Buying advice 2001 LE 2.2 Help! - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

jac1502 · 12-07-2007, 06:38 PM

I have the option of purchasing a 2001 Camry LE company fleet vehicle cheap $3400 (I guess that’s cheap) The car is in great shape but has 177,000 miles. All normal maintenance has been done but timing belt and the car has never been replaced. No mechanical problem besides a leaky oil pan and a broken door handle that was fixed.
Is this a good deal?
I am very mechanical and have built and worked on several domestics but not much experience with Toyota
What will I be in store for repair wise?
If I do need to replace the engine, what will a new or rebuilt long block run me?
I am looking for a good daily driver even if it has some down time I just want to make sure it wont cost to much for me to repair myself.
Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated!

ryannel2003 · 12-07-2007, 06:45 PM

Hey and Welcome To Toyota Nation!

That seems like a really good deal. I see many high mileage Gen 3 models going for that much. As for the timing belt, get that replaced immediately. You can save a load of money doing it yourself. Toyota charges about $500 to do this; timing belt is supposed to be replaced every 90k miles. as for problems, my car has only had an issue with the sunroof. Most LE Camry's don't come with a sunroof so that might be something you don't have to worry about. I need a whole new sunroof assembly which would set somebody back $1300. I shot down that idea. These cars are very reliable, and many still litter the roads today.

jac1502 · 12-07-2007, 07:22 PM

Thanks that helps!

jac1502 · 12-10-2007, 08:05 AM

Anyone else?

dc_98_cam · 12-10-2007, 10:22 AM

There seems to be some confusion regarding the TB replacement period ...I recall that the 5S-FE engine TB should be replaced at 60k mi., whereas the V6 1MZ-FE should be replaced at 90k mi. .... Suggest calling the local Toyota dealer to make sure about this.

Also, it I would personally recommend removing the transmission pan, cleaning, replacing gasket, and probably rinsing out the metal filter/drain ... After doing this and refilling ... the usual procedure is to drive for a while, and then repeat the drain pan and refill an additional 2 or 3 times.... about 2.5 qts per drain cycle for the 5S-FE automatic. This procedure will insure clean transmission fluid, and possibly prolong its working life.

Not sure about the long block .... there are several posters here that claim to have racked up 300k+ miles... There is also a recent topic on whose car has the most miles.

There is an online factory manual that has a lot of useful subjects ... Also a forum 'Search' can be helpful.

daveart · 12-10-2007, 11:56 AM

ive got over 130 km on mine and never had to replace the tb,but hay what do i know,the car is amazing on gas and very reliable,and if you never did the timing belt your self dont do it on this model,if the belt is too tright it will cost you internal bearing on the block and if too loose then it will make noise.get someone who knows what they are doing,

jac1502 · 12-10-2007, 11:59 AM

I have read several write ups about the belt and it does not seem all that difficult. Does the belt tensioner not pretty much set itself with the tension spring?

dc_98_cam · 12-10-2007, 01:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jac1502

I have read several write ups about the belt and it does not seem all that difficult. Does the belt tensioner not pretty much set itself with the tension spring?

Yes ... upper idler pulley has a tensioner spring .....recommended to replace spring, and at your accumulated miles, probably replace upper idler pulley also ... it has a sealed bearing that will eventually wear out .... probably buy the belt and idler pulley kit.

.... you should read the repair manual 5s-fe mechanical section regarding TB replacement ... there are one or two details, like setting the final torque on the upper idler pulley hold down bolt, which are described in detail, and will eliminate any possible problems.

.... again, the 5s-fe TB replacement has been discussed numerous times previously on this forum .... don't forget to replace the water pump / thermostat.

ghettosled · 12-10-2007, 08:21 PM

i wouldnt buy that car. IMHO the price is too high for starters with a car with that mileage. secondly, did you know the person that drove that car? i know & work with some sales people who get fleet cars through their work. they literally dont do any maintenance to the cars. the guys i know, even though the company pays for the oil changes, they dont care about the cars and dont want to take the time. they get new cars and rarely change the oil every 30k miles. a couple of them have even locked up the motors on the cars in less then 40k miles due to lack of oil changes. granted this might not be the norm, but it sure is with the sales guys i know and their fleet vehicles .

jac1502 · 12-10-2007, 08:31 PM

It was well maintained and did get serviced. They have all the documents the only thing I didn’t find was a receipt for the timing belt so not sure if that was done. It is a fleet vehicle but not one assigned to a specific person it was used for distant business meetings where flying was not considered reasonable. I am fairly comfortable with how it was treated I just want to make sure it could last a few more years. I offered 3250.00 so we will see if they take it. Even at that price because the body and interior are in suck great shape I would think it would be worth a tranny rebuild and a rebuilt engine if it came down to it, don’t you think? Keep in mind this will be one of four cars so I own so its not like I have to have it as a daily driver if something breaks I can fix it at a leisurely pace

islandboy57 · 12-11-2007, 01:30 PM

For the timing belt, check under the hood.. When my mom got the timing belt changed on her gen 3.5, they put a small sticker with the date of replacement and miles on the car at the time.

I don't think you should run into any trouble with the '01 even at that mileage IF it was maintained. The company you're buying it from is great in that they kept records. A friend's aunt drives a company car and the 'driver information center' has displayed 0% oil life remaining for a long time now. I reminded her to get it changed (they get reimbursed) but she doesn't have time.

How's the tranny on the '01 you're looking at? Still shift smoothly? How does the transmission fluid look/smell?

jac1502 · 12-11-2007, 04:01 PM

The trans fluid was changed twice from the records I have. It shifts smooth and pulls fine and visually I thought it looked good. I looked up some of the oil seal/water pump/timing belt kits on ebay. They seem very reasonable I wonder about the quality. If the seals are not leaking should I replace since I will have it all apart or could that make things worse?

touringcamry · 12-11-2007, 06:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dc_98_cam

There seems to be some confusion regarding the TB replacement period ...I recall that the 5S-FE engine TB should be replaced at 60k mi., whereas the V6 1MZ-FE should be replaced at 90k mi. .... Suggest calling the local Toyota dealer to make sure about this.

Stop perpetuating this. Timing belt interval for Gen 4 is 90 thousand miles.

It may have been correct for Gen 3 (I do not know whether or not it is), but for Gen 4, it is not right.

dc_98_cam · 12-11-2007, 07:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by touringcamry

Stop perpetuating this. Timing belt interval for Gen 4 is 90 thousand miles.

It may have been correct for Gen 3 (I do not know whether or not it is), but for Gen 4, it is not right.

It looks like they changed the TB replacement period in '98 ... prior to that it was 60k.

Quote:

Originally Posted by toyomoho

The Gates belt guide states the 90K mile recommended change started in 1998.

My Gen 4 Owner's Maintenance Supplement gives a 6 year or 90k mi timing belt replacement period for the vehicle ... a 5S-FE.

After 44k miles and 9 years of driving the car, the water pump was leaking, and the timing belt showed signs of deterioration ... some inside cracks, but still holding together. ...needed to be replaced.

You're right according to the factory recommendation for the Gen 4.
I hope the replacement belt and water pump hold out better than the original parts.... don't think it would have made 90k in one piece.

steve97 · 12-12-2007, 12:29 PM

Have a friend start the car when it is cold. Stand 6 feet from the trunk and stare at the tailpipe. Do you have a puff of blue smoke come out upon start up? If so, your valve guides will need replaced sooner rather than later.