I am a service center owner and technician of over 40 years in SC. Recently, a 2003 Camry LE w/ 70,000 miles came into my shop with a coolant leak. I consulted this forum and others to find proof of the same instance in the Toyota Camry. I write this in response to some posts I read on this site. This is to be informative for those in similar situations.
To do the exam, we pressurized the cooling system and put the car up on the lift. We immediately noticed coolant leaking from underneath the plastic INT intake Manifold in the rear of the engine. I also noticed a Large piece of foam rubber between the Intake Manifold and the Engine Block and Head. This was blocking our view of the leak. We could only see that the leak was behind the foam piece. The only option to discover the source of this leak was to remove the plastic intake manifold, which I did. After this was removed, it became obvious that coolant had been leaking a minor amount for quite some time due to build up between the cylinder head and block.
The only option left is to remove the head, which requires an exstensive disassembly (R and R cylinder head). After Loosening the bolts in sequence, I notice the head bolts in the back of the engine are loose. From my experience in the field, I can confidently conclude that this only means one of two things: The bolts were left loose at the factory, or the Bolts are stripped. ( I commonly have seen stripped bolts in the Aluminum Cadillac North Star Block discovered through leaking coolant.)
Next, I removed the head and sure enough, one bolt came out with aluminum in the thread...thus indicating a stripped bolt.
MY THEORY: The placement of the (insulation) foam rubber piece between the Intake Manifold and the engine block created an uneven dispersion of heat, creating "metal fatigue" in the aluminum block allowing the headbolt to strip.
If Toyota had out an Aluminum Manifold instead of Plastic, there would have been no need to insulate (w/ foam piece), thus eliminating the probem.
The only solution to this problem is to unforunately replace the engine. The cost to repair it otherwise would be substantial. This is an engine defect and we WILL be seeing more of this.
I am a service center owner and technician of over 40 years in SC. Recently, a 2003 Camry LE w/ 70,000 miles came into my shop with a coolant leak. I consulted this forum and others to find proof of the same instance in the Toyota Camry. I write this in response to some posts I read on this site. This is to be informative for those in similar situations.
To do the exam, we pressurized the cooling system and put the car up on the lift. We immediately noticed coolant leaking from underneath the plastic INT intake Manifold in the rear of the engine. I also noticed a Large piece of foam rubber between the Intake Manifold and the Engine Block and Head. This was blocking our view of the leak. We could only see that the leak was behind the foam piece. The only option to discover the source of this leak was to remove the plastic intake manifold, which I did. After this was removed, it became obvious that coolant had been leaking a minor amount for quite some time due to build up between the cylinder head and block.
The only option left is to remove the head, which requires an exstensive disassembly (R and R cylinder head). After Loosening the bolts in sequence, I notice the head bolts in the back of the engine are loose. From my experience in the field, I can confidently conclude that this only means one of two things: The bolts were left loose at the factory, or the Bolts are stripped. ( I commonly have seen stripped bolts in the Aluminum Cadillac North Star Block discovered through leaking coolant.)
Next, I removed the head and sure enough, one bolt came out with aluminum in the thread...thus indicating a stripped bolt.
MY THEORY: The placement of the (insulation) foam rubber piece between the Intake Manifold and the engine block created an uneven dispersion of heat, creating "metal fatigue" in the aluminum block allowing the headbolt to strip.
If Toyota had out an Aluminum Manifold instead of Plastic, there would have been no need to insulate (w/ foam piece), thus eliminating the probem.
The only solution to this problem is to unforunately replace the engine. The cost to repair it otherwise would be substantial. This is an engine defect and we WILL be seeing more of this.
A good reason for 7 year/100,000 mile/Zero Deductible Extended Waranties........
__________________ '07 Japanese XLE I4 (Heated Leather, VSC, Mats), Dual Exhaust, K&N Air Filter, Mudguards, Modified Front/Rear Emblems, Lip Spoiler, MTEC 4,750 K High, H9 Low and Fogs, Painted Fogs, Chrome (GS300 Wheels, Pillars, Hybrid Grille, Lower Grille, Trunk Accent, Door Handles), Wood Steering Wheel, Red Out LED Tail lights, Eyelids, 19MM Rear Sway Bar, Front Strut Bar, LED Signal-Heated-Power Folding Mirrors
OP,
With a five year old vehicle you can't assume that it has not been severely overheated and some clown has not tried to cure a headgasket problem by cranking down on the headbolts. Do the valve covers show any signs or previous removal?
We have seen this before, it is not a common problem, but has happened. That repair is 5yr/60k miles warranty,or if they have TOYOTA EXTRACARE
Quote:
A good reason for 7 year/100,000 mile/Zero Deductible Extended Waranties........
it should be covered.
Try calling the Toyota 1-800-331-4331 and see if they will participate in the repair. It needs a new short block. Not sure I trust the block, thats why we didnt use the TimeCerts. TIMECERTS ROCK!!
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I have a 2003 Camry SE 4 cylinder 5 speed manual transmission. I bought it new in 2003 At 80,000 miles during a routine oil change I was told that I had an engine problem and coolant was leaking from the backside of the engine block from underneath a foam insulation pad. This pad is located on the back side of the engine block between the block and the fire wall. The mechanic told me he thought that I probably had a cracked cylinder head and would need to consider replacing the engine. He couldn’t be 100% sure until he took everything apart to look at it but he felt confident that was the problem.
I contacted Toyota and was told that they had no record of issues involving cracked cylinder heads in the 4 cyl. Camry engine. There was nothing they could do for me as far as this repair was concerned. I sought a 2nd opinion and after weighing options from a $6000 dollar warranty replacement engine to a $2100 cylinder head job I opted for the later of the two.
