Crazy Classic Camry: Intermittent LIMP-HOME? (Part 2: Repairs)

Since the Crazy Classic Camry REFUSED to act up during the diagnosis, the only thing we can do is fix what we know is broken:
1) Ignition coil connectors are BAKED and crumbling. We have to replace the connectors to rule out a poor connection at the ignition coils.
2) Camshaft oil seals are BAKED and leaking.
After repairs the Camry runs as GOOD AS NEW, so I have to give it back to the customer.
Will the LIMP-HOME MISFIRE rear its ugly head after it leaves PHAD?
Place your bets now!
Enjoy!
Ivan

[@stevenmorris25]

I had a 1993 Camry v6 with the moonroof, I used to love working on that car. It was so easy, Toyota made them easy to work on.

[@rodneymiddleton9624]

Oh man!!! You didn’t put any sealant on the edges of the cam cap where it touches the head. It will seep a little there. Another cliffhanger!!!! Thanks Ivan!

[@eleeter]

That's a bummer. Must read service manual first.

[@yourgirlssidenigga6758]

Definitely should’ve used anaerobic sealant in between the head and cam cap if machining is good enough it should only be a tiny seep if anything

[@davidscott7005]

I also had the 94 Camry v6 that I sold a year ago to my neighbor for $500. I replaced the cam seals when I replaced the water pump a few years back. Anyhow his daughter totaled her car hitting a deer and took dads car. Dad was bumming rides and I had just inherited my father-in-laws car so got rid of the oldest (and best car) I had. I think it has over 250K on the clock. The neighbor still has it, and loves it!

[@andrewhallett-patterson9778]

The genuine igniters are available as an OEM part from Toyota Australia. Recently replaced on '95 SDV10R Camry. 5S-FE, manual box, 'only' 410k and a daily driver. 👍👍🇭🇲

[@edjacobs8876]

Mid 90s ranger. Same issues. Cleaned all grounds, added a ground to ecu, no more issues when warmed up.

[@Sandmansa]

Wow! I haven't seen or used one of those old MT2500's in ages. The Volvo dealer I worked for had one. But last time I used one was in Canada around 2004. I was at a shop out there helping out a friend diagnose a 1987 Mercury Topaz. Random no start. Was a bad ICM. Those were cool scanners for its time. I don't miss them though. I can't wait to see what's wrong with that Toyota now.

[@98XC1]

I am just surprised that the timing belt was not replaced at this time together with crankshaft seal(likely it will fail shortly). It is hard to imagine that with those cam seals leaking timing belt stayed clean. Also as a cheap insurance would be nice to replace spark plugs at the same time given the extent of work to get to the rear 3. But maybe customer decided that he wants to save every penny..

[@CedroCron]

So glad these old beauties still exist... Thanks for the great video!

[@mikechiodetti4482]

If the customer has a hair dryer, he could try heating the igniter. Hair dryers put out less than an electric shrink tube blower, but concentrated in the right area on the igniter could still locate the problem

[@letsfixit1594]

I had the same idea, maybe a heat gun would be better.

[@rodneymiddleton9624]

Might try to to resolder the connections in the magic box

[@letsfixit1594]

For sure, could be sth. obvious.@@rodneymiddleton9624

[@steve83803]

Hair dryer and freezer spray every time for me with intermittent thermal sensitive faults even down to PCB component level location then a good visual check under the mono scope. Money’s on either dry joints in the igniter or those troublesome electrolytic capacitors Toyota used in this era.

[@letsfixit1594]

@@steve83803 👍

[@zeke112964]

@ 4:22 mark in the video (valve cover removed) you'll notice a hex on the camshaft above your blue paper towel. That is what is used to hold the cam to remove and install the sprocket.

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

Bad idea... Then all the Torque is going to twist the camshaft! 😜

[@Z-Ack]

Yea i had to remove the balancer on one and only way i was able to was to use the frame to brace and thrn the motor over with the starter to break it loose.. had a 5 foot bar on it and. No luck. If that kinda force is needed even with a short helper pipe than you dont want that being applied to those ole and small cam shafts..

