[Camry452]

Hi All, about twice a year I lubricate the door locks on my 01 Camry CE. I have noticed that they were starting to get sluggish recently and that to me is generally lube time. I use a Teflon impregnated liquid lube which is actually lube for bicycle chains but it is great stuff and works very well. I coat the key with the lube, put the key into the lock and turn it several times. I have known for a long time that the passengers door lock will open all of the door locks when I put the key in and turn it but I found out todat that it will also lock all of the door locks as well. The drivers door will open the driver door on the first turn and if I turn the key again it will then open all of the doors but if I try to go in the opposite direction it is blocked and I am not sure why this is.

Why can I open all 4 doors with the key from the passengers side and lock them as well but I have to turn the key twice from the drivers side and I can't lock the doors from the drivers side by using the key? I am guessing that Toyota had a good reason for this I just don't know what is was and I am hoping someone here might. Thanks everyone.

 

[ND Camry Owner]

Hi All, about twice a year I lubricate the door locks on my 01 Camry CE. I have noticed that they were starting to get sluggish recently and that to me is generally lube time. I use a Teflon impregnated liquid lube which is actually lube for bicycle chains but it is great stuff and works very well. I coat the key with the lube, put the key into the lock and turn it several times. I have known for a long time that the passengers door lock will open all of the door locks when I put the key in and turn it but I found out todat that it will also lock all of the door locks as well. The drivers door will open the driver door on the first turn and if I turn the key again it will then open all of the doors but if I try to go in the opposite direction it is blocked and I am not sure why this is.

Why can I open all 4 doors with the key from the passengers side and lock them as well but I have to turn the key twice from the drivers side and I can't lock the doors from the drivers side by using the key? I am guessing that Toyota had a good reason for this I just don't know what is was and I am hoping someone here might. Thanks everyone.

You should be able to lock and unlock all the doors from either side. Your key and the lock on the driver's side might just be worn down enough that it's not letting you. Being able to unlock/lock all doors from the passenger side is an etiquette thing. From the days before fobs.

 

[new echo owner]

When you just lube the key and stick the key into the lock cylinder, you might not lubricate all the tumblers in the lock cylinder, that maybe why you can only turn one way but not the other. Spray some lube into the lock cylinder, see if that helps.
Or like @ND Camry Owner said, the key might be worn; however, if you flip the key over, it might open still.

I believe turning the driver's key twice is a safety feature; in some instances, you don't want all the doors unlock, just the driver's. Especially so nowadays with all the car jackings going on, you don't want someone get in from the other doors while you open up the driver's. Same deal for the remotes, press twice to open all doors..

 

[Camry452]

@ND Camry Owner Thanks for the info. I had a feeling that was the case but I am wrong about once every 10 or 20 years and since this group has so much talent I wanted to put it out there.

Interestingly enough I was looking through some paperwork on my car and I was surprised to realize that I have had the car for 5 years, Wow! When I got the car it was because my wife and I had separated in the process of a divorce and we both had to turn in our leased cars. Of course, her father, Daddy Warbucks stepped in and bought her a brand-new car while I had to fend for myself and the 01 Camry was the best I could do with the money I had. That car has pissed me off once or twice but all in all it has been a good car. Not bad for a car that I told myself I would only have for 6 months.

Realizing this has caused me to re-evaluate where I am and what I might want to do with the car. The car is old with a lot of miles but all major systems are holding together. The major issue I have is with the paint looks horrible but that is the curse of the Japanese basecoat/clearcoat that millions of people had to deal with and Toyota never had the decency or the respect for their customers to put out a recall for their horrible work . . . The only other issue is the blower motor. After being screwed by Rock Auto who sold me 2 defective blower motors in a row the only thing I can get is the high speed but at least it works. I may look around after the first of the year and get the car painted and you can bet the ranch it will not be basecoat/clearcoat. I had a shop 3 years ago tell me they would paint the car with Acrylic Enamel for $1,200 out the door and if they can come even close that I think I will give them the go ahead.

I have been looking to replace this Camry over the years and considering what I have and what is out there I have a huge people paying money for the junk that people are trying to sell these days. I know that I could spend the $1,200 for paint and the car could blow up the next day but I could also spend money to replace the Camry and that car could self-destruct as well. What is the expression? "The devil you know is better that the devil you don't know"? Considering that I am only doing about 6,000 a year on the Camry and I am keeping up the maintenance on it it might be worth the risk. A new paint job is looking better and better but we shall see. . .

 

[Strega315]

The only other issue is the blower motor. After being screwed by Rock Auto who sold me 2 defective blower motors in a row the only thing I can get is the high speed but at least it works.

You don't need a BLOWER MOTOR, you need a BLOWER MOTOR RESISTOR.

 

[Strega315]

The Blower Resistor is what provides the voltage drop for LOW and MEDIUM blower fan speeds. The HIGH switch position bypasses the BLOWER RESISTOR and enables the circuit in HIGH SPEED ONLY.

