So I bought a 2002 Camry with a pretty clean body, especially for Pennsylvania. The seller was asking $3,250. I knew it needed rear loaded struts, had an exhaust leak, a check engine light that was likely related to the exhaust leak, and a few other minor issues. During the test drive, there were no signs of overheating and the temperature gauge stayed right where it should.
The seller mentioned that the car consumed some oil, but I noted the valve cover gasket was leaking like a sieve (not concerned). He also said it used a little coolant, but it had a cheap aftermarket radiator cap, and some Toyotas can be picky about radiator caps. There was no oil in the coolant and no coolant in the oil. It showed none of the typical signs or symptoms of a head gasket problem.
I ended up taking the car home for $2,500. I figured I'd put around $1,000 into it and have a decent, reliable car.
After I got it home, I noticed some bubbling in the coolant overflow reservoir. I replaced the radiator cap with an OEM cap and topped off the coolant. This did help the bubbling issue some. While burping the cooling system, I noticed the cooling fans weren't kicking on. When I turned on the A/C, the fans came on. I then unplugged the coolant temperature sensor and the fans came on again.
At that point, I figured the coolant temperature sensor was bad, but now I was getting concerned. Since the 2AZ-FE doesn't tolerate overheating very well, I ordered a block tester. Sure enough, the fluid turned green, indicating a minor head gasket leak.
Unfortunately, this was after I had already ordered an entire downpipe-back exhaust system, replaced the rear loaded struts, and taken care of a few other items. Now I had to decide whether to unload this turd or go all in.
I'm generally not a cheap person, but the thought of losing a couple grand was pretty disheartening. In the end, I decided to fix it.
I found a used 2005 2AZ-FE from a Camry for $750 with supposedly 141,000 miles. I never ran a Carfax on the donor car, and honestly I'm not sure I wanted to spend the money just to learn the truth.
When I arrived to pick up the engine, I found that they had cut the exhaust manifold off with a Sawzall so they could keep the catalytic converter. When I got the engine home, I discovered the cylinders and valves were full of metal shavings (from Edward scissor hands). The engine had apparently sat out overnight because two cylinders had moisture in them and the cylinder walls had some surface rust.
I know it didn't sit outside for long because they had to pull the engine after I paid for it, and it took them about four days to tell me it was ready. I had also seen pictures of the car with the engine still intact.
Once I got the engine home, I spent a considerable amount of time trying to address the metal contamination and surface rust. I used flexible magnets, compressed air, a vacuum, Kroil, and 40-weight oil. I removed a surprising amount of metal. Before installation, I turned the engine over by hand and then cranked it with the injectors unplugged and the spark plugs removed.
I'm probably leaving out a lot of details, but I spent a significant amount of time trying to make sure this engine was ready to go.
There was no way I was doing a head gasket repair along with Time-Serts (or the NS300L repair). That's a major pain, and the car already had nearly 178,000 miles on it.
Once I removed the original engine, I noticed it already had a Fel-Pro PermaTorque head gasket installed. Not only was the head gasket blown, but it had clearly been replaced before. The seller was obviously not forthcoming, and I think people like that are the worst. If he knew about it—and I believe he did—the car should have been priced around $1,000 or less.
At this point, though, I'm well past being irritated about it. One day he'll have to answer for being a dishonest human being, just not to me.
So I swapped the engine while leaving the transmission in the engine bay. I had to reuse my 2002 knock sensor, install a new 2002 coolant temperature sensor, and use the original 2002 throttle body and TPS.
On initial startup, it ran terribly. It kept going into limp mode and throwing a P0121 code. It would barely rev when I gave it any throttle. I eventually realized that while the 2002 and 2005 throttle bodies look nearly identical and use the same coolant nipple and electrical connectors, the signal wasn't compatible with the 2002 ECU.
So after everything was installed and ready to go, I had to swap throttle bodies. Fortunately, it wasn't a terrible job. Finding a store that actually had the gasket in stock was probably harder than doing the work itself.
Once I swapped the throttle body, the car ran beautifully.
I changed the oil after about six miles of driving and roughly an hour and a half of idling. For the initial fill, I used Mobil 1 Euro 0w40 with a SuperTech 4967 filter. I cut the filter open afterward and found a fair amount of carbon and dirt, but thankfully not much metal. Hopefully most of the remaining debris was blown out during the initial startup.
