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Coolant smell in vents, perpetually low coolant, and frontal rattling

8K views 27 replies 7 participants last post by  SUPRG 
#1 ·
2002 Toyota Camry. Around 241k miles. I've written down everything I've had done on my car since I got it, but I don't know about maintenance before that.

I have the same rattling/vibrating issue described here (http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/104-5th-6th-generation-2002-2006-2007-2011/1405041-2009-camry-vibrating-rattle-noise.html#post11752729).

Recently started to get a coolant smell through the vents when AC is on. Coolant in overflow tank is always low. Got my radiator and hoses replaced which was thought to be source of the leak but was apparently not.

Upon first google, seemed to fit heater core leak perfectly. However, the more I read, people said water pump issue was more likely. I haven't noticed puddles under car or leaks onto the carpet.

Also, even though my coolant is always low, my engine never overheats. I keep an eye on the temperature gauge.

What should I do next? Is there a way to easily determine what it is myself?
 
#2 ·
What engine do you have? Can you post a video of the rattle or tell us where it originates? 2AZ engine is prone to leaking around the water pump area. If you see pink crystals around the pump, then you know why your coolant reserve is low.
 
#3 ·
Uploaded a short video of the sound (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9uTNx-D4YwQ&feature=youtu.be). Sorry for the mobile link and vertical video, lol. I tried to make a longer clip but didn't have enough space on phone so it cut off.

The engine is a Toyota VVT-1, 16 valve.

I haven't looked at the water pump yet.
 
#5 ·
2AZ-FE engine (which is what you have) has the water pump issue and the stripped head bolt issue. The former is easier to fix than the latter. There is a thread that is long and extensive that talks about the head-bolt issue if you want more information.

The sound is strange and something I havent heard before. Was your engine just turned on when you took the video? It seems that the idle is too low and then say around 3 sec mark, your idle goes up and the noise is gone. Can you open the hood and diagnose the location? If your symptoms are similar to MileHawk's (thread you referenced), my wild guess would be some problem with the belts (AC and power steering). I'll let someone else chime in on that.
 
#8 ·
Thank you for the feedback! I will read up on those issues. Sorry I didn't know the type of engine, that's what was written on the cover so I assumed lol!

The beginning of the video the air conditioner is on, and then I turned It off which stopped the noise. I'll try to take a better video if I remember. I believe I had just gotten back from work and so the engine had been on for a while before I took the video.
 
#7 ·
Water pumps do go on these Camrys but combined with the smell and the low idle, I'd say head gasket and belts also. If the head gasket leaks,then while your at it, change the water pump and the belt tensioner. If your taking off the head, these things are in the way anyhow. If your compression, a/c and trans are good, then the $1500 repair is money well spent. But if you have other problems, spend the same amount on a down payment of a good used Camry.
 
#10 ·
If you determine that the head gasket is the issue, that would be your main focus. It doesn't cost anything for you to look at your water pump or your belt to start, but if your head gasket has failed, then you want to address that first. Timing chain is likely to be good since it gets lubricated by your engine oil, assuming you changed your oil at a reasonable interval.
 
#11 ·
A bad head gasket doesnt make any noise, just smells and gives white exhaust smoke to varying degrees. Your motor oil could also look watery or milky to varying degrees. Also if the head gasket leak is bad, your temp gage could run a little hot, like over the mid-gage mark instead of just under. Your noise could be a water pump (which would also explain the coolant loss) and those cars do tend to have water pump problems. If you go that route, get a good pump, a mid priced pump with a warranty, not the cheapest one. That noise should be easy to diagnose for a good mechanic. If you took your car to a shop with that noise and they diagnosed the radiator and hoses, then please find another shop. The shop that diagnosed the coolant loss as the radiator and hoses should offer some reimbursement if that wasnt the solution, if they are reputable. I'd stay away from the chain tire and/or muffler shops for auto repairs.
 
#12 ·
The place I took my car to I actually like a lot, they always show me why they think something is wrong and explain stuff. With the radiator, there were drips of white residue all over it, he said the pink coolant dries white so it made sense to me I guess. It's a general repair shop I think, they just have "automotive" in their name.

I had been in twice with that noise but I'm not sure if they ever heard it (it only happens when not in park so they may have not listened for not in park or something).

I'm going to see if the white exhaust thing happens. Also will open the hood and try to find the area from where the noise comes.

Thanks so much for all the responses you guys
 
#13 ·
Ok so coolant problem may not actually be a problem. When coolant in overflow tank was low after I got my radiator replaced, i assumed the problem wasn't fixed. However, today the overflow was full from me filling it Sunday, driving Sunday and Monday. It used to be low every day. I hadn't considered the possibility of it simply being the radiator filling up when everything is settling and stuff. And that may be what it isn't.

Got my boyfriend to turn my car on while I looked at the gas pipe. When it started up, I did see a brief puff of faintly white smoke and then nothing.

Checked my oil, nothing milky or anything like that, though it seemed that the end of the dipstick was kinda sludgy or somethibg. I took a picture of I thought I can post soon. The oil was very low, but I'm not sure why.
 
