Lots of problems = Lots of parts.

[Andrew Liu]

I have a 1996 Toyota Camry LE, with an I-4 and auto transmission. Disks on all wheels. This was my dad's car, before he gave it to me.

Anyway, the majority of this car is still in fine running condition. However, a couple areas need attention.

My dad hit a deer, and effectively destroyed the grill and left headlight. Theres also a huge dent in the front of the now slightly bent hood. All the mounts on the body are still good, I checked. The plastic bits are just exploded.

The brakes also need work. Pads have been worn out for a while now, and this is becoming a safety concern. Probably need new disks too, as I don't think they've ever been replaced.

There's a ton of knocking coming from under the car, whenever I hit a bump of some sort. Probably loose bushings/bolts from the suspension? the shocks are completely worn out too (super soft and bouncy).

Last but not least, oil drips from under the car. A shop attempted to fix it before. Worked for a while, but now it leaks again. It's bad enough that if I just leave it without checking the oil level every once in a while, the dipstick will be dry.

I need a place where I can purchase a pair of new headlights and a new grill, along with brake pads and disks. My dad got a quote from a repair shop, and the suspension/brake system will cost $900 to fix? Is that a good estimate?

[bigbird]

welcome to TN

900 aint bad if thats parts included. maby even a little too low. a good place to source parts liek that is ebay. headlights grills all kinds of stuff.

[Andrew Liu]

Found the headlights and grill on ebay. I think i'm just going to go to Autozone to get the brake pads, and some seafoam to clean out the engine.

What do I do about the oil leak though? I have to add about a bottle of oil every one or two months. Comes from under the car near the front wheels. Is this something I can fix? Or is this shop only?

[ekopel]

check your valve cover seals, is there residue on the engine block? its one of the most common things to go wrong on toyota motors after 100,000 miles... mine went bad at 120k.

[Andrew Liu]

Here's a noobie question: Where and how do I get to those?

Is it the cover with the oil cap?

EDIT: If it is, then yes, there is a huge ton of residue all over the edge where it meets the block.

However, I can't find the screws to remove it. And where would I find a replacement gasket?

EDIT2: forgot to mention, engine has 215,000mi. on it.

[ekopel]

http://www.ekopel.com/car/pics/Cams.jpg
theres a pic of the engine without the cover on.





http://www.ekopel.com/car/pics/ValveCover.jpg
and outlined in white is the valve cover.

this is for a V6 1MZ though... it is kind of obvious though where it is...the oil cap is attached to it.

[toyomoho]

The valve cover is held on by the 4 large nuts, one on each spark plug tube. The seals are under the nuts.

Remove the spark plug from the head and you should see the nuts.

Any auto parts store should have or be able to order a valve cover gasket set. The set you want includes the large valve cover gasket and the 4 spark plug tube seals.

Try the AutoZone website for more detailed info on removing the valve cover.

[ekopel]

the seal will sit on the kind of shiny part around the oily part in the first pic... if that made any sense?

[ekopel]

before you even do this, make sure you can find the leak. just take a flash light out there and look around and see where oil is on the inside of the engine bay. come back with either a pic of where the oil is or a description and we can diagnose further.

[Zviator]

Question: What happen to the deer afterward ? ^^

[Andrew Liu]

I broke my camera, so I can't take a pic. I'll try to describe it to the best of my ability.

Where the valve cover meets the rest of the engine block. If you're looking at the engine from the front bumper, the entire backside of that valve cover/engine block area is dark brown with engine oil/dirt. the front is dirty, but its oil-free.

And the deer hit was a "hit-and-run" if you will. It ran into the front of the car, and bounced onto the side of the road. I have no idea whether or not it lived.

[Andrew Liu]

Okay, so I got some brake pads today, and went to unbolt the caliper. The bottom nut is stuck on there really tight. Is this normal? How can I remove it? Thats the only nut I tried to remove, as its the only nut I should need to remove.

Also, I got a conical air filter to replace the stock airbox, sort of like ram-air style. Noticed a much deeper throatier growl from the engine, as well as a bit more pull.

[toyomoho]

Are you sure there aren't 2 bolts holding the caliper on?

[Andrew Liu]

There are two bolts, but according to the DIY on this site, you can just remove the lower one and flip the caliper up.

The bolts are stuck, however, and I can't loosen them.