[engineer20]

Hello,

This was my previous forum. http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/1...1237657-struggling-2003-camry-working-34.html

This, I guess, will be a continuation fo my previous thread, where I continue to ask questions pertaining to the camry. My last few posts were unanswered, so you may answer them here, but the thread was locked.

Anyways, again, I was at a junkyard, I was concerned about the early closing/them giving me attitude/forcing me out early, and therefore losing tools, and them putting the things in the core bin/tossing them out, at 540-550pm (close at 6) instead of letting me back in the yard to put the parts I didn't buy in the camry in the junkyard, an 05 camry from new jersey (had way less rust than typical michigan cars, it snows there, but it doesn't snow as much, I spent a brief time in the NYC area so I know). Anyways, I pulled many parts, but haven't pulled out the a/c compressor, but did the water pump and alternator, so I was almost there, but I'll do another time. I've never done an a/c compressor before, how do you remove that ,any tips? Same with the radio and blower motor and those fan / etc components, and I almost got the radiator out.

I apologize for any past behavior or posts that may not have followed proper forum etiquette, and want to reform and change myself to post in a respectful, proper, and non repeating manner, in order to respect the rules of the forum and I'll try my best to remmeber what I posted ,even if it was a while ago, and may be difficult, and will try to research it, but to be honest, I feel life is overwhelming and life is hard, and I struggle with life daily, so I apologize if I do double post and will try hard not to do so.

i see Oreilly brand brake fluid (dot 3) is on sale. Is it any good, or is it a cheap/bad fluid? I've used valvoline dot3/4 which I know is good as well as carquest dot 4, I know carquest is not as good as valvoline, but it's dot 4, so it ought to be good, but what about oreilly dot 3? Also, beacuse I"m buyig all these parts from junkyards, and some parts without warranties aren't marked, but I'd stil llike to mark them myself, I want to buy a parts marker but the parts stores don't sell them, but I found one online. Oreilly told me they have a tire marker, chalk based that looks like a crayon. It's only 1.89, as well as this touch up pen thing, for 9.99, so I'd go with th crayon option as I want functionality at a low price. Is the 1.89 crayon good as a parts marker? Thanks.

http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/d....oap?ck=Search_N1757_-1_-1&pt=N1757&ppt=C0337

 

[kitacamry]

There is no reason for this thread. The question has been answered here:
http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/1...ntenance-thread-all-you-ever-wanted-know.html

If you wish to ask about specific brands that should be asked there.

 

[engineer20]

I'll take a look at that thread, but again, this is just another "general questions" thread ,such as the parts marker question, which I didn't ask before (except as in one of my final posts of the "struggling" thread which was closed).

 

[kitacamry]

i'll take a look at that thread, but again, this is just another "general questions" thread ,such as the parts marker question, which i didn't ask before (except as in one of my final posts of the "struggling" thread which was closed).

search first.

 

[engineer20]

My fuel gauge isn't accurate, as in it's sticky towards the top, so at 3/4, you're onlyi at 1/2 fuel or less and when it says you're at 1/2, you have maybe 1/4 and you're nearing empty, but the low fuel light is accurate and works, is this normal, was the car designed like this, or is this due to age? also, how do you know if your tachometer is accurate? I know the speedometer isn't accurate and i'm traveling at a slightly slower speed than what it says, for example, when it says i'm going 60, i'm probably going 55 or something. can you calibrate the things on your instrument panel? same with the odometer, i think it's accurate, but does it become slightly inaccurate with age? tahnks.
Where is the throttle body? Thanks.

 

[heartdisease]

My fuel gauge isn't accurate, as in it's sticky towards the top, so at 3/4, you're onlyi at 1/2 fuel or less and when it says you're at 1/2, you have maybe 1/4 and you're nearing empty, but the low fuel light is accurate and works, is this normal, was the car designed like this, or is this due to age? I would say that is not normal and probably due to age. also, how do you know if your tachometer is accurate? That would be hard to know. I have heard of specialized tools that count based on sound. A timing light while looking at the tach might be the easiest. I really think it would be close enough if it's working at all. Are you having issues ? I know the speedometer isn't accurate and i'm traveling at a slightly slower speed than what it says, for example, when it says i'm going 60, i'm probably going 55 or something. can you calibrate the things on your instrument panel? Do you have a gps or smartphone? Or set cruise at 60 mph and time yourself by the mile markers on the side of the road. At 60mph it should be 60 seconds. As far as adjusting I'm not sure. I would perhaps look up a tires size tool if it is off and adjust the tire size to correct for it. I wouldn't think a small change in diameter would cause clearance issues but there will be some math involved. same with the odometer, i think it's accurate, but does it become slightly inaccurate with age? Yes in a sense but not really enough you would notice it if you don't drive it much or mostly intown. I As the tires wear down they get smaller which will make the speedometer read a little faster. I did notice that once as I drove the same route with a lot of exactly 60mph cruising in it everyday. It was very slight however. tahnks.
Where is the throttle body? Thanks.

