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.
I have a Camry that has not been started in about 4 years. Decided to get it running to save on gas and because I'm having trouble with my Jeep. I started it up and it ran great. I needed some new tires so headed out and stopped for gas. Still running great. I got about 5 miles away and sitting at a stop light and it just stopped running. No warning, no strange noise, nothing... When I turn the key, the starter kicks in and turns the engine but there seems to be no resistance or strain. It just sounds like it's free spinning and ZERO attempt at firing up... Possible timing chain?
A little more history on this car: I got ripped of by a scammer and charges were pressed in a class action involving other people and cars as well. It was supposed to have 100k on it when I bought it 5 years ago, but it is suspected to have had the instrument cluster switched out to reflect lower milage. In other words, I do not want to put a ton of money into this car and it does have other issues, including rear main leak, bad CV boots, bad mounting brackets and it needs brakes. Right now it's sitting in a mall parking lot and I just may leave it there unless this is something I could repair myself...
When it is running, it actually runs very well and got great gas milage.. Frustrating!!! Does this sound feasable to fix myself or should I finally cut my ties to this car?
"When I turn the key, the starter kicks in and turns the engine but there seems to be no resistance or strain. It just sounds like it's free spinning and ZERO attempt at firing up... Possible timing chain?"
That definitely sounds like a broken timing belt. Remove the distributor cap and crank over the engine and observe the rotor to see if it moves, as someone above has suggested. If there is no rotor movement, it definitely has a broken timing belt.
i think you should junk it and drop it off at my house. ill take care of her for you. in all seriousness, a broken timing belt isnt hard to fix and your motor is non-interference.
Well, it's not necessarily the timing belt that is my main concern, it's all the other issues. What's next? Toyotas are great cars, I know, but I pretty nervous about trusting it now and this car was extremely abused before I ever took possession. Sitting in my driveway certainly didn't help things either, although the brief trip I had in it the other day was actually pretty nice. Kind of sporty in a way. Maybe I'll head out in a couple of days and go ahead and tow it home... Otherwise, I may just donate it to some worthy cause and buy a Mini
Ok, I slept on it and decided to go ahead and try to fix it. Can anyone please tell me if the valves could have been damaged with this issue (assuming it was the timing belt)? I don't know the exact engine size but I do know it is a 4cyl.
nope, no valve damaged from broken timing belts on the 2.2 i4 motor. though if you are replacing the timing belt, i would also change out the water pump while you are at it. it runs off of the t-belt.
The 2.2 liter engine is also referred to as the 5SFE engine. Like ghettosled said, there will be no engine damage if the timing belt did break. The 5SFE 2.2 liter engine is a non-interference fit engine. That means the valves do not hit the tops of the pistons if the timing belt breaks.
Did you pull the distributor cap off yet and have someone crank over the engine while you observe if the distributor rotor is turning?
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