From what I know and seen online, the replacement short block isn't very expensive.

On the other hand, do you have another vehicle to drive? If the block can be re-used, keep it original and get it fixed.

Otherwise, I don't have hands on experience with this.

 

Wet and dry compression checks come in low?
Rings leaking or valves?

 

1. Rebuild the current engine.
   Probably the option I’ll go with, as it’ll probably be the most feasible and peace-of-mind way to keep the car. Not sure what auto/machine shops in the Orlando area will do that for a 5S-FE though.

Have you torn down engines before? Are you sure you want to put in that kind of time? Most likely your head gasket blew this happens to every Toyota engine with an iron block/aluminum head that uses a composite HG it's only a matter of time/mileage. Given your high mileage the bottom end won't be in exactly mint condition.

Any good machine shop will work on a 5S-FE it's about the most friendly engine to work on very straight forward.

 

I own a 98 Camry CE 2.2 Auto trans. bumping 190,00 mi. I've had this car for 18 years and it's in cherry shape, except now my clear-coat is beginning to peel off in small areas. ( full paint-job coming soon )
NO MAJOR items ever replaced, A/C NEVER touched at all (except I replaced the HVAC mode-motor ... THAT was a &%#@$% PITA. , it still cools at 40* no complaint.
This is the best, most dependable car I have ever owned, since I'm bumping 80 yrs old, I hope it's going to keep going for my wife. I do have a service garage that does my maint. that I can't do myself, ( replace rack& pinion ) wheel alignment etc. those guys love our car and always asking if it's for sale, ( NO-WAY ) anyway this a great team of Christian mechanics that go above & beyond, ( we are blessed ) and they use ONLY Jasper automotive engines, transmissions, differentials etc. etc. they gave a brief rundown on the reliability of Jasper engines ( 3 years 100,000 ) warranty, I have not needed any of those things ( Thank you Jesus ) so you might want want to check them out ... wishing you the Best of Luck in your endeavors.

( JASPER remanufactured engines, transmissions & differentials )

 

I own a 98 Camry CE 2.2 Auto trans. bumping 190,00 mi. I've had this car for 18 years and it's in cherry shape, except now my clear-coat is beginning to peel off in small areas. ( full paint-job coming soon )
NO MAJOR items ever replaced, A/C NEVER touched at all (except I replaced the HVAC mode-motor ... THAT was a &%#@$% PITA. , it still cools at 40* no complaint.
This is the best, most dependable car I have ever owned, since I'm bumping 80 yrs old, I hope it's going to keep going for my wife. I do have a service garage that does my maint. that I can't do myself, ( replace rack& pinion ) wheel alignment etc. those guys love our car and always asking if it's for sale, ( NO-WAY ) anyway this a great team of Christian mechanics that go above & beyond, ( we are blessed ) and they use ONLY Jasper automotive engines, transmissions, differentials etc. etc. they gave a brief rundown on the reliability of Jasper engines ( 3 years 100,000 ) warranty, I have not needed any of those things ( Thank you Jesus ) so you might want want to check them out ... wishing you the Best of Luck in your endeavors.

( JASPER remanufactured engines, transmissions & differentials )

I love seeing those older Toyota's, still, chugging down the road....especially those old, tiny Toyota Pickup trucks! (I've always wanted one but when I was ready to buy a Toyota truck, in 2005, the Tacoma had just been upgraded to a larger size....drove that Taco for 10-years and 100,000 miles with ZERO issues until I traded up for a one-year old Tundra in 2015...she's still going strong with that V-8....so sad we can't buy a Tundra with a V-8 these days.)

Saw a few YouTube videos where they asked some master car mechanics what makes they tell folks to avoid buying and many of them said Hyundai/Kia which was surprising. But, I'm a car watcher and really don't see hardly any older Kia's and Hyundai's chugging down the road. Lots of Lexus, Toyota, Scions, Honda, Mazdas, and even older Nissans (when they were good)....and I can honestly count the number of Toyota's I've seen broken down on the side of the road on one hand....seriously!

 

If you keep fresh fluids in these cars the only thing that kills them is rust.

