5th & 6th Generation (2002-2006 & 2007-2011)Toyota Camry Discussion for years: 2002-2006 & 2007-2011
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I have a Toyota Camry 2003 XLE, V6; the cabin gets hot, for example:
With max fan, max cool (AC off), recirc or fresh, inside temp=95F when the ambient temp=79F.
I am thinking of bypassing the heater core permanently, will this have any effect on the Engine or its performance?
I live in a region where the average temperature throughout the year is around 90F ( I have never used the heater and will never use it).
Maybe the servo motor controlling the temp is out or the door is out of adjustment. That would allow heated air to mix with cooled air. A properly functioning AC should be able to get the discharge air temp down to 40/50 depending on relative humidity. R Bypassing the heater shouldn't have any effect at all on the engine.Regards.
The Following User Says Thank You to Donald E. George For This Useful Post:
It's personal choice thing, IMO (in other words, I can't see how it might F up your car). That said, I'd still myself have reservations about doing this, for at least two reasons. First, it sounds like you're effectively using a sledge hammer to kill a gnat. Some issue is keeping your auto climate control from performing properly. I'd focus on finding and solving THAT problem instead of totally killing your car's ability to heat the cabin. Second, you might actually WANT the ability to have some heat on those few days when it does get cold. Finally, your car's climate control system will not "understand" what you've done. You may find yourself with degraded ability to clear fogged windows, or other anomalous performance of the climate control as the computer struggles to find climate control solutions using a "set of tools" it no longer understands. But again, I do not see catastrophic damage from your plan. Good luck.
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2009 Camry Hybrid, Black.
2007 Avalon XLS, Cassis Pearl (that Burgundy color).
2004 Prius Package 9, Black.
One more thought. I am a former owner of a 2003.5 Camry V-6 LE (but keep in mind that the LE had purely manual climate control). I drove that car for several years, and did notice that the cabin air filter (the one that is hidden behind the glove box) would get very, very dirty, very quickly. I first noticed it at about 30k miles when I found it with a heavy, heavy layer of dirt and grime that OBVIOUSLY had to be obstructing the free flow of air to some extent. I then took to changing that little PITA every 10k or so miles.
Have you checked this? One little factor like this, that can severely alter the total airflow the computer is programmed to assume, has the potential for messing up the entire system. Might be worth a look.
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2009 Camry Hybrid, Black.
2007 Avalon XLS, Cassis Pearl (that Burgundy color).
2004 Prius Package 9, Black.
It's a common mod on old cars with leaky heater cores. I'd have a look at the temp control first though.
This is very true, but remember a couple things. Unless the owner has strayed from using the proper Toyota red or pink coolant, there is very little chance of corrosion in the heater core, the usual source of such leaks. Also, a coolant leak in the heater core, a significant one anyway, should show itself pretty obviously and quickly, as a constantly dropping coolant level.
Second, so we're all clear, he has an XLE, which will have auto climate control. Unlike my LE of the same vintage, this car will have its electronic controls, and also, the mechanical parts that execute the computer's "commands". Both would need to be examined. Mechanical failures are always possible, but on this car, the XLE, the computer's behavior might need to be examined as well. I would think, however, that if the computer was having a problem, there might be other indications as well, perhaps even the "holy grail" MIL. But since there has been no mention of an MIL, I'll assume there isn't one.
While I admit LOVING the auto climate control in my TCH, I'll also readily admit that there are more things to malfunction as compared to a classic mechanical system.
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2009 Camry Hybrid, Black.
2007 Avalon XLS, Cassis Pearl (that Burgundy color).
2004 Prius Package 9, Black.
@ekpolk, there is no leak in the system only that the Inside of the car gets hot after driving for a while and also that the temp from the vent is much greater than the ambient temp even with max cool temp setting (with AC off)
@ekpolk, there is no leak in the system only that the Inside of the car gets hot after driving for a while and also that the temp from the vent is much greater than the ambient temp even with max cool temp setting (with AC off)
This is probably a dumb question, but have you had anyone check to ensure that the AC is fully charged with the proper refrigerant?
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2009 Camry Hybrid, Black.
2007 Avalon XLS, Cassis Pearl (that Burgundy color).
2004 Prius Package 9, Black.
I dont want to put the A/C on.
All i want to confirm is the effect of bypassing the heater core on the engine
I get that, but remember, with an XLE, you have the automated climate control. That means that it's under computer control. The computer, as "smart" as it may be, is probably not programmed to deal with the owner changing the physical design of the system it controls.
Do I think that what you're proposing will bring disaster? No. Am I concerned that you may find yourself confronting some unintended consequences? Definitely yes. Only you can decide for yourself what level of risk you're willing to accept.
I still think that, whether or not you ultimately cut off the heater, you should probably try to isolate the fundamental problem first (why your climate control is not working properly in the first place). Here's a "food for thought" example: perhaps you have a bad temp sensor in your interior. Based upon its flawed input, your auto climate control is cranking your cabin temp up to an unacceptable level. If this hypo is correct (even partly), disconnecting the heater core is probably only going to lead to more extreme (and probably more unacceptable) climate control behavior.
Have you tried "forcing" the system to operate in "manual" mode to see if you can manually command the system to deliver the temps you want?
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2009 Camry Hybrid, Black.
2007 Avalon XLS, Cassis Pearl (that Burgundy color).
2004 Prius Package 9, Black.
And another thought... I often tweak the auto climate control in my Hybrid Camry in order to maximize gas mileage (it matters in the TCH as the AC is powered by the traction battery). By setting the temp to near-ambient, and forcing the fan to minimum speed, I get as close to "pure manual" operation as the TCH climate control will allow (short of cutting it off altogether).
You might try something like this to see if you can, by manual intervention, create the climate conditions you want. If you can, it's a pretty good indicator that you have a sensor or computer problem of some sort. And that would further imply that you need not take such drastic action as totally eliminating your ability to add warm/hot air to the system when it is actually needed.
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2009 Camry Hybrid, Black.
2007 Avalon XLS, Cassis Pearl (that Burgundy color).
2004 Prius Package 9, Black.
the answer is NO. It won't affect the engine or its performance.
Please be sure you send the OP your financial warranty, wherein you promise to compensate him should something not go as simply and easily as you assume. . .
Or maybe you can post us a page or two from a Toyota service manual that says, "go ahead and do this, and there's no possibility of unintended consequences...."
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2009 Camry Hybrid, Black.
2007 Avalon XLS, Cassis Pearl (that Burgundy color).
2004 Prius Package 9, Black.
Please be sure you send the OP your financial warranty, wherein you promise to compensate him should something not go as simply and easily as you assume. . .
Or maybe you can post us a page or two from a Toyota service manual that says, "go ahead and do this, and there's no possibility of unintended consequences...."
the answer is still no and the OP obviously doesn't care if his heater works or not on his 8 year old car. and, it ain't my car so i don't care and i don't think he cares either if it doesn't affect engine performance, and it won't
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I often tweak the auto climate control in my Hybrid Camry in order to maximize gas mileage (it matters in the TCH as the AC is powered by the traction battery). By setting the temp to near-ambient, and forcing the fan to minimum speed, I get as close to "pure manual" operation as the TCH climate control will allow (short of cutting it off altogether). 
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