engine check light

`02 Camry-4 auto 2002, 113,500 k

I took the car into a dealer for a code read to see whta the problem was .

Appaently it is the vacuum switch which sits on top of the charcoal canister.

The switch CANNOT be serviced and the unit must be purchased as a whole (switch and canister ) for the princely sum of $624.00 Canadian.

Vacuum switch cannot be purchased seperately as Toyota says it may NOT work ?

  • 1.00 labour + 15% tax.which comes to roughly 7+ for a charcoal canister and vacuum switch.installed..

Since I have already committed over $850.00 this year to the air conditioner this would take my maintenance allowance over the top to close to $1500.00 when my allowance for maintenance is $1000.00 per annum.

The shop said they pressurized the switch to see if it worked, and they cleared the fault on the computer but said the check engine light would come back on after a while .

I`m hoping it was some bit of crud holding the vacuum switch from working and the pressurization cleared the obstruction ?.

So far, so good ,no light.

I only need the canister -vacuum switch for emissions control anyway and just having purchased my licence for the year ,I am going to wait `till next year until getting the work done , just before I need to get an emissions check again for my licence.

However if anything else of great expense goes wrong in that next year I will dump this car for a Honda Accord or Hyundai. ,possibly.

Has anyone else got a more economical solution for this problem?

Incidentally , the car runs just like it did before the light came on/

Reply to
mred
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If need be, BUY a code device and simply totally clear memory right before the next emissions check. When that amount of money is at stake, involving a NON-essential item, it's we against them, as far as I am concerned.

Reply to
sharx35

The poster mentions perhaps dumping the Camry for a Honda or Hyundai. Unless the cars mentioned are brand new, or very low mileage, I'm afraid he runs a risk of trading a headache for an upset stomach. I've been reading the "alt.autos.hyundai" newsgroup from time to time, and there are horror stories contained therein that would turn a Camry owner's hair white. No car is perfectly trouble free, unfortunately.

Reply to
mack

For once, I had to agree with you. Up here in Canada, most gang members drive Hondas. Ricers.

Reply to
sharx35

I own a 2007 Toyota Camry and a 2006 Hyundai Elantra. Frankly, I've had more problems with the Camry, than I've had with the Elantra. I had a couple of benign problems with a Check Engine light with the Elantra that was more of a problem with the dealer's Service Department than the car. The DTC (Diagnostic Trouble Code) issued by the ECM specified exactly what the should be replaced, but in each case the tech only cleaned the part instead of replacing it (a Purge Control Solenoid Valve for the evaporative emission control system). Since I'm an certified tech myself on another brand of car, I specifically told them to replace the valve the second time the Check Engine light came on - now, no problems. The Elantra has been absolutely trouble-free other than that glitch since purchase in December 2005. Unfortunately, our new Camry has not been as reliable, nor (surprising to me) the build-quality and fit-and-finish appears to be a notch below the Hyundai. Our Camry was built in the Georgetown, KY plant, and we're now on our 2nd automatic transmission in less than

5K of driving. NOTE: We achieved over 162K miles on a much maligned Doge Grand Caravan 4-speed automatic transmission, so it's not our driving style.

Horror stories can apply to any make or model of car. Check-out the forums on Edmunds.com - you'll read a fair share of 2007 Camry horror stories as well.

Reply to
Don

How true. And the make of car makes little if any difference. Some time ago I became slightly interested in the Cadillac Catera, which was made for five years or so in the late 90s and early 00s. Then I read some of the comments on the net and found that it must have been a real can of worms...things like replaced engines at 35,000 miles etc. Whew! And evidently the new Camrys are not that red hot in the reliability department, with bad transmissions, hesitant acceleration etc.

Reply to
mack

My daughter bought an 03 hyundai santa Fe suv in 2003.

she lives in the far north of ontario where the roads are extremely rough and un even and a trip to the grocery store is 4 hours away once a month.

The only problem she has had ( and the dealer fixed it no problem was with a trouble light coming on )(as she called it). considering the washboard raods etc . the suspenson and related components have stood up exceedingly well so far with nothing else but regular oil and filter changes she now has about 65,000 kilomters on it and it runs like new.

Reply to
mred

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