How to Work on a Car that Doesn't Have a Service Manual - New Toyota Vehicles

the other regulars already mentioned that there are options . . . you can pay for just 2 - 3 days of information for a very reasonable rate. it’s usually about $20 - $25, depending on the vehicle manufacturer

nobody’s forcing you to buy a monthly subscription

there are other information websites . . . nobody’s forcing you to pay Toyota

There’s identifix, alldata, mitchell, chilton, and I believe a few others

This service could get super expensive with hundreds of different brands and models out there. Subscription is for a single vehicle the website says.

You might try your local library, when it re-oprns. Our county library has Chiltons you can access from your home computer and either Mitchells or Alldata that you can access from the computers at our downtown library

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Things have been going digital, bought a cd from case for a vehicle 3 years ago, had to fire up an old laptop as it only worked on windows xp, yes it was I think $175 from case.

For simple things like lug nut torque, this might be helpful. Free and easy.

http://www.yarisworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=39590

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Sometimes that info isn’t located where you might expect to find it, but it is listed… somewhere… in the Owner’s Manual. In my manual, after I found the info, I wrote inside the back cover so that I wouldn’t have to search for it next time that I needed it.

Our city library also has Chilton, which you can access from home

it’s not always the best, but it beats paying for a service manual or data subscription, I suppose

I still have the Service Manual from my 1981 Accord.
I can leaf through it, spot grimy finger prints, and reminisce about the (not so) good old days.

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I like the paper manuals too but they do take up a lot of room and I just can’t bring myself to throw one away. I had one for my 68 Dart but gave it to the guy I car pooled with that had a Dodge. It was so clear and easy to read I sometimes wished I still had it for reference. Yeah I’ve paid over $200 though for GM manuals and I did buy an Acura manual for the 08, but I’m to the point where I’m not going to do that kind of work anymore or the dealer will cover it under warranty. I did buy a cheap $25 Chilton for the Pontiac but it is very very general and of limited value. One thing I have never figured out is why these Chilton books cover engine over-hauls? Why waste the space? Who is going to buy a Chilton to use as an over-haul reference?

Lots of us like stuff printed on paper, for lots of reasons. Mostly I think its because that’s how we learned to read and looking at a screen just doesn’t work as well. But we are a fading population. I keep an old laptop in my garage and look stuff up. Try looking for a forum for your car or truck, and in that somewhere there’s a wiki of basic info.

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When I was in CT our local library had alldata for free. You could print the relevant parts too.
Here in LA, I haven’t seen them providing it.

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:open_book:

There are many things you can do on a vehicle without a service manual. About the only torque spec I’d say is super critical is something like head bolts. Yes lug nuts are important, but you can be off a little on the torque…just make sure all the lug-nuts are torqued the same. The size of the bolt can get you in the torque ball-park spec.

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I still don’t understand what the OP isn’t finding in their owners manual. I took a quick look at the 2019 Camry pdf from the Toyota site, took me 15 seconds to find the recommended lug nut torque.

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Same in Albuquerque.