Just bought a 96 camry. What to do?

[mitsujh]

hi, im new on this site since i just bought a 96 camry 2.2l auto with 114k on it. The struts in the back seem bad and the breaks are squeeling. when i test drove the car, the sunroof was working, but after i brought it home, it only pops up but doesnt go back, the motor tries to push it back but it wont budge. also the antenna is broken in half and the roof is sagging a bit. Car looks great on the outside and the engine is real quite and smooth, i saw some cruds of oil on the inside of the oil cap, i dont know if that means it has sludge or not. picked the car up for $3500. was it a good deal? The following is what im having my mechanic do this weekend. plz let me know if theirs anything else i should get changed that im forgetting.

1. replace all 4 struts with kyb
2. change break pads
3. oil change to synthetic
4. Transmission fluid change
5. new fuel filter
6. new plugs ngk
7. check the timing belt, since the dealer didnt know when it was replaced. or should i go ahead and replace it anyways?
8. i'll have him take a look at the sunroof but is anyone else having a similar problem?

Also can someone explain to me with pics on how to change the antenna, it doesnt look like it comes off with a wrench, i think i need some special key, it doesnt go down either.

And when i drive above 40 mph, i hear a taping noise or tick that comes randomly from what seems like the dash board, but i couldnt find anything loose, its very random not consistant at all, i was thinking maybe its the front right strut or strut mount. any ideas? also the car vibrates slightly when at a red light, but when it park, its very smooth and still, could that be an engine mount?

thanks for the help guys.
Jay

[sk8ersublime]

Welcome to the boards. Also to the DC area community...for the antenna its really simple, ASG14 made a great guide to replace it with a s2000 one, but it tells you how to remove it.

http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/t65507.html

check that out.

[mr.pringles]

Originally Posted by mitsujh

And when i drive above 40 mph, i hear a taping noise or tick that comes randomly from what seems like the dash board, but i couldnt find anything loose, its very random not consistant at all, i was thinking maybe its the front right strut or strut mount. any ideas? also the car vibrates slightly when at a red light, but when it park, its very smooth and still, could that be an engine mount?

yup its the engine mounts, vibrates when you are idling at a stoplight, just not when its in P or N..

[eurohazard]

Originally Posted by mitsujh

hi, im new on this site since i just bought a 96 camry 2.2l auto with 114k on it. The struts in the back seem bad and the breaks are squeeling. when i test drove the car, the sunroof was working, but after i brought it home, it only pops up but doesnt go back, the motor tries to push it back but it wont budge. also the antenna is broken in half and the roof is sagging a bit. Car looks great on the outside and the engine is real quite and smooth, i saw some cruds of oil on the inside of the oil cap, i dont know if that means it has sludge or not. picked the car up for $3500. was it a good deal? The following is what im having my mechanic do this weekend. plz let me know if theirs anything else i should get changed that im forgetting.

1. replace all 4 struts with kyb
2. change break pads
3. oil change to synthetic
4. Transmission fluid change
5. new fuel filter
6. new plugs ngk
7. check the timing belt, since the dealer didnt know when it was replaced. or should i go ahead and replace it anyways?
8. i'll have him take a look at the sunroof but is anyone else having a similar problem?

Also can someone explain to me with pics on how to change the antenna, it doesnt look like it comes off with a wrench, i think i need some special key, it doesnt go down either.

And when i drive above 40 mph, i hear a taping noise or tick that comes randomly from what seems like the dash board, but i couldnt find anything loose, its very random not consistant at all, i was thinking maybe its the front right strut or strut mount. any ideas? also the car vibrates slightly when at a red light, but when it park, its very smooth and still, could that be an engine mount?

thanks for the help guys.
Jay

$3,500 is reasonable. But you have to do some repairs to make it perfect...no biggie. I would forget about an OEM replacement antenna....not worth the money, and it'll break again anyway. A fixed-mount flex one is a good bet. I personally wouldn't spend the money on synthetic oil, just stick with consistent dyno oil changes, and drive on. Yes, change the timing belt anyway...might want to change the water pump while they're in there too.

[J708]

Be happy for owning one of the toughest cars on the road which is indestructable. 3500$ is not bad. In time you will realise that you will end up sending up to $1000 every 3 or 4 years and thats all you'll have to worry about to always maintain the car back to its perfect state. All in all, people who own a 1996 Camry know what im talking about and know they're damn lucky to have one.

