Toyota Camry - Head Gasket or worse?

[@andrewgurney6019]

" we have a long term strategy" A Hubnut first!

[@AnyoneSeenMikeHunt]

😆

[@MrButtonpresser]

Add it to the Camrys clipboard!

[@portnaluinge]

Well, at least now you know what needs to be done. Definitely a car that’s worth saving, so I hope you can get it sorted without incurring too great a cost.

[@portnaluinge]

@@Codzilla71 Thanks!

[@Pfirtzer]

Chas is a man of his word, nice to see people who are not just blabber with their mouth empty promises. Kudos to you Chas, cheers from the Netherlands!

[@madhardcorenick]

I still believe you should receive some form of compensation for the Camry from the dealer who sold it to you, even though you are more than happy to fix this one, as you stated last year, which I completely respect. I hope you don't let the dealer get away with their action. I know someone you need to pick your battles with and don't want to keep pushing you to go in that direction if you choose not to (after all, it is entirely your choice). However, for me, the way they deceive you was appalling and should be held accountable for their actions. It sickens me how people can take advantage of others in these situations and get away with it. Rgardless of what happens, I'm still interested in the upcoming progress of the Camry and very interested in the upcoming video for this Camry.

[@TheMentalblockrock]

A """name and shame""" would be a good start!

[@HubNut]

Not sure releasing mob justice is a good idea, that's why I've not named and shamed.

[@donnysweekendvanlifetravel7854]

@@HubNut best way your happy with the car it's going to get fixed and great content too all the best Ian donny

[@video99couk]

@@HubNut Have you informed them of the problem and had a response?

[@Witheredgoogie]

He was probably someone who was a 'dealer' (deals in flipping, crap quickly) but not registered as a dealer (warranty,inspections and replacements before sale etc) ..if you see what I mean.

[@martinneumann7783]

Another actor on the HubNut stage! Hello Charles! I'm happy that there is someone who takes proper care of the Camry. A big «thank you» to you! ✨👍✨👍✨👍✨

[@anthonystevens8683]

At least you know it's a cylinder head issue Ian. Now to get it all sorted. Not the best diagnosis but the car still runs and it's winter so let's hope all can be sorted before the warmer months as we take a casual amble away from the start of 2022. Definitely a wise decision not to try and tighten the head bolts if they are the stretchy ones, they would just go ping and the car would not be usable after that. Not that I have any experience at all and definitely not on an Escort 1.6 CVH engine you understand.

[@ThePstorm]

Expert - “Do it properly if you are going to do it” Hubnut - “Naaaaah”

[@TheKnobCalledTone.]

I love how almost everyone in the comments has forgotten that this Camry is 25 years old. No wonder it's problematic. It still has fewer problems than some in the HubNut fleet though.

[@ronaldderooij1774]

In a good car, the head(gaskets) are the last thing to fail. It is not a wear and tear part, remember.

[@owensteele1645]

Another nice video from my favourite channel. I'm so glad the issue has been found. I hope it's not too expensive. It's a shame really, it's a lovely Camry. In really good, original condition.

[@scottlawson1800]

🙏 that Diahatsu called back over the seal, so hopefully 2022 can be a good year for Toyota & Co. on the HubNut fleet

[@micheltebraake7915]

Glad you have help from a Toyota mechanic. Fortunately, the car is good enough to justify the repair to the engine.

[@meirionevans5137]

At least you know where you stand with the Camry now. Spend, don't spend, up to you. But it is at the hefty end of bangernomics. Good on Chas too.

[@davidflamee]

Looking forward to further updates, not just on the Toyota, your plans for Foxanne sound very exciting too. Happy days.

[@HermanHitstheRoad]

Hey, it's That Chas 🥰🤣👍. He gets around doesn't he? Good luck with the Camry, Hubnut. I'm sure Chas will sort it out 👍👍

[@Kai-Peter.Schellhase]

Great to see Chas in action, he really is a man of his word. At least now you know for certain what the problem is. Looking forward to further updates. Good luck on getting the Camry sorted soon!👍👍

[@HermanHitstheRoad]

How do you know Chas, Kai Peter?

