Jim.

Excellent! Thanks Hiro. I thought so, but just wanted to make sure. I'll be giving it a go over the holidays. I don't have a problem that I'm aware of, I just would like to become familiar with the process should one occur sometime in the future etc.

At what stage is the ignition turned on during this proceedure?

Wow! That is astonishingly low. Is that an automatic transmission car too? I have a 21 year old manual transmission Toyota Camry. I have yet to do extensive checks, but on first fill up, I calculated it did around 9ltr/100 klms. That was for short trips to town and such. I'm using 91 octane fuel.

I can't answer your question, but I'm interested to know where you get your Plasti-Dip from please? I've been trying to find some for a while now. For another purpose.

. s ............................... "I don't like to hear of people using distilled water in the cooling system. As the water is pure, it is in much better condition to remove elements from the motor, heads and radiator. Use ordinary tap water. And change your coolant every 50,000 km. Maybe the distilled water removed material from the pump impeller. I've seen this happen in chemical plants." That advice is completely contrary to popular wisdom. The reason is that distilled water is almost totally free of dissociated anions and cations. This makes it electically inert which is why it is recommeded for use in steam irons for ironing clothes, and for automotive cooling systems. Conversely, tap water and tank water is usually loaded with dissociated ions which make the solution (which is what it is technically) ready and able to conduct a weak electricial current. It is this current that is the basis of a process known as electrolysis. Electrolysis is what erode the interior of the water jacket, water pump and associated components.

That is very good to know Trent! edit: I've just had a look in my "Mitchells On Demand" version of the service manual and all the codes are listed. Actually, the section on fault diagnosis is huge. So far, I have found that this service manual is very good actually. And I seem to recall that it was cheap. It is just a bit hard to find my way around it and locate what I'm looking for, but that can be worked out.

Hiro, I have a "Mitchells On Demand" Toyota workshop manual, it's a 2 CD set. I'll have a look in that.

Yes Warren, they are standard. But it does remind me that if I fitted larger wheels/tyres, that would raise the final drive ratio. I don't know what tyres and/or wheels would be in that category, but it's worth considering.

Thanks for the replies Jeffy and Hiro. It seems that I have nothing unusual here. It does appear to be a bit counterintuitive to my mind, but I don't really know.

Thanks Trent. I've since seen that there are several utube videos on it.

Seriously? Details required..........please!

I would like to choose and purchase a DIY piece of equimpment, or software, to analyse my 1993 5SFE engine Camry. This means it would be the ealier OBD-1 class of electronics. Last time I went to my local friendly auto electrician, he could not find the car's codes, but still charged me hundreds! I have an electronics background and have worked on my own cars for some 50 years or more. Self reliant etc. If someone could help out with any information or accounts of experiences with such gear, it would be much appreciated. There is a huge range of options offered, just by taking a quick look on ebay. I thought this would be the ideal place to start some research. Jim.

Obviously the wrong one. It is a Mitchells On Demand CD set that I bought online. I'm fairly sure it is confined to American released models. It has been pretty good apart from that. Many thanks for your reply. It explains why I cannot find one.

I have an Australian 93 Camry with a 5SFE engine. I've looked at the service manual diagrams and followed written instructions describing where it is, but I cannot find an EGR valve. Does the Aussie model have one? If so, can someone tell me where it is? It is not in the place that is described in the manual.

I have just acquired a nice old 93 Camry wagon that has only done 125,00klms and is in really good condition. I had an auto trans one before that. This manual trans car drives like a sports car in comparison; the auto one was sluggish and underpowered on hilly terrain. The auto trans car ran at around 2200 rpm when in overdrive and travelling at 100klms per hour. The manual trans car runs at around 2800 - 2900 rpm when in 5th gear and at the same speed. This leads me to conclude that this car is undergeared; it is excellent for city and suburban driving due to this, but a bit short on "legs" for highway travelling. I would like to find out the final drive ratio for both these vehicles if possible. This is only academic as I won't be going to the trouble of changing the crown wheel and pinion ratios, (if that was possible.) Question: Can anyone inform me of where to find these specifications please? Also, does my experience above match anyone else's observations?

Excellent reply Trent, thanks. Accordingly, I won't be doing it on mine. This engine has only done 125,000 klms and I won't be overhauling it. This one will probably see me out; I turn seventy next year and don't do many kilometers.

I don't know if this thread is still active or not, but will post this anyway. I'm assuming this is a 5SFE engine, which my comments below relate to: I found that the seal will dry out with time as it is near the engine head, so that it not only wears out quicker than it would in a cooler situation, but also that it wears the shaft a bit sooner than it otherwise might. Replacing the seal (20mmx10mmx 7mm) which is cheap from the bearing supplies shop, will fix it if the shaft is still ok. However, most I found were deeply ridged, making the fitting of a new seal only not effective anymore. I made a simple mod to mine which gave me a new part of the shaft to use. I had the distributor body counterbored a bit deeper where the bearing presses into it. This meant the seal ran on a new part of the shaft. Problem fixed. No oil leak now. However, what this means is that this seal sould be replaced frequently, at least at 50,000 klms intervals. My mechanic friend says even more frequently, perhaps every 30,000 klms. As has already been said above, the "O" ring that fits on the distributor body spigot should also be replaced at the same time.

That's interesting information as I'm thinking of removing the balance shaft from th 5SFE engine in my Camry. I understand that I will need to block off the lube oil gallery. I'm guessing I will need to tap a thread in it to take a set screw to plug it up. Any comments welcome.

There is no apparent consistency re which models have a tacho and which don't. I just acquired a 1993 manual transmission Camry that did not have one. I like a tacho, especially with a manual transmission. I pulled the tacho out of my old de-commissioned automatic trans car and fitted it into the dash of my newly acquired one. It was a bit of a job I must admit and I've described the process on another site if anyone is interested. http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=1139707

The alternator in the 94 Holden Apollo (Camry with Holden badges!) stopped charging intermittently a couple of years ago. I took it to one auto electrician and he wanted to just pull it out and replace it. I went home and pulled the brush and regulator assembly out of the alternator and discovered that the brushes had worn right down. I bought some new brushes from a more helpful auto electrician (old bloke like me) for $5. I fitted them, and it was all that was wrong with it. In my experience, the two most likely things to fail in an alternator are the brushes and the bearings; both of which can be replaced. Changing bearings is a bit more difficult if you don't have the right pullers and such. But even if you have to get a mechanic to pull the bearings, it is still cheaper than an entire new alternator. Bearings from a bearing shop cost less than $10 each last time I bought some.

I bought a 2 CD set of "Mitchels On Demand" service manuals for Toyota Cars. It covers a lot of models and is very good. It is a bit hard to find what you want, but it is all there. I have found everything I want to find so far. Cheap, less than $10 from memory. ebay.com.au

Is the radiator fan or fans running when your engine is idling and getting hot? This is one of the first thing to check. If it is not, then your computer codes have been corrupted or lost. It can be confirmed quickly with an engine analyser by your Auto Electrician. Or by yourself if you happen to have one.

My name is Jim. I just found this club recently and I'm very glad I did. Excellent idea and thanks to the website creaters and moderators. I drive a 1993 Toyota Camry station wagon with only 125,000 klms on the odometer. I have just recently aquired it. I did have an automatic one for seven years. I liked it ok, but it was sluggish compared to this manual trans one. This one drives like a sports car in comparison. More about my car later.