92 Camry V6 issues. - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

oopssorryy · 08-12-2011, 06:45 PM

I just got my gf a 92 V6 Camry for 950, with 136xxx miles on it. The interior is great except for no radio and the center console is busted.The main this is there is a slow leak in the coolant system. Leak is coming from right around the the passenger tire, slightly in front of the tire. The biggest problem is when your going at any speed you get very bad wheel wobble and vibration from the passenger tire. You get a clunking sound when this happens and if you go over railroad tracks it gets quite loud. We are going to put on our full sized spare and see if it helps. I know there is an issue with with the suspension (shocks are going out, it's bouncey, but I don't think that's the problem, because it's only the one wheel that does it. If you have any ideas I would really like to hear them.

mazdaverx7 · 08-13-2011, 04:13 PM

check the cv shaft for play at the joints and tears in the boots. inspect the ball joints and tie rod ends for broken boots and play in the spherical joint. a clunking over bumps can be the cause of a faulty strut mount, ball joins, or cv shaft commonly. inspect each front wheel bearing with the front end raised and the tires on. move the wheel by hand pushing in on the top and pulling in on the bottom and check for play or noise. this is where i'd start.

oopssorryy · 08-13-2011, 04:59 PM

Alright, thanks for the advice. I've got my dad coming over tonight and we're going to really take a look at it. A direction to look in really helps a lot. I can see why you really like the 3VZ, these things can really go!

***JohnGD*** · 08-13-2011, 10:36 PM

If the tire from the problem corner is rotated and the problem doesn't follow, then look into the suspension components. Otherwise may be a tire/wheel problem. Also try to move the wheel with the corner off the ground in the 3-9 and 6-12 o'clock positions. See if the wheel bearing is going.

Monroe has QuickStrut assemblies available for the car, but not the fronts. If the springs are still good then at least the strut and mount should be replaced.

oopssorryy · 08-14-2011, 02:36 PM

I didn't really have time to take a good look at it yesterday, but we did find that the full sized spare is badly bent. And it makes a clunking or thumping noise only when the suspension is depressed. And with the struts or springs going bad it's depressed quite a bit.

mazdaverx7 · 08-14-2011, 02:50 PM

makes me believe you could have a bad strut mount, especially with bad struts..

oopssorryy · 08-16-2011, 08:51 PM

Well my work has had me to busy to really look at the car, but I have been thinking. My Wagon's brakes are much more responsive, they stop quicker and the pedal is stiff but can be pushed down hard. Were as the Sedan's are super stiff and really hard to push. They are hesitant to stop as well. Does the LE V6 come with disk brakes as standard?

***BMR*** · 08-16-2011, 09:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oopssorryy

Does the LE V6 come with disk brakes as standard?

Yes, it has disk brakes front and rear.

oopssorryy · 03-30-2012, 02:25 AM

Holy thread revival Batman! Sorry it's been such a long time for updates. It was horribly bad shocks causing all the noise. When we pulled them out the strut bar (?) fell right into the rest of the strut with no resistance.

A couple more issues if you would lend me your ears and fingers. This car acts really odd under 4k. Some times it will idle at about 500RPM, other times at it's correct idle (even after warming up). It'll randomly stall out, this happens a good bit when in reverse (once or twice a week). Also the engine feels like it has no power until it hits 4k, and then it just takes off. But hitting 4k can be a bit problematic as is will bog down every once in a while when I'm trying to accelerate (when it's still a cold engine it happens the most).

The car has new plugs, wires, distributor cap, rotary button and air filter. Could someone have messed with the timing/MAF like described in the free mods for the 3VZ and gotten it wrong? I would pull engine codes but I pulled the battery last week and the light has yet to come on again (was on previously for o2 sensors).

***BMR*** · 03-30-2012, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oopssorryy

Holy thread revival Batman! Sorry it's been such a long time for updates. It was horribly bad shocks causing all the noise. When we pulled them out the strut bar (?) fell right into the rest of the strut with no resistance.

YIKES!!! With it being in that bad of shape, I can't help but wonder how neglected other stuff is.

Quote:

A couple more issues if you would lend me your ears and fingers. This car acts really odd under 4k. Some times it will idle at about 500RPM, other times at it's correct idle (even after warming up). It'll randomly stall out, this happens a good bit when in reverse (once or twice a week). Also the engine feels like it has no power until it hits 4k, and then it just takes off. But hitting 4k can be a bit problematic as is will bog down every once in a while when I'm trying to accelerate (when it's still a cold engine it happens the most).

