2.2L - easy to service for backyard mechanics?

[etc]

I am amazed how much room there is in the engine bay of my 4th Gen 2.2L 5 spd


Much more room than in Honda Civic, Mazda 626, Nissan Maxima, etc.

FWD transversely mounted V6 is trouble for shade tree mechanic !

I have to admit, that was the key decision why I got the Camry. I am a commited DIY.

My previous ride was a Mazda 626, and to make things worse, it was a V6. It was a maintenance nightmare. I had to replace the starter, and the manual called for dissasembling the throttle body, coolant lines, gas lines, much more. The timing belt job was another nightmare, took me 4 hours. Very poor design of the engine bay.

The only vehicle which is as nice to work on is Subaru with 2.2L. The engine is not transversely mounted, it's like in domestic V8's, all is easy to reach.

[marc780]

Etc i work on Camry's and every other car or truck, been doin it 30 years, and i have to say, you are right. I've never seen a more user-friendly engine, for the dIy guy than this engine. The engine is proven, robust, well made and amazingly well engineered. Parts are available everywhere and more or less cheap. The design is sheer genius, even the starter is on top!

So if you had some question on your choice, no, for DIY there's nothing better anywhere. Full stop.

[etc]

marc780,

Thanks for feedback, this was my thinking also. I was amazed when I looked at it.

I looked at the engine bay of a H*nda Accord 4 cyl and I was amazed how little space there was in comparison.

[RningOnFumes]

When we first got the car, I saw the oil filter where it is towards the top and I smiled.

[coquibone14]

hehe the 626 was a pain, i had a v6 626 and it comes stock with a KL03 engine. to change my alternator i had to disasemble 1 of the motor mounts and raise the engine a few inches to get the pin in......i switched it out to a KLZE which is the exact size and same liter (2.5) and it was the same mess, KLZE put out about 60 more HP stock..i loved it....but the engine was a B!&&#@ to work with.

[etc]

I concur, Mazda 626 line is not for DIY types.... Nice balance of performance and MPG with V6 but oh what a poor design. Camry is much better.

[jhbhatia]

2.2 was the very reason i bought my solara. I had a gen1 5sfe in my old 90 celica, and i was soo happy with that. When it came time for a newer car, the only 2 doorsly car that still carried 5sfe was solara..hence to me it was a natural choice. As long as you do a lot of preventive maint this engine can easily surpass 300K miles.

[Digger1]

When we bought our car (see signature), my wife wanted the six, bad.

I'm glad I was able to talk her out of it......I'd much rather work on the four.

[Eye8Pussies]

yeahhh....it's a bitch to do just about anything engine-wise with the v6....everything involves removing a lot of other things....right now my engine is in pieces in my garage with the valve covers and intake manifold off.....intake manifold is off just to get to the damn knock sensors

[JetspeedCamry]

I think it comes down to what your used to. I bet that i could tear down my V6 to replace the rear plugs and cam cover gasket, in the same time it takes to do it on the I4. Once you know how to, and have done it multiple times, learnt the ropes and tricks, then its not so bad. The V6 isnt really that hard..just 'looks' more daunting since its bigger and takes up more space. That being said, Toyota have done a great job with the engines an layouts. And i do agree, alot easier than some cars for the "first timer".

[renmike]

I must agree with the above, the layout of the 4 cylinder engine is very nice. I've only worked on domestic vehicles, and mostly rwd vehicles before I got my camry, but I've not had much trouble so far. I've pulled the engine/transmission, tore it down, bought another complete engine, changed the gaskets/seals, put it and the tranny back in, reattached everything (the wiring harness is great, no two connections can get mixed up!).

The only trouble I had was the head had to come off to change the head gasket, and if it weren't for me being a perfectionist, I could have done it over the course of a day, instead it drug out over a couple.

But, I like a challenge. I think after I get used to this gen 3, I'm going to start looking for a gen 3 coupe with a v6 and have some fun with that