 

The symptoms you describe - misfire on #1, oil intrusion on that cylinder, fuel smell, poor compression across all cylinders - is this something you have found through testing, or your mechanic told you? How low is the compression? From prior experience, I'm wary of mechanics saying "idk its the motor". Unless something happened immediately before this issue that you haven't told us, I'm skeptical that you would have really low compression in all four cylinders...

Cars can misfire for a multitude of reasons stemming from ignition system issues, fuel system issues, etc. Just the way your first post reads I'd get a second opinion from a reputable mechanic.

And finally my two cents based on my experience with my '94 Camry 5SFE - I ALSO overheated it, on the highway, and didn't notice until it was too late. Noticed coolant in my oil which obviously meant bad head gasket. I stupidly kept driving it for awhile anyway because I needed the car and wasn't in a position to fix it or pay someone the large sum to fix it. In the end I ended up going the junk yard engine route. Pulling the engine out and putting one back in has some quirks but wasn't terribly difficult for a first timer. I've put over 30k on that junkyard motor and it's been great. But your mechanic is correct - you have NO IDEA what the state of the junk yard motor is and how it was taken care of. It could be bad from the get go and then you've wasted a bunch of time and money swapping it. I don't know what it would cost to rebuild, but if you want to keep the car, I'd go that route. I have no experience in that area, but I do wish I would have done that with mine instead of doing the junk yard engine, even though it worked out for me. Then I could say I have 260,000 miles on my car instead of saying the car has 260,000 miles, the engine has about half that, ha! Good luck.

 

From what I know and seen online, the replacement short block isn't very expensive.

On the other hand, do you have another vehicle to drive? If the block can be re-used, keep it original and get it fixed.

Otherwise, I don't have hands on experience with this.

I live with my parents, so I can just borrow one of their (newer) Camrys for the few times I need to go somewhere solo right now.

Wet and dry compression checks come in low?
Rings leaking or valves?

From the comp test that the shop I usually go to did:

• Cylinder 1: 100psi, with 60% leakage on the leakdown test.
• Cylinder 2: 110psi
• Cylinder 3: 110psi
• Cylinder 4: 118psi

No idea if that was dry or wet. When I get a more thorough diagnostic done I'll probably find out the wet vs dry data.
Shop said it wasn't the valves though.

Have you torn down engines before? Are you sure you want to put in that kind of time? Most likely your head gasket blew this happens to every Toyota engine with an iron block/aluminum head that uses a composite HG it's only a matter of time/mileage. Given your high mileage the bottom end won't be in exactly mint condition.

Headgasket was replaced about 3 years ago when the transmission was swapped. Would it actually blow out that fast?

To answer the other question, no, I've never done an engine teardown before; I don't even think I have a torque wrench on hand. While I'd be curious to learn, I don't have anyone who could help me through the process, and time would be a mess due to the fall semester starting up shortly. It's also stupid hot during the day right now, plus I'd be hogging my parent's whole garage for a project like that.
So, at the moment it'd be simpler to just have a shop do a rebuild if needed.

Any good machine shop will work on a 5S-FE it's about the most friendly engine to work on very straight forward.

Huh. I wonder if the one I already talked to misunderstood me or something. I swear they said like twice that "we don't do Camrys", and said they didn't know of any place that would. They're AERA and have good reviews on Google Maps, so...IDK what was going on.

The symptoms you describe - misfire on #1, oil intrusion on that cylinder, fuel smell, poor compression across all cylinders - is this something you have found through testing, or your mechanic told you? How low is the compression? From prior experience, I'm wary of mechanics saying "idk its the motor". Unless something happened immediately before this issue that you haven't told us, I'm skeptical that you would have really low compression in all four cylinders...

Cars can misfire for a multitude of reasons stemming from ignition system issues, fuel system issues, etc. Just the way your first post reads I'd get a second opinion from a reputable mechanic.