[@Garth2011]

Those camshafts are brittle and can snap into 2 pieces rather easy. That is why when the caps are removed its a good idea to loosen them just a little one by one until all valve spring tensions is released 100%. Same thing with reassembly.

[@eleeter]

I've done it many times without issue@@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics

[@ToyodaMaster-tq6ht]

Outer Seal surfaces made of rubber are NEVER to be installed with Oil smeared on them. They’re intended to be dry in order for the seal surface to make a mechanical bond with the outer circumference. A very thin coat of Ultra Grey keeps these specific seals from leaking from the outer surface. The 4 Cylinder Camry’s also are prone to Cam seal leak & loose baked seal issues. The outer surface should be DRY, not Oiled.

[@neilmurphy845]

Those old Toyota's are brilliant It's true even after sitting for years they still just get up and work It's amazing

[@ToyodaMaster-tq6ht]

Valve Covers did not need to be removed. The new Seals can be pushed into place with a short piece of pvc pipe, a large washer, and the Cam Sprocket Bolt. (There’s also a Cam Seal install tool available.)

[@Z-Ack]

Always had issues getting those valve covers to seal.. toyota says to use their gasket maker on those cam caps and the corners.. ive noticed that they are touchy and need to be torqued to spec which are just a few inch pounds..,

[@simonilett998]

Handy to be able to offer the old MT2500, but the customer should be able to retrieve codes via bridging the T1 + E1 pins of the diagnosis connector in the engine bay, passenger side at rear of engine bay. He could read the codes via the flashing C.E.L. without needing a scanner, and then contact you with the flash codes. You should also have an OBD2 to early Toyota diag. connector adaptor TA22 that comes with both the Launch and the Thinktool, both scanners should work on older Toyotas with that adaptor plugged into the engine bay connector, but they may not work via the obd2 connector if it has one inside the vehicle, or you sometimes just need to supply pin 16 with an external power source using the OBD2 cable with the 12v jack/socket and battery clips, the cables are also provided with the Launch and Thinktool scanners👍

[@nct9466]

Yep! Easy on the older ones etc

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

I remember trying to flash codes on a 94 or 95 and no luck... SnapOn was the only way to get codes! 🤔

[@simonilett998]

@@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics Ok, that's a bummer, perhaps it's only possible on the true obd1 cars or earlier, and flash codes may not work with cross over years with both the obd2 style port and the Toyota diag. port in the engine bay. I have had luck using the TA22 adaptor with the X431V+ v4.0 plugged into the Toyota diag. port, but those cars had no obd2 port, so that might be the difference if that Camry had both style ports, it would suggest a very early obd/cross over model.

[@dc5723]

Love our 1993 Toyota 4x4 with the 4 cyl 22R-E engine. Still going strong after 31 years or ownership.

[@clampingdiode]

Could've went old school and ground the E1 and TE1 pins at the underhood DLC for code retrieval. I worked for a Toyota dealership. Love Toyotas. Going out on a limb, but common problems are engine coolant temperature sensor (die while driving w/ no codes) and leaking capacitors in the ecu causing a variety of symptoms. Looking forward to the conclusion. Jim Eve's Automotive

[@zaffo757]

The 1MZ is a gem. I have 4 of them currently. Sound like a sewing machine …..

[@Paramount531]

I rented a Camry of this generation back in 1995, a 4 cylinder from a cheap rental car company. I had it for three days. I was very impressed with how well put together that car was, even after being in a rental fleet for its 75,000 miles.

[@mandytuning]

Oh man you bring me back in time, otc 2000 was first scan tool i touched in trade school back in 87, then mt2500 in first shop job 1991.

[@annathemaanderson4448]

Lubrication is always helpful. That's what she said❤😊!

[@bobflannagan7262]

I remember watching a Scanner Danner video where he shows how to use the "personality keys" with a Snap-On scanner. Never thought I'd see that again. Ever.