[@Kai-Peter.Schellhase]

@@HermanHitstheRoad I don't know him personally. Seems like a great guy, though. He left a comment in a previous video saying he'd help Ian fix the Camry - which I and many others thought was an excellent gesture.👍

[@paultaylor9652]

Good luck finding and fixing the Toyota Mr HubNut, looks quite an intricate job being the rear bank.

[@waynetetley584]

Great assessment. Wishing you well on the final fix for the Camry 👍

[@Mrflash222006]

I wouldn’t rule out the EGR manifold/cooler and/or intake - a bit more diagnostics required - a cylinder leak down test will pin point the offender if it is a head

[@siraff4461]

I said this in the last one. I can't see how you can condemn a head based on revving it when there are so many other things it could be - if the head has been off you would think it even more unlikely since if its off you're likely to at least give it a quick once over to make sure its ok. A compression and leakdown test could be worth its weight in gold here - especially since its running well and not giving masses of smoke from the exhaust.

[@bondbug73]

Great to see the Toyota expert Chas helping you out Ian with the Camry. Plus the Reliant Owners club with Foxanne. Top HubNutters. 👍

[@Hebbers]

I like this kind of video - bringing in someone who knows their stuff and can give hints and tips on how to diagnose or fix problems properly. Maybe mic them up and let them talk more.

[@HubNut]

Will do in future. My dual-mic kit is away for repair.

[@stephenroberts9121]

I feel your pain. My wifes little Chevy Spark has just been diagnosed as head gasket failure.. Hopefully not head damaged, but knowing my luck it will be! On the plus side just picked up a lovely little Mk4 Golf as a stop gap!.

[@colblimp]

Chaz you absolute legend!

[@HermanHitstheRoad]

He always is, colblimp

[@Jayoldstuff1]

If water isn't getting into the oil I wouldn't worry too much, we had an old R reg Honda Civic at work that was used as a pool car, so basically abused by everyone. it had the same head gasket issue, the mechanic basically said the work to fix it was more than the car was worth took the thermostat out and just told us to run it till it died. two years later it was still going. we only scrapped it when even my tame MOT man refused to pass it as it was so rotten underneath.

[@niallsommerville9941]

"Toyotas of this era are notorious for cracking heads" but I still went ahead and bought one! If we're brutally honest, I suspect there will be many watching this will have done the same, including me. Fair comment about Rover reputations, I've seen the same in the motorcycle world, just mention Triumph and sprag clutches, when the truth is that several Japanese machines used exactly the same component (made in Japan) with similar results. Nice to have another look at the rear wipers, what do you mean too much, it was a different camera angle. Thank you.

[@zenography7923]

I really wouldn't use it - possibility of oil/water contamination, possibility of cooking the block and remaining good head - I'm really not sure that's wise. Lovely car that's well worth saving, but fix before driving would be best!

[@Fubar_The_WEF]

It's not just Toyota that crack cylinder heads, 80's Nissan Cherry's did the same. I had a 1.3 with a cracked head. When I took the head off the crack was quite shallow and I was able to have the head skimmed, taking a millimetre or two off the face. That fixed it. I then traded it for a FIAT Regata, which proved to be one of the most reliable cars I have ever owned.

[@madhardcorenick]

A lot of 90s cars are notorious for head gasket failure. I know here in Australia, Falcon of the 90s had a bad rap for their head gasket failure, when in reality, most 90s cars with an alloy head are prone to head gasket failure.

[@albinklein7680]

Depends. VW or Mercedes definitely not. Head gasket failures are extremely rare on 90s benzes and VWs. In my experience at least. I work as a mechanic for 30 years now. Never had head gasket failures without some other issues triggering them; like bad themostats, water pumps or leaky radiators/hoses. There are engines of the 90s which are notorious head gasket eaters; don't get me wrong; I just don't think 'most of the 90s cars' suffer constant problems with their heads.

[@robinjones6999]

Thats a lovely motor Ian and deserves some love

[@salipander6570]

Congrats, you found the Toyota that does have problems!

[@edsilvester]

I feel for you. My 1996 hilux is currently getting an engine swap. Second hilux Ive had with a cracked head. Only done 500,000 miles. Painful. It was £££ cheaper to swap engine than head alone.

[@JT-tk4me]

Well worth doing. It would be good to have a go to vehicle without any problems for you.

