Now, this is not a fashion or beauty related blog. But about auto makers Toyota and Honda. I have been working for my father's auto repair for sometime now (like 15 years long). This is where I meet my husband. Anyways, so I have a little knowledge of cars that comes in and out of our shop.
Let's start with Toyota. Throughout the years I have seen Toyota as the vehicle for people that wants a car that last forever (nothing last forever). But now I see more problems than ever. Here is now I broke it down.
1990 to 1996 Toyota Camry (4 or 6 Cylinder)
In my experience Camry has always been the choice of customer. Lots of leg room in the back seat for passengers. Roomy trunk space. Fuel efficient. Low cost maintenance. And best of all this vehicle has less headache to diagnose (lol). Let's begin.
Leg room: Not really important for some but if your a family on a budget and cannot afford a SUV or van this is the car for you. Seats 5 people comfortably and has a lot of trunk space for groceries and other nic nacs that your family might have. Also great for first time teens drivers that don't want to spend to much on maintenance and fuel.
Fuel efficient: 23 mpg City / 31 mpg Hwy for the 4 Cylinder and 17 mpg City / 23 mpg Hwy for the 6 Cylinder. With fuel prices on the rise the Camry is very wallet friendly. Note, keep up with your regular maintenance and your Camry will be good (read maintenance book).
Maintenance: Back in the day the cars did not have a "maintenance required" light on the dash. You simple need to follow your oil change sticker (its every 3000 miles) that's attach on the windshield of the car. Have your trusted mechanic check your fluids like coolant, power steering, transmission and brake fluid. Any time your mechanic sees low fluid its a indication that you might need it serviced or flushed out. But (theirs always a BUT), I highly recommend that you take it to your TRUSTED mechanic not just a guy that works at Jiffy Lube or Purrfect Auto or even at the dealer. Some mechanics cheats you for the service and not replace anything. That's another time. Here are the items your should always check on your vehicle (before your head off anywhere school, road trip, etc.).
* Change Oil every 3000 miles (on older vehicles)
* Coolant Flush every summer or when recommended, but always check you have coolant on your vehicle. Adding water is okay for the moment but coolant is a lot better. That's why its COOLANT AND NOT WATER IN YOUR CAR. It has a purpose!
* Transmission Drain or Service or Flush. Now this gets a little tricky. A Transmission Drain is like what it said a "Transmission Drain". Draining transmission fluid is okay if you don't drive your car like a race car. And draining it every 30000 miles or when the transmission has turned a dark color (Transmission fluid should be pink or reddish in color). Transmission Service is needed when the mechanic finds small metal shaving on the fluid. Transmission Service consist of draining out fluid, removing the transmission pan, replacing the transmission pan gasket and replacing the transmission filter. Now, if the metal shavings are present already you might have a Transmission problem (Simple way to know. If you come to a stop and the light turns green and you stepped on the gas pedal. The RPM is already at 2 or 3 thousand and your car is still not moving or takes a while to move. You have a Transmission that slipping). A Transmission Flush is when the fluid is so burned that draining it or servicing the transmission wont help. Because a drain and service only replace the fluid that's on the pan not the whole transmission. A flush is when they hook up your car to a machine that will suck all of the transmission fluid out of the transmission and replace it with new fluid. A flush is very expensive though. It usually cost around $150 to $ 250. While a service is around $ 55 to $ 75 and a drain is only $ 35 to $ 40.
* Air Filter
* Tire Pressure
Phew, finally. Now that was just the basic check up, but always ask question about what you need on your car and if is it necessary to replace it.
Okay, for the diagnostic part. This Camry are very easily diagnose. From Oxygen Sensor to Mass Flow Meter to simple replacing the spark plugs and ignition wire set. Some of the Camry like the 1990's to 1994 they don't have what we called "OBD II" connector. They are diagnose manually or with a scanner that has Toyota 1 or 2 connector on them. 1995 and above models have the "OBD II" connector which you can easily retrieve codes with a push of a button. Here are some codes for you "do it yourself" people.
This chart is for a 1997 Toyota Camry with a 4 cylinder. Comment below if you want me to post the codes for your specific vehicle.
PO105 Manifold Absolute Pressure (MAP) Sensor Circuit Malfunction. Probable Causes; Open/Short Circuit, MAP Sensor Or ECM.
PO106 Manifold Absolute Pressure (MAP) Sensor Circuit Malfunction. Probable Cause; MAP Sensor.
PO110 Intake Air Temperature (IAT) Sensor Circuit. Probable Causes; Open/Short Circuit, IAT Sensor Or ECM.
PO115 Engine Coolant Temperature (ECT) Sensor Circuit. Probable Causes; Open/Short Circuit, ECT Sensor Or ECM.
PO116 ECT Sensor Circuit Range/Performance. Probable Causes; ECT Sensor Or Cooling System.
PO120 Throttle Position (TP) Sensor Malfunction. Probable Causes; Open/Short Circuit, TP Sensor Or ECM.