[@HouseCallAutoRepair]

I just did a timing chain on a 2017 Elantra.... The owner bought the seals and gasket kits on Amazon. Within two weeks the engine was leaking all over the place. The cheap rubber parts shrunk like they had aged 15 years of hard miles. Needless to say the customer's concern was terrifying on such a job.... Fortunately OEM Gaskets and Seals took care of it. And those Camrys are bullet proof, but unfortunately not rust proof. Toyota Camrys ARE the most reliable cars I've ever worked on.

[@brianw8963]

Great stuff! Next best thing to BC. 5k oil change is too far for this old school guy, 2-3K before it gets dirty has worked for me for over 50 years! Might seem excessive but I think it is cheap maintenance and it makes me feel good.and I’ve never had one complain. Admittedly overkill, but mathematically way ahead of the game. But I enjoy it when someone pulls out one of my 100k dipsticks and thinks there is no oil on the stick!

[@JoseSilveira-newhandleforYT]

Great job, Ivan! Seems the major problems in this car are are age related (baked plastics and seals, and possibly an aged transistor inside the igniter). Very curious to see what the customer will tell you :-)

[@jamesfitzgerald2361]

Some camshafts have a square spot cast into the camshaft.You can use to hold the camshaft. But you have to remove the valve covers.

[@jochcaso9998]

Nice original Toyota connectors! Actually it seems very easy to get rid of that external igniter module, just change those 6 coils for the 4 wire ones with Internal transistors and just rewire them instead of the igniter module

[@andyg5004]

Ivan you need to invest ina cam holder tool I recommend a KTC AE81

[@ferrumignis]

Agreed, I've said the same thing previously as he's had trouble holding cam pulleys before and the holding tool isn't very expensive. I bought one years ago and used it many times, and not just on cam pulleys.

[@greggc8088]

As you probably know and can see in many Community cases in Alldata, a good wiggle test and load test of the wiring to the igniter and coils is a good idea. Those usually get toasted and rotted pretty good through the years. Especially where THE PINS ATTACH TO THE WIRE. OFTEN DROPPING SOME SOLDER ON THE WIRE WHERE THEY FIT IN THE PIN AFTER REMOVING THEM FROM THE CONNECTOR DOES THE TRICK,

[@Z-Ack]

Stop yelling at me!!

[@greggc8088]

I'm sorry. 😘😘

[@mattyb7736]

Ivan, next tine break the cam bolts loose with the belt in place, that way, if the pry bar slips, you turn the engine over and have less risk of potentially bending a valve depending on crank position on an interference engine.

[@unencumbered]

Thought he had said this was a free wheeling engine. None the less suggestion is good.

[@Z-Ack]

They’re non interference motors..

[@mrjsv4935]

Interesting 90's classic Toyota Camry, looking forward to the conclusion episode :)

[@steveb6371]

When I started this video I had to check twice. I thought I was watching Watch Wes Work!😂😂

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

Does Wes wrench on Classic Camrys?

[@fredmalito9869]

@@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics the way you showed the parts and then the thumbs up. Or Jerry Rig Everything.

[@brianw8963]

Wes tackles most anything that shows up. He is a good guy with a great sense of humor, which is always a plus .

[@edwardhenry7119]

I replaced my Igniter and coil, problem solved. Mine is a 1992 V6 with a Distributor. I had to clean the surface and put some cooling grease behind the Igniter. Same problem solved.

[@johnt.848]

I agree, the lithium grease on the back of them dries out over time and reduces it's insulating effect.

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

My 89 Mazda MPV eats igniters every 100k miles... But not sold separately so have to replace the entire distributor 😕

[@edwardhenry7119]

I had a a 1995 Camry no start, for that year, they stated that if the coil tests good, replace anyhow. I had it towed home, put a Napa coil on, fired right up. Lots of Seafoam smoke out the tail pipe that day. There was a coil defect that year.

[@jays106]

can wait for conclusion!

