Valve Seals 2000 Toyota Camry
Question:
Just purchased (July) 2000 Toyota Camry from Toyota dealer. The 3 mo.
warranty doesn’t cover valve seals. Car has 130,000 miles, runs well, very happy with it otherwise. When it starts there is some smoke, doesn’t do it once car has run a minute even with start stops for errands. Smoke is white to perhaps slightly blue.
Doesn’t appear to be using oil and no drips under car. I won’t put enough
mileage on the car to get to 200,000 by the time I retire in 5 years and
buy a new car but I do want to take care of it.
AAA said 1,500 to replace seals. Toyota dealer said 1,100 to replace
seals. The used car dealership consultant said there is no big problem and
not to worry about it that I’d be spending money needlessly as long as there
is no big oil consumption going on I’m okay. He said he’s sure no oil will
have to be added between changes.
What is your opinion? Should I have repair done or just watch how much oil
it uses?
Thanks!
Miranda
Answer:
I would keep checking the oil level, and live with it. You may wear out your spark plugs a little sooner, but not a real big deal. Besides the annoying smoke at cold startup, you are not doing any real damage to your car. You may want to look at your owners manual and change your oil to the highest viscosity recommend. So if your car manual says the range is 5W-30 to 10W-30 I would make sure the next time you get an oil change they put in 10W-30. The higher the number, the lower the viscosity (thicker oil) Running a thicker oil in the engine will allow less oil to seep down past the valve seals. I would stay away from oil treatments which advertise to reduce oil consumption, they never seem to do any good, and sometimes do bad things to your engine.
Kevin
Posted: 28th August 2006 | Author: Kevin Schappell | Category: Engine, Oil & Lubrication
To Scrap or Not To Scrap
Question:
My 96 Grand Cherokee in otherwise good condition stopped running last week
and the shop hasn’t figured out how to restart it – some complicated
electrical problem – so would like to know how to sell it for junk and how
much to expect for it. The “sold by owner” blue book value is $4500.
Thanks.
Answer:
I question how complicated the issue is, and maybe the garage is jumping the gun a little bit. If there was a major melt down in the wiring harness, I could see you looking at scrapping the car, but if it’s something a little less severe like a blown fusible link, or bad solenoid/starter it’s worth fixing. I don’t know anything about your repair shop, so I don’t want to say anything negative, you will have to make the call on their competency.
If you are comfortable with the shops diagnosis and it’s going to cost you over $1,000 to fix then you have a few options…
1. List the car as a “Mechanic’s Special” in your local paper/car trader.
2. Put the car on Ebay as a “Mechanic’s Special”
3. Sell it to a junkyard in your area as a whole vehicle.
4. Part it out and sell pieces on Ebay or Locally.
The problem I see with trying to sell it as parts is the time involved with removing the parts, and I don’t see the demand for those parts being very high. If the vehicle was a classic car or truck, selling it in pieces on Ebay or even locally would be worth your time.
Selling the car as a mechanic’s special would be the best way in my opinion to get the most money from the vehicle. A competent shade-tree mechanic could diagnose or replace the wiring harness and have a good running vehicle for a small investment. I would ask $2500 – $3000 for the Jeep if you sell it this way. Selling it this way on Ebay does not make a lot of sense, unless you find a local buyer, as shipping a non-running vehicle is more expensive.
If you want the least hassle, sell it to a local junkyard and let them haul it from the garage. I do not know what price they would be willing to pay, but you can check www.car-part.com for an idea of what major parts are selling for. (engine, transmission, axles, interior, hood, rear hatch, and doors) By checking these prices, you can get a good idea of what kind of money the junkyard would wring out of the vehicle. Take 75% of that value and that would be a good starting point for negotiation.
Good Luck,
Kevin
Posted: 21st August 2006 | Author: Kevin Schappell | Category: Selling Your Car
Sonoma Clutch Cylinder Problems
Question:
There’s been something going on with my clutch ever since my floormat got
shoved up in there and was pushing up on where the clutch thing connects to
the master clutch cylinder. It’s not leaking any fluid, but it’s almost
like air is getting in there. I’ve seen a lot of info about how the slave
cylinders have needed replacement on many of the Sonoma models (mine is a
’98), but I really don’t feel like that is the problem. The issue comes and
goes and sometimes it’s worse than other times. Sometimes I’ll get in and
push in the clutch and it’s perfect, other times there’s no clutch at all
and I can’t get it into gear for my life. Do you think it’s some sort of
sensor, or electrical issue that the floormat interference started? Or is
it something more serious (and expensive) like the slave cylinder? My dad
knows a lot about repairing cars/trucks but not so much with the electrical
stuff, and he’s pretty sure that’s what it is. Any ideas before I shell out
a pretty penny at the garage?
