New Owner - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

cuzndupree · 01-19-2009, 01:17 AM

New member here,

Just got a 03 silver v6 camry with believe it or not only 24,000 miles on it. I'm not sure of the service history but by the looks of the oil it might not have been serviced at all. It is in really good condition with a few scratches and some minor issues that I'm sure I will be seeking some advice from the members here in the future. For now since the warranty has expired I plan to do whatever work on the car I can handle. The car needs detailing and I have changed the oil and filter, replaced the cabin filter and drained and refilled the coolant with Toyota Super Long life Coolant. Do you think I should change any of the other fluids or belts?

***darksparkz*** · 01-19-2009, 01:36 AM

That's pretty low mileage for a 2003, good find!

I'd say, pull the spark plugs and just take a look at them, that would tell a lot on how the engine is running.

Consider flushing the power steering as well as tranny fluid. Might have to bleed the brake fluid as well.

cuzndupree · 01-19-2009, 03:55 AM

Yeah I figured it would be a good idea to replace all the fluids just to be safe. With the low mileage it kind of throws off the service schedule for things like the belts though. There is a consistent squeak coming from the belt area in the engine compartment when the car is idling with the a/c and heater off. I wonder if age alone would mean the timing belt might need replacing. Other than the squeak the engine runs smooth with no leaks.

Tobeit · 01-19-2009, 08:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cuzndupree

Yeah I figured it would be a good idea to replace all the fluids just to be safe. With the low mileage it kind of throws off the service schedule for things like the belts though. There is a consistent squeak coming from the belt area in the engine compartment when the car is idling with the a/c and heater off. I wonder if age alone would mean the timing belt might need replacing. Other than the squeak the engine runs smooth with no leaks.

...good find but if the oil really was never changed, that means the car has not been well taken care off (5 year old oil and mostly standing...

). If you have any doubt, I would simply change all fluids, check all belts etc before really driving a lot.

workerant · 01-19-2009, 08:46 AM

Do a CCA test on the battery too if it's old. There should be some marking on the battery to indicate it's year.

24k / 5 = 4.8k per year. Wow.. r they really old people? Or maybe rich guy that just have the car there to...hmm.. look at? lol

***Punks_Not_Dead5*** · 01-19-2009, 09:33 AM

Welcome to TN

At 90k miles you'll need to change the timing a belt, and you may as well do the waterpump at the sametime...but no need until 90k...which will take awhile

mcdawgg · 01-19-2009, 11:24 AM

When the oil filter comes off, check the O-ring to see what color it is. If it's red, then it is the original filter.

Redline_Me · 01-19-2009, 01:28 PM

you're luck, as everyone and you have said change the fluids and why not do a tune up.

Dna_splice · 01-19-2009, 03:12 PM

go synthetic!

LXS-mode · 01-19-2009, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dna_splice

go synthetic!

give it a shot of royal purple.. then some seafoam.. then flush the oil and put royal purple again after 2k miles... see if theres change...

BlackCamSe · 01-19-2009, 04:25 PM

if the oil wasent changed for 24K...be ready to put a new engine in there.

Dna_splice · 01-19-2009, 04:38 PM

haha so sad.

do what janfran said
royal purp ftw

LXS-mode · 01-19-2009, 04:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dna_splice

haha so sad.

do what janfran said
royal purp ftw

before i had my camry i had a mazda b2200 my dads first car.. it had 365k miles on it.. never been rebuilt. it was on royal purple for ever! good gas mileage.. i used it for almost a year before buying a car giving me a bunch of money for down payment..

are you sure it hasn`t been oil changed since the past ower had it? .. give us some more info.. did you buy it private party? dealer?

cuzndupree · 01-19-2009, 10:00 PM

Thanks for the suggestions, I put mobile 1 synth. 5-30w. Might change it again after a 2000 miles, maybe drop a can of Seafoam in the crankcase just before. It seems to be running really smooth though. It belonged to an 80plus yr old lady who only used it to drive to the market a couple of times a week. I wouldn't be surprised if it was never driven over 50mph lol. I found an entry in the service manual that shows an oil change in 05. Right now the only concern is the squeak coming from the belt area. Sounds like a dry squeak like something needs to be lubricated. The belts look like new no cracks or wear. The plan is to finish changing the fluids, check the plugs and then detail. Man, new engine huh? I think I'll wait for the thing to die before I start the wake. Seriously, I'm hoping the engine is not that fragile.

BlackCamSe · 01-19-2009, 10:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cuzndupree

Seriously, I'm hoping the engine is not that fragile.

The engine isn't fragile at all. But 24K without an oil change is enough to ruin any engine. But you said it has had at least one to your knowledge. The 1MZ-FE V6 is a rock solid engine and is known to go for 350K plus miles. The body will rust out before a properly maintained 1MZ fails.