PO121 Throttle Position (TP) Sensor Circuit Range/Performance. Probable Cause; TP Sensor.
PO125 Insufficient Coolant Temperature For Closed Loop. Probable Causes; Open/Short Circuit Or HO2S (Heated Oxygen Sensor)
PO130 Heated Oxygen Sensor Circuit (Sensor No. 1) Malfunction. Probable Causes; HO2S Or Fuel Trim Malfunction.
PO133 Heated Oxygen Sensor Circuit (Sensor No.1) Slow Response. Probable Cause; HO2S.
PO135 Heated Oxygen Sensor Heater Circuit (Sensor No.1) Malfunction. Probable Causes; Open/Short In Heater Circuit HO2S Or ECM.
PO136 Heated Oxygen Sensor Heater Circuit (Sensor No.2) Malfunction. Probable Cause; HO2S.
PO141 Heated Oxygen Sensor Heater Circuit (Sensor No.2) Malfunction. Probable Causes; Open/Short In Heater Circuit HO2S Or ECM.
PO171 Fuel Trim Malfunction. Probable Cause; Vehicle Too Lean.
PO172 Fuel Trim Malfunction. Probable Cause; Vehicle Too Rich.
PO300 Random Misfire. Probable Causes; Ignition (Spark Plugs, Wire & Distributor Cap & Rotor), EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation), Fuel System Or Engine Mechanical (Valves or Pistons).
PO301 Cylinder No.1 Misfire Detected. Probable Causes; Ignition System, Fuel System Or Engine Mechanical.
PO302 Cylinder No.2 Misfire Detected. Probable Causes; Ignition System, Fuel System Or Engine Mechanical.
PO303 Cylinder No.3 Misfire Detected. Probable Causes; Ignition System, Fuel System Or Engine Mechanical.
PO304 Cylinder No.4 Misfire Detected. Probable Causes; Ignition System, Fuel System Or Engine Mechanical.
PO325 Knock Sensor No.1 Circuit Malfunction. Probable Causes; Open/Short Circuit, Loose Sensor Or ECM.
PO335 Crankshaft Position Sensor (CKP) Sensor Circuit Malfunction. Probable Causes; Open/Short Circuit, CKP Sensor, Starter Or ECM.
PO340 Camshaft Position (CMP) Sensor Circuit Malfunction. Probable Causes; Open/Short Circuit, CMP Sensor Or ECM.
PO401 Insufficient Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) Flow Detected. Probable Causes; Open/Short EGR Circuit Or ECM.
PO402 Excessive Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) Flow Detected. Probable Causes; Open/Short EGR Circuit Or ECM.
PO420 Catalyst System Efficiency Below Threshold. Probable Causes; Catalytic Converter, Oxygen Sensor, Or Circuit.
PO440 EVAP System Malfunction. Probable Causes; Vapor Pressure Sensor Or Circuit Charcoal Canister Or Faulty Vacuum Circuit.
PO441 Incorrect EVAP Purge Flow. Probable Causes; Open/Short Purge Control Circuit, Charcoal Canister Or Faulty Vacuum Circuit.
PO446 EVAP Vent Control Malfunction. Probable Causes; Open/Short VSV Circuit, Charcoal Canister Or Faulty Vacuum Circuit.
PO450 EVAP Pressure Sensor Malfunction. Probable causes; Open/Short Vapor Pressure Sensor Circuit Or ECM.
PO500 Vehicle Speed Sensor Malfunction. Probable Causes; Vehicle Speed Sensor Or Circuit Instrument Cluster Or ECM.
PO505 Idle Control System Malfunction. Probable Causes; IAC Valve Or Circuit Or Air Intake Hose.
P1130 Air/Fuel Ratio Sensor (AFS) Circuit Range/Performance. Probable Causes; Open/Short Circuit, AFS Or ECM.
P1133 Air /Fuel Ratio Sensor (AFS) Response Malfunction. Probable Cause; AFS (Air Fuel Sensor).
P1135 Air/Fuel Ratio Sensor (AFS) Circuit Malfunction. Probable Causes; Open/Short Circuit, AFS Heater Or ECM.
P1300 Ignitor Circuit Malfunction. Probable Causes; Ignitor Circuit To ECM, Ignitor, Coil Or ECM.
P1310 Ignitor Circuit Malfunction. Probable Causes; Ignitor Circuit To ECM, Ignitor Coil Or ECM.
P1335 Crankshaft Position (CKP) Sensor Circuit (Engine Running). Probable Causes; Open/Short CKP Sensor Circuit Or ECM.
P1520 Stoplight Switch Signal Malfunction. Probable Causes; Short Circuit Stoplight Switch Or ECM.
P1600 ECM Battery Malfunction. Probable Cause; ECM Power Source Circuit Or ECM.
P1780 Park/Neutral Position Switch Malfunction. Probable Causes; Park/Neutral Position Switch/Circuit Or ECM.
Enjoy diagnosing your vehicle. And thanks for stopping by.
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