joints

(Whine nose)
- Only happens when I turn on the radio. Remember my father's Cutlass had the same problem. I really hope it's just the battery or dirty connections...instead of a dying alternator.

(Light dims)
- When I press the PWs up, it doesn't dim the headlights but when its already closed tight and I do press it, the headlights dim. It could be a indicator of what's wrong relating to the whining noise.

I want to just fix all of the above or have some suggestions. I'm going to look in the Haynes manual but if anybody has faced these types of problems...please let me know. If my shocks/struts need to be replaced, I might as well do the CV joints, and whatever suspension/brake related problems I have to cut cost. Other than that, I really love this car.

[Eye8Pussies]

smoke- what color? sounds more like a leaky headgasket

basically all the clicking - most likely the cv joints - sounds like it could be on its last legs

whining when the radio is on- I presume then that you have an external amp (stock or not) that has a bad ground- it's alternator noise - find the ground, clean it, or reground it

lights dim- it happens to basically all the camrys, you may not have noticed it before is all, they don't come with very powerful alternators

[toyotaholic]

for the clicking noise, tighten the lug nuts. happened to me before, tightened the lug nuts and it was set. dimming is what eye8pussies said.

[fox_prime]

Hey i tried to aim you last week, but you were probably busy at work or something.

Smoking problem:
-Tried replacing the oil? (best to solve this first or the fumes my kill both of your O2 sensors, which costs over $100 each to replace. I wouldn't know what else may cause the problem though.

Whining noise:
-Ask your father how he fixed this problem on his car. Most likely they're similar to yours. Something dealing with your system, that's for sure. Like Eye8Pussies said, maybe a wire isn't grounded properly or something? Double-check all connections from the amp.

Light dims:
-Occurs to a lot of Camrys for the lack of power from the alternator. It usually happens when people change their headlamp bulbs to aftermarket ones, or running an aftermarket head unit with a system, etc. To fix this problem, you should do to the Big 3 (mad props to lucanhookup). I had the exact same problem on mine. I tried it out yesterday and now I'm almost done with it. This one is pretty straight-forward and takes about 4+ hours for inexperienced people.

Hope this helps

[Trdkamuri510]

ill clear up the smoke on startup issue... its something quite simple ( i have it too) its your valve seals... over the years these wear out (depending on driver) and when you turn of the motor the valves are closed( if i remember right) what happens when the seals go bad is the oil drips down past them and into the combustion chamber.. when you start up even if its just a tiny little drop the car will have the smoke... if you look it seems white correct??? its more than likely a more bluish color if you look closely, this is OIL... cure is replacing the valve seals

clicking when accelerating (sides) is your cv joints period.. they need to be replaced

radio - do you have an aftermarket unit??? its not grounded properly... more than likely thats the culprit..

and the light diming is 100% NORMAL

[marc780]

DAfob everyone else has given great answers. But if i can expand on TRDkam's answer, yeah i think he is dead on, your valve seals need changing. The fix depends on the mileage you have now and compression test results if you can take them. If you have already driven whole lotta miles and want to drive a lot more, then do a compression check. And i think for the I4 it should be 150 # and a v6 it should be range of 145 - 218# with a variation of 15 # between cylinders max.
So if you take your compression readings and they are good and high, then you can get by pretty cheap by just replacing your valve seals. Which you can do in a couple hours with the head still on the car, using some compressed air to hold the valves shut, and some toyota SST (special service tools) or acceptable substitutes, and change the valve seals.

My point for you here is , if the compression is low, i wouldnt waste my time changing the seals, and just go ahead and do a valve job.

[DaFOBulous1]

Thanks for the help guys...

The input was definitely great. I had this car for only a year so I have been researching on the common problems it has and see if I can prevent or fix them.

[Mike Gerber]

(Smokes when it starts up occasionally)

I agree it's the valve seals causing the smoking, but I think the key here is how much oil the car is actually using. Have you been checking the oil? If you do not have to add any oil between oil changes I would just keep checking the oil and ignore it. My 94 5SFE engine does that from time to time, but I never have to add any oil. I would recommend watching the oil level for a while to determine if any fix is really necessary. Having to add a quart between 3000 mile oil changes wouldn't be bad; I doubt you would even have to add that much. IMHO.

Mike

[DaFOBulous1]

I add up to 3 quarts...it burns oil real bad.

[Mike Gerber]

Originally Posted by DaFOBulous1

I add up to 3 quarts...it burns oil real bad.

That is a lot of oil for a Toyota to use. If you don't see any external leaks, have a cylinder leakdown test done before doing anything else. This will determine if it's the valve seals, valves or the piston rings that's causing the oil consumption. When you know what the cause is, then you can decide if it's worth fixing. Hope for the valve seals.

Mike