[@gg_vard]

By the way, so happy to see Foxanne is getting driven and also some "fettling" !

[@matthewgodwin3050]

Well, I suppose the disappointments under the bonnet are more than compensated for by the majesty of those twin rear wipers. Always a silver lining.

[@Mrcento]

Brings back memories of my old mechanics lecturer.... he went down to England to buy a 2.4td surf... it broke on the drive home. By the time he had it recovered, repaired, head gasket and a new head and various other parts, the thing virtually bankrupted him. It'll be a good car once it's done.

[@WatfordWobble]

A little disappointing news but at least you know and have a plan. Pleased Chas could help and advise. Very good of him.

[@stephenshippam9374]

Good luck I hope you get it sorted

[@michaeljohnson1006]

You never know what you might find, they might have not done them up tight enough! My brother bought a Renault safrane for £450 in about 2003. It was low miles, when he changed the cam belt he didn't check the cam shaft bolt was tight! Even thought he had not undone it. Anyway he was down in Cornwall, it would not start, when the breakdown came out they said its your cam belt! He said i only just fitted a new one! It turned out, it had had a new head fitted, who ever did the job had not tightened the cam pulley bolt properly. So it slipped and sheered the alluminum lobe off the pulley. Then span it round, luckily for him it only bent 1 valve! It might be worth seeing how tight they feel with a breaker bar. If it leaking too much water it will get into the oil so keep checking the oil for water! I'm not sure what cats think of water either.

[@MeMe-sy7fn]

Just as a point of interest, there are specialists who can repair cracked cylinder heads, some better than others. There used to be a place that advertised itself as 'the head shop' that did that kind of work mail order. This was about 30 years ago but they may still be around. They were located in the Black Isle north of Inverness. They did amazing work. Maybe a classic car specialist could direct you to someone.

[@pauldoherty7608]

The reason the rear bank is so clean , it gets a steam clean every drive ... Hope you percevere with fixing it though Ian

[@HowardLeVert]

Yep - my BMW E34 had a cracked head... good luck sorting it out, it's worth it.

[@BibtheBoulder]

If it makes you feel any better, I had the head gasket go on my Bentley Arnage years ago. The cost of repair was just shy of £5,000

[@HubNut]

Yikes!

[@Perkelenaattori]

I had a buddy with a 1998 Avensis 2.0 TD as a taxi and we had a really cold winter in 98-99 and we're talking almost -40 celsius for a month in a row. He actually had 6 head gasket failures in one winter.

[@stephenwestley1017]

Its a big undertaking, I can't wait to see the progress & the result

[@michaeltutty1540]

Well done, Ian. As long as the coolant stays away from the oil you are okay. If the coolant does get into the oil, you can ruin the block. Those alloy blocks don't like water on the bearing races.

[@HubNut]

Iron block on these. That's one of the issues.

[@samuraifool912]

Good luck with the Head/Gaskets ect. I ran an Unloved Volvo, that I was Given 'Gratis', For 4 yrs with a Constant weep and loss of fluid. It ran fine for all that time, But we Tried not to Expect Miracles from it ( no Trips over 30 kilometers distance at one Go, Maximum.) The reason I was given it was a 'Noisy Big End'. And One Day it Just finally let go..! Body was White with an All over Rust Coloured surface..! But got more From Wrecking it than I ever spent on it in those years..! I hated it. It was like Driving a Block of Flats..! But Great with 2 Dogs..! So well done Volvo..!! Cheers and Stay Safe kim in Oz..! 😎 P.s. 32° C here today..! Phew it's Warm..! 🤗

[@daniellee9015]

Brilliant video Ian 👍 at least you know what is up with it

[@7taggart]

I've seen Chaz in a fair few videos repairing a campervan on Herman hits the road's channel, he does things correctly seems like a good chap, if he's helping you do the repair, don't think you'll go wrong.

[@lettucefire]

if i remember correctly from that channel he’s also a robot 😂

[@darrenmeears3912]

I thought I new him from somewhere 👍

[@HermanHitstheRoad]

Haha, yes this is Chas from our channel 🤣👍. Yes, we made a video of him being a robot 🤖

[@siraff4461]

I said this in the last one. I can't see how you can condemn a head based on revving it when there are so many other things it could be - if the head has been off you would think it even more unlikely since if its off you're likely to at least give it a quick once over to make sure its ok. A compression and leakdown test could be worth its weight in gold here - especially since its running well and not giving masses of smoke from the exhaust.

