247,000 miles on '98 Toyota Camry as of last summer, car owed us nothing. Suddenly lost oil a month after regular oil change, ruined engine. Mechanic found used engine from totaled car (w/ approx 65,000 miles) for approx $1300, plus $1300 labor. Current problems: 1. speedometer/odometer not working, 2. heater/blower stopped working this week, blower makes a LOUD, HIGH FREQUENCY sound, sort of like a siren. Was hoping to get another 2 years from her considering recent cash outlay. The mechanic couldn’t figure out issue #1, and he hasn’t looked at it since #2 started this week. I guess we can live w/ issue #1, but #2 has to be fixed – we’re in Michigan.
#2: It is likely that the bearing in the blower motor is gone. You need to replace the blower motor. The part should cost around $100.
The speedo issue can have several likely causes. It can be a result of not having the wiring connector at the speedo control unit on the tranny not being completely “clicked in”…It may need to be unhooked and plugged in several X to make a good contact. The mechanic had that connector disconnected during his work…He either forgot to clip it in FULLY (sometimes they get stubborn, missed the connector entirely, its corroded…OR the actual gauge cluster is having an issue.
The blower sounds like you have a stick or leaf debris down in the blower housing…you can pull the blower motor out…it usually right behind the glove box and in the passenger foot well area…They are usually ez to remove with a few screws…When its out…clean out that air box and see if you can get a drop or two of oil on the output shaft of the motor ( I always do this to mine to keep them quiet and happy/fee spinning). Its not a hard project to tackle on your own with limited tools.
Go to Auto Zones Website and register (similar to this site and FREE) once registered you can then access ALL of the Vehicle Repair guides online… MUCH better than buying a book for every car (in my case, bec I “flip” so many of them) But if you own your car and intend to keep it a long time Its best to have a QUALITY repair manual…Like from the “Bentley” company…or go on ebay and look for a FACTORY Toyota book…The factory is the Bees Knees for sure…Chilton leaves much to be desired in my opinion… Well you have homework to do…Get wrenchin
Blackbird