It's a mix of what the shop tested, and what I experienced personally. I personally ruled out ignition coils by swapping the plugs around (and also the fact that Cyl #4 has the highest compression). Don't have the connector on hand to do my own compression tests.
As for "immediately prior", I really don't know what happened. I had the car parked in my parents' garage for a week while we were on vacation, and when we came home it started & ran fine just moving it back to the grass. Couple days later, my dad went to drive it to the store, and he noticed it got this heavy shake. A couple days after that, I went to move it out of the grass to mow, and that's when I noticed the shaking and low engine power for myself. Now the thing won't even start without holding the gas.

I made a separate thread for the diagnosis, which has some more info if you're curious.

 

Headgasket was replaced about 3 years ago when the transmission was swapped. Would it actually blow out that fast?

Loaded question but If done properly it will last as long as the original. Some common mistakes: threads in block not cleaned properly, damaged head bolts*, cylinder head not flat, pitted block.

* head bolts CAN be reused if they meet spec (length) and the threads are pristine.

To answer the other question, no, I've never done an engine teardown before; I don't even think I have a torque wrench on hand. While I'd be curious to learn, I don't have anyone who could help me through the process, and time would be a mess due to the fall semester starting up shortly. It's also stupid hot during the day right now, plus I'd be hogging my parent's whole garage for a project like that.
So, at the moment it'd be simpler to just have a shop do a rebuild if needed.

Stripping down an engine is great experience and when you've done it once the next time will be easier. Also most any other repair will seem easy in comparison.

Huh. I wonder if the one I already talked to misunderstood me or something. I swear they said like twice that "we don't do Camrys", and said they didn't know of any place that would. They're AERA and have good reviews on Google Maps, so...IDK what was going on.

Some shops only stick with what they know, for example I know of a machine shop that only works on Subaru engines I was considering giving them some work but the vibe I got was they were clueless about any other engines. Dunno why exactly I can work on Subaru or any engine they are all basically the same.

Did you do your compression test with the throttle plate wide open? If not this starves the engine of airflow and you'll get bad readings.

 

Option:

Autotrader - page unavailable

 

I'd consider it if I was in socal, even if just for part cannibalization since it's the same color scheme.
Would probably be hell to ship to Orlando, and even then I'd prefer to see vehicles in-person first.

 

This one might work, For $3k ya get the V6 too.
A rebuild since your gonna farm it out will hit that price tag in short order.

Autotrader - page unavailable

 

1. Swap from lower-mileage car.
2. Rebuild the current engine.
3. Factory new short block?
4. Replace the vehicle.

How much money you got to play with?
All 4 are going to be expensive especially if you have some shop do the work.

1-3 youll have this car, but its going to be a nearly 300K mile car (on all the other components) and that wont guarantee that nothing else will break later on....suspension? ball joints? ac? etc....hows the body? rust??

Any reason youd want to keep this beast? Sentimental? You like it? if its just an old car then there no reason to pour money into it if you are able to have / afford better options.

4 (assuming you have a good amount of $$$ for a newer vehicle) would be the best option given your situation and what not. of course if you dont have much then you also risk the chance of buying a junker if your budget is low. used cars in general can be risky.

can you buy your parents other camrys for cheap or say, are they thinking of getting a newer vehicle for themselves and willing to give you one free / cheap?

 

Get yourself a 2nd opinion on what the compression is the Min is 142 psi on a warm engine your figures are way below that. Here is the testing and spec for your 2000 2.2L.

So, they performed a leak-down test but couldn't identify the source of the leaks?

 

1. Swap from lower-mileage car.
2. Rebuild the current engine.
3. Factory new short block?
4. Replace the vehicle.

How much money you got to play with?
All 4 are going to be expensive especially if you have some shop do the work.

I want to keep it roughly around $5000, but I can go basically double if I absolutely have to.

1-3 youll have this car, but its going to be a nearly 300K mile car (on all the other components) and that wont guarantee that nothing else will break later on....suspension? ball joints? ac? etc....hows the body? rust??

I'm in Florida so there's no salt tearing up the underside. Other stuff mentioned I don't directly know (well, A/C works fine), but I imagine a glaring issue would be noticed by the shop that usually does my oil changes. Also I wanna say shocks and/or suspension was improved at one point; would have to look at service records to know for certain.

Any reason youd want to keep this beast? Sentimental? You like it? if its just an old car then there no reason to pour money into it if you are able to have / afford better options.

