22
votes
Accepted
Charging battery with battery charger vs jump starting and running the car
Got a 1998 Toyota Camry that has an empty battery and am wondering what the best course of action is.
Why is it empty?
Is it empty because the battery is old and dying and won't hold capacity?
Or is ...
- 14.5k
16
votes
Accepted
Will zip ties hold on a bumper for 200 miles?
If you are using the same mounting holes which once had clips in them, the zip ties should hold just fine. If the holes are torn or lost their integrity, I doubt it will. Zip ties have a pretty good ...
- 153k
11
votes
2003 Toyota Camry dirt guard panels under car front, are they really necessary?
The shields have multiple purposes. What you stated about rocks and debris is very true. They do protect the engine bay from stuff getting kicked up into it.
Another thing they are designed to do is ...
- 153k
9
votes
Looking at buying a 1997 Toyota Camry XLE V6 with dark colored ATF, mistake?
95% chance it's just normal wear. The vast majority of car manufacturers recommend an ATF change between 30,000 and 100,000 miles. So if the owner hasn't serviced it in a bit, the brown colour would ...
- 5,245
8
votes
Will zip ties hold on a bumper for 200 miles?
Some bumpers, exhaust pipes or protective covers are run for years with a zip-tie or wire mount.
Just use large enough ties. Or a large number of smaller ties.
- 2,022
8
votes
Smoke coming from hood. Car turned off . wrong coolant was added..Why wont car turn on or what could be the issue
I'm not a believer in coincidence, so I am 99.9% sure there is a relationship between the oil change and the problems you are having.
It sounds like there has been a catastrophic failure of some sort, ...
- 12.1k
7
votes
Accepted
What is a safe procedure for replacing a fuel filter on a 2000 Toyota Camry?
I'll preface this with the caveat that I haven't replaced the fuel filter on this specific vehicle before, and my advice is based on experience with other cars. I do think it's good advice regardless.
...
- 697
7
votes
Are generic steel rims bad for car/tires?
I prefer steel rims - less troubles with balancing.
Talking about bolts for steel and aluminium wheels - they should have different bolts. Alloy wheel bolts have longer thread and cone shape (on the ...
- 1,448
7
votes
Can hooking up jumper cables incorrectly cause one to have to replace the throttle body?
There's a joke in electronic engineering about transistors being invented to protect fuses. Basically, it means that transistors blow faster, and so a fuse is practically worthless for that purpose. ...
- 612
7
votes
Charging battery with battery charger vs jump starting and running the car
If the battery is completely flat, then it will have been severely degraded in capacity. Lead acid batteries don’t hold their full charge after going completely flat, so it would be best to replace ...
- 24.9k
6
votes
removing crankshaft pulley without the puller tool?
There is a way to do it. You put a wrench on the pulley bolt and block the other end against the floor or the frame. Then you use the starter motor to turn the engine (DO NOT START IT, JUST TURN IT) ...
- 9,326
6
votes
Coolant boiling and smoke coming out of engine bay
On Symptoms...
The boiling and smoke are a result of the high temperature due to a cooling system malfunction. The fact that your temperature dropped again is indicative that the system works ...
- 2,567
6
votes
1989 toyota camry revving to 4-5k in park and neutral
This sounds like a severe vacuum leak. You are going to be looking at either a bad intake manifold gasket, bad throttle body gasket, or cracked intake manifold. A brake booster hose MIGHT be able to ...
- 8,443
6
votes
Gauging tight parking spots
One thing I found with myself, after learning to drive on farms at a very young age, is that I seem to naturally "know" or "feel" where the outer limits of my car is. It's strange and I can't fully ...
- 1,586
6
votes
Looking at buying a 1997 Toyota Camry XLE V6 with dark colored ATF, mistake?
You're getting a bit ahead of yourself thinking a about a transmission swap in a 1200 dollar car. Dark transmission fluid is completely normal at that mileage. It probably has never been changed, but ...
- 1,722
6
votes
Accepted
can I use ATF IV instead of Dexron for 2005 toyota camry
ATF IV and Dexron II are different enough I'd suggest against using it, however all Dexron fluids are backwards compatible, so you could use Dexron III or Dexron VI. If you can get Dexron III you can ...
- 16.2k
6
votes
Why does my engine temperature go all the way up before coming back to the center when I start my car?
My first suspicion is with the thermostat. It may be failing "slow" which means it's not opening when it should and it takes the much higher temperature and pressure of the hot coolant to ...
- 12.1k
6
votes
Will zip ties hold on a bumper for 200 miles?
They don't have to.
Zip ties are cheap and fairly easy to apply in a parking lot. Once you've set out on your trip, pull over every half-hour and see if they've degraded any; if so, replace them.
FWIW,...
- 161
5
votes
Belt driven Water pump failure?
Well, I need to do more studying before I post here. I was under the assumption that the teeth-side of the timing belt was driving the water pump. In fact, the smooth side of the belt is driving the ...
- 1,151
5
votes
Can hooking up jumper cables incorrectly cause one to have to replace the throttle body?
The problem with hooking up the jumper cables backward is that ANY electronic component in the vehicle is at risk. This could mean the throttle body (TB). It could be an alternator. It could be the ...
- 153k
5
votes
Should a sealant be used, or not, when replacing a molded rubber valve cover gasket?
Generally you don't need to use any sealant on this type of gasket, mainly because the gasket is pliable enough and will seal on it's own. If I were going to use any sealant on it, it would be where ...
- 153k
5
votes
Excessive engine noise and vibration in cabin 09 toyota camry 2.4l
One possibility is that an engine mount has broken. The engine may now be resting against some of the bodywork or other components in the engine bay causing vibrations to be passed into the passenger ...
- 24.9k
4
votes
Help with Strange Intermittent yet predictable parasitic battery drain?
Since the drain is very repeatable, connecting an ammeter in series with the battery and disconnecting each fuse in turn is a good idea as @jphil1618 suggested.
You could find that the problem is ...
- 24.9k
4
votes
Coolant boiling and smoke coming out of engine bay
Given that this happened while sitting in traffic and went away as soon as you got up to speed, I believe the issue is your radiator fan(s)
Since you boiled over, check your coolant when the engine ...
- 8,443
4
votes
Accepted
Found small debris in used oil
Debris in the bottom of an oil change pan is not out of the question, and unless present in a large quantity is likely not be catastrophic.
Sources of such material may be internal (timing chain slap ...
- 56
4
votes
Accepted
Integrity of plastic welding for car rear bumper
Plastic welding is great for a small crack or slit in the surface of the bumper. However, it is not structurally sound enough to reattach a broken mounting tab.
I've tried; it never works. The one ...
- 12.4k
4
votes
What does the ECT button on a 94 Camry do?
Possibly a duplicate of this question What is ECT Mode for? - Toyota Cars?
The ECT is the Electronic Controlled Transmission button. Engaging the ECT system adjusts rpm at which the transmission will ...
- 1,958
4
votes
Womp womp sound coming from rear
Probably bad struts or shocks. The fact you changed the brakes and tires will eliminate that as a cause. If your shocks were completely empty and you would be be riding on your springs with no ...
- 3,917
4
votes
I have a 97 toyota camry, I turn the key over everything works fine except it just clicks?
The click likely means that there is voltage to the starter solenoid and that it does, something. There's a few possible candidates here.
Solenoid (device used to apply power to the starter motor ...
- 9,326
4
votes
Accepted
Checking Transmission Fluid Condition
The colour is too dark, this fluid should be changed. As mentioned in the comments, automatic transmission fluid lives in 2 places: in the drain pan and in the torque converter.
Some cars have a ...
- 12.2k
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