Hey all.. Hope I can get some better help here than I've been getting at the dealer and other mechanics. I've got a 94 Camry with 160k miles.
For a long while (months..), everytime I go over big potholes I hear and feel a loud obnoxious "thud thud thud" coming from the rear driver side. Midas wanted $400 to replace my struts (even tho they werent sure that was the problem). Another mechanic told me it was the rear sway bar and wanted to pull it out! I did some research and found alot of people just changed their bushings and that solved the problem. So while I'm at it, and to save money, I want to replace my front & rear sway bar and end link bushings with polyurathane ones from Prothane. I know it'll make the driving stiffer but it should make it more responsive too. Either way, I dont care. As long as my suspension and handling improves. I'm looking at JC Whitney to order my parts. So here's my first question:
Does anyone know the exact dimensions of the end link (front & rear) and sway bar bushings? The dealer didnt have that info and I don't believe my Haynes book does either. JC Whitney shows different sizes but doesnt say whats for what. The sway bar bushings are 16mm (5/8") but the catalogs show ones with "larger brackets" and "smaller brackets".. So I'm at a loss there.
Next.. a low-volume metallic rattling (grinding?) noise has developed during acceleration. It comes from the front end somewhere. I took it to a family mechanic and he welded a small pin-hole that had developed around the front flex pipe. Thought that would have fixed the problem but it didnt. So I took it to Midas b/c I thought it may have been an another exhaust leak but they said they didnt find one and seriously doubted that the noise could be coming from the exhaust. The noise has been there at least a few months, it hasn't gotten any worse. I dont notice any difference in performance or shifting, etc... Anyone have any idea?
Last question, for now.. :>
Has any experienced problems with power? I'm talking about horsepower, pickup, whatever.. I drive my friend's 96 Camry and the thing speeds up like a speed demon. My 94 just goes like a golf cart compared to it. I know they're two different models Camrys but still. They're both 4-cylinders with over 100k miles. I've replaced spark plugs (platinum), wires (ngk), fuel filter (even though Toyota says you dont have to change it), air filter (generic,I might get desperate enough and get an F&N), oil change, trans flush, timing belt, motor mounts.. I've cleaned out the air intake valve and replaced the pcv. None of that made much difference. I've had the car for 4+ years.. its never really had a whole lot of power, but its gotten a bit worse. I've thought about the O2 sensors but I dont want to drop a few hundred bux when that might not even solve it. I've done pretty much everything else my mechanics have recommended. Please, any ideas or sharing of experiences are most welcome.
Thanks!
-elric-