1989 Camry leaking vacuum diaphragm actuator oiler

[Ozcamry89]

Hi,
New member here and have a bit of a challenge for any mechanics out there. So far no local mechanics in my area (I'm in Perth WA) have been able to solve this, nor in US forums where I posted the same question.

Vehicle: 1989 Toyota Camry 4 cylinder sedan.

Model: SV20R-EPBLA
Engine: 1S-CI
Trans: A140L
Date: 05/89

Problem: The part as shown is leaking significant oil out (when engine running) from what appears to be a vent hole in the part as shown. Please refer to photos attached.

I have no idea what this part is or what it does. It appears to be some sort of diaphragm actuator from the vacuum system but not clear on what it is actually 'actuating'. It seems related to control of oil into the engine block perhaps. It is connected to the engine block in the location as shown circled in yellow. The vacuum hose that was connected to the part is shown marked in red.
I've searched the manual in vein. Only diaphragm actuators I could see related to the EGR system or cruise control but these are not related. As mentioned it seems related to oiling quantity control?

Any clues or advice on this would be appreciated. The part (I'm told) is not common and the mechanic I'm currently dealing with has said the vehicle is a throw-away because of this. I'm not convinced we're at white-flag waving stage yet.

Looking forward to any replies.
Thanks.

 

[Tony Prodigy]

5 hours ago, Ozcamry89 said:

Hi,
New member here and have a bit of a challenge for any mechanics out there. So far no local mechanics in my area (I'm in Perth WA) have been able to solve this, nor in US forums where I posted the same question.

Vehicle: 1989 Toyota Camry 4 cylinder sedan.

Model: SV20R-EPBLA
Engine: 1S-CI
Trans: A140L
Date: 05/89

Problem: The part as shown is leaking significant oil out (when engine running) from what appears to be a vent hole in the part as shown. Please refer to photos attached.

I have no idea what this part is or what it does. It appears to be some sort of diaphragm actuator from the vacuum system but not clear on what it is actually 'actuating'. It seems related to control of oil into the engine block perhaps. It is connected to the engine block in the location as shown circled in yellow. The vacuum hose that was connected to the part is shown marked in red.
I've searched the manual in vein. Only diaphragm actuators I could see related to the EGR system or cruise control but these are not related. As mentioned it seems related to oiling quantity control?

Any clues or advice on this would be appreciated. The part (I'm told) is not common and the mechanic I'm currently dealing with has said the vehicle is a throw-away because of this. I'm not convinced we're at white-flag waving stage yet.
 

5 hours ago, Ozcamry89 said:

the mechanic I'm currently dealing with has said the vehicle is a throw-away because of this. I'm not convinced we're at white-flag waving stage yet.

Looking forward to any replies.
Thanks.

 

 

 

 

 

That is a tricky one. I have never noticed this item on the old Camry and you are right that there is absolutely nothing online regarding it. If you can find an older Toyota tech who could've possibly worked on one of these in the past, he could tell, and then again he may not.

I am just wondering how it is mounted. That hole you point to, are you sure it's a vent hole because it looks like where a bolt would go to keep it in place. If you look at the area it fits into the block, there is a hole on the top section above the cylindrical recess where the device slides in. Something has to keep it fixed in position no ? It can't just be a push in fit.

I wished you got a photo of this before dismantling it. I could say either the mounting bolt went missing or the o-ring is bad.

Help us clarify these points.

 

 

 

[Ozcamry89]

Thanks Tony.

I've actually just found out it is connected to an oil distribution rod with small holes in it, next to cam shaft. To me this suggests it moves back and forward to provide better dispersion of oil over camshaft at high (or low) revs. Does this provide better clues as to what this part is?

[Hiro]

It's the swirl control valve, it actuates a rod which turns butterflies (or the like) inside each intake port which makes the incoming air flow more turbulent which apparently atomises the fuel better.

[Ozcamry89]

Hiro, I think you might be right. I’ve discovered the part number to be 17380-63010. 
Looking online I found attached diagram. Link here.

What isn’t clear is how the parts highlighted in green on the rod connect to the valves. Visibility is impossible underneath the rod. See photo attached from the top.

But I guess the main question is, do I bother replacing the actuator (which is expensive) or can I just seal up the diaphragm relief hole (presumably meaning the actuator will no longer move the rod)?

If it’s just for better swirl/vaporization at idle, does it really matter?

Thanks.

 

[Hiro]

It'd mean taking your intake off, but it might be worthwhile seeing if you can get a look down the intake ports of the head and see what there is in the tract that generates the swirl.

My concern with sealing the relief hole is that there is a good chance the actuator has failed internally (which means the o-ring isn't to blame, it's the diaphragm itself) and if you seal the relief it'll either build up pressure or flow up the vacuum tube back to the source, which means oil in places that it wasn't meant to go.  Obviously if you plug the vacuum source it won't go anywhere else, but you'll still end up with an actuator full of oil that was only meant to hold air.  Also, locking the actuator in position will mean you'll either be left with always swirling or never swirling (depending what the "neutral" state of the valve is, which is why I mentioned scoping the intake port above), so if it isn't the situation you'd prefer then maybe you might need to jam/weld the actuator shut/open.

 

And a bit more info, seems like this isn't an isolated issue

http://toyopetcoronadeluxe.proj.jp/st150/a-sca.html

[Richmond Mechanical]

Hi mate did you end up finding a fix for this? I've got the same issue on a customer's car

Cheers