Quote:
Originally posted by apappala
I just bought a 2000 Camry and have driven it for a week. It has 40,000 miles on it. Everything has been wonderful and then today, I started to hear a squeak outside somewhere between the front wheel and the back of the car on the passenger side (low) whenever I drove over even a tiny wave in the road. I drove the car longer and noticed it more. These are not large bumps in the road...just slight waves. Would this be something related to the suspension? I still have 60 days/3000 miles at a dealership for problems but I thought I would start here as the dealership from which I bought it is half a state away. Thanks....Anne
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Some guessess:
- Noisy suspension is a well known problem with '97 - '01 'Camrys. Ask a dealership to check your front strut mounts - there is a TSB (Technical Service Bulletin) for these being defective and the repair is covered under standard warranty (may be even under your warranty since this is a used car); Toyota recently redesigned these again (for a 4-th time I think). These usually cause clunking an knocking, but may also squeak in some cases. Go over some more serious bumps or bridge joints or over parking lot speed bumps - if some or all of these cause noises, most likely the mounts need to be replaced. I would check the struts, although at 40K miles it is too early for them to go bad. The strut mounts cost about $60 each and labor and wheel alignment is another about $200 for the pair at the dealership, if you have to pay.
- Worn sway bar bushings. If these are worn, need to be replaced. Some folks lubricate them with thick marine/synthetic grease and this helps, but on a stock car (e.g. not modified with sport suspension, you should not need to do this and they should be quiet).
- There is another TSB related to squeaking in the power steering. Ask a dealer for the numbers or subscribe to AllData service ($19 or so for a year) and get all details.
- Lastly, if the rubber spring seats (b/w the spring and the strut) is worn it may be causing some noises...
On a different note - these year cars are known to be susceptible to an engine sludge problem. Have the dealer check for this if you see any white smoke from the exhaust or if you notice oil thickening through the oil cap.
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