Hi guys,
please i need expert advice here. I drive a 2000 toyota camry xle v6, with the 1mz-fe engine, auto.
Over a couple of months i have been experiencing poor drivability issues, particularly poor/hesistant acceleration from stop, rough upshifts and extermely poor gas mileage(about 11.5mpg).
I have scanned the vehicle( no codes), changed the plugs&wiresand recently changed my transmission fluid(dextron II recommended for A541E transmission).yet no improvement. I have also serviced the brakes, so no binding.
However when i bought the car some months back i noticed a kind of scrubbing noise ant the timing belt plastic cover when got progressively louder until it dissapeared completely. Could it be that the timing is off? What are the symptoms of misaligned mechanical timing?
Pls help!

pls help a brother

na wa o! autogurus in the house, help na

Auto experts, please help a brother

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Epzilon: Hi guys,
please i need expert advice here. I drive a 2000 toyota camry xle v6, with the 1mz-fe engine, auto.
Over a couple of months i have been experiencing poor drivability issues, particularly poor/hesistant acceleration from stop, rough upshifts and extermely poor gas mileage(about 11.5mpg).
I have scanned the vehicle( no codes), changed the plugs&wiresand recently changed my transmission fluid(dextron II recommended for A541E transmission).yet no improvement. I have also serviced the brakes, so no binding.
However when i bought the car some months back i noticed a kind of scrubbing noise ant the timing belt plastic cover when got progressively louder until it dissapeared completely. Could it be that the timing is off? What are the symptoms of misaligned mechanical timing?
Pls help!

From what you have explained here, your car's timing seems ok but your engine is not running properly due to other reasons. Poor performance and high fuel consumption could be attributes of wrong/bad spark plugs, bad injector nozzles, faulty o2 sensors, faulty ignition coils or plug leads, bad valve seats, faulty fuel pump, worn compression rings and/or the lack of a thermostat. Some of these (inc those that u highlighted) may throw up emission related codes and I'm surprised that your check engine light doesn't stay on. Pls check that the MIL or CEL bulb comes on and goes when you start your car and that it has not been removed.

Symptoms of a misaligned timing belt would obviously indicate misfire, hard starting, rough engine idle, hesitant acceleration, poor fuel economy etc.

The noise you initially heard was from the timing belt cover where the two camshaft pulleys may have been rubbing on the plastic cover. Obviously the noise would gradually disappear with time as the metal sprockets wear away the plastic cover on the inside until there is no more contact.

I would personally advice you to start by checking your spark plugs if the correct ones are fitted as the manufacturer recommends iridium plugs that are quite expensive and most owners or mechanics would fit in the popular copper headed cheap plugs just to save on costs or make a profit but this inadvertently affects overal engine performance.

@ Car-doctor,
Thank you sir very much for your reply.
I recently changed the spark plugs (doulble tipped type) about 4months ago(very expensive). And the check engine light bulb is still present(comes on when i turn the key to on). I have a hand held scqnner and i scan the car from time to time, no codes at all.
However i noticed that i it recently started to do a little hard starting (i have to engage the starter like twice before the car starts , which it does not do before. And the acclereration from a dead stop is so poor that at times i feel as if i am moving with gear 3. The gas milage is simply horrible (330km on a full tank of 70litres.) it has gotten so bad that i feel i should simply just dispose the car.
The car currently has 220000kms on the odometer(canadian spec). The timing belt was replaced at approx. 170000KMS. Do you think that is possible the timing belt must have slipped?

your spark plugs are not double tipped. the recommended spark plug for ur car is iridium tipped. it should be either an ik 20 or sk20r11 or pk20tr11. these spark plugs are all iridium tipped and long lasting and are the manufacturers recommended plugs. You might want to check your air flow meter and change ur air filter and fuel filter (if your car has one). also check your coils and coil cables. check ur exhaust effluent to see if it gives off black or white smoke when u rev the engine while the vehicle is parked or ask a friend to tail you while u r driving to see if the car belches black or white smoke. If it does, then u know ur car isnt really burning up fuel efficiently. Another thing to check is fuel leaks. look for droplets when u start ur car and when u have parked. smell the air for fuel fumes and ur engine bay as well. good luck. let us know if we can be of more help if the above tips doesnt fish out the problem.

pls how much did u buy d iridium plug, and also ur obd scanner. Thank u

chikasin4: pls how much did u buy d iridium plug, and also ur obd scanner. Thank u

The iridium plugs cost about 2k each. Might be cheaper in lagos. Some people buy belgium plugs for as low as 100 naira but i woulndt advice that. it might be about 1500 in lagos.

Ur thermostart as been removed!!!!!!!

chikasin, i used a friends obd scanner. The funny thing is, my car goes off whenever i try to scan it. I have given up scanning it. However, have u done the checks i advised you to do? Do those before u buy the plugs

@poster; you better pay heed to what youngchopper posted above! I had exactly same experience with my camry and after much going here and there i found that the culprit was a disconnected temperature sensor. Simple as it might sound, you ll be amazed at how the performance of your car ll be transformed once the sensor is reconnected. All d best.

youngchopper: Ur thermostart as been removed!!!!!!!

Dear All,
I also have the same type of car,i changed the timing belt and power steering belt also and I started experiencing black smoke. I later changed d coolant tempt sensor,d black smoke stopped but d engine is running normal. I scanned it with my bluetooth scanner and got codes p0171,p0505,325. I ve changed the spark plugs,injectors still it didnt get better. A forum said its d EGR. Pls help. Nb,plugs are fairly used of #100.

@ Op

Since you said there is no code, touch all your rims she you get to work in the morning and let us know which wheel is hotter that the rest just in case your caliper is hung on rotors the make sure tire pressure is 32psi on all tires





I didn't see the part about timing belt replacement and spark plugs earlier so my comments above can be ignored. A Nigerian mechanic has claimed another trophy