[@timramich]

From what I've seen in Toyota factory manuals, they list every connector type and what their series name is. For instance, the connectors in a PC computer used to connect from the power supply to the motherboard are a Molex Mini-Fit Jr. Molex is the manufacturer and Mini-Fit Jr. is the series. But every trade has people calling every connector with crimp terminals inside and a nude plastic shell a "molex connector."

[@2packs4sure]

When it was hot and malfunctioning it would have been nice to have some freeze spray to de hot that igniter module....

[@1954307]

great job ivan not your normal diagnostic video but it was great to watch

[@ME-kv8ew]

On my 09 Camry, had the same thing on the coil packs. Very cheap fix. Runs great!

[@stephen7mgte]

Gotta love 'yota. My local dealership were fantastic when i was rebuilding my 91 A70 supra turbo with the 7m lump. Put me in the toyota owners club so i got a discount on parts and no matter what part i asked for.....they got it (car was 16 years old at the time).The only non toyota parts i used were the shims for the valve lifters, i used ford ones for the zetec engines cause they were a fraction of the price but still came in the correct thickness. Few mods done on the 7m and it was bulletproof after the rebuild, no more blown headgaskets or knocking and trooped on for many happy years after that, great car that is still missed 😁

[@robertsmith9756]

I have used a blow dryer or heat gun on low to duplicate the hot underhood temps and force a ignitor fault out- live time.

[@JameyPetit]

Still rockin the 02 Tacoma 2.4L. Luckily it’s holding up quite well. I’m aiming to keep it so I can get an antique plate lol 30 yrs old for florida. But it’s a northeast truck

[@brianw8963]

I have an 04 with the same engine. Great little truck and another great simple engine that will last forever with good maintenance.

[@baxrok2.]

Ya' can't beat a V6 and a Toyota V6 is something special. Thanks Ivan!

[@richardnilsen8950]

Intermittents suck they all need an 8 channel scope And drive it till it fails the only way to win on the first try .👍great video

[@fredmalito9869]

If this were mine, I think I would have done a water pump, tensioners, idler, timing belt, and crankshaft seal as well. It doesn’t make a lot of sense to go that far in and not replace those parts, considering the minimal amount of additional labor.I probably would have done spark plugs while that intake was off as well. I say all of this owning a 3MZ-FE that just had all of that done to it as part of the restoration process on my 2004 Solara. Low and behold Rock Auto had Aisin timing kits in stock, so I went with that as they are the OEM for Toyota.

[@MitzvosGolem1]

Timing belts...arrgggh. Bent valves if fail True always change them when recommend.

[@fredmalito9869]

@@MitzvosGolem1 the one MC is not an interference attention, so there’s no danger of that, but doing the job twice is never easy on the wallet. If the camshaft seals are baked, crankshaft seal isn’t far behind it. Water pump is right there, it’s just a few extra parts at that point.

[@brianw8963]

No valve damage on a non interference, which this is.

[@MitzvosGolem1]

@@brianw8963 ok cool

[@MitzvosGolem1]

@@fredmalito9869 cool.. I had my Acura throw one v6 bent valves . $$$$$$ Thanks

[@lvsqcsl]

I want to say that particular Camry generation also had a coupe and a wagon. Seems like the wagon had a reverse-curve side window like the AMC Gremlin from the '70's and the Mercury Cougar from 1983-88. Good to know you can still get OEM parts for this car. Was that an ALUMINUM intake manifold? Will there be a part 3? GREAT VIDEO!

[@jimhaines8370]

Toyota update to those brown seals years ago but work way better and using a tool kit from SP they just pull out and push in from the front as those newer style seals made for that to just push in but a little late now lol

[@bluejayoutpost9170]

Also the 2002 Suzuki XL-7 2.7L is well built huh Ivan Good job there

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

I can't complain 😁

[@danssmokintreasures]

Great video as always IVAN. I hear those clips always break on older Toyota's.