Sentimental mainly. It's basically the car I grew up with. Also, I just prefer 90s/early 00s cars. In general I really dislike the ultra-computerized direction of newer vehicles, so I kind of have this preference to avoid vehicles made from the late 00s onward.

can you buy your parents other camrys for cheap or say, are they thinking of getting a newer vehicle for themselves and willing to give you one free / cheap?

That's actually how I got this one. My dad wanted a new car in '23, so he picked up a 2012 Camry and handed me down the 2000. Meanwhile my mom got a 2018 one in '20 after her '06 was rear-ended. Needless to say; they aren't gonna want to change vehicles for a very long time.

 

I want to keep it roughly around $5000, but I can go basically double if I absolutely have to.


I'm in Florida so there's no salt tearing up the underside. Other stuff mentioned I don't directly know (well, A/C works fine), but I imagine a glaring issue would be noticed by the shop that usually does my oil changes. Also I wanna say shocks and/or suspension was improved at one point; would have to look at service records to know for certain.


Sentimental mainly. It's basically the car I grew up with. Also, I just prefer 90s/early 00s cars. In general I really dislike the ultra-computerized direction of newer vehicles, so I kind of have this preference to avoid vehicles made from the late 00s onward.


That's actually how I got this one. My dad wanted a new car in '23, so he picked up a 2012 Camry and handed me down the 2000. Meanwhile my mom got a 2018 one in '20 after her '06 was rear-ended. Needless to say; they aren't gonna want to change vehicles for a very long time.

"I want to keep it roughly around $5000, but I can go basically double if I absolutely have to. "

You must love this 2000 2.2L to possibly spend up to 5k or double that. You could definitely finds a minty fresh non issue car for those prices.

 

oof....Well, get a quote for every option. And also spend a little extra to have the whole car a good once over.

I mean I dont fault you for wanting to keep it but $5-10K on a 25 year old camry.... even Id be hard pressed to do that. ive done stuff like that and although I learned a lot, in my younger years Id tell myself to save money or to spend it more wisely vs on an old vehicle...


2 and3 here can pretty easily go over 5K,... I think you'd be safe at below 10k... but again think wisely about investing that much into a car that will not in the future likely be worth more than 2 - 3K should you try to sell / recoup your losses.... if its for sentiment also consider if its worth that much when you can likely buy something newer and more reliable for that much or save for college, house etc....

 

New engine put in an old shipping crate only $5k, such a deal.

 

Is $5k cheap for a new engine? I don't understand this comment.

 

Option 3. Factory new engine, since you have replaced the transmission already and this seems to be a very strong vehicle that you are so attached with. Trying to get another used car will represent money that you will have to spend just to bring it to optimum conditions.

 

"Option 3. Factory new engine" - Are new engines even still available from the dealer?

 

The car is the "Old Shipping Crate" and the $5k was the low end of the budget.

Looks like Short Blocks are available for about $2,600 but heads are discontinued.

 

Sentimental mainly. It's basically the car I grew up with. Also, I just prefer 90s/early 00s cars. In general I really dislike the ultra-computerized direction of newer vehicles, so I kind of have this preference to avoid vehicles made from the late 00s onward.

This is completely understandable. Older cars generally are going to have less complicated systems and still have decent availability of parts for the models that were built in large volumes (like Camrys). Even if you're mainly shopping on EBay, like I do for a 1986 Toyota.

My vote is for new short block. You can get lucky with a used engine, but just as easily get unlucky. Bought a 1980 Datsun 200SX brand new and had to replace the transmission when the car hit 80,000 miles. Trans kept popping out of 2nd. Put in a junkyard trans. That one went less than a year (popping out of 2nd also). Put in ANOTHER junkyard trans, and that one went the remainder of the life of the vehicle (268,000 miles).

If, as SDSpeed said, the head is no longer available, you will have to get the head reconditioned. You won't want to put a questionable head on a new short block. Likely need a slight shaving to even the head (as it likely has some warp to it), replace valve guides perhaps, maybe even new valves, springs, cams, and followers. But your mechanic can advise you in that regard.

