I recently completed a 60,000 mile service on a 2008 Camry V6.
The car has 62,000 miles on it. I did an oil change, cabin filter, tire rotation, wiper inserts, battery, transmission flush and brake fluid flush.
During the service, I found the following issues:
1) Left-front strut is leaking (level-1 leak, per TSB #0145-11)
2) Right-front strut is leaking (level-2 leak)
3) Right-rear strut is leaking (level-2 leak)
4) The steering wheel shakes when the brakes applied at high-speeds (need to replace the front rotors and install updated front and rear pads per TSB#0169-09, or use aftermarket pads)
5) The steering wheel clunks/pops when turned, I suspect a failed intermediate steering shaft. (There was a bulletin, #ST002-07, on this issue for the 2007 models, but not for the 2008s.) The ball joints, rack and control arm bushings check-out okay.
6) There is a squealing noise from the belt-drive system during cold idle, but only when the vehicle is in reverse. Weird. The belt looks great. I have been advised to review review TSB #0056-09 and check the condition of the alternator's decoupler pulley to diagnose the issue.
7) There is a small oil leak that is starting to form at the timing cover; the fix is to r/r the whole engine and reseal the timing cover.
8) There is a very very small oil leak that is starting to form at the rear camshaft housing (a few drops); there is a fix for this, but it is very expensive.
Here are some pictures of the issues I found:
1) Left-front strut - Level 2 leak:
LF strut leak - stage 2 by The Critic, on Flickr
2) Right-front strut - Level 1 leak:
RF strut leak - stage 1 by The Critic, on Flickr
3) Right-rear Strut - Level 2 leak:
Right-Rear Strut Leak by The Critic, on Flickr
7) Possible timing cover leak. The black stuff at the timing cover mating surface is oily goo and there are traces of oil in that area. I think this is very early stage of the infamous timing cover leak on these early 2GR-FEs?
by The Critic, on Flickr
8) Possible camshaft housing leak as documented in TSB#0324-08? There was one drop and the area was damp. This is not a valve cover leak, as the valve cover gasket is bone dry.
Camshaft oil leak by The Critic, on Flickr
So far, the owner has approved the replacement of all four struts due to the fluid leakage. Interestingly enough, the strut rod still extends as expected when you test the struts out of the car (and does so smoothly). The owner said he did not notice much of an improvement in handling after the struts were replaced...
My thought was to ignore the oil leaks for now (since they require engine removal to fix), and just continue to monitor them at each service going forward.
The brake pedal pulsation matter is a driver decision since it is not safety-related.
The steering shaft issue is very annoying to me but is not safety-related.
The drive belt looks okay but the noise is a bit concerning.
What would you guys fix next?
The car has 62,000 miles on it. I did an oil change, cabin filter, tire rotation, wiper inserts, battery, transmission flush and brake fluid flush.
During the service, I found the following issues:
1) Left-front strut is leaking (level-1 leak, per TSB #0145-11)
2) Right-front strut is leaking (level-2 leak)
3) Right-rear strut is leaking (level-2 leak)
4) The steering wheel shakes when the brakes applied at high-speeds (need to replace the front rotors and install updated front and rear pads per TSB#0169-09, or use aftermarket pads)
5) The steering wheel clunks/pops when turned, I suspect a failed intermediate steering shaft. (There was a bulletin, #ST002-07, on this issue for the 2007 models, but not for the 2008s.) The ball joints, rack and control arm bushings check-out okay.
6) There is a squealing noise from the belt-drive system during cold idle, but only when the vehicle is in reverse. Weird. The belt looks great. I have been advised to review review TSB #0056-09 and check the condition of the alternator's decoupler pulley to diagnose the issue.
7) There is a small oil leak that is starting to form at the timing cover; the fix is to r/r the whole engine and reseal the timing cover.
8) There is a very very small oil leak that is starting to form at the rear camshaft housing (a few drops); there is a fix for this, but it is very expensive.
Here are some pictures of the issues I found:
1) Left-front strut - Level 2 leak:
LF strut leak - stage 2 by The Critic, on Flickr2) Right-front strut - Level 1 leak:
RF strut leak - stage 1 by The Critic, on Flickr3) Right-rear Strut - Level 2 leak:
Right-Rear Strut Leak by The Critic, on Flickr 7) Possible timing cover leak. The black stuff at the timing cover mating surface is oily goo and there are traces of oil in that area. I think this is very early stage of the infamous timing cover leak on these early 2GR-FEs?
by The Critic, on Flickr8) Possible camshaft housing leak as documented in TSB#0324-08? There was one drop and the area was damp. This is not a valve cover leak, as the valve cover gasket is bone dry.
Camshaft oil leak by The Critic, on FlickrSo far, the owner has approved the replacement of all four struts due to the fluid leakage. Interestingly enough, the strut rod still extends as expected when you test the struts out of the car (and does so smoothly). The owner said he did not notice much of an improvement in handling after the struts were replaced...
My thought was to ignore the oil leaks for now (since they require engine removal to fix), and just continue to monitor them at each service going forward.
The brake pedal pulsation matter is a driver decision since it is not safety-related.
The steering shaft issue is very annoying to me but is not safety-related.
The drive belt looks okay but the noise is a bit concerning.
What would you guys fix next?
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