Archive for the 'Toyota' Category
Shant’s question:
“Hello , I took my 2000 Toyota Camry V6 to a Dealer for an oil change. They adviced me that the power steering rack and hose has a slow leak and should be fixed soon. I would like to fix it myself and save money if I can. Thank you for your assistance.”
Answer:
The hose merely bolts on and off, which you can do with hand tools. BUT, the rack requires taking most of the front end off to replace, then the front end has to be realigned when you’re done (which only a front end shop can do with some VERY expensive equipment and a lot of experience.) Go ahead and change out the hose and see what happens. The racks can seep a little fluid for a LONG time before they leak big time. And I’ve have great luck using AT 205 to stop rack leaks. It’s a polymer sealer made by ATP products in Chicago. It’s hard to find but it can work great.
Lena’s question:
I took your advice and purchased a Toyota Yaris. LOVE IT!!! The question I have is how do I properly “break in” this puppy??
Answer:
Well, in the olden days, when I was young and dinosaurs roamed the Earth, you had to break a car in seriously. Not driving over fifty for hundreds of miles and changing the oil a lot. BUT, modern cars are completely different. You just want to drive the car conservatively the first few hundred miles. This lets the brakes set in on the rotors so the vehicle stops correctly and the brakes will last longer. Modern speed limits of 65 mph is no problem with that Yaris, just try to keep away from jack rabbit starts the first few hundred miles.
Other than that, just change the oil and filter in the engine regularly (3 thousand miles for normal oil and 7 thousand miles for fully synthetic oil.) I have many customers with Toyota products that have done NOTHING but change the oil regularly for years. Nothing else was needed and the cars ran fine. Sure, you want to maintain the car correctly, but the radiator coolant is good for three to four years, as is the special transmission fluid they use (assuming you have an automatic, if you have a standard, then the fluid basically lasts forever.)
Check you tire air pressure once a month or so just to be on the safe side (in case you hit a nail or something), although you probably won’t lose any serious amount of air for years in that Toyota. Have fun driving,
Molly’s question:
My brother in law keeps wearing tires out on his 2002 Rav 4. They don’t last 20 thousand miles before the outside of both front tires wear down the tread. He’s been told by the dealer his alignment is good. What could be wrong?
Answer:
Well, there has to be something wrong with the alignment for them to wear out that way UNLESS he doesn’t keep proper air pressure in the tires.
And even then it would tend to wear both the outside and the inside edge of the front tires if the pressure was low, and the middle of the tire if the pressure was too high. It wouldn’t just wear the outside of both tires. I’d advise him to call around independant front end alignment shops in his area, or ask his friends if they know of any such shops.
And if he can’t find one himself, then call a big diesel repair shop–because if they don’t also align small trucks like his Rav 4, they would certainly know of a shop in his area who did good work on them. That’s how I find such places myself– word of mouth beats all.
Paul’s question:
I had an accident a couple of months ago and damaged the right front tire axle and A frame etc. The accident pushed the whole tire into the wheel well several inches and made the tire lay at an angle. Well I took it to a third party mechanic and i am not sure what he did becuase I had to go out of town during the time he had it.
He got me back on the road but that was about it. Every time i put it in drive or reverse it will make a clunking noise one time in either direction. And when that clunk noise happens the front tire will rock inward for drive and outward for reverse. I just wanted to know if there was anything I could do myslef that could eliminate this clunking noise?
Answer:
If at all possible, take it back to that guy, he didn’t do his job correctly. BUT, if you want to try something yourself, jack up that side and pull on the wheel back and forth, and up and down. Then try to see what’s got play in it. If you visit a junk yard with a similar truck, you could buy parts a LOT cheaper than brand new Toyota parts.
