Hello,
Im new to the forums, but not new to camrys. My girlfreind has a 1997 Camry LE 4 Cyl (2.2) with 131000 miles that has ran great with no problems at all. Yesterday morning she started it up and it immediately starting making extremely loud clanking/knocking/banging sounds from the crankcase area on the passenger side of the motor.
The car doesnt seem to lose power, actually idles fine and runs good suprisingly. No smoke/smells. However i noticed coolant is pouring out from what appears to the the timing belt cover/area. (I couldnt tell if there is a hole in the block or the water pump is leaking.)
The car has been well maintained from when it was purchased new. Oil changes always on time. It was a half quart low on oil, and the coolant was very old. Topping off the oil obviously didnt fix the problem, and i didnt assume it would. There is a very slight oil leak from what appears to the oil pan gasket/valve cover areas (typical for the age i would say).
My last Camry was a 1992 that lasted 264K and the engine seized up out of random going down the road, but this one has way less miles on it.
I know for a fact its not the Alternator or Power Steering Pump, the noise is still there when these belt were removed.
I figured at this point it spun a crank bearing or threw the rod due to the randomness of it all with no previous symptoms/noises leading up to it. Am I jumping the gun here by looking into buying a used motor already?