I take good care of my 92 Camry and with problems like brakes, exhaust, tire wear, that I can hear/see building, fix them in a timely manner. As the manual says, I changed the timing belt on schedule.
However, my recent woe has been a string of immobilizing breakdowns with no warning, always bad place bad time. (I am not counting sudden breakdown of airconditioning etc because that doesn't immobilize you.)
First, the water pump broke and damaged the (new) timing belt. I had to tow and change both.
Next, the radiator (no warning, the car hadn't been overheating). Tow, change radiator and thermostat.
Recently, battery and alternator. No warning, no warning lights came on and the car started with one turn of key until it refused to start at all. Tow, change both.
This has me worried. In a 92 car, what can I expect to break next and immobilize me without warning? What proactive checks and maintanance can help me avoid this experience?
Water pump should be changed at the 2nd timing belt change. How often did you change the coolant? Every 30K it should be done. How old was the battery? Maybe you changed out the alternator and did not need to? New brushes in the alternator are very cheap to put in.
Sorry no idea on your AC, but I bet it was never serviced either. Have you changed all your belts and hoses? Flushed and filled the transmission AND differential every 30k?
Proactive? Heck its 12 years old... Maintenance should have been done all along...
This is the price you pay for years of repair-free driving. The Japanese engineering philosophy is, in general, one of coordinated component lifespan. That is why, for the most part, Japanese cars just go and go and go and go...and then, suddenly, everything begins to fail all at once. This is in contrast to an American or European design philosophy in which you don't tend to get as low a rate of needed repairs, *but* you also don't get a late-life extreme spike in the rate of needed repairs, either. Neither approach is objectively better or worse, they're just different. Some people prefer the one approach, others prefer the other.
Don't give up just yet. We drive an '84 Toyato van, '87 Jeep and a '94 Pontiac. They have all hit the wall at some point. Things do go. Don't get metaphysical about it, things going all at once just means those individual parts have arrived at the end of their service life. It's not an omen. Do the math, add up the costs and see what the sum is,probably less than another hell on wheels/sales taxes/registration etc and at least you know what's been replaced.You'll likely never have to do those items again. My current point of view is: as long as the body/frame are good and I have my health and tools, I'm still ahead. I even just finished changing the motor on my Jeep for $400. Don't forget about junk-yards. Its a PITA game but it's one most of us have to play.
At 150K you'd be wise to drain the 90W(?) oil out of it and replacet through the fill hole. At very least check the level and see that the vent tube is unobstructed.
I may have forgot to ask but you did have this done using the Toyota Red coolant I hope?
Mine died at 100,000 miles...Did you check the water level every couple months and add only distilled water when needed?
Well, the two main components are the battery and alternator. They could sell you these, make some more money and you would be on your way thinking it needed both.
Oh, so it had a leak that was never fixed. It probably ran low on freon and siezed up the compressor.
Well, your WAY overdue for some belts at 150K!
There is fluid in the manual trans too that should be changed. with what and at what interval should be in your owners manual.
While these cars are fantastic, you cant just weld the hood shut and forget about doing any maintenance at all.
I took it to garage where they used green/blue stuff.
No. My father used to do that with his car in India. I didn't think modern batteries needed that? If they do, I could time it with oil changes, just to remember it. By the way, does it harm the engine to "wash" it with that strong greenish squirt spray at DIY car-washes, "tire and engine" cleare I think they call it? Done that a couple of times.
That's why the water pump is often replaced with the timing belt.
150,000 miles from the water pump isn't too bad. If you're using only the Toyota red coolant and distilled water, they can often go even further.
It is good practice to regularly check under the hood. Brake fluid, coolant overflow tank, and power steering reservoir can be checked visually through the translucent tanks. That way, if hairline cracks develop in the plastic upper portion of the aluminum radiator, it can be replaced before any damage or overheating occurs. Those radiators are usually good for around ten years - looks like you got twelve. Inexpensive preventative maintenance, is to regularly change the thermostat and radiator cap.
