Dave’s Question: The AC on my 99 Camry went out. Not that I care about the AC in this freezing cold weather, but the windows now fog up all the time. The AC light flashes on and off, and when I hot wire the AC compressor, it will work then. So something’s gone electronically. What can I check next, all the fuses and relays are working?
Toyota Camri 1999
Answer: Yes, you’ve got an electrical short somewhere, since hot wiring the compressor makes the system work. Behind the glove box there’s a small computer called the AC amplifier. If they go bad, you’ll have no power going to the compressor. Check to see if power is going into the amplifier, but not coming out when you turn the AC button on. If this is the case, replace the amplifier. If no power is going into the amplifier, then check the switch itself for power in and power out. Somewhere you will be losing power, and that will be the culprit. Good Luck,
Peter’s Question: Hi, Michael I have a Corolla 2003 at 52 000 miles. Yesterday I changed the transmission oil second time. The first time it was at 30 000 miles. The oil level has always been OK but now when I try to change to rear gear from parking only there is a jam. When I go to neutral first and then back to rear it is smoother. It have not had a problem like this before. What could it be? Regards, Peter
Answer: OK, IF you had no problem like this before changing the fluid, you may have either added the incorrect amount of fluid, or have used the wrong type of fluid. Those newer Corollas use a special Toyota fluid. I go to the Toyota dealer to buy this special Toyota fluid, or to a quality foreign auto parts store that sells the same exact fluid. If you didn’t use this fluid, then I would advise going to a transmission shop that has a flush machine. Have them flush the tranny out completely and refill it with the Toyota fluid. You can’t get it all out yourself, because most of the fluid will be inside the torque converter and you can’t get it out yourself. As a note to everyone out there, ALWAYS check the type of fluid used in automatic transmissions these days, because there are a bunch of different fluids used in different vehicles which are not compatible. Good Luck
Jaycee Question: What do you think about the Toyota Yaris or the Honda Civic? I was also looking at the Ford Fusion…Looking to buy a new car, don’t want something that’s going to be a headache in a few years…thanks!!
honda-civic vs.
toyota-yaris
Answer: Well, you’re doing pretty good research there. All three cars are excellant cars. I’ve personally driven AND worked on all three of those cars. My customers with all three were happy with their vehicles and no one had any major complaints about any of those models. The Fusion has the most zip and handling, while the Toyota has the most reliability under its belts. And the civics have been around For Ever, and also have a great reliability track record. You just need to choose which one you want and what price you want to spend. Happy car hunting.
Terry Question: My 2001 Toyota Avalon is making a noise in the back. Sounds like a rear end noise, but I know this is a front wheel drive car, so it has no rear end in the back. I jacked up the car, but can’t see or feel anything wrong. What could it be?
toyota-avalon
Answer: Yes, they’ve had a little bit of problems with water intruding into the rear wheel bearing assemblies on those Avalons. BUT, if you pull on the wheels, you normally won’t feel any play in the bearings because it’s such a tiny bit of wear. They both may be worn, but try this: drive down a wide road when no one is around. Then sway gently to the right, and then to the left. If the noise get’s louder when you sway to the left, and gets quieter when you sway to the right, then the left rear bearing is the culprit. And of course, vice versa, if the noise gets louder when you sway to the right, then the right rear bearing is shot. Now you know how to check wheel bearings when they aren’t worn enough yet to make the tires wobble when you pull on them.
Question. Cedric asks: I’m thinking about having my 1999 Camry repainted. But I’ve gotten quotes from 250 dollars to three (3) thousand dollars. Why the big price difference?
Toyota Camri 1999
Answer: As in most cases, you get what you pay for. The low end price is probably one of those chain paint businesses. They paint a LOT of cars, so they get a break on paint and material costs. And generally for that price, they just tape over trim and such, and then spray the car. While a paint job that costs a LOT more will generally consist of stripping the old paint off, removing all the trim and bumpers, and doing a really professional job. SO, you decide what you want done, and what you want to pay. Just make sure that whoever you choose for the job will give you some type of guarantee against runs and drips and “orange peels” in the paint surface BEFORE you have them do the job. That way you’ll know what to accept when the job is done.