My mechanic has just called and informed me that the cylinder head is NOT cracked. The problem is that the cylinder head bolts are stripped on the back side of the engine. This is what caused the coolant leak in the first place. Several of the bolts contained remains of the screw threading when they were removed. Now I have only two options: make my car into a very expensive flowerpot or spend $4000 for a replacement engine from a junk yard. I have contacted Toyota regarding this issue. So far I havn't been able to get anywhere. I have to call the local dealer on Monday and sprak to the service manager. The work is being done by an outside shop so I'm optimistic about a positive outcome.
I would strongly recommend that if you have the problem as described above that you understand that the cylinder repair is not an option. You’re looking at the expense for an engine replacement. I have no choice but to move forward with the repair. The mechanic and I discussed the possibility of Helicoiling the existing screws, there isn’t enough room between the water jacket and the block for them to fit. I wish I had found this forum before I went ahead with the attempted repair. You said that we would be seeing more of this problem, here it is.
I never thought that I would be so disappointed in a Toyota product. I’ve been a loyal customer for 30 years.
I have a 2003 Camry SE 4 cylinder 5 speed manual transmission. I bought it new in 2003 At 80,000 miles during a routine oil change I was told that I had an engine problem and coolant was leaking from the backside of the engine block from underneath a foam insulation pad. This pad is located on the back side of the engine block between the block and the fire wall. The mechanic told me he thought that I probably had a cracked cylinder head and would need to consider replacing the engine. He couldn’t be 100% sure until he took everything apart to look at it but he felt confident that was the problem.
I contacted Toyota and was told that they had no record of issues involving cracked cylinder heads in the 4 cyl. Camry engine. There was nothing they could do for me as far as this repair was concerned. I sought a 2nd opinion and after weighing options from a $6000 dollar warranty replacement engine to a $2100 cylinder head job I opted for the later of the two.
My mechanic has just called and informed me that the cylinder head is NOT cracked. The problem is that the cylinder head bolts are stripped on the back side of the engine. This is what caused the coolant leak in the first place. Several of the bolts contained remains of the screw threading when they were removed. Now I have only two options: make my car into a very expensive flowerpot or spend $4000 for a replacement engine from a junk yard. I have contacted Toyota regarding this issue. So far I havn't been able to get anywhere. I have to call the local dealer on Monday and sprak to the service manager. The work is being done by an outside shop so I'm optimistic about a positive outcome.
I would strongly recommend that if you have the problem as described above that you understand that the cylinder repair is not an option. You’re looking at the expense for an engine replacement. I have no choice but to move forward with the repair. The mechanic and I discussed the possibility of Helicoiling the existing screws, there isn’t enough room between the water jacket and the block for them to fit. I wish I had found this forum before I went ahead with the attempted repair. You said that we would be seeing more of this problem, here it is.
I never thought that I would be so disappointed in a Toyota product. I’ve been a loyal customer for 30 years.
The mechanic and I discussed the possibility of Helicoiling the existing screws, there isn’t enough room between the water jacket and the block for them to fit.
why do people think that mechanics would do something to their car that would harmful or expensive.i'm going through the same experience.2002 camry 2.4l head bolts stripped out on back of head(no real fix i can find).bolts were loose on removale.i'm a tech ,don't like telling customer its expensive but no other option,if you see a leak(sort of)you have to follow it back to source,not easy to see sometimes.it is impossible for me to know every vechicle with all their problems.just rember this the next time something goes wrong with your car
why do people think that mechanics would do something to their car that would harmful or expensive.i'm going through the same experience.2002 camry 2.4l head bolts stripped out on back of head(no real fix i can find).bolts were loose on removale.i'm a tech ,don't like telling customer its expensive but no other option,if you see a leak(sort of)you have to follow it back to source,not easy to see sometimes.it is impossible for me to know every vechicle with all their problems.just rember this the next time something goes wrong with your car
You answered your own question/non-question...............
__________________ '07 Japanese XLE I4 (Heated Leather, VSC, Mats), Dual Exhaust, K&N Air Filter, Mudguards, Modified Front/Rear Emblems, Lip Spoiler, MTEC 4,750 K High, H9 Low and Fogs, Painted Fogs, Chrome (GS300 Wheels, Pillars, Hybrid Grille, Lower Grille, Trunk Accent, Door Handles), Wood Steering Wheel, Red Out LED Tail lights, Eyelids, 19MM Rear Sway Bar, Front Strut Bar, LED Signal-Heated-Power Folding Mirrors
How long did Toyota use this design (or are they still using it) on the four cylinder engine? Both examples in this thread were 2003 model year. I have a 2005 Camry. If the same design was used for 2005 model year, is there anything I can do to avoid this issue?
We've had a 2003 Toyota Camry LE 4cyl since February of 2003, currently it has almost 125 thousand miles on it. Two days ago we went to the dealership to get an oil change and they have told us that coolant was leaking, also saying that they would diagnose the problem for $99. We have opted out to take the vehicle to my brother, who's good with cars, and sure enough on our way back from the dealership the car started overheating. This has never happened before, neither has this vehicle had any problems or services aside from brakes and AC.
As with the cases above same process first the leak was discovered in the back; then it took us a while to figure out that we need to remove the foam and finally 3 bolts from the back just came out, there was no need to unscrew them.
I am really not sure what we're going to do about it, it is certain that we have to fix it because we're visiting family 800 miles away from home and need to go back this coming weekend. I consider ouselves very lucky that this did not happen on our way here.
Camry With Stripped Head Bolts
Linear Mode
