3rd & 4th Generation (1992–1996 & 1997–2001)Toyota Camry Discussion for years: 1992-1996 & 1997-2001
Topics of discussion range from fuel economy, safety, modifications, performance all involving America's favorite family car, the Toyota Camry.
Just bought a 98 Camry 4cyl today with 111K miles. Drove 350 miles to get it. On the way home the temp gauge seemed to be all over the place. For the first 3 hours it ran between cold and the half way mark on the gauge. As it got into the evening it started moving closer to the cold mark, and at times was maybe 1/8" above the cold mark. When I stopped at a gas station I left it running and the gauge came up not quite a 1/4 inch below the half way point. My 92, 94 and 99 Camrys all ran with the pointer dead on in the middle of the gauge. Can someone tell me whats going on?
Two possibilities:
Your engine has a coolant related malfunction.
Your temperature gauge sender is defective or has a connection problem ...
Suggest you first locate the dash gauge temp sensor and insure that the connectors are clean and making good electrical contact. It has a single wire .... yellow with green stripe. ...
Does engine show any obvious problems .... other than unusual gauge indication?
If not, might just be defective dash gauge sensor ...
"thermostat is stuck open"
thermostats stop working sometimes .... easy to replace.
I get 20 or 21 mpg in the city ... maybe close to 30 hwy.
How is your mpg doing?
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98 Camry LE, 2.2L, automatic
50k miles, drop in K&N A/F recent timing belt, water pump
Sorry about the big font I didn't know it was going to be that big. Could the cooling fans be running all the time?
It could be, but it sounds a lot like the t-stat is stuck open.
I had the same problem on my car. I was pretty normal (slightly cold) locally, but once I hit the highway, my temp would drop to the bottom. The car runs a lot better now that I changed out the t-stat.
Imo, if your ECT (Electrontronic Coolant Temp) sensor was bad, you'd have fluctuating temperatures, and the gauge would go wild.
BTW: Please edit your post and turn down the size (or remove it).
Edit: Change out the t-stat. It's cheap and easy to fix. Don't jump to the expensive conclusions (fan) right away.
.... link given here is sometimes not working .... download GetRight program... activate Drag and Drop Button ... then drag and drop desired link onto button. ... no problems.
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98 Camry LE, 2.2L, automatic
50k miles, drop in K&N A/F recent timing belt, water pump
Thanks brothers for the tips. It's almost 1am here. Tomorrow I will check the wire to the sending unit. If that looks OK I'll go for the thermostat. Will an after market Advance Auto Parts stat be OK or should I wait till monday and get an OEM stat from Toyota? In any case, what degree stat should I put in it if I go with my local auto parts store?
Is an after market stat OK to use or should I get Toyota OEM? What about antifreeze? I've heard that you should ohnly use Toyota's anti freeze. What say you about that?
I got 33MPG hiway on my 99 Camry.
Is an after market stat OK to use or should I get Toyota OEM? If an after market stat is ok,what temp should I get?What about antifreeze? I've heard that you should only use Toyota's anti freeze. What say you about that?
I got 33MPG hiway on my 99 Camry.
The temperature gauge - any one should work... I take the next part to the cheapest one as a rule of thumb.
Temperature - you can look at the manual at camrymanuals.com.
I used OEM thermostat and gasket .... no particular reason ... possibly the idea of better or longer reliability. .... Name brand replacement ought to work though.
The only issue with thermostat installation is sometimes an air bubble will form in the vicinity of the thermostat housing. The OEM thermostat has a small 'wiggle valve', which when installed at 12 o'clock orientation will allow air pocket to purge to radiator. ... If you have thermostat with no wiggle valve, it is suggested to drill a small hole, maybe 1/8" dia. at the 12 o'clock position of the outer thermostat flange. ... Others have commented about difficulty of getting all air out of system after refilling with coolant. Should be no problem with wiggle valve, or small hole .... properly installed.
Choice of coolant .... Toyota OEM Red. Probably avoid green. I used a NAPA product, said to be compatible with any type of coolant. ... kind of clear colored. ... Mix as directed with distilled water to avoid mineral precipitate buildup.
... Don't recall exact thermostat temperature .... seems like 180F or something close to that.
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98 Camry LE, 2.2L, automatic
50k miles, drop in K&N A/F recent timing belt, water pump
toyota does recommend only the red long life antifreeze, because the amount of silicates contained in the green stuff can create a by product toyota doesnt really like. If your going to use the green stuff just change it more often. As far as tempurature the trd thermostats for the 1mz-fe v6 are 160 degrees, but on some 00 and later camrys the ecu monitors coolant temp for thermostat codes you may want to stick with the oem tempurature if you have a camry later than 99.
I would use a Toyota OEM thermostat. There is only a few dollars difference vs. aftermarket and the OEM one has a little bleed hole that some of the aftermarket ones do not have. You don't change the thermostat that often so the extra few dollars it will cost is worth it to me. I have always used aftermarket antifreeze in all my Toyotas with no problems. YMMV.
thermostat opens at 190f and fans should kick on at 230f. whatever coolant you use, use only that coolant in the system. green should be ok, toyota will probably make the car live a slight bit longer, but who knows? Just make sure you put the stat in the right way, or it'll overheat. big pellet side with the spring goes to the engine side.
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1996 Camry Sport (that's a DX Coupe with decals) with 186k
european cars are just like japanese cars, just heavier and more expensive.
7 ASE's.
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recent timing belt, water pump
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