I then refilled it with Mobil 1 Euro 5w40 and another SuperTech filter. I plan to run that oil for 50-100 miles before changing it again. After that, I'll run another fill of Mobil 1 Euro 5w40 and a SuperTech filter for 500-1,000 miles. Then I'll switch over to Valvoline Restore and Protect 5W-30 along with a Carquest Premium filter.
I replaced quite a few parts while the engine was on the stand. I also had to replace the initial OEM belt tensioner that failed while I was installing the serpentine belt. Toyota actually provided a replacement locally, even though I had originally ordered it through an online dealer in Virginia.
I'm hoping to get another 4-5 years out of this car, but who knows.
I did the entire swap by myself aside from a little help from my wife with removing the hood and holding the brake pedal while I chased the threads on the RF axle. My six-year-old daughter helped out a little too
.
Here is the list of parts I replaced and work that was done:
Rear struts – Monroe
Downpipe-back exhaust – Walker
Radiator cap – OEM
PCV valve – OEM
PCV line – OEM
3-year alignment
Tires balanced
All motor and transmission mounts – Beck/Arnley
Intake manifold gasket – Mahle
Exhaust manifold gasket – Remflex (fantastic gasket)
Oil drain plug gasket – OEM
Transmission drain plug gasket – OEM
Sealed oil pan – Toyota FIPG
Transmission fluid and filter service – OEM filter and T-IV fluid
Water pump – OEM
Rear main seal – OEM
Thermostat – OEM
Coolant temperature sensor – OEM
Belt tensioner – OEM
Coolant overflow cap – OEM
Valve cover gasket – Toyota FIPG
Air filter – OEM
Spark plugs – NGK Iridium
New Toyota pink long-life coolant
Radiator hoses – Gates
Serpentine belt – Bando
Cleaned throttle body
New power steering line clamps
Throttle body gasket – Mahle
A/C condenser – Denso (not installed yet)
I'm probably forgetting a few things.
Anyway, I'm glad it all worked out in the end. Even with everything I've done, it's still cheaper than buying another used car that immediately needs a couple thousand dollars' worth of repairs. I have a ton of pictures and will post updates periodically.
The seller mentioned that the car consumed some oil, but I noted the valve cover gasket was leaking like a sieve (not concerned). He also said it used a little coolant, but it had a cheap aftermarket radiator cap, and some Toyotas can be picky about radiator caps. There was no oil in the coolant and no coolant in the oil. It showed none of the typical signs or symptoms of a head gasket problem.
I ended up taking the car home for $2,500. I figured I'd put around $1,000 into it and have a decent, reliable car.
After I got it home, I noticed some bubbling in the coolant overflow reservoir. I replaced the radiator cap with an OEM cap and topped off the coolant. This did help the bubbling issue some. While burping the cooling system, I noticed the cooling fans weren't kicking on. When I turned on the A/C, the fans came on. I then unplugged the coolant temperature sensor and the fans came on again.
At that point, I figured the coolant temperature sensor was bad, but now I was getting concerned. Since the 2AZ-FE doesn't tolerate overheating very well, I ordered a block tester. Sure enough, the fluid turned green, indicating a minor head gasket leak.
Unfortunately, this was after I had already ordered an entire downpipe-back exhaust system, replaced the rear loaded struts, and taken care of a few other items. Now I had to decide whether to unload this turd or go all in.
I'm generally not a cheap person, but the thought of losing a couple grand was pretty disheartening. In the end, I decided to fix it.
I found a used 2005 2AZ-FE from a Camry for $750 with supposedly 141,000 miles. I never ran a Carfax on the donor car, and honestly I'm not sure I wanted to spend the money just to learn the truth.
When I arrived to pick up the engine, I found that they had cut the exhaust manifold off with a Sawzall so they could keep the catalytic converter. When I got the engine home, I discovered the cylinders and valves were full of metal shavings (from Edward scissor hands). The engine had apparently sat out overnight because two cylinders had moisture in them and the cylinder walls had some surface rust.
I know it didn't sit outside for long because they had to pull the engine after I paid for it, and it took them about four days to tell me it was ready. I had also seen pictures of the car with the engine still intact.