[@stevek3636]

Replacing the heads is a good plan. That should make interesting viewing.

[@timcarpenter2441]

Am surprised at the failure, but definitely a vehicle worth saving, as generally they are desirable. And at least the oil system does not seem to have been involved. This, a Crown wagon or a W124 280TE pre-facelift. I currently have the latter in almost the same colour as your Camry.

[@givenuponthisone]

I jus KNEW the double rear wipers would get a mention, chortle.

[@bloodybrit]

Chas has a good air about him. I look forward to the Camry being returned to full health, it is a great car and well worth any investment.

[@jayslittleprojects1431]

Please fix this one and don't give up on it. the only way you will increase your confidence in deeper engine work is to do it. It is not all that hard. I have done a head swap at the side of the road. (needs must) :)

[@hymek7017]

Although I pressed the like button, I really don't like the fact your Camry may have cracked heads. I do however, like the fact the Chaz was there to fully diagnose the issue and tut at the very idea of snugging the head bolts up a bit more. Good luck with getting it all sorted.

[@johnhunt2388]

I bought a 1982 Ford Laser back at the late 90s and that would push all the water out of the over flow when I came to a stop so one day I didn't fill it up again and drove it without the water and it didn't heat up so I drove it for 9yrs like that but found if I wanted any heat from the heater I had to put water in so that's what I did in winter , it was still like that when I sold it and I told the new owner but I never heard from him again. I don't know if you would like to try your luck by doing that it is just an idea seeing as it doesn't really heat up

[@twocvbloke]

Well, that confirms it, the stealership ripped you off, given the guy turned up the heating to hide the failure during the test was a sure-fire hint they knew all too well they had a lemon on their books... :\

[@jimmyp7928]

I completely agree. Given the maintenance demands of the rest of the fleet you can't help but feel the best option would be to get a refund on this Camry and spend the money on something a little less needy. Ian already has too many 'projects'. Kudos to Chas for coming to help you though, very kind.

[@bigyin.7710]

@@jimmyp7928 but it has twin wipers at the back!

[@laurieharper1526]

@@bigyin.7710 Exactly. It's also rare as rocking horse poo in this country. More exclusive than any piece of Italian exotica without the silly price tag. Gotta be saved.

[@stepheng8779]

@@laurieharper1526 not really, hardly sets the pulse racing, watch that price tag soar just to keep it running, silly.

[@laurieharper1526]

@@stepheng8779 Won't "set the pulse racing"? Good. I like boring cars. You know, the ones that just get you there every time.

[@Zeem4]

A few years ago I was on the lookout for a cheap 7 seater, so I searched eBay and sorted by lowest price first. The first few pages of the results were full of Vauxhall Zafiras with 1.6 litre petrol engines, all with blown head gaskets. I ended up with a 1st-gen Kia Carens instead.

[@barthomer1000]

Drove my Rover 75 when the temperature wa s high 2.5 V6 cooked no cure pressure tested. Car ruined went on the scrap lorry. Great cars but so many problems had 5 now got a 75 diesel

[@Isayso1]

Hi Ian. As you already expected having to do these head gaskets, it should be encouraging to remember that the work remains the same if you successfully passed the bottleneck of parts availability.😉

[@Badgertronix]

I fixed a 1991 Suzuki Swift with a cracked head using a sealer block thingy. Ran fine for another 30,000kms before I sold it. Even made it from Christchurch to Auckland in one go. It can be an effective bodge if fixing it properly is too hard

[@HubNut]

We have a long term plan to replace the heads, but I'm very keen to try the sealer just because it seems an idea opportunity.

[@jmurray01]

A car like that is definitely worth the work. To scrap it for needing heads would be like knocking down a house because of a leaky gutter. Look forward to seeing it be improved and I dare say in the future it will be worth what you paid for it, including the repairs.

[@andyarmstrong1493]

Lovely car, worth keeping. Good luck with it.