Answer:
As far as I know, there are no electrical connections or sensors on the hydraulic clutch system for your vehicle. If there was, it would be a fluid level sensor, which would not keep the system from working. Do you have to add fluid to the clutch master cylinder? Is the level low? I would suspect either a low level, or a bad slave cylinder.
If your level is low, I would fill it up and monitor it. If it the level stays high, then I would say that you just got a little air in the system from the level being low. If the level drops again, then the fluid is leaking somewhere. Either the hose or the slave cylinder.
Kevin
Posted: 20th August 2006 | Author: Kevin Schappell | Category: Drivetrain
Celebrity 2.5L Engine Won’t Start
Question:
I have a problem. – 86 Celebrity 2.5L
Car will crank but not start. While swapping battery and connecting
positive cable first I heard a popping sound by the right firewall. I
finished hooking up the battery and tried to start the car:
1. Car would crank but won’t start
2. Checked for spark wth timing light – no start
3. tried to pull codes (with paper clip) old fashion type – light would not
flash
4. radio fuse blew, all others ok
5. Could it be the computer? If not what could it be?
6. Is there a way out can check the computer – or just buy one from a junk
yard”
Answer:
It could be the computer, or a fusible link in the wiring harness. A fusible link is basically an inline fuse, that is not replacable. You would have to find the link in the harnas and replace it. Sometimes there are fuses/relays in the engine compartment also, but that is more common on foreign cars. To really diagnose the issue, you need a multi-meter, and a good repair manual with wiring schematics. You need to see if the computer is getting power, and test some of the outputs to see if it’s working.
You can buy computers out of a junkyard, and this may be an easy way to diagnose your problem without spending too much time or money. (depending on the cost of the computer) I would think you should be able to get the computer from a junkyard for less than $150. Check out www.car-part.com to search junkyard inventories.
Kevin
Posted: 20th August 2006 | Author: Kevin Schappell | Category: Electrical, Engine
5.7L SBC Interference Engine?
Kevin,
Question:
First off, you have a great blog. Very informative and useful.
I own a 1982 Corvette with a 5.7L(350 cu) V8. Is this an interference
Engine?
My timing chain broke, and I’m wondering if there will be valve or cylinder
damage.
Thank you very much,
David
Answer:
From my knowledge the stock 350 is not an interference engine, so you should be ok. If you were at very high rpms or have an aftermarket cam shaft, then all bets are off. A higher lift cam could cause the valves to hit the pistons. Also if you have a set of high compression pistons in the car, same outcome.
The good news is that it’s fairly easy to change the timing chain on the SBC and you should be able to do it in a day and fire it up to see if there was any damage. This will save you the hassle of taking the intake and heads off to inspect for valve/piston damage.
Good Luck,
Kevin
Update…
Kevin,
Thanks for your answer to my last question. I have another question.
My car is a 1982 corvette with a 5.7L V8. My car started with a timing
problem. It would idle, but stall when I tried to drive it. I replaced
the fuel filters and retimed the distributor. Everything was fine for 2
days, but suddenly it refuesed to start. It won’t even turnover. It just
cranks.
I have replaced the ignition coil and module in the distributor. The car
is getting plenty of fuel. Also, the spark looks “weak.” It just has a
small orange spark. I have been told that a HEI should have a good strong
spark.
The only idea i have left is the timing chain, but to change that I am
supposed to remove the oil pain, steering linkage, water pump, etc.
Do you have any ideas what might be my problem?
David
———————————————-
Take the distributor cap off, and crank the engine… see if the rotor is spinning, if it’s not then the timing chain is the problem. More than likely the chain skipped a tooth, and when you readjusted the timing, it ran for a little bit until it skipped again.
If the rotor is turning, then I would recheck the timing. The engine won’t fire, but you can still spin it over with the started and get a reading. If it’s off again, I would still suspect the timing chain, it just has not fully snapped. If the timing is ok, then I would check spark again, check the power wire to the coil for loose connections. If nothing shows up with those checks, then it’s time to check vacuum leaks, fuel issues (fuel pump, float level, or sensors) I can’t remember if the 82 had a carb or had that goofy crossfire fuel injection !
Good Luck,
Kevin
———————————————-
Kevin,
I haven’t seen you post this on your blog, but I thought I’d let you know what I found out. The timing chain did slip.
And the 1982 corvette had the crossfire fuel injection. However, MY 1982 ‘vette has a holley 4 barrel and an edelbrock intake manifold. I bought the car as a project car, and I”m having a lot of fun.
You’re blog is awesome and you do great work. Keep it up!
David
Posted: 20th August 2006 | Author: Kevin Schappell | Category: Engine