[@stephenbrown7815]

I had a 96 collectors edition camry v6 that i adorded and wanted to keep forever. Bought it with 138,000. Did fuel pump, rear, plugs, strut , cleaned engine sludge etc. Died at 158,000 due to infamous shift solenoid issues and eventual slippage dispite changing the transmission fluid, filter and adding a cooler. Had to junk my baby. Grand mother had a emerald green 96 v6 she bought in 2003 that replaced her Chevy celebrity 2.5. that died at 168,000 miles due to sludge and she was anal about that camry. That was her last real long term car before her passing. The neon she replaced it with lived to 250,000 miles until my brother got it impounded. The camry is a masterpiece and i miss my fully loaded camry but can't help but notice they are dwindling and are a rare site 3rd and 4th gens. The transmission with that v6 is a weak point. The older 3.0 3vzfe blow head gaskets while the 1mz wont.

[@RussellBooth1977]

The problem with the garter spring type of oil seals is that they can wear a groove into the camshaft seal journal which can cause premature oil seal failure. I probably would've tried another igniter pack although it could be like the Ford Falcon which I worked on almost 2 years ago where high resistance in the ignition switch circuit caused an intermittent stalling issue. Although the fault code indicates that there's a misfire present meaning that it could be caused by a faulty igniter box,I know that in Australia someone is having trouble with a stalling issue in a 1999 model Holden VT Commodore which runs the last of the 304 cubic inch Holden V8 engines. The distributor lives behind the back of the inlet manifold & there's minimal air flow,he has tried replacing the igniter box which hasn't made a difference,he believes that it's caused by a faulty Hall effect sensor in the distributor & I believe him, they are renowned to fail on the EFI Holden V8 engines. That year Holden fixed that problem, they fitted the 5.7 litre Chevrolet LS1 V8 engine into the series 2 VT Commodore which is much more reliable than that. My VY Commodore which runs the same engine is 21 years old & I have never had an ignition related fault in that car !

[@garyalford9394]

They make a repair sleeve for those worn seal surfaces !

[@braddofner]

Bulletproof.... with a little TLC

[@johnmccallum8512]

All us oldies need a little TLC now and again.😉😉

[@onenikkione]

I got a Ford commercial offering mobile car service from Ford. Didn't know they were doing that.

[@ThatEEguy2818]

Crack open that ignighter and see if there's a cracked solder joint.

[@ChrisWilliams-pu8pj]

Looking forward to it!

[@danamcintyre3565]

When they started with all the electronic, thats when i lost interest in working on cars ! I still tinker but no mager repairs from this guy, ill tell people who ask me my exact words is take it somewhere else !

[@garyalford9394]

Maybe he could find a used OEM igniter at a pick & pull yard !

[@jamesspash5561]

If a suspect hot igniter, it's winter. Stop and put some snow on it.

[@nima20031]

You can scan them with any scanner, only the 94 v6 had obd2 but if your scanner asks what year the vehicle is you say 96 and everything will function. You can just use a $15 walmart scanner since theres no can modules.

[@abdul-kabiralegbe5660]

Interesting to see a Toyota 2 wire COP that isn't a waste spark system.

[@golfmaniac]

I kind of thought you would revisit this one. Originally there was an igniter code, after you reset the codes, and pulled the coil, there was no igniter code. Interesting case study.

[@adamtrombino106]

In part 1, I was wondering if the 1300 code would come back if you disconnected an even bank coil and drove it. Just curious. As for the misfire counts IRT on the scanner. In the early yrs of the change over to OBD2 the pids might be there, but the system might not support it yet. Seen it a million times. Why 7 connector clips? As my dad would say, "6 of what you need and 1 for the floor"

[@eleeter]

Not sure if mentioned, put a wrench on the cam to hold it there is a specific spot for this. Since you were pulling the valve covers anyway.

[@ganeshnarayan5505]

Great video Ivan Thanks for sharing.

[@careyautorepairs]

I still got one of them computers lol. Old school.

[@Usmanthemecano]

What about the gasket maker on the corners?😊

[@nservice1625]

Your brick looks like new....

