The sender unit for the temp gauge on the 2.2 engine is located at the engine end of the upper rad hose, top of the coolant manifold.

With the key on/engine off, disconnect the 1 wire from the sender.
Gauge should go all the way up or all the way down
Now ground the 1 wire, gauge should do the opposite of what it did when disconnected.
This tests the wire and Gauge.

If gauge reacts this way then replace sender, if it doesn't then either wire or gauge has the problem.
If the gauge goes all the way up when key is on and engine cold then yes wire was most likely disconnected somewhere, and that might take while to find.
The main wiring harness from the engine compartment to inside the car runs through the passenger side firewall, these wires have multiple connectors behind the glove box, not hard to get to, just a few screws.
The wires are color coded, so you may be able to find the correct wire there and run a replacement, or see if connector was incorrectly installed so not making a connection.


If the timing belt was replaced then it was probably installed incorrectly, cam gear is not in time with crankshaft gear, off by 1 or 2 teeth, this is very easy to get wrong on the 2.2 engine.
Engine will still run "ok" but will lack power, because of incorrect valve timing.
This can be checked and corrected by removing the upper timing belt cover, which is not a simple job but not as hard as removing everything to do the timing belt.

 

Ron, that must be the wire he took out to deactivate the gauge. He took a wire out of a metal tube and the gauge went all the way down. When he put it back in, it went all the way back up. When I cranked this morning the gauge reacted normally then after five minutes it went to hot. He wants to replace the gauge...he should know it's the sender. I shouldn't have to, be I will let him know it's the sender. Is this something simple enough for me to replace? If not, I will get him to replace it for free.

How do I correct the timing belt issue by myself? Should I just let him know it feels like the cam gear isn't in time with the crankshaft gear? The tachometer went up to 4 and down to 2 and again while trying to gain some speed going up an incline.

Ron...you are the best.

 

Checking the timing belt is something the mechanic should do for free, after you report that the car "feels" under powered.

Although I am not to sure about this mechanic, he might find a problem with your exhaust bearings if you take it back to him.

FYI, there is no such thing as exhaust bearings, although they do sound important, lol.


yes, the temp gauge sender is very easy to change.
You will need a wrench that fits the sending unit, and a new sending unit.
You should have new coolant from the timing belt change so I would remove rad cap and then put a bowl under the radiator's drain plug.
Drain a few inches of coolant into the bowl, so level in rad is below sending unit level.
Remove old sending unit
Install new sending unit, these usually have "pipe threads", this means the thread part is tapered to seal better, but you can add a dab of silicone or similar sealer.
Do not use teflon tape, this can cause a bad ground, and most engine sensors need a good thread ground to work.

Tighten new sending unit snug, no need to crank on it, you can always tighten a little more if it does leak, so don't over do it.

Top up rad with saved coolant, put cap back on, put the rest in the overflow container.

Start engine, check for leaks as engine warms up.

 

+1. Double check the timing.

 

Did I comment, you are the best? Thanks for everything. While driving home on a slight incline, driving 20 miles an hour took forever. The tachometer seems to be stuck on 2 then shot up to 4, back to 2, 4 again and back to 2 as 20 mph went up to 30 plus with no problem. This seems to happen after a complete stop or incline.

The temperature gauge, start off normal, but within 3 to 5 minutes its on H.

I am taking the car back to the mechanic to get the timing straight and replace the sender.

 

The tach changing doesn't sound like valve timing issue although it could be in a round about way.

The tach changing sounds more like the automatic transmission is trying to find the right gear to be in.
I don't know much about the Camry automatic transmission, but most use multiple sensors, to detect speed, RPM and throttle position for shifting.
Could mechanic have left something disconnected?

If valve timing is off then engines torque at XXXX RPM would be different so transmissions preset parameters for changing gears would not be correct.
Round about reason, lol.

 

Temp gauge to HOT after 3 min

This a common problem with the GAUGES.

We have at least 2-3 of these come through our shop each year and (so far) almost every time IT AS THE GAUGE CLUSTER.

and I agree with the Timing being off a tooth or two. Common problem from a being in a rush and not checking his work after installing belt.
If timing belt is ok then the timing could be to far retarded.

Hope this helps :dnftt:

 

I'm kind of shocked by your mechanics to be honest...
What kind of mechanics don't even take the car for a test ride after replacing the timing belt to check that everything runs as it shuold?
I don't know in USA, but here in Norway, a mechanics like that would be lucky to have his company running for a month or two...

After reading what have also happend previously with that mechanics of yours, i'd probably rather throw some $ out of the window while driving on the highway then ever taking the car even close to that guy again.
But this is just my personal thought from what i've read though, I have personal experience with him, so...


But on topic; i recommend to replace the temp sensor/sender yourself as it's quite easy.

And +1 for incorrect timing belt. This isn't something I recommend you to do yourself though, as it's both quite a bit of works, and easy to get wrong.
And also because this it something he shuold repair for free, as he didn't do it properly in the first place.

 

Maybe he didn't re-connect everything...I will check tomorrow. Thanks so much.

 

The temperature gauge goes from normal to hot in exactly 4 minutes. Now that I have a new sender, it is not going all the way to hot in 4 minutes, its just going up 3/4 of the way. We had to tape the wire down into the sender because the mechanic broke the part off that holds the wire in the sender...I need to get another part to hold that...maybe that will correct the problem, but I don't know the name of the part.

The tachometer situation is weird, the tachometer causes a problem at 2000 rpm. If i slowly increase the speed upon the 2, I am fine. If I increase speed normally or fast, it causes a problem. Every traffic light seems to be on an incline and my start is slow and frustrating with the lack of horsepower.

 

The temperature gauge goes from normal to hot in exactly 4 minutes. Now that I have a new sender, it is not going all the way to hot in 4 minutes, its just going up 3/4 of the way. We had to tape the wire down into the sender because the mechanic broke the part off that holds the wire in the sender...I need to get another part to hold that...maybe that will correct the problem, but I don't know the name of the part.

The tachometer situation is weird, the tachometer causes a problem at 2000 rpm. If i slowly increase the speed upon the 2, I am fine. If I increase speed normally or fast, it causes a problem. Every traffic light seems to be on an incline and my start is slow and frustrating with the lack of horsepower.

I would treat the temperature & tachometer/power issues as independent (although the could be loosely related). I would also suggest you work on your temperature issue first, as not getting this right could ruin your engine. Sounds like you need to have your mechanic take ownership of what he broke, and have him fix it correctly. Is the replacement sender that was put in a Toyota sending unit for temperature? If not, I wouldn't trust the output from a non-OEM sending unit. But the fact that it takes 4 minutes for the temp gauge to go from normal to hot suggests you really do have a situation where your engine is running hot. So let's get the temperature sending unit issue resolved, then hook your car up to a scanner to find out what the ECT (engine coolant temperature) sensor is telling the ECU and see if the ECU is also getting higher than normal temperature values when your gauge starts going to hot. If it does, the next step is to find out why your engine cannot maintain a normal operating temperature.

 

I would take a picture of the new temp sensor's connector(or take the old sensor with you if they are the same) and then go to a Toyota auto recycler, find the correct matching connector, cut the wire and use a crimp-on butt connector to add it to your bare wire.


It sounds like your transmission is not starting out in 1st gear, that would make it feel sluggish until you got up some speed.

 

Hello Stephen
Your problem far from what you think with all of your friends
The problem caused by earth cable 2 wire mounted at engine body located under carburetor together in one point color brown one of them for temperature gauge another one for fuel gauge always disconnect during mechanical technician work activities
Please conecte again and your problem will be solved
Thanks