The car has new plugs, wires, distributor cap, rotary button and air filter. Could someone have messed with the timing/MAF like described in the free mods for the 3VZ and gotten it wrong? I would pull engine codes but I pulled the battery last week and the light has yet to come on again (was on previously for o2 sensors).

To tell if someone opened up the MAF, look at the sealant around the perimeter of the plastic cover. It should be nice and smooth, and the color should be nearly clear with a bit of a "milky" appearance. If it's lumpy and/or some other color, someone may have messed with it. If they did, there's no way I know of to set it back where it should be with any certainty.

Reading thru your description of how it's running, it may have more than one problem. The incorrect idle speed and occasional stalling instantly makes me think the IAC valve needs to be cleaned, mostly because it's *such* a common problem. I'd say do that for sure. It doesn't cost anything, so even if it doesn't help, you've only spent time, not money. Here's a DIY thread for it. Take it a step further than that thread says, though, and remove the "pintle" inside the valve. Mine was caked up with baked-on crusty deposits. I had to use a plastic scraping tool to get it all off.

The idling could also be the EGR system misbehaving. A bit less common than the IAC, but still well worth checking out.

Lack of power until it hits 4k... man, that could be a ton of things. Is the transmission slipping?... does the tach show RPMs are climbing with no accompanying rise in speed? Is it misfiring?... or just really doggy?

Went back and read your original post... the coolant leak on the passenger side is possibly the water pump leaking. But it could be a hose leaking instead. With the mileage at 136k, it's overdue for a timing belt change. I'd say just tear into it and replace all the usual... WP, belt, idlers, tensioner, oil pump seal, cam seals, crank seal.

oopssorryy · 03-30-2012, 01:49 PM

The trans actually shifts really well. It's like it's in pwr mode at all time, which is another reason I think this car has been tinkered with. The speed increases correctly with RPM's it's just really doggy. It'll go up to 2.5K struggle to get to 3K, then rev smoothy (still lacking power) until I hit 4K and then I take off. I'll try to get a vid up sometime soon.

The whole car has been neglected. I've got a disabled parking brake on the drivers side (the adjuster is gone, I have another one, but the parking brake is stuck on at any adjustment if you put it in), a locked up caliper on the left passenger side, the center console looks like someone attempted to change the burnt out lights in the shifter (busted and disconnected to the rest of the console) and when I first got the car I changed the oil, sparks, plugs and wires. The wires were the original ones that came with the car and the oil.... well it didn't have any derbies in in but it looked like strong coffee.

***BMR*** · 03-30-2012, 02:27 PM

Quote:

The car has new plugs, wires, distributor cap, rotary button and air filter.

It occurs to me to ask; was it running doggy before this? Did you check ignition timing after doing this?... If yes, did you jumper TE1 & E1 while checking?... spec is 10 degrees BTDC, but it'll run better at 15 degrees. Also, if it's never been checked, it might be off quite a bit. The timing on mine drifted low as the timing belt stretched.

oopssorryy · 03-30-2012, 02:40 PM

Yeah it was. I didn't have a timing light with me a the time, and my dad (big domestic car guy.....) said this happens to older cars no matter the timing. I diagreed buy got no where. I know where I can get another light though. How hard is it to change out a timing belt with DOHC? I've heard it's a job best left to shops.

***BMR*** · 03-30-2012, 03:43 PM

I'll send you a PM with a link to some help on the timing belt change. It's a pretty big job, but not ridiculously so.

On the ignition timing; I doubt that's the cause of it being doggy, unless it's off a *lot*, which can happen if it set without the jumper. The dogginess wouldn't go away at 4k RPM either. But it wouldn't hurt to check it and have it right.

oopssorryy · 04-16-2012, 08:25 PM

Well, the car is getting better as it warms up, which is good. Timing is at 10 (left it there until I can replace the belts and such. I am finding out that this car hasn't been well taken care off sadly. I've got PS fluid leaking out of the rack, and frozen rear caliper (luckily it's not grabbing the rotor).

Now you may know that my 94 wagon has died. The oil pump took a crap and I spun a bearing and destroyed a rod. The trans was also on it's last legs, and the previous owner had done some horrible things to the wiring. I was wondering if the rack/PS system and rear calipers would work for at least a little while, as I'm on a budget given to me by the great Satan himself. I know it's not the best idea ever but any rear brakes is better than half of my rear breaks. This does mean that I'm stripping my Wagon and that sadly I'm going to rid my self of the old girl. Sad day

I've been thinking about it for quite some time. I am going to save my third row seating and squishy center console pad and make a couch.