Riding High from atop a TOW TRUCK... - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

cheeba · 09-28-2004, 09:51 AM

Hey guys, I need your help.

My car died on the highway yesterday, two days after I was bragging about how my 2000 camry never gave me any trouble bigger than a flat tire.

I was driving along, then I stopped at a light and the car began to shake. At first I ignored because I thought it was the mega bass in my trunk that was vibrating the car, so I turned down the music and drove just to be sure.

About thirty seconds later, my car began to sputter and the engine shut off. I pulled over and tried to start my car, but it would turn and make this awful screeching sound in the area by the belt, and smoke/steam started coming out of the engine. The coolant reservoir was also empty. I tried putting water in there but stupidly and pouring some in the radiator, but that didn't help.

Does anybody know what could cause this problem? I need to get it fixed ASAP but I don't want to get ripped off. It would help if I had an idea of what the problem was before I called a mechanic.

Thanks guys.

Nico · 09-28-2004, 10:30 AM

we need to have more info on your car and your problem.
What is your engine ? 5sfe ? Did your car overheat ? I guess... Did you have any major repair done recently ? Do you fans kick on when the engine starts overheating ?
Give us as many details as you can and we shoul be able to give you some directions

wormhole · 09-28-2004, 11:00 AM

sounds like what happened onj my 98 camry but I have 160,xxx miles on it. The water pump went out and the took the timing belt and the tensionor with it. It cost me almost $600 including to to get it fixed. Luckliy they had the parts and got it fixed in a couple of hours.

Nico · 09-28-2004, 01:53 PM

600 $ !!! Jeez that's expensive, I didn't know mechanics in the US were that expensive...
Yes water pump might be the problem, if it is then it should drip quite a lot of water from the right side of the engine bay

cheeba · 09-28-2004, 02:55 PM

I have a 5sfe engine, 4 cyl. Never had any major repairs done since the car has never had any problems whatsover beyond a flat tire. My engine has about 50,000 miles on it. My belt was making a squealing noise a few days before it happened and I think that the car did overheat when it shut down (isn't that what would cause the engine to turn itself off?)

There was no water dripping anywhere when I stopped, just steam rising from the engine.

How would I know if my tensioner and timing belt were shot?

Nico · 09-28-2004, 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by cheeba
I have a 5sfe engine, 4 cyl. Never had any major repairs done since the car has never had any problems whatsover beyond a flat tire. My engine has about 50,000 miles on it. My belt was making a squealing noise a few days before it happened and I think that the car did overheat when it shut down (isn't that what would cause the engine to turn itself off?)

There was no water dripping anywhere when I stopped, just steam rising from the engine.

How would I know if my tensioner and timing belt were shot?

The fact that your engine overheats can indeed make your engine stop but then it must have been overheating in the red zone for a while. If you hear a squealing noise it can only come from the belt, not the timing belt (unless it just broke but then I don't know the noise ;-) ), you probably just need to tighten it a bit more that's all unless you have alternator problem, did you have your battery light on ? if not I would not worry.
If your timing belt was shot your engine would run pretty poorly, it would actually be nearly impossible to make it run. Since this is an non interference engine in this cas you would have at least not broken your entire engine...
It can't be your water pump since you didn't see it dripping, I don't thing your radiator is clugged for a 4 years old car (unless it is leaking!). My advice is check for possible leaks first (refiill first and make the engine run), have your timing checked by a professional and if everything is alright you could start thinking of a compression test.
Just come back to us and let us know, I am sure everyone here would be interested in knowing what the problem is.

cheeba · 09-29-2004, 09:08 AM

Someone is going to be checking it for me today. I will sure to keep you posted.

Thank you for the heads up. I think it may be the timing belt as the noise that I hear when I crank the engine, comes from that area. My car was driving perfectly before it happened though.

***Your Uncle Moe*** · 09-29-2004, 11:00 AM

It sounds like the water pump to me. I had problems a little similiar to that before my water pump failed and my power stearing pump EXPLODED. lol There was fluid EVERYWHERE!

cheeba · 09-29-2004, 03:27 PM

How much did that cost to repair? Would a faulty water pump cause a screeching sound when I am trying to start the car?

88 LE · 09-30-2004, 12:35 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by cheeba
Would a faulty water pump cause a screeching sound when I am trying to start the car?

Yes.

The water pump is driven by the timing belt.

Sometimes the bearings in the water pump go bad and cause it to seize.

cheeba · 09-30-2004, 04:05 PM

Ok everyone, so it was the water pump. The pump died and took the timing belt along with it (not sure if I said that right). I have no idea how much a job like this is supposed to cost though. Someone is fixing it right now (buying parts and doing labor), but I would like to know what you guys think a fair price range would be.

Also, he said he has to put coolant back into my radiator but I know that my car uses the red toyota antifreeze at the moment. The sucky thing is that I can't find any of that stuff on my island, so he wants to mix it with the green stuff. Will that kill my car? Is there a better option besides mixing the two? Like, should I let him mix them now just so that I can get my car back, then flush my radiator and put in al green?

Please offer some advice on the price for the job and the coolant issue. I need this ASAP if possible please.

Thanks.

cheeba · 10-01-2004, 03:40 PM

^ Bump.

Ok, he charged me $320.00 and I have my car back, but now the check engine light is on and when I floor my car, it revs to 5,000 or so RPM's, but never shifts -- the engine just kinda sputters. My car also feels a bit sluggish. Can anybody tell me what might be going on?

Please help.

***Your Uncle Moe*** · 10-02-2004, 02:38 AM

Hmm. try disconnecting your battery for about 15 minutes and then plugging it back in. This will reset your ECU. Maybe that will help. If it comes back, try taking it to an autozone (If they have one there) and they should give you the error codes for free. Search the site with that error code and see what happens.

And yes I think 320 isn't too bad of a price. Pep boys fixed mine for free (Long story) so I dont really have a price to compare it too.

And I have been using green coolant in my car for years and it has never overheated on me or has had ANY problems whatsoever (Except for the time when the water pump broke).

cheeba · 10-02-2004, 05:18 AM

Will resetting the ECU correct my car's revving problem? I REALLY need to get that fixed. What could be causing that?

This guy wants to change my transmission fluid to correct the problem. Please help, this is supposed to happen in a few hours.

Nico · 10-02-2004, 02:19 PM

Not sure that changing the fluid will change anything ! It can't do any harm but I doubt that this is the problem...
The best thing to do really would be to do a diagnose : since you have your engine light on that means you ecu stored a fault that could be detected with the appropriate tool.