 

[TigerHeli]

To save the blower motor resistor/a/c and cooling/heating system, if you are changing settings, say windshield to blowing just the top, or blowing from top and bottom, to blowing just bottom, etc, changing settings/where it's blowing air, do iyou turn the fan off, so from say fan speed 2 which is what i usually use, or in the center, to fan speed zero, to off, before changing the setting say from blowing the windsheidl to blowing top and bottom, or does it not matter and i can change setting of wher i'm blowing the air without turning the fan off, or does it matter and turn the fan off before changing settings?

or what about changing fan speeds say from 2 to 1 at the same time of changing where the air is blowing? or does it not matter and if it matters, why and how is it affecting the life of the hvac system? thanks.

I generally don't adjust the fan speed and the vent location simultaneously just b/c it would be tricky to do so, but it won't hurt anything.

Changing fan speeds might affect the life of the blower motor, but makes the switch less likely to wear out - choose your poison (or don't worry about it).

i was at a u pul today ... but the hood was open and it was raining, so the stuff under the hood got wet, including the alterantor. the alternator looked good, but my question is, did the rain or does the rain dmage the alternator or kill the alternator, or no, beucase it didn't rain while the alternator was running? on a non running alternator in rest, will water kill it, so is the alternator useless, or no?

You don't really want the alternator to get wet. I wouldn't hose down the alternator when it had cables connected to it. Not sure if it will hurt it if it is not connected, but I would be worried about rust.

My fuel gauge isn't accurate, as in it's sticky towards the top, so at 3/4, you're onlyi at 1/2 fuel or less and when it says you're at 1/2, you have maybe 1/4 and you're nearing empty, but the low fuel light is accurate and works, is this normal, was the car designed like this, or is this due to age?

Typical - depending on the car - mainly b/c the shape of the fuel tank is not uniform. It rarely, if ever, gets better or worse with age.

also, how do you know if your tachometer is accurate?

You could test and compare it to an aftermarket tachometer/ultraguage/scangauge if you want - they are usually accurate enough.

I know the speedometer isn't accurate and i'm traveling at a slightly slower speed than what it says, for example, when it says i'm going 60, i'm probably going 55 or something. can you calibrate the things on your instrument panel?

Not easily - on the speedometer - easiest fix is taller diameter tires, or if it is cable-driven, different gearing in the transmission.

Not much you can do with fuel or temp or tach - except if they are a fixed difference apart (i.e. always 100 RPM high), you MIGHT be able to remove the needle and shift it down and re-install it.

Where is the throttle body?

Downstream from the air filter before the intake manifold.

 

[TigerHeli]

Didn't realize heartdisease commented in bold.

My fuel gauge isn't accurate, as in it's sticky towards the top, so at 3/4, you're onlyi at 1/2 fuel or less and when it says you're at 1/2, you have maybe 1/4 and you're nearing empty, but the low fuel light is accurate and works, is this normal, was the car designed like this, or is this due to age? I would say that is not normal and probably due to age.

I don't think we are clear what is going on here. I've had cars where the gauge ran faster - for example, you could drive 100 miles between full and 3/4, 50 miles between 3/4 and 1/2, 30 miles between 1/2 and 1/4, and 15 miles between 1/4 and almost empty.

That is pretty typically on older cars - although newer cars seem to be better.

If that is what E20 means, I wouldn't worry about it. If he means the low fuel light comes on, but the needle still says he has 3/8 of a tank left, I would suspect a bad gauge or sending unit and that would not be normal.

 

[heartdisease]

Yeah, as long as the low fuel light was accurate I wouldn't worry about it. I have something going on with my pickup (I think I need to redo the chassis ground) where it drops very quick. It will be in the red (no light) in half the time it used to. My mpg has dropped over the years but most of that is the ethanol. I know how far I can go you just need to be comfortable driving another 100 miles in the red.

 

[engineer20]

The Junkyard has an all you can carry on September 10 for 59.95, which is a good deal. I was there this weekednd pulling some parts, and the camry had a car accident in the back and nobody touched anything in the back! It has an intact radiator, and I pulled off the a/c compressor but wasn't sure if it was good or not, and the last time I was there was 2 weeks ago and nothing changed, so i'm risking it and hoping nothing changes by sept 10 which isn't that far away and the car doesn't get crushed, and I'll get a lot at all u can carry. I'll post a pic of the a/c compressor normally selling ofr 32 but i just want to konw if its good or not, has some slight rust.

does the door handle ever fall off or go bad? I was worried about that, shoudl I lubricate it with silicone or white lith grease?

