Camry for sale, overheating?

[stockmover]

Situation: I am looking at a 94 Camry V6, 211k miles. New timing belt, thermostat, water pump. The car is overheating after driving 3-4 miles. I did not drive it this length but the owner told me this. She says the same place that had her replace the thermostat and water pump is now saying its a head gasket gone bad.

The car is getting no interior heat at all, just cold air.

I noticed immediately the coolant was empty, she says she fills it once a month or so.

Question: With this mileage is this something I want to get into? The car is in great shape interior and exterior, price is $900. I am looking at the head gasket costing around $700-800 to fix.

Any insight is appreciated.

Thanks!

[Mysticcal]

To be honest I was looking at the same kind of deals recently, you know, find a cheap camry with a blown gasket so I would be able to fix it on the go. but that's alot of miles for a blown gasket camry...

If i were you i'd get a backyard mechanic to swap to a lesser mile engine, no sense in changing the gaskets, you dont even know how long shes been doing this or how warped / cracked the heads could be.

you'll spend 100-200$ more, but you'll have an engine that can run 100k miles alot more stable then what your current engine can...

lol once a month on the rad fluid.

[bigbird]

if that is the only real problem with the engine and tranny then thats not a bad deal for 900 bucks. 211K isnt rare for a V6 camry, there are plenty of people here who have near 300K. id make sure u check out the suspension components and such just to make sure ur not getting more then just a replaced headgasket. depending on where u live u may end up spending more then u want just getting it to pass inspection.

[stockmover]

Thanks for the advice. I am looking around for lower mileage engines now. I did buy the car, its at the mechanic shop now. He said he will do a pressure test on it. I should find out soon.

Originally Posted by Mysticcal

To be honest I was looking at the same kind of deals recently, you know, find a cheap camry with a blown gasket so I would be able to fix it on the go. but that's alot of miles for a blown gasket camry...

If i were you i'd get a backyard mechanic to swap to a lesser mile engine, no sense in changing the gaskets, you dont even know how long shes been doing this or how warped / cracked the heads could be.

you'll spend 100-200$ more, but you'll have an engine that can run 100k miles alot more stable then what your current engine can...

lol once a month on the rad fluid.

[stockmover]

I got the car yesterday. I will post some pictures this weekend. The suspension is in great shape and it rides very smooth. Once I get the overheating problem taken care of, I will be all set.

Originally Posted by bigbird

if that is the only real problem with the engine and tranny then thats not a bad deal for 900 bucks. 211K isnt rare for a V6 camry, there are plenty of people here who have near 300K. id make sure u check out the suspension components and such just to make sure ur not getting more then just a replaced headgasket. depending on where u live u may end up spending more then u want just getting it to pass inspection.

[Hajoca]

Did previous owner mention use of radiator stop leak??

You could have coolant blockage. Especially heater core.

[stockmover]

Originally Posted by Hajoca

Did previous owner mention use of radiator stop leak??

You could have coolant blockage. Especially heater core.

They did not mention the use of stop leak. I got the feeling that they lost patience after replacing thermostat, water pump and timing belt. After all this was done, then they said it was a cracked head gasket. I looked in the oil, didnt see any milky substance. What I did see was the smoke from the radiator cap. I am hoping its something simple because the engine sounds good and I would like to get some more life out of the engine before replacing it.

[Kep]

OK, a memory from an Oldsmobile, but doesn't the V6 have an intake manifold? Doesn't the intake manifold also have a gasket that can let oil and water mix if it leaks? Don't know, just a thought.

Kep

[Hajoca]

If the rad cap is no good (can pressure test that too) then the coolant will boil very quicky and overheating will occur. It might be a $10 fix!

[stockmover]

Hey, you know I was thinking the same thing...its at the shop now. Hopefully its something small. a $10 fix would be perfect! I should know Monday.

Originally Posted by Hajoca

If the rad cap is no good (can pressure test that too) then the coolant will boil very quicky and overheating will occur. It might be a $10 fix!

[stockmover]

Well.......car has been at the shop almost a week now. It is going to be a replacement of the water pump and timing belt. The mechanic showed me where everything was and said that he tried the thermostat but that was not it. He did say the thermostat was new.

What is strange is that the person I bought it from said they replaced the water pump, timing belt and thermostat. The mechanic said the thermostat was new but not the water pump because its not working at all.

Anyhow, the price he said would be $450. Fair price? Anything else I should have done while he is in there?

Thanks,

Stockmover

[eurohazard]

It's a reasonable price I'd say. But now to see if the overheating persists.....if it does, then it's on to head gaskets I'm sure. If no more overheating.....then you did very well!

[xtremeskier97]

Originally Posted by stockmover

Anyhow, the price he said would be $450. Fair price? Anything else I should have done while he is in there?...

Replace all the oil seals while he is in there replacing the timing belt/water pump. They are cheap and shouldnt take much more time to replace.

Crankshaft Seal
Camshaft Seal
Oil Pump Seal
Oil Pump O-Ring


Like I said..they are cheap...I dont know how much the mechanic would charge you for the parts but you could go and get them them for your mechanic and have him put them in.

[stockmover]

Small update to everyone, I bought the car and it turned out to be a defective water pump that was installed in the last 2-3 months before I bought it from the seller.

Installed a new one and its not overheating and the heat is working inside now also. It was a great deal for me. Runs excellent for the mileage.

I installed the following:

-Die Hard Battery GOLD
-Thermostat
-Water Pump
-Spark Plugs (in the next few days)
-PCV Valve (in the next few days)
-Fuel Filter (in the next few days)
-Air Filter
-Gumout additive for the fuel system

Car is running smooth, the only thing I complain about is that the driver door is sticking when you close it and open but there is some rubber stuck on the metal clasp, I will clean all of that out tomorrow or when its warmer outside.

Slight humming sound from heater but you have to really listen closely to even hear it. That is all, I will keep you guys update and maybe some pictures once I get it looking as nice as many of yours here. Great community here I appreciate all of the replies.

--Stockmover

[stockmover]

Saw my old thread from when I was looking at purchasing. 8k miles later. Car is running great. No complaints.