2006 camry 3.0 L engine INFO

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VVT-I v6 24v...can anyone tell me about this engine and trans it is hooked up to, considering buying one with 52, 000 miles on it for a 2006, price is right under 8 grand..
 
I know nothing but the fact that I liked those cars. 8 grand is cheap, whats wrong with it. Is it a lease or one owner. Looks like grandma driven with that low miles. Take to someone you trust a pop the valve cover and see whats going on inside. If the tranny smells burnt, RUN.
 
Sounds similar to my Camry

I assume it's a grandma owned LE V6?

It's the 1MZ-FE engine, can be sludge prone, and is an interference engine, so timing belts have to be factored in

Transmissions are usually solid, but a fluid change with T-IV/3309 isn't a bad idea

Run a Carfax, look it over good, and give it a thorough shakedown on the test drive

Sounds like a decent deal if it's clean and well kept
 
My grandson has that combo in his 2002 Camry. Engine and trans have performed very well with the exception of the back valve cover gasket has been replaced twice. The rest of the car, not very good at all.
 
one owner gramdma car...clean car fax, regular oil changes except for last 9000 miles, no record.
 
I have that car engine. It runs forever. It did not sludge after the redesign of the PCV with happened by 2001. The trans is good too. Maxlife works well on it.
 
2006 V6 could be either a 1MZ-FE or 3MZ-FE. Either is fine, the 3MZ being mostly identical aside from an extra 0.3 liters displacement.

I've had a 1MZ (VVTi) on my Lexus, and aside from an oil control valve needing replacement ($40 and 15 minutes work), it's been fine so far.

I wouldn't worry about sludging with regular oil changes, and with semi-regular PCV valve replacements.
 
my 1994 Camry had a valve cover leak at 100k, we traded it at 200k, great engines, mine was 4 cyl, very very smooth.

GM should be ashamed of the vibration prone iron duke mid 80s 4 cyl they made in gm cars
 
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Ive heard from guys at work about leaky waterpumps. Its behind the timing cover and belts. A big job but not an impossible one - better than a Nissan 4 banger with stretched chain.
The rest of the camry - whenever I got a loaner from Toyota Ive run out of that car screaming. Worse than waterboarding Id imagine. Me and them just don't get along. Glad I never married one. A personal thing.

I rather drive a 90s buick century or cutlass Calais anyday. That iron duke is an OK motor. 1/2 a Pontiac pushrod V8 IIRC.
 
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Had a 2004 Lexus with one....100% flawless. Clean the PCV valve every 30,000 with carb cleaner and run syn or syn blend oil and you'll be fine. Don't go beyond a 5000 OCI with it. We traded ours at 170,000. You should replace the timing belt due to age and while you are in there the water pump and front engine seals. I changed the ATF using a Motive fluid extractor out the dipstick tube. It should take T-IV. I would extract 3 quarts every 3rd oil change. Never got dirty.
 
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Originally Posted By: edwardh1
my 1994 Camry had a valve cover leak at 100k, we traded it at 200k, great engines, mine was 4 cyl, very very smooth.

GM should be ashamed of the vibration prone iron duke mid 80s 4 cyl they made in gm cars


All I4 engines are vibration prone without (Sometimes Complex) supplemental Balance Shaft/s

The 5S-FE's have 2 Balance Shafts to make that possible & saw my fair share of Balance Assemblies fail & send metal through the engine back when I worked "Heavy Line", And the failure prone Rod Bolts are a nice feature.

Toyota is not Infallible, I hope too ditch mine very soon!
 
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What does the Pontiac 2.5, a 4 cylinder engine from the 1970s and 80's with a cast iron block and head have to do with a 2006 Camry V6?
 
Sludge isn't really an issue on the 3.0s or the 3.3s as long as it has had semi-regular oil changes. The sludge prone ones were the early 1mz-fe from 98-2001; my understanding is that the later ones have some revisions.

These are relatively reliable engines but since it's a transverse V6 in a FWD engine, labor time to do any work will be high. You can expect to re-seal the valve cover gaskets and the water inlet (which is in the valley area below the lower intake) at some point, and book time on those are about 5-6 hours. If you ever have to reseal the water inlet, I would also replace the wiring harness for the knock sensors since they can get crispy.

Plugs can be done without pulling the intake plenum if you have good hand-eye coordination and only remove the t-body, but I prefer to remove the intake to do them.

If you do not have a lot of experience with working on cars, these can be a little intimidating to work on since A LOT of stuff has to come off to remove the manifolds.

For the transmission, I do a 12-quart flush with T-IV (purchased from the dealer) every 30k. This fluid is very inexpensive from the dealer (about $50 for a 12-qt case) and the short interval keeps the transmission healthy.

Timing Belts are due every 90k, I would get the Aisin Kit from RockAuto since it includes everything you need and the parts are very high quality compared to Gates or Dayco. For drive belts I would get Bando from the same source.

Regardless, I would not hesitate to buy one.
 
I have an 05 Camry 1MZ-FE. Just switched to Maxlife for trans and PS, Zerex Asian at 150K this past weekend.
 
Originally Posted By: edwardh1
my 1994 Camry had a valve cover leak at 100k, we traded it at 200k, great engines, mine was 4 cyl, very very smooth.

GM should be ashamed of the vibration prone iron duke mid 80s 4 cyl they made in gm cars


You're lucky you got a Camry 5S-FE.
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The Camry engines have balance shafts in them from 1992-2001. This is due to customer complaints of excessive vibrations in the cabin (NVH)

I had a Celica non-balance shaft 5S-FE which was an undersquare engine with an extremely low rod length to stroke ratio. It was unpleasant as a car engine but made a very effective vibrating road roller that would put CATERPILLAR to shame.
And you leave the duke alone! lol 89+ Dukes got balance shafts too
 
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