#15 ·
The noise could be a pulley near the alternator or the water pump, but the condition of your oil is NOT related to the noise. Change your oil and filter using a high mileage oil ASAP. Also before you change the oil/filter, add a quart of Rislone and top off the dipstick with some cheap 10w-30 and drive it for a day around town or an hour or so on the Hwy, then do an oil change. I'd get a new PCV valve also. Get an OEM PCV, they are $5 at a dealer. With the mileage you have, there could be a few things going on
 
#16 ·
I changed my oil in July but it turns out it's been almost 7k miles, yikes! Is it safe to add a quart of rislone when I don't have much oil in there as it is? I just wasn't sure if the ratio of rislone to oil was a problem. Thanks for the reply, I will definitely get that done this weekend.
 
#17 ·
doesn't your model turn on the engine maintenance light at 5000 miles?
my 06 does.
2nd the opinion to get the oem pcv valve. i got educated on that one myself. parts store parts for this probably won't work for long or work correctly.
tony
 
#18 ·
add the Rislone and if necessary add another quart or 2 of cheap oil, if you are still low after you add the Rislone. Just the cheapest 10w-30 you can find, so that ur at normal level. Then drive it hard for an hour or a day, then do a High Mileage oil&filter change. Do the PCV also so that you are theoretically at normal oil pressure. That knocking you posted could be the valves starving for oil pressure also. On older cars with a lot of miles, you should be checking the oil on the 1st day of the month, EVERY month or at every 2 or 3 gas fill ups.
 
#20 ·
Ur on the verge of SLUDGING your engine to it demise. These Camrys have a history of failures due to SLUDGING. Google: Camry engine sludging. My nephew killed his 2003 with 199K because he didnt check the dipstick. It's not Toyota's fault or a bad design, it's operator error. Toyota sold 1M Camrys a year for a decade because people wanted low maintenance cars. But some owners thought no maintenance is the same as low maintenance. Not many engines with 240K would go 7000 on low oil.
 
#22 ·
I think you're confusing the 2AZ engine with the later 5S engine. Even with the 5000mile oil change interval, the 5S without the oil cooler would sludge up. The earlier 5S has those oil coolers, but the OCI is at 7500, recommended by Toyota. 2AZ engine doesn't have the sludging problem...
 
#21 ·
Do you still have coolant smell inside?

You can get test stripes at the parts stores that tell you if you have exhaust gasses in your antifreeze. A good indication of a head gasket if you do. Your oil doesn't look horrible to me for 7k miles on a high milage engine. They recommended 7500 miles for an oil change interval on that gen iirc but had to back down to 5k due to sludge issues.

The white puff could be valve guides which could explain some oil usage as well.
 
#24 ·
Regarding the coolant smell. It is possible to have a pin hole leak in the top of your heater core. This lets the coolant vapor into the cabin without any liquid. I had this occur on a Ford, and because of the short drive to work, and warm climate I live in, it took months to become apparent.
 
#26 · (Edited)
In the summer, I cant imagine a leak in the heater core would cause a coolant smell because you have the interior temperature dial set to 'cool', so theoretically no coolant would be in the heater core. The labor on a heater core replacement is very high because the dash has to be lowered. Heater cores alone cost approx $200. U could buy a used one, but how do you know that doesnt have pin holes? People usually dont replace them unless they leak onto the passenger floorboards. Try changing/examining the cabin air filter and testing the antifreeze like 'heart disease' suggested . If the new cabin air filter smells like antifreeze after a few drives than the heater core COULD BE the smell issue. With the glove box out when you look at the cabin filter, run the warmed up car and turn the heat on while your lying under the dash. If the coolant smell increases under the dash, its COULD BE the heater core. For what its worth, I once had a high volume dealer service writer tell me that he's never had to replace a heater core on a Toyota product. If you had a leaking radiator, the smell could be residual burn off odors in the air filter and cabin air filters. When the filters are out, spray some Ozium in the ducts
 
#27 ·
I had 2 instances of coolant smell through vents. First was my honda. Vent outside air was used most... There was coolant smell but I would not find the source and it went on for a few weeks. I kept opening the hood and look for leaks after a drive. There was faint smell but nothing. Then one day I saw water at bottom of radiator. But could not find a hose leaking. Few days later top of the radiator burst. It was the upper seal of radiator seam. There was coolant spilled over engine finally. But, this was a replacement radiator which was not OEM. Long time ago before I started DIY, radiator could not hold pressure and mechanic put the pressure tester, it was bad. So that replacement went bad now, probably lasted about 4 yrs.

Second was on RX330 about 2 months ago. Relatives car. The coolant slowly leaked and it was refilled by pepboys a few times. When I drove it and set to fresh air, I got the smell. Looked under hood and it was leaking at thermostat housing. So when the engine was hot the fumes came through the vent. Replaced thermostat and its fine now.

So the vent smell might be something tiny and it must be falling on engine to create fumes. It does not have to be heater core. It might be a good idea to wash engine. Then day or two after, purposely let the engine idle until fans come on. Test for smell and flash some light around, there has got to be something somewhere.
 
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