 

[Camry452]

@Strega315 Thank you for the suggestion but I actually do need a blower motor. The 2 blower motors that Rock Auto screwed me on were defective. Both of them draw too much current which causes the solder joint in your photo to fail and open. I thought seriously about taking nichrome wire and tying the connection back together and then soldering it but I am concerned that it could take out my entire electrical system and/or catch my car on fire.

I actually did well during the summer with 1 speed AC. When I am on the interstate at 60 to 70mph the air that naturally moves through the system gave me plenty of cooling and I didn't miss the extra 3 speeds. Where I live winters are reasonably mild and it I need defrost I just crank the blower motor to 4. I got an estimate of $450 from a reputable local shop to replace both the blower motor and the blower motor resistor and I may take them up on it and then sue Rock Auto for the $450 plus the 2 defective blower motors they screwed me on and the 4 blower motor resistors I had to but to diagnose the problem.

I am not the only one who hates Rock Auto and wants to see them go away. If you look at their facebook page they have commenting turned off because they get so much hate mail due to their horrible products and really bad service.

 

[norm356]

Weird.

So, why buy brand new motors from aftermarket suppliers of questionable quality?
Much wiser to buy a used OEM one from a pick and pull.

 

[Jeff83]

Weird.

So, why buy brand new motors from aftermarket suppliers of questionable quality?
Much wiser to buy a used OEM one from a pick and pull.

If it was me, I would buy an OEM Toyota blower motor resistor and try it. You are correct in that RockAuto is not the place to buy any electrical components, most are made of Chineseium and are junk with the exception of Denso which is owned by Toyota and an OEM parts supplier. And NEVER buy off of Ebay!

 

[Jeff83]

@ND Camry Owner Thanks for the info. I had a feeling that was the case but I am wrong about once every 10 or 20 years and since this group has so much talent I wanted to put it out there.

Interestingly enough I was looking through some paperwork on my car and I was surprised to realize that I have had the car for 5 years, Wow! When I got the car it was because my wife and I had separated in the process of a divorce and we both had to turn in our leased cars. Of course, her father, Daddy Warbucks stepped in and bought her a brand-new car while I had to fend for myself and the 01 Camry was the best I could do with the money I had. That car has pissed me off once or twice but all in all it has been a good car. Not bad for a car that I told myself I would only have for 6 months.

Realizing this has caused me to re-evaluate where I am and what I might want to do with the car. The car is old with a lot of miles but all major systems are holding together. The major issue I have is with the paint looks horrible but that is the curse of the Japanese basecoat/clearcoat that millions of people had to deal with and Toyota never had the decency or the respect for their customers to put out a recall for their horrible work . . . The only other issue is the blower motor. After being screwed by Rock Auto who sold me 2 defective blower motors in a row the only thing I can get is the high speed but at least it works. I may look around after the first of the year and get the car painted and you can bet the ranch it will not be basecoat/clearcoat. I had a shop 3 years ago tell me they would paint the car with Acrylic Enamel for $1,200 out the door and if they can come even close that I think I will give them the go ahead.

I have been looking to replace this Camry over the years and considering what I have and what is out there I have a huge people paying money for the junk that people are trying to sell these days. I know that I could spend the $1,200 for paint and the car could blow up the next day but I could also spend money to replace the Camry and that car could self-destruct as well. What is the expression? "The devil you know is better that the devil you don't know"? Considering that I am only doing about 6,000 a year on the Camry and I am keeping up the maintenance on it it might be worth the risk. A new paint job is looking better and better but we shall see. . .

I went thru the same thought process as you are going through now. I got my car from my mom when she quit driving last year for free with only 75k on the clock so I'm ahead of you on that score.
The paint was totally trashed after her and my dad used it as tow behind car when they had an RV so you can guess what it looked like. Since most of us here are car guys and can't stand to drive a car that looks like hammered shit, you guessed it, I got it painted. I went to MAACO last year and got the two-stage paint job and I'm completely satisfied. I paid extra for the primer coat, two-stage paint and some light body work for parking lot dings so I'm into a paint job for around $2500. It was worth it; it looks brand new. I also removed all of the lights, mirrors, badges, front bumper and grill to make sure everything was painted properly with the least amount of overspray on the radiator and light lenses.
I have done lots of other things too:
New Alpine head unit with Bluetooth, hands free phone and apple car play
Factory style rear wing that the SE package came with
17" wheels and tires
Converted to all LED lights
New headlights and front grill
Tinted windows
So, here's how I justified all of this to myself, but not so much to my wife. If you buy a new car your payments will probably be around what, $500 a month? So, after around 7 or 8 months of payments your done and have a good car that will last a long time.

 

[ddyer]

My Blower was doing the same thing and the resistor fixed it.