I have a 1992 Toyota Camry. It had been burning gas, losing powere, white smoke smoking excessively through the tailpipe, and idling extremely rough, sometimes to the point of dying. It ran ok at highway speeds, but terrible everywhere else. We figured that it was getting moisture into the engine. We essentially did an upper engine overhaul, replacing gaskets and parts as necessary. It ran fine asfter this, and then three weeks later, started having the same symptoms. I found gas in the oil, changed oil, which helped it run smoother, but still smoked and died at idle. I found out the clutch fan barely blows. I can’t afford to get an actual mechanic involved, but I don’t know where to look next. I need some suggestions! PLease!
Gas in the oil could indicate leaking fuel injectors.
How many miles on this car?
What’s a clutch fan?
Clutch Fan, still thinks bears should have won!
Just over 200,000 miles. And the manual calls it a clutch fan, its the fan behind the radiator. We just changed the seals on the fuel injectors, but i was hoping it wasn’t internal with those. Expensive…
Well, if the cooling fan doesn’t move much air the engine can overheat and you’ll be right back where you started. I’d say you need to fix the fan, too.
The injectors can be tested. Don’t throw parts at it until you know what’s wrong for sure.
How much are you willing to spend on a Camry with 200K miles?
Well, seeing as I’m still job searching, I am trying to keep the cost down as low as possible, hence the reason I am doing all the work myself. And the fan does move, just slowly, I am trying to isolate the real problem though. I’m not going to go and buy a bunch of parts until I know for sure what needs fixin’. I’ve been replacing gaskets and such, as I knew those needed to be repaired anyway. What’s odd, though, is when we got down to the pistons, there was almost literally no wear. My grandparents owned the car since it came off the lot in 92, so we know everything that has been done. But there is no wear and tear on the pistons, the shafts, or anything. Oh, and there is no gas in the oil at the moment, as I just changed it. I’m going to see if gas will get back into it though.