I am a retired mechanic with about 30 years of experience. My specialities were front end and brakes where I was ASE certified. I also have a son who is currently an ASE Master Mechanic and a Toyota Master Mechanic. He will be giving some input as well. I will be giving maintenance tips as well as how to do specific repairs that are common to most automobiles. I also solicit questions from readers about their specific problems. Toyota owners will have access to 10 years of experience from a Toyota Master Mechanic. Let me hear from you about your problems!
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I have a 1996 Toyota Camry V6 with 210,000 miles. I recently changed the timing belt, drive belts, water pump, transmission filter and fluids, and tuneup with new plugs and air filter.
I had no problem before the maintenance. A week later a check engine light came on and stayed on. I took it back to the mechanic who did the tuneup. He put it on the scanner.
From 0-1200 rpm no problems and above 1800 rpm there are no problems. Between 1200 and 1800 rpm it shows a problem with 1-3-5 cylinders.
My mechanic put another new set of plugs and now a new set of spark plug wires.
The engine doesn’t seem to be running rough, but the check engine light won’t go off. Any thoughts?
Wayne: All I did was tell my son timing belt changed and check engine light on for 1-3-5 cylinders and he said the timing belt is off one tooth on the right bank. Take it back to your mechanic and get him to reset the timing belt. The check engine light won’t go off until you do and you are loosing some performance in the mean time. Good luck.
my truck has been running crappy for last month 2004 toyota tacoma sr5 4 cylinder 4 wheel drive one night this week check engine light went on . i ignored it the following day it went off by itself , is there any problems should i take it to dealer to fix .or can i fix myself it has lost some power and eats more gas but still runs good. what could be the problem
I’m in a bit of a spot and could sure use your advice on my ’02 Toyota Solara. We bought it in June with about 60,000 miles and seemingly perfect condition. It now has 76,000 miles and the ABS and TRAC lights have started blinking on and off. Dealer says needs new ABS actuator for $1625. Those lights were coming on and off for several weeks, now on all the time and airbag light has started in as well! Bumped into mailboxes on two seperate occasions durring an ice storm 2-3 weeks before any of these lights started coming on. Low speed, just some damage to the front bumper. Do you think they’re right about the actuator? Are these problems related? Do you think the accidents caused any of this? I would appreciate your help.
Robert: my son said that if your check engine light came on it has set a code. You need to find out what the code is and you can do that by going to any Auto Zone parts store. They should have a scanner that they will scan your truck for free. Start with that and let me know what they find. Good luck.
I have a 1996 Hyundai Accent and was wondering if there is an adjustement for the clutch, as it seems the clutch is gone as car wont engage.
Bruce: I’m not sure if you have acable type or a hydrolic clutch. What you need to look for is either a a cable going to your trans or a hydrolic hose. If it is a hose then it is time for a new clutch. If it is a cable then there should be an adjusting stud on the end of the cable.
My Toyota Celica 1992 is making a ‘whirring’ noise when I first pull it out of my garage and turn to the left. It is at my mechanics right now, but they don’t know what is causing the noise. Any ideas? I checked all the fluids such as Powersteering, etc.
Thanks for your time and response.
Andrea
Andrea: Sounds like it might be what is called a lazy rack and pinion. When a rack and pinion gets some wear on it the seals inside will start leaking internally and can make some noise when you first start driving, especially in cold weather. After you have driven around a little the fluid will warm up the seals so that they quit leaking and the noise goes away. The noise is only a nusience until the steering starts to get hard.Once the steering gets harh you will have to replace it. Cost can be anywhere from $400 to $1000. Call a parts house and get the price of the part and double it to get an approximate cost. Steve.
I have a 1997 Ford Expedition. A few months ago, I was stopping and hit a small chuckhole. The truck slid a little and every since I have had problems with the brakes. I have had new brake pads, master cyclinder, calipers and hydralic hoses replaced. The brakes are still unpredictable. The mechanic thought it could be the ABS – so he drove it around with the computer hooked to it – and no problem showed on the computer. I think the only thing that was not replaced was the rotors. Could the rotors be causing the brakes to work intermittently? What is your thoughts?