94 with engine or exhaust problem(s)? [pics/video]

[JustinJS]

I was in my girlfriends 1994 Camry, i think its a 1.8L, yesterday and all of the sudden it started to make this awful load noise at both idel and more so when you give it gas. No CEL came on and still has not today after I was driving it around a little to see if I could see what was wrong.

I'm thinking it might be the cat as you will see below it looks like there is something wrong with it.

I would love to get some opinions on this.

Thank you.




video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Grz2hc0GYag

[the_professional]

Its a 2.2L 5SFE. No 1.8L Camry's atleast in the U.S.

Thats not a CAT.

Thats the flex pipe, a portion of the front exhaust pipe. Over time, the mesh rots out, from corrosion and engine vibration. Exhaust gases are leaving the pipe causing the sound you are describing.

Take it to a muffler shop to get a new flex pipe welded in or get a new front exhaust pipe from ebay. It goes from the exhaust manifold to the CAT.

[JustinJS]

@the_professional

Thank you for the quick response would it be bad to drive around like that for a little while until she can take it home to get fixed.

[the_professional]

No Problem.

No, it wouldnt be a problem. Just turn the radio up with the noise from the engine. =]

You do want to get it checked out as soon as possible. Nothing wrong with your engine.
But, with the carbon monoxide and increased heat isn't good. But, nothing will happen. It's "safe".

[JustinJS]

Alright, thanks again ill see what she wants to do about it because we are both up at college right now. She lives about 150 miles from here so it might take a little for it to get fixed.

[JustinJS]

ok now it seems to have bigger issues now along with that noise it is over heating. I just drove it and within 5 minutes it was at the hot line so i shut it down for a while and drove it home. what could this be.

[hill8570]

Originally Posted by JustinJS

ok now it seems to have bigger issues now along with that noise it is over heating. I just drove it and within 5 minutes it was at the hot line so i shut it down for a while and drove it home. what could this be.

I don't think a dodgy flex pipe can cause overheating.

Overheating: Most likely low coolant. Did you check the coolant level in the radiator and overflow tank?

Could also be a bad (non-opening) thermostat. Has it been changed out (perhaps, God forbid, with a non-OEM thermo) recently?

Very, very distant third would be a bad water pump.

[hill8570]

Originally Posted by JustinJS

Thank you for the quick response would it be bad to drive around like that for a little while until she can take it home to get fixed.

While I don't recommend it as a long-term fix (you want those exhaust gases to go out the back, not under the passenger compartment), a can big enough to fit around the pipe held on with a couple of hose clamps can help keep the noise down and keep the exhaust gases in the pipe where they belong.

[JustinJS]

Originally Posted by hill8570

I don't think a dodgy flex pipe can cause overheating.

Overheating: Most likely low coolant. Did you check the coolant level in the radiator and overflow tank?

Could also be a bad (non-opening) thermostat. Has it been changed out (perhaps, God forbid, with a non-OEM thermo) recently?

Very, very distant third would be a bad water pump.

Coolant level is fine but also just want to add that it was making a gurgling noise earlier today in the coolant reservoir.

and as for the thermostat to my knolegde it has not be replace recently

[LynchburgCSI]

Originally Posted by JustinJS

Coolant level is fine but also just want to add that it was making a gurgling noise earlier today in the coolant reservoir.

and as for the thermostat to my knolegde it has not be replace recently

my money is on thermostat. mine went bad around 160,000 miles. also, if you have the original radiator....these are famous for getting a hairline crack at the top near the radiator crack. just keep an eye on the coolant level to be sure your not losing any.

[hill8570]

Originally Posted by JustinJS

Coolant level is fine but also just want to add that it was making a gurgling noise earlier today in the coolant reservoir.

and as for the thermostat to my knolegde it has not be replace recently

Gurgling while it was overheating, or when it was cool? If the first, that would be because your radiator cap is doing it's job and allowing the excess pressure to vent to the overflow, instead of blowing up parts of the cooling system (such as the hoses). If the second, that'd be a sign that the radiator cap either isn't doing it's job, and is not allowing the coolant system to pressurize, or you've got a blown head gasket that's pumping exhaust gases into the cooling system. Since you're on a college budget, rather than shotgun the problem by trying a new radiator cap, I'd call around to the auto parts stores to see if they'd pressure test your cap for free. I tend to hate aftermarket radiator caps almost as much as I had aftermarket thermostats, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

Oh, another thing that comes to mind on the overheating is the radiator cooling fans. Are they running?

Is the radiator hot to the touch when the overheating occurs (a hot radiator tends to rule out a bad thermostat).

[JustinJS]

Could it be caused by this hoes

as u can see there is a hole in it

[hill8570]

Originally Posted by JustinJS

Could it be caused by this hoes
as u can see there is a hole in it

Depends on how big the hole is. A pinhole won't leak enough pressure to cause overheating...a larger one might. However, that hose is telling you, in no uncertain terms, that it needs to be replaced ASAP.

Looks like you might have some deposits in the cooling system, too -- that crud surrounding the hole doesn't look like normal dried antifreeze -- looks like someone might have been topping off the system with tap water.

[LynchburgCSI]

Originally Posted by hill8570

Depends on how big the hole is. A pinhole won't leak enough pressure to cause overheating...a larger one might. However, that hose is telling you, in no uncertain terms, that it needs to be replaced ASAP.

not necessarily. a very very small hole can cause a lot of coolant to evaporate when the system gets hot. when a good deal evaporates out of the system, the engine will overheat. anyways, that hose definitely needs to be replaced ASAP.

[JustinJS]

does anyone have a diagram or pictures for replacing the thermostat as i plan to replace this along with the hoes on tuesday because i only have a night class so i can work on it all day.