[@sheldonupthegrove7822]

Wonder why you didn't replace the timing belt & tensioner since you were right there?

[@thomasbyzewski2687]

Thanks for professional job

[@farmermiyagi1338]

Man, down here where I'm at these are still fairly common. Lots of these 3.0 engines still running down the road.

[@kevincampbell8298]

The good old red brick!

[@peugeotplanet7553]

Nice one... Watching from Nigeria

[@GNX157]

I have that same MT2500 in my garage right now. I used to ride around with it hooked up in my G’Nat all the time. What do you think it’s worth now Ivan?

[@Mr2004MCSS]

Someone local to me is selling one on FB Market place for $250 but so far no takers. I'm not sure what all cartridges come with it.

[@peterbenson3776]

I think Ray mentioned the connectors break all the time

[@andrewthompsonuk1]

I think if you run any of those older cars with a separate ignighter you should have a spare known good one on hand. They seem to be very difficult to diagnose.. This probably also applies to older motorcycles as well...

[@vicferrarisgarage]

Awesome

[@tillaryauto]

why not use heat gun heat up the igniter

[@Tivver]

When removing really tight bolts i use a small torque multiplier, which gives you a ratio of 3:1, reducing the amount of effort you need to loosen the bolt.

[@80SWoods]

Interesting! I’ve never heard of torque multiplier tool, but just looked them up. Have you tried one on a stubborn crank bolt?

[@Tivver]

@@80SWoods I first used it on a difficult and overtight lower shock absorber bolt on a Bmw 6 series, where i couldn’t get enough access to get a long T bar in, and it worked a treat. Only limitation is that it is about 3” long so needs a bit of space to work. The one i use is made by Sealey.

[@zaffo757]

I only use OEM seal for the cams and crank.

[@johnt.848]

MSD make ignition systems and may have an igniter that would work.

[@danielheinsbergen3571]

Parts from Japan always arrive overnight 😂😂😂 (fast and furious reference)

[@williamwhite9767]

Ivan, Do you still own the Camry that you were planning to use for a loaner?

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

Yup oil burner is still available as a loaner 😁

[@randy1ization]

the oil issue insures they will bring it back,,, LOL@@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics

[@robertsmith2956]

I find just buying the part so it is ready to install will stop an intermittent fault.

[@Garth2011]

What is the OBD port called on the 1989 year vehicles? (GM, Ford, Chrys).

[@Dziugenonas]

What is the purpose of lubing the outside of the cam seals with engine oil?

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

To give you the warm fuzzy feeling 🤗

[@zaffo757]

Car care Nut shows how to do without taking VCover or cam cap off. I’ve done 5 motors that way.

[@georgebell3964]

👍

[@sheerwillsurvival2064]

Great video

[@wimphilipsen2651]

A trick you can use is heat that box up with a high power “hairdryer” so you don’t have to drive around to the car act up.

[@jimburgess9205]

OEM, nice!

[@jeremyanthony9300]

Iva, Did you get those connectors from Thompson Toyota in Doylestown?

[@Dirtyharry70585]

Wonder if the spark box has a bad solder joint?

[@jackiemay9471]

could use a can of freeze spray to cool igniter see if it corrects

[@autotek7930]

Si doesn't call for dabs of sealant in the corners of the cam caps? There wasn't any when you removed them?

[@ferrumignis]

It's not leaking so it's all good.

[@thomasdemarco617]

pcv system blocked blew out seal?

[@gcfixitc9283]

you don't have to remove the cam cap or valve cover to replace the seals.

[@jimburgess9205]

I think that Toyota employed Sumo wrestlers to tighten those bolts.

[@ronaldwarren1267]

Of course while you there put new cam belt ,water pump etc on jobs a goodin

[@crazywhac]

Thank (insert mythical creator) that he had static timing.🙏

[@30kendel]

Awsome OEM made in japan

[@x01e]

Wait isn’t that a come back??

[@markanderson2904]

No, because he told the customer that he hadn't determined the cause of the misfire and that he should drive it and report if the problem reoccurs.