I'm in the same boat myself with a 2006 CR-V. Was run low on oil. Gonna go with a JDM engine, as it is inexpensive relatively-speaking, and I'm not positive what I'm going to do with the car in the long run, even though it's a pretty nice car otherwise.

 

If the head is out of spec it should be replaced not machined removing material from the head changes camshaft timing. I highly doubt a short block is available from Toyota.

 

Found this complete engine too.

https://www.moderntoyota.com/parts/parts-catalog?path=%2Foem-parts%2Ftoyota-engine-complete-assembly-190007a330

 

Not available that site doesn't have real time inventory.

 

Hello,

After reading your sentiments, understanding the conditions of the engine right now, and remembering my own path and experiences, Not just cost, or other peoples throw away thinking...here is what I would prefer.

1) Ask local college auto program if they can rebuild your engine, be ready for a year downtime, $2-$4k, no warranty, other broken items, and lotsa' hassle...Not my favorite.

2) Since so many problems have already stacked up with what you have?, a local average shop tearing into it playing "engine rebuilder" from re-ring, re-bearing, re-piston, rebore/reface, head warp, valve job etc. cost me MORE than double your budget... Thought it was being frugal at first.

3) My old car is gone, (still is in the back of my mind), wish I would have kept it and done this:

Toyota 5SFE 2.2L L4 Remanufactured Engine - 7/96-7/01 - Powertrain Products

Toyota 5SFE 2.2L L4 Remanufactured Engine - 7/96-7/01 by Powertrain Products . OEM quality, backed by the industry's best warranty.

www.powertrainproducts.net

And maybe keep the core to play with later.

Fix or replace the cosmetic stuff at your pace, give the powertrain products a call, or find another near you to compare. A company that has a 7 year/million mile option is rare.

This could be well within your means, budget, keep it in the family kind of vehicle that you never sell, or otherwise, and then there are the memories...priceless.

And thank your parents for giving you the brains to get this far, cook them a dinner, and make them a brunch on Sunday, I used to do that for mine, they are gone now.

 

Hello,

3) My old car is gone, (still is in the back of my mind), wish I would have kept it and done this:

Toyota 5SFE 2.2L L4 Remanufactured Engine - 7/96-7/01 - Powertrain Products

Toyota 5SFE 2.2L L4 Remanufactured Engine - 7/96-7/01 by Powertrain Products . OEM quality, backed by the industry's best warranty.

www.powertrainproducts.net

And maybe keep the core to play with later.

Fix or replace the cosmetic stuff at your pace, give the powertrain products a call, or find another near you to compare. A company that has a 7 year/million mile option is rare.

I did see that option, though googling "Powertrain Products" just seems to yield nightmare stories. Granted, some of the reviews for local shops also seem to be nightmare stories, so both avenues are lose-lose I guess.

As a result, I think for the moment I'm going to do more self testing, and verify it's actually an issue with the short block, and not just a bad valve or leaky headgasket. The latter two issues I could probably fix by myself on a cooler day when I'm not busy.

 

See post #27

 

Doesn't mean they don't have access!

 

Check other OE parts sites they say discontinued.

 

I was just checking Post # 28 ( 83SR5LB ) ... that Powertrain Products engine sounds like the way to go in my humble opinion, I checked it out for my 98 Camry 2.2 ( CE auto. ) with keeping the core and it comes out about $3,500+ NOT 2 SHABBY in my thinking. Personally I think I would remove the front cap for full access, but I'm old (bumpin 80 yrs ) and I'm down to turtle speed these days with some medical conditions that have weakened my endurance, I know the sentiment you have for your car, I'm with the exact same feelings, I also live in Florida ( just inside the Ocala National Forest .. bout 20 mi. East from downtown Ocala. ) Keep us all in the loop, I'm really interested in the outcome of your project.

 

Hey Boobala,

I like the access idea, I don't know if the op has access to a lift, drop the cradle, or other stuff, but it reminded me of things we used to do, being originally from Detroit, and a lot of family members were in automotive from a to z (from shops to behind the tree behind the barn lol)

I am 10 years behind you, odd...I lived in Silver Springs.