Once I got the engine home, I spent a considerable amount of time trying to address the metal contamination and surface rust. I used flexible magnets, compressed air, a vacuum, Kroil, and 40-weight oil. I removed a surprising amount of metal. Before installation, I turned the engine over by hand and then cranked it with the injectors unplugged and the spark plugs removed.
I'm probably leaving out a lot of details, but I spent a significant amount of time trying to make sure this engine was ready to go.
There was no way I was doing a head gasket repair along with Time-Serts (or the NS300L repair). That's a major pain, and the car already had nearly 178,000 miles on it.
Once I removed the original engine, I noticed it already had a Fel-Pro PermaTorque head gasket installed. Not only was the head gasket blown, but it had clearly been replaced before. The seller was obviously not forthcoming, and I think people like that are the worst. If he knew about it—and I believe he did—the car should have been priced around $1,000 or less.
At this point, though, I'm well past being irritated about it. One day he'll have to answer for being a dishonest human being, just not to me.
So I swapped the engine while leaving the transmission in the engine bay. I had to reuse my 2002 knock sensor, install a new 2002 coolant temperature sensor, and use the original 2002 throttle body and TPS.
On initial startup, it ran terribly. It kept going into limp mode and throwing a P0121 code. It would barely rev when I gave it any throttle. I eventually realized that while the 2002 and 2005 throttle bodies look nearly identical and use the same coolant nipple and electrical connectors, the signal wasn't compatible with the 2002 ECU.
So after everything was installed and ready to go, I had to swap throttle bodies. Fortunately, it wasn't a terrible job. Finding a store that actually had the gasket in stock was probably harder than doing the work itself.
Once I swapped the throttle body, the car ran beautifully.
I changed the oil after about six miles of driving and roughly an hour and a half of idling. For the initial fill, I used Mobil 1 Euro 0w40 with a SuperTech 4967 filter. I cut the filter open afterward and found a fair amount of carbon and dirt, but thankfully not much metal. Hopefully most of the remaining debris was blown out during the initial startup.
I then refilled it with Mobil 1 Euro 5w40 and another SuperTech filter. I plan to run that oil for 50-100 miles before changing it again. After that, I'll run another fill of Mobil 1 Euro 5w40 and a SuperTech filter for 500-1,000 miles. Then I'll switch over to Valvoline Restore and Protect 5W-30 along with a Carquest Premium filter.
I replaced quite a few parts while the engine was on the stand. I also had to replace the initial OEM belt tensioner that failed while I was installing the serpentine belt. Toyota actually provided a replacement locally, even though I had originally ordered it through an online dealer in Virginia.
I'm hoping to get another 4-5 years out of this car, but who knows.
I did the entire swap by myself aside from a little help from my wife with removing the hood and holding the brake pedal while I chased the threads on the RF axle. My six-year-old daughter helped out a little too
.Here is the list of parts I replaced and work that was done:
Rear struts – Monroe
Downpipe-back exhaust – Walker
Radiator cap – OEM
PCV valve – OEM
PCV line – OEM
3-year alignment
Tires balanced
All motor and transmission mounts – Beck/Arnley
Intake manifold gasket – Mahle
Exhaust manifold gasket – Remflex (fantastic gasket)
Oil drain plug gasket – OEM
Transmission drain plug gasket – OEM
Sealed oil pan – Toyota FIPG
Transmission fluid and filter service – OEM filter and T-IV fluid
Water pump – OEM
Rear main seal – OEM
Thermostat – OEM
Coolant temperature sensor – OEM
Belt tensioner – OEM
Coolant overflow cap – OEM
Valve cover gasket – Toyota FIPG
Air filter – OEM
Spark plugs – NGK Iridium
New Toyota pink long-life coolant
Radiator hoses – Gates
Serpentine belt – Bando
Cleaned throttle body
New power steering line clamps
Throttle body gasket – Mahle
A/C condenser – Denso (not installed yet)
I'm probably forgetting a few things.
Anyway, I'm glad it all worked out in the end. Even with everything I've done, it's still cheaper than buying another used car that immediately needs a couple thousand dollars' worth of repairs. I have a ton of pictures and will post updates periodically.
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