Some Camry's are sludge buckets. Which ones should I avoid? I'm looking for 2005-2008. Thanks for any info you can post.
Wife wants a Camry
- Thread starter Bob Woods
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You can usually tell by opening the oil cap and looking inside of the engine and bottom of oil fill cap. It will have telltale signs if there is sludge present. My uncles Camry had this problem. Even if you cannot see directly inside the engine thru the fill hole you will still see brown stains around there.
The real problem years are 96-01, both 4 and 6 cylinder engines. My wife drives an 07 and really likes it.
Originally Posted By: 190E26FTW
You can usually tell by opening the oil cap and looking inside of the engine and bottom of oil fill cap. It will have telltale signs if there is sludge present. My uncles Camry had this problem. Even if you cannot see directly inside the engine thru the fill hole you will still see brown stains around there.
We own both 97 and 98 Camrys. There is a baffle at the oil filler that you really can't see into the engine. There is obviously a risk with any car from the affected years.
You can usually tell by opening the oil cap and looking inside of the engine and bottom of oil fill cap. It will have telltale signs if there is sludge present. My uncles Camry had this problem. Even if you cannot see directly inside the engine thru the fill hole you will still see brown stains around there.
We own both 97 and 98 Camrys. There is a baffle at the oil filler that you really can't see into the engine. There is obviously a risk with any car from the affected years.
Hi.
Well, those Camry's are not sludge buckets. According to the sludge scare before, the models affected were mostly V6 Camry's. They had the 1MZ-FE 3.0 liter V6 underneath the hood.
I have always been a believer in maintenance of the vehicle, rather than the lapses in engineering on behalf of the engine's designers.
However, I have never owned a 1MZ-FE. However, my 1996 Toyota Tacoma 4x4 was my first car, and it has no sludge, 400,000+ miles on the original engine, and has the 5VZ-FE engine, basically a 3.4L iron block V6 of similar design.
So yep. That's my experience with a Toyota V6 engine.
Well, those Camry's are not sludge buckets. According to the sludge scare before, the models affected were mostly V6 Camry's. They had the 1MZ-FE 3.0 liter V6 underneath the hood.
I have always been a believer in maintenance of the vehicle, rather than the lapses in engineering on behalf of the engine's designers.
However, I have never owned a 1MZ-FE. However, my 1996 Toyota Tacoma 4x4 was my first car, and it has no sludge, 400,000+ miles on the original engine, and has the 5VZ-FE engine, basically a 3.4L iron block V6 of similar design.
So yep. That's my experience with a Toyota V6 engine.
Take a good look at the car like any you would look at of course, the vehicle with the best maintenance record would win me over (among other important things, like a CarFax) An engine that is taken care of properly won't sludge very easily if at all. Those years are all good.
Originally Posted By: dtt004
Hi.
Well, those Camry's are not sludge buckets. According to the sludge scare before, the models affected were mostly V6 Camry's. They had the 1MZ-FE 3.0 liter V6 underneath the hood.
I have always been a believer in maintenance of the vehicle, rather than the lapses in engineering on behalf of the engine's designers.
However, I have never owned a 1MZ-FE. However, my 1996 Toyota Tacoma 4x4 was my first car, and it has no sludge, 400,000+ miles on the original engine, and has the 5VZ-FE engine, basically a 3.4L iron block V6 of similar design.
So yep. That's my experience with a Toyota V6 engine.
The 5SFE I4 was affected too.
Hi.
Well, those Camry's are not sludge buckets. According to the sludge scare before, the models affected were mostly V6 Camry's. They had the 1MZ-FE 3.0 liter V6 underneath the hood.
I have always been a believer in maintenance of the vehicle, rather than the lapses in engineering on behalf of the engine's designers.
However, I have never owned a 1MZ-FE. However, my 1996 Toyota Tacoma 4x4 was my first car, and it has no sludge, 400,000+ miles on the original engine, and has the 5VZ-FE engine, basically a 3.4L iron block V6 of similar design.
So yep. That's my experience with a Toyota V6 engine.
The 5SFE I4 was affected too.
The nice part about Toyota vehicles is that if you are interested in a particular vehicle, you can go to the My Toyota site and any dealer service records will show up once you input the VIN.
The current generation of Camry did have some quality issues early on, but is still miles ahead of the previous generation. You can probably get an 08 that is CPO-ed for a good price.
The current generation of Camry did have some quality issues early on, but is still miles ahead of the previous generation. You can probably get an 08 that is CPO-ed for a good price.
dtt004 said:
My 1993 Camry LE 3VZFE-V6 still purrs at 133K miles!
A good friend has an 07. He got bored with it pretty quick because he is a car guy and had a Maxima before (sportier handling and more power) but it is giving him good service. He got the 4 cyl for mileage and has gotten up to 40 on the highway. It has a timing chain instead of belt (good). His only frustration on the highway is that it has to downshift (auto) on fairly mild grades. It might be the perfect car for your wife if power is not important to her.
The 05-06 (generation 5) will be nearly identical. The 4-cylinder is the 2AZ-FE (2.4L and is a good mill). As noted prior, head bolts can be an issue with this engine with miles. I don't think the problem is all that common, but it's common enough to be mentioned here and there.
The 07-09 (generation 6) is an entirely different car, and much improved in my opinion. The 4-cylinder powertrain remains the same, with the 2AZ-FE and 5-speed automatic. The 6-cylinder powertrain is fantastic in the 07+ cars: the 3.5L 2GR-FE with a 6-speed automatic. Some '07 6-speeds have some issues if I recall correctly. I think there was an issue that was fixed for the '08 model year.
The 10-11 (generation 6.5) is essentially a 07-09 model with an upgraded 4-cylinder powertrain. The base powertrain is now the new 2AR-FE engine, a 2.5L version of the 2.7L 1AR-FE found in the 08+ RAV4. No relation to the 2.7L in the older Tacomas. The AR engine is a new design and one of the smoothest 4-cylinders around in my experience. It is also coupled with a 6-speed auto (or 6-speed manual if you so desire). Other changes include a new front fascia with larger and improved projector head lamps and LED tail lamps.
How much are you looking to spend?
The 07-09 (generation 6) is an entirely different car, and much improved in my opinion. The 4-cylinder powertrain remains the same, with the 2AZ-FE and 5-speed automatic. The 6-cylinder powertrain is fantastic in the 07+ cars: the 3.5L 2GR-FE with a 6-speed automatic. Some '07 6-speeds have some issues if I recall correctly. I think there was an issue that was fixed for the '08 model year.
The 10-11 (generation 6.5) is essentially a 07-09 model with an upgraded 4-cylinder powertrain. The base powertrain is now the new 2AR-FE engine, a 2.5L version of the 2.7L 1AR-FE found in the 08+ RAV4. No relation to the 2.7L in the older Tacomas. The AR engine is a new design and one of the smoothest 4-cylinders around in my experience. It is also coupled with a 6-speed auto (or 6-speed manual if you so desire). Other changes include a new front fascia with larger and improved projector head lamps and LED tail lamps.
How much are you looking to spend?
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