My 85 year old Uncle started listening to my findings after my accident 10 years ago, I turned down the two plates, spinal fusion, and 11 total surgeries to start, with a lifetime of meds.

Went all organic, half keto, half mediteranian, half natural with imagination lol.
I listened to Dr. Berg on yu tube and his site, also Dr. Bergman, motivational doc Dr. Mandel, a few other really good ones. I share the info with him, he has adopted some, and doing a lot better, no chem/surgery either.

I checked your profile to send you a private message first, but did not see a path.

Keep bumpin'!!!

 

I searched what you mentioned about reviews and nightmares, from their site it looks great, BBB says otherwise, thing is, how many good ones to bad ones are there? It is interesting to find the ratio, just like any Toyota product.

After more research, and you mentioned oil burning etc., it needs rings, I would want to bore scope it before going further. Shown here with CCN:

In the video, he mentioned rod bolts backing out, you can check it.

Also, if the head is straight, maybe do new pistons and rings, or re-ring if pistons and cylinder walls are good, hmm...crosshatch work still there?, high miles might need a quick kiss with a knobby brush/light hone.

Again, maybe do new pistons, rods, and rings, replace rod bolts, if the head is straight, new head gasket with new head bolts, step torqued in perfectly. If the head flatness spec was a little past tolerance on last timing belt job, it will go out faster than normal. Inspect instead of Expect.

Supposedly, if it needs x.xxxx thousandth taken off to get in spec, it has to be taken up by shim, thicker head gasket etc., I have seen a shop replace a gasket several times by ignoring specs.
Checking all surfaces, flatness several ways etc. and bearings obviously.

Pick up a real shop manual set, read, learn, research, apply yourself, get the 3 book set. ebay has a few sellers, or where ever.

Have fun,...fix it and remember the feeling of doing it, do it well, enjoy the ability to use your hands while they work.

I would go with a Toyota or Aisin timing belt/water pump kit, with all new bearings, ALL new seals kit, and a timing cover seal kit if it has that available.

Ohm test plus for coil or new one/s, new spark plugs, wires, "the works" etc. No junk, good Toyota parts.

Since I read these can be oil burners, make sure you have new PCV components, super clean the valve cover, clean egr system, and solenoid etc.

Another video:

 

After more research, and you mentioned oil burning etc., it needs rings, I would want to bore scope it before going further. Shown here with CCN: [video]

In the video, he mentioned rod bolts backing out, you can check it.

Also, if the head is straight, maybe do new pistons and rings, or re-ring if pistons and cylinder walls are good, hmm...crosshatch work still there?, high miles might need a quick kiss with a knobby brush/light hone.

Again, maybe do new pistons, rods, and rings, replace rod bolts, if the head is straight, new head gasket with new head bolts, step torqued in perfectly. If the head flatness spec was a little past tolerance on last timing belt job, it will go out faster than normal. Inspect instead of Expect.

Supposedly, if it needs x.xxxx thousandth taken off to get in spec, it has to be taken up by shim, thicker head gasket etc., I have seen a shop replace a gasket several times by ignoring specs.
Checking all surfaces, flatness several ways etc. and bearings obviously.

Pick up a real shop manual set, read, learn, research, apply yourself, get the 3 book set. ebay has a few sellers, or where ever.

I would go with a Toyota or Aisin timing belt/water pump kit, with all new bearings, ALL new seals kit, and a timing cover seal kit if it has that available.

Ohm test plus for coil or new one/s, new spark plugs, wires, "the works" etc. No junk, good Toyota parts.

Since I read these can be oil burners, make sure you have new PCV components, super clean the valve cover, clean egr system, and solenoid etc.

That is...a lot. For something that involved, I'd want to have somebody more experienced helping me though my first time, especially since I don't know much about the equipment I'd need. (There aren't exactly videos titled "Rebuilding a 5S-FE for Absolute Beginners".) Alternatively, at the very least, I'd want to practice on a "junk" engine I don't care about potentially messing up.
That said, I probably should see if there's non-model-specific videos (demonstration example aside) about rebuilding engines for beginners.
EDIT: Thinking on it, I assume the shop manuals would walk through a 5S-FE specific rebuild.