And if you’re not too mechanical yourself, ask at the junk yard if they or a mechanic they know would install used parts from them on it. And if push comes to shove, if they at least put used parts on correctly, you could then go to a good front end shop and they could align it. You could have worn ball joints, or maybe even a bent a frame that they just didn’t bother to check. Good Luck,
Ed’s question:
I’m trying to put a timing belt on my 2001 V6 Toyota Camry, but I can’t figure out how to reinstall the tensioner. It’s one of those hydraulic jobs and of course now it’s popped the whole way up. Give me some pointers, please.
Answer:
Yes, that tensioner on the V6 camrys is the only really tricky part. You need to have a hydraulic press or a large bench vice to squeeze the piston back into the hydraulic tensioner. Then put a small drill bit into the line up holes on the tensioner to hold it in place. If you don’t have this equipment, you can just buy a new tensioner that’s already pushed in with a holding pin in it. Which really isn’t that bad of an idea, then you don’t have to worry about the tensioner wearing out as it will be a new one.
Kent’s question: My 99 Toyota 4 runner with the V6 engine started running bad last week. It had code P0340 stored for the cam sensor. So I replaced the sensor, it only took five minutes. But the code is still there, and it still runs bad. I don’t know what to do.
P0340 Toyota
Answer: As I’ve said before, a trouble code is a general code. It doesn’t mean one particular part is actually bad, because all the parts in the engine work together. So just changing the sensor is only a guess, and it didn’t work in this case. The last 4 runner I fixed with that code had a worn timing belt that had slipped. Once the timing belt slips, the crank and cam sensors are no longer in time correctly. And in those Toyotas, the cam position sensor code will often pop up because of this (and not because the sensor itself is bad.) I’d advise pulling the timing belt cover and checking to see if the cam and crank are no longer aligned correctly with the line up arrows. If so, just install a new timing belt.
Ian’s Question: My 2004 Toyota Matrix started running a little funny and the check engine light came on. I got the code, it’s number P1349. How can I fix this?
Answer: OK, that’s a code for trouble in the variable valve timing system. That system is operated by oil pressure. THE most common problem I see that causes that code to pop is either very dirty oil, or low oil. If the oil pressure in the engine drops from either really dirty oil or oil that is very low in the engine, then the variable valve system can’t work. So not only do you get the trouble code, you also will be some poor running in the engine. If you’re lucky, a cheap fix is to change the engine oil and filter, and use synthetic oil to help it work better. If this works, then be sure to change your oil and filter regularly. Considering a new engine costs thousands of dollars, and oil changes are twenty bucks or so, it’s a real deal to change your oil consistently.
Harry’s Question: I can’t get the key out of my 99 Camry. It’s stuck fast, I can’t turn it to drive it or get it out. HELP!
Answer: Yes, the lock tumbler assemblies on those Camrys often do break after years of use. Take the plastic cover off the steering wheel and there’s a small pin hole on the lock tumbler assembly. If you stick a small pick in that hole, and pull out on the key, the whole tumbler assembly should come right out. Then just go put a new one in, it’s a pretty simple job. I’ve done scores of them.
Morris Question: The transmission just went out on my old 91 Toyota Corolla. I found one in a junk yard for a 91 Geo Prism. Will this work?
Answer: Well, the transmissions are exactly the same, so it would fit. BUT, whether it works or not is a relative gamble. Those front wheel drive 91 Corolla transmissions all pretty much wear out at 150 thousand miles or so. The one you’re going to install may also be worn out itself. Using a junk yard automatic unit on that old of a car is a gamble, just realize that before you install one. You can’t really check a used transmission fully until it’s hooked up and running on the car. BUT, as I said, it will fit your toyota. Good Luck.
Dave’s Question: I have a 93 toyota celica,I had trouble with the dim/bright switch on the steering colunm.pulling back it wouldn’t stay on.Dealer replaced light switch/turn signal column assembly. 2 months later my cruise control light won’t come on, cruise doesnt work,my horn doesn,t work and my airbag light stays on,any ideas?thanks Continue reading ’93 Toyota Celica Cruise Control Not Working’