so at the next all you canc carry, I'll get the a/c compressor and alternator already off the car and the radiator )(almost off) as well as the side mirrors (they are black aftermarket, the car is silver, but still, tey are good functional mirrors, esp the driver side i'll use as a backup or sell, and I'll also grab a tire I'll put around my neck, as well as some small stuff, the top of the valve cover is off, so i can use that top to put my items in to help me carry the stuf, i don' tneed that top, the top fo the valve cover ,but I can use that to carry stuff in, and sell later on, but this alternator was drenched in the rain lsat time i was there, i asked an aloternators store and they said it was fine, but i could sell it or keep as a backup, but it will be sitting in my basement for qiute some time, and i'll aso get other stuf i can carry, but that valve cover should be good, the back door can't be opened due to an accident, so i hid what i wanted to take in the backseat, hopefully nobody will take it by sept 10!

 

[TigerHeli]

(All you need is the alternator, and the valve cover, and the mirrors, oh, and a tire ...)

Door handles fail sometimes - not much you can do about it though and doesn't happen often - more likely to have the lock motors fail, but not much you can do about that either.

 

[engineer20]

does turning the a/c on impact the water pump or alternator or other things driven by the belt, or shorten the belt life since it's putting extra strain on the belt or no? so it doesn't spin when the a/c is off, but it spins when you turn it on, increasing the belt friction, so when you turn the a/c on more often, does that lower the life of the water pump or alternator or power steering pump?

also, how much should i expect to pay for a canoe rack, if i want to put a canoe rack on my camry so I can carry canoes on its roof? Or do I not need a rack and can simply bungee chord it down? thanks.

 

[Zmon]

does turning the a/c on impact the water pump or alternator or other things driven by the belt, or shorten the belt life since it's putting extra strain on the belt or no? so it doesn't spin when the a/c is off, but it spins when you turn it on, increasing the belt friction, so when you turn the a/c on more often, does that lower the life of the water pump or alternator or power steering pump?

also, how much should i expect to pay for a canoe rack, if i want to put a canoe rack on my camry so I can carry canoes on its roof? Or do I not need a rack and can simply bungee chord it down? thanks.

I vaguely recall you asking the same question a long time ago, or something close to it A/C related.

Once again, you seem to worry about issues that you won't ever have a problem with. It will not strain the belt, or the alternator, or the belt life. As long as the belt is not cracked, frayed, or screeching when you turn the car on, the belt is fine. And like I've told you in the past, if you are going to not use your A/C then at least turn it on a couple minutes every week or so to keep insides of the compressor properly lubed up.

Please, for the sake of yourself, your wallet, us, and your car, stop finding problems that your car does not have. While some of your concerns are legitimate, most of the things you ask are general car things that aren't specifically Camry related that can be answered from a 5 second Google search. I believe this post from another thread is relevant to you: http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/8...65-turbo-charge-cars-better.html#post11581505

As for the canoe rack, that is something that is might be better asked on a forum that is dedicated to that sort of hobby. Simply tying it down with a bungee cord on your roof is waiting for an accident to happen.

 

[TigerHeli]

The previous question was about compressor life if you turn the A/C on and off, but you are confused on the belt.

The belt still spins whether the A/C is on or off - there is typically (maybe not on the Camry) a clutch the let's the belt free-wheel and reduces some drag on the engine with the compressor off, but the belt wear, water pump, alternator should not be affected.

 

[Pvt-Public]

Please make him stop !!!!

 

[mcgowaw]

tigerheli, thanks...love the jerk...that and airplane crack me up.
tony

 

[TigerHeli]

that and airplane crack me up.

When I first read this, I thought you were referring to @Pvt-Public's avatar and his posts, but the movie was classic also - either one applies.

 

[kitacamry]

Just for clarity...."The Jerk" and "Airplane", BOTH are movies.....my preference is "The Jerk"

 

[engineer20]

how do you bungee chord a sagging bumper cover? my rear bumper cover is saggingan dkeeps falling off and i bought bungee chords and want to tie it down, but it seems hard, do you do it thru the inside too or somethign? advice on that? also, any advice on how to get out rounded bolts that need a hex key? the bigger hex key wont' fit, but the right size hex key wont' give it enough torque to take the bolt out or move it property (moving / fitting very loosely), do you shear it off? or use a screw or bolt extractor, etc? Thanks.

next week's the all you can carry deal, hope my a/c compressor and stuff are still in that camry! i'll arrie early to the event so the others who are there don't beat me to the camry!

 

[TigerHeli]

Never done it and don't recommend it, but I would assume you want to wrap the bungee around the bumper and connect it to a frame hanger or similar.

Are you sure they aren't metric hex bolts and you have SAE keys or vice-versa? If you are sure, basically the same as other bolt - slot with hacksaw, impact driver, vise-grips, ez-out, etc.