Inside the engine of my 98 Camry (276K; 4 cyl)

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Aug 14, 2015
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I had the timing belt changed (10 years old in August, but only 50K miles on it) and a leaking oil pump replaced. The mechanic who worked on it showed me pics on his phone that he took, so I asked him to text them to me, & he obliged. He was surprised that the top end was as clean as it was. There is only one shot under the valve cover, and it wasn't straight down, but you can still see that it is fairly clean. I also can see the pic where he took off the timing belt. The last two, though, I can't figure out what they are. I'm not a mechanic, but I went to parts.toyota.com but still couldn't figure out what they are. I know the folks here can edumacate me on those two.

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I can’t tell on the second to last one but the last one appears to be the end of your crankshaft. Engine looks great though. What oil you run?
 
I just inherited this from my aunt, I know she had it taken to a shop that used ACDelco's Dexos oil (I took off the ACDelco filter that was last put on), but that would only have been for the last couple of years. I have no idea where it was serviced before then, or obviously what oil was used.
 
I just inherited this from my aunt, I know she had it taken to a shop that used ACDelco's Dexos oil (I took off the ACDelco filter that was last put on), but that would only have been for the last couple of years. I have no idea where it was serviced before then, or obviously what oil was used.
Whatever it was, it seems to have been well cared for.
 
Apart from the high mileage, the only complaint is that it creaks some; mechanic said it was bushings or suspension, saw no reason to fret about it (at least, mechanically wise). But the engine is rather quiet; trans was rebuilt a few years ago and shifts very smoothly. AC & heat working fine. I can absolutely see why you would want a new model from this era.


I have a 99 Camry CE 5MT. I really like it. By way of quality-of-car I really wish I could buy the exact same one new in the dealer right now. Glory days for Toyota, this one, at least IMHO.
 
Very clean. These engines aren't usually super clean under the valve covers. Mine is pretty clean but has more varnish than that.
 
I just inherited this from my aunt, I know she had it taken to a shop that used ACDelco's Dexos oil (I took off the ACDelco filter that was last put on), but that would only have been for the last couple of years. I have no idea where it was serviced before then, or obviously what oil was used.
It looks like your aunt was a proper owner; having such a clean engine shows that it was well taken care of over its life(taking into consideration engine rebuild), even with all of the mileage on the frame.

Per specification, I feel like anything SAE 30 Weight would work for it, knowing the way that any modern oil is formulated. We are interested in your choice of oil and filter considering that you now have it your possession.

Otherwise, Thanks for the pictures OP. It is gratifying to see someone take care of their cars for the long run.
 
I was thinking of using a full synthetic, because this engine (5S-FE) was part of the class of engines in the Toyota multibillion dollar sludge settlement. But it is clear that sludge isn't a problem, so I won't worry about any overheating.

As far as what I will use, being part of the BITOG faithful I won't choose an oil without overthinking this endlessly. Right now , Chevron Supreme is always available at WM for a great price, so that's probably what I'll run (every 5K, with a Wix changed every 10K). Given that this is only a beater that we need to last about 6 years, I don't see a need to spend more on oil when it will most likely be sold to someone for a few hundred at that time, with a perfectly running engine on conventional.
 
I was thinking of using a full synthetic, because this engine (5S-FE) was part of the class of engines in the Toyota multibillion dollar sludge settlement. But it is clear that sludge isn't a problem, so I won't worry about any overheating.

As far as what I will use, being part of the BITOG faithful I won't choose an oil without overthinking this endlessly. Right now , Chevron Supreme is always available at WM for a great price, so that's probably what I'll run (every 5K, with a Wix changed every 10K). Given that this is only a beater that we need to last about 6 years, I don't see a need to spend more on oil when it will most likely be sold to someone for a few hundred at that time, with a perfectly running engine on conventional.
Very true, I've run everything in my Camry from conventional 10w30, Pennzoil Ultra 5w30, and even now currently Mobil Delvac 15w40 diesel oil.
 
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