Alternator brushes last around 150,000 miles. Replacement part is around $20 or less. Batteries can fail without warning on any vehicle. Best idea is to monitor water level (adding distilled water only), and check state of charge with a temperature compensated battery hydrometer. Heat is hard on batteries. In your Camry, there is an air vent in the bumper fascia that supplies cool air to the air intake and also helps cool the battery case. Toyota batteries can last a long time. Generally you should avoid purchasing any battery more than six months after date of manufacture codes on the case.
Check the CV boots. If you read the Camry group regularly, you'll discover everything that needs to be checked. Basically, you'll want to check everything, or just buy a newer car. People who are fastidious about maintenance are seeing upwards of 500,000 miles out of these cars. Basically, everything can wear out. Toyotas are exceptionally well designed and constructed though, so it is always more economical to maintain and repair. Once you're past 150,000 miles and looking to go to 200,000 or 300,000 miles, you need to be more "hands on." My own personal opinion is that I don't trust anyone working on my car, and learn to do my own work and accumulate the necessary tools and skills. Last time I did major servicing on the car I found several errors made by mechanics (prior owner) that could never have been revealed any other way than doing the work myself. For example, the thermostat "jiggle valve" was in the wrong position and two automatic transmission pan bolts were stripped. For your manual transmission, you still need to change the gear oil periodically. There's a fairly comprehensive Haynes repair manual, but reading the factory service manual is best. The set can sometimes be found at reasonable cost by regularly checking eBay. The more you learn about the vehicle's components, the better able you are to monitor and service as needed. Much of what needs to be done at this mileage is carefully checking not only under the hood, but also under the car. Usually by now, you'll need to replace the valve cover gasket and PCV grommet. If it wasn't done with the timing belt at 120,000 miles, at 180,000 miles, plan on definitely replacing the idler bearings and oil seals along with the accessory drive belts. The main service interval for your car is 60,000 miles when the platinum spark plugs are replaced. By now, you'll probably also want to replace the spark plug wires, distributor cap and rotor, plus the rubber gasket or "distributor packing" under the distributor cap. At your mileage, changing the fuel filter is also a good idea. Brake fluid needs to be changed regularly. Also power steering fluid needs to be changed regularly. Especially if it has been neglected, power steering rack leakage is not uncommon. Most of these items are true of any vehicle, except the newer ignition systems which have no distributor.
I have recently had a similar experience with 1992 Geo Prism that I bought used. I have driven the car for two years with about the only 'repairs' were a door handle and oil changes. However, over the past few months I have had to replace both speedometer cables (top one requiring taking apart a good part of the dash), exhaust system, exhaust manifold (known problem on the engine) and still to come (to be done professionally) timing belt (and prob. new water pump) and CV axel. After that it will still need a new radiator, news tires, new belts & hoses, and a new heater/ac valve. (Orginial parts when needed are VERY expensive.) Total cost will be well over $1000. However, the engine burns no or very little oil and the air conditioner works well, and I hope to get two-three more years out of it. A new car is out of the question and used cars are very expensive, so I felt this was my most cost effective option. Time will tell....
It sounds like you have taken good care of the car. It's a hard call to make on a car like this. Since you took good care of it it could last another 100k (or more) with very little trouble but you are going to start having more nuisance stuff go wrong with it. You could also have a majore failure like a transmission that would leave with a repair bill higher than the resell value of the car. For my $ I drive one until it starts costing me more per month than a payment would and then go buy another used one. In this case I would get yourself a AAA membership if you don't have one and see how it goes over the next few months.
While in theory a car battery can go at any time, in practice good ones usually go from between 5-7 years after purchase, unless the voltage regulator dies and the voltage goes to high and boils the battery dry. (not common)
Around here I can buy a 100 month 800 CCA battery for about $50 on sale, so this is really an item that needs to be replaced on a schedule.
You need to either get AAA or buy yourself a good tow strap. Towing a car with a car isn't that hard with a tow strap. Of course you can't race down the highway (or shouldn't, I've seen some idiots do it though) with it, but if you are a careful driver and the other driver in the car is careful also, and you have the tow strap fastened well, it's a lot easier than it seems.
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