July 25, 2023

Tucson Tom's Camry Pages

I own a 1999 Camry with a V6 engine.

Note that a 1999 Camry is a "Gen 4" (1997-2001 are Gen 4). Apparently Toyota has a tradition or practice of releasing new models every 5 years.

Camry's of this vintage were made both in Japan and in the USA. There are important differences and you may need to know when ordering parts. Rumor has it that if your VIN begins with "J" it was made in Japan. Mine begins with "JT2BF" However, I have several lines of evidence that indicates that mine was made in the USA. The latest is my radiator.

First, when ordering a radiator at Rock Auto, they offer a different DENSO for Japan and US made vehicles. The "for US made" Denso is 1 inch thick, while the "for Japan" unit is 0.625 inch thick. The blown radiator in my car measures 1 inch thick. I ordered the DENSO 221-0501 for the USA vehicle accordingly and it was perfect.

Second, when I ordered a replacement side mirror it came with some kind of circular snap in fixture on the back. This was for a USA vehicle, and was appropriate.

Here are my repair notes:

Selling the vehicle

The question is, what are the legal rules? Here is the game: They have an online eTitle transfer. Both seller and buyer must have an online account at azmvd.gov to do this. Registration and emissions must be current. Mine is current to 9/15/2023

They say you can transfer the license plate to another vehicle you own. Given the crappy nature of AZ license plates these days, the other option (destroying it) seems like the best choice.

MVD is particularly concerned about the seller filing a sold notice (this is free). The new owner needs to apply for a title transfer and register the vehicle.

Motor

My Camry has a V6 engine. This is called a 1MZ-FE and is a 3.0 liter engine. Happily this is a non-interference engine, meaning that if the timing belt breaks, catastrophic engine damage will not occur (the car just stops running).

This engine is said to have a problem known as "oil gelling" or "engine sludge". I have never seen this (but I change oil on schedule).

The other engine you are likely to hear about is the 4 cylinder 5S-FE (2.2 liter).

Key fob

The battery seems to be a 2032 coin cell. There are some mysteries about the security system and the key fobs you need for them. As I remember there are different grey and black ones (that both look black). I guess mine are the "grey", but I am not entirely sure, but if you go to Ebay to order these you will have to sort this out properly.

Wheels

You need a 21mm socket for the lug nuts. The torque spec is 76 ft-lbs. 32 psi is the recommended pressure, but running the tires at 35 will give a little better gas mileage.

Power Steering fluid

Mine leaks. I should find it. In the meanwhile, I fill (as the cap says) with Dexron ATF. Yes indeed, believe the cap. I have no idea what happens if you use what is sold as power steering fluid.
Have any comments? Questions? Drop me a line!

Tom's Camry pages / tom@mmto.org