[@declanmcquay3476]

I am sure there are some Aussie HubNutters who will happily raid the junk yards for heads, plenty of those V6 Camrys were sold here. Saw a mint sedan the other day, however it was a 4 cylinder model.

[@TheKnobCalledTone.]

I'm half expecting Ian to end up with several V6 Camry heads in the post from Australia in the next few weeks lol

[@wanderinggentile]

These are also quite plentiful for the Hubnutters in North America. He could wake up with several engines from Chicago on his doorstep!

[@Pfirtzer]

@@TheKnobCalledTone. Getting heads will have a new meaning thanks to Hubnut...

[@alisonhowes8498]

I live in Telford if it is the dealer I am thinking of then I am not surprised. I would imagine it came via auction. I think he ceased trading a few weeks ago after operating under different guises.

[@HubNut]

Wouldn't be the first time he's changed name or location...

[@neptuneblood6916]

I got a head off amc for my surf 3.0td original head cracked in four places most heads were upgraded in 96 I believe, and all the amc heads as well

[@derek-press]

definitely worth investing time and money in her, she's a looker

[@captaccordion]

Ah, the expert has spoken. So the head has been off in recent times because of either gasket failure or head crack, and it's unknown whether it was skimmed when off or checked for cracks, or given some retorqueing after some running once put back on. So off with it's head it is, though I wonder whether a head doctor should check it over once removed before spending money on a replacement? By the way Ian, I've just watched the Harlech videos and I do like your Harlech hat!

[@HubNut]

Cheers Peter. I think your advice was sound, but as it seems someone has been in before, perhaps not the best tactic in this case. We think we can source heads fairly cheaply, but we'll see. Whatever happens, we'll certainly do a firm diagnosis once we're in, but that may be quite a few weeks away.

[@aleshudek5323]

Yes you right "expert" has spoken. If someone get head off doesn't mean it been repaired well... Not sure but I believe 3 cylinder heads are less stressful then 4 or 6 cylinders straight engine.

[@tristanpage6805]

Looking expensive but we’ll worth the save.

[@Mark.D.H.]

I've changed numerous 90s Vauxhall head gaskets over the years. The gasket itself always seems to rot away around cylinder No. 4, despite coolant strength being maintained and OEM gaskets being used. I'm wondering if the lack of asbestos affected their durability? Later all-steel gaskets seemed to have solved that problem, but are more dependent on a perfectly machined and flat head/block.

[@jaggass]

Complicated looking V6 but a nice sounding one.

[@matouslitera8073]

Possibly some ported heads for the Camry?

[@workonesabs]

Try Steel Heal. not cheap but does work and head gasket on a vectra seemed to sort it.

[@richardhewitt.easyvanlife.6957]

You could always try the many products available. You pour in the water that fix head gasket. In the past I’ve had 3 vehicles I’ve tried them in 2 worked, the Rover it did not.

[@deanstyles2567]

I guess once the heads are off it'll be worth doing cambelt/water pump/etc as well? Get it properly freshened up for the next hundred thousand miles or so 🙂 It seems a tidy example and worth the expenditure.

[@HubNut]

Cambelt was done last year but certainly worth checking water pump and tensioners as I'm not sure they were touched.

[@stephinepaul7483]

Thanks' for the "Heads Up"(and soon "Off"..)Ian. Oh Dear.......With the number of them left in running condition(especially over here..) getting the replacement 'Heads shouldn't be all that difficult. There might even be NOS items available. Hopefully it'll be reasonable Money-Wise.

[@stevemonkey6666]

Thank you to Chaz. 👍

[@gtametro]

in the mean time chuck some steel seal head gasket fixer upper in it? if the heads are going to need doing anyway theres no harm in trying some one of these head gaskets in a bottle

[@blackterminal]

Hubnut you should have said " A man's got to know his limitations". :)

[@bobhacking1431]

went past a white one on Kwinana freeway yesterday

[@mehrzahl2219]

I wouldn't drive it much further. The increased pressure in the cooling system can cause other parts like the heater core to fail. Not to mention when oil starts mixing with coolant.