[gladis]

^^ Yup, I know absolutely nothing about cars, but I have to say, the Camry faulted me ONCE in 10 years and 135,000 miles of driving.

And that was when the timing belt snapped while driving on the road (probably our mechanic's fault for not checking it).

Though the car is like that at idle at a light (the shudder thing, its the plastic pieces or something vibrating, and I have a big chuck of keys it clangs against)

[Heat]

Your price was high, but not outrageously high – just keep in mind that you are looking at $1,200 to $1,400 worth of additional work (the struts are the biggie, about $800 or so).

When you have the oil change done, keep in mind that you will want to change the oil again after about 1,000 miles since the synthetic will be knocking a lot of stuff out of the engine. After that second change you can go to your normal oil chance cycle. Speaking of which, have you ever considered changing the oil yourself? It’s really easy, just put the car on jackstands or pull it up onto a ramp, undo the oil pan bolt (14mm?) and drain the oil into a catch basin. While that is draining, remove the oil filter. Put on a new oil filter after rubbing some oil onto the gasket (the rubber part) with your finger. Put the drain plug back in. Put oil in the car. A five-quart jug of Mobil 1 synthetic will run about $23 after tax at Wal-Mart, you need four quarts. A new oil filter / crush washer from the dealer will run about $6.50 or so. Take the used oil / oil filter to Wal-Mart and they’ll dispose of it (send it to the recycler) for you.

And you can also change the transmission fluid easily, as well as the spark plugs.

By the way, does your car have a stock radio? If so, put in an aftermarket radio and also swap out the speakers. Crutchfield has a $50 off Kenwood bundle right now (head unit / four speakers), you can get a nice radio and speakers for about $240. When I picked up my '95 Camry this past May, I put in a Sony head unit / speakers - the difference in sound between that and the stock system was like night and day.

[95cammy]

I also have the slight vibration in gear. I just thought maybe its the nature of this car? lol. I have no clue im new to the Camry.
Is your car a 4 or 6cyl? How many miles does it have on it?
I bought a 96 Cam for $2800. It has 132k on it.

[mitsujh]

thanks guys, i really appreciate all your insights and help. This is my first time owning a toyota and i want it to last. i will be changing the stock radio and speakers since all the speakers are blown and have the mechanic check out the timing belt and water pump. Everything will be done tomorrow. but does anyone know how to fix the jammed sunroof problem? anyways thanks again guys.

[mitsujh]

its a 4 cyl with 114k. the body is in real good condition, its just the little things that have to be done to make it back to original.

[eurohazard]

Back in 2000 I bought a 1988 RX-7. It also had a jamming sunroof. I fixed it myself by opening it, then cleaning the tracks and sliders with WD-40. I could not believe all the crud that was in there. Odds are you can do the same thing. Take your time, clean everything very well, and don't leave any paper towel pieces behind.

[Dowd]

to save you some money....don't use synthetic........it does nothing for your car. It just cost u more money

[mitsujh]

just got back from fixing the car up, its running great, but after everything we discovered that the rear strut mounts were bad, so im gonna change those next weekend. also next weekend im gonna be going fixing that sunroof, getting a new stereo and some tints.

[CamryWilly]

Originally Posted by eurohazard

Back in 2000 I bought a 1988 RX-7. It also had a jamming sunroof. I fixed it myself by opening it, then cleaning the tracks and sliders with WD-40. I could not believe all the crud that was in there. Odds are you can do the same thing. Take your time, clean everything very well, and don't leave any paper towel pieces behind.

Yeah and I would check to know if you need to put back some grease. The toothpaste kind... WD-40 is just a degreaser, keep that in mind.

[Jeeves]

Originally Posted by CamryWilly

WD-40 is just a degreaser

WD-40 is a light lubricant combined with a solvent. It isn't a 'degreaser'.

Main ingredients, from the material safety data sheet, are:
* 50%: Stoddard solvent (mineral spirits, also commonly known as dry cleaning solvent)
* 25%: Liquefied petroleum gas (presumably as a propellant, carbon dioxide is used now to reduce considerable flammability)
* 15 %: Mineral oil (light lubricating oil)
* 10-%: Inert ingredients