[@danielpothier9990]

Camry is a great workhorse get her fixed and you will get years of loyal service

[@patrickswan4537]

Beware.. I bought a Volvo S80 D5, an official used one from a Volvo dealer, cooling light came on before I got it home.. Long story short.. they diagnosed blown head gasket, on taking off the head realised it had been gone some time resulting in a cracked block. £9k for a new engine to be fitted, thankfully on the Volvo warranty. Be careful about using it too much before you get it fixed!

[@bentullett6068]

#not my proton looks a bit sad hiding behind that Izuzu Trooper. I hope the Camry can be fixed as its a nice looking car.

[@friedjohn]

You might be able to keep using the car (with caution) for some time. I had a head gasket failure on ny old Peugeot 406 (probably my own fault for not changing the coolant often enough). Cylinder pressure would pressurize the coolant system and some coolant would be pushed out. Thankfully it was no more than could be replenished every day - got worse over time, though. However I managed to commute 2 x 45 miles every day for about 2 months until I got hold of a used replacement engine (cheaper than changing the head gasket, skimming the head etc.).

[@richardw64]

Shame about that. It looks like a nice car. I have driven one before and could not say anything bad about it. Anyway good luck with it, Ian.

[@clintmullins4406]

K-seal, seen it used on a crv, cherokee, and a Cadillac to name a few.

[@KLUTCHdot58]

I wonder if someone changed the gasket and reused the stretch bolts? I've seen head damage from that tomfoolery.

[@HubNut]

Certainly possible I think.

[@leeallen7585]

Why can i ask have you not got the dealer who sold it involved

[@HubNut]

Because I don't rate my chances of success very highly. I certainly don't want him working on the car.

[@camperlustig68]

Will Chas be involved in the future repairs of this car

[@HubNut]

Yes, that's the plan.

[@The_Evil_Monkey_93]

I knew that was coming... Good luck getting head gaskets atm... here in Oz we seem to have a supply shortage which means there's only one side. I'm hoping my 280k km motor is good in terms of compression. We'll have a race Ian. Who can get their Camry back on the road in full working order. I wouldn't give up, their a good deceptively quick car. especially the Manual V6's. I shall follow with great interest the prgress that gets made in the future. I know I keep hounding you but I'll have a full auto box and associated stuff if you want it to keep as a spare and get it rebuilt or something. I also have centre consoles with cup holders and central locking haha. Can I tempt you Ian? Listen to the voice in your head that says "Go on, go on, go on, get the cupholders"

[@0161pumaste]

hope you do get it fixed ian, as it'll make the perfect family wagon for you all. :-)

[@Levenstone132]

Well worth it. Nice car that Camry.

[@nickc4518]

Ian would recommend keeping the journeys short in the Camry if you are going to use it. I’m sure I’m preaching to the converted saying this.

[@markhood6654]

ive liked this vid, although, i didnt really want to due to your misfortune ian! This one i believe will need to be a keeper if you fix the heads on it! cracking car none the less.

[@willwelch5700]

Gutted that the Camry has a head gasket issue. Hopefully this is a quick fix and you can get back to normal quickly and not too much damage has been done. Have got you plans to take it up with the dealer at all?

[@laurieharper1526]

Do you have any pals across the pond, who might look out for some heads for you? The Camry's been the best selling car in the US for many years. Scrap yards there have plenty, whereas here, it's a rare beast. Definitely worth saving. I looked for a good one for a long time before finding mine. I'm hoping my engine (2AZ FE) doesn't start to burn oil, as they sometimes do. It's been changed every 5k miles since it was new, so fingers crossed.

[@HubNut]

We do indeed have some US contacts, and may already have sourced a pair of heads.

[@laurieharper1526]

@@HubNut Great stuff. Looking forward to taking a photo of it next to mine at a forthcoming social.

[@SaturnIonQCVTi]

Fix the Camry. It’s a nice car and worth fixing in my opinion. This generation Camry 1992-1996 are the best driving/riding Camrys. I’ve driven a 2021 and it’s was nothing compared to the 1992-1996

[@johnmitchell2741]

That's exactly what I would do if it's your car but I sure hope you can pull it inside if you have to pull the heads

[@barrybadass3481]

2 Tablets of Bar's sealent directly into the pipe work will fix the issue .

[@johnnorth9355]

An E class Merc estate would have been a better bet.