oldnslo

Do you have an automotive electrical repair shop in your area? If you do they should be able to test and or repair your alternator. Most of these shops do alternator and starter repairs. Depending on the shop and repiars required they may or not be less expensive that a rebuilt unit from a parts house. Can you afford the down time of this car while a shop is testing or rebuilding your alternator?

NOTE: on my 08 you MUST be in Trip "A" for this procedure to work. Sure wish this was noted in the Owners Manual. thanks for the help old-n-slo one

Good advice but.... the closest dealer I trust is 70 miles away. I am going to try and call them now that I have some time and see what they suggest. I unfortunately would not trust my local dealer to fix a tricycle with screwing something up. Appreciate the advice.

Yes, I tried from key off engine cold. Key in accesory to on position. Only thing I haven't tried is sledge hammer to idiot light. Will give it another go tonight them disconnect the battery and go through resetting the radio, clock etc. thanks for the help Roy

This is the procedure I have tried multiple times. Waited over a minute twice with no results. Will the system reset if I pull a fuse or do I need to disconnect the battery? Damn idiot lights making an even bigger idiot out of me Roy

It's the right answer but...... it still don't work. I have tried with the key in the accesory position and then on. No good. I have have tried from off to on. No good What am I doing wrong? I have changed oil three times so it is not a dirty oil issue. Last change was around 1200 miles back. milage at present is 9777 Oil level is fine. Water level is fine. No check engine idiot light. Do I need a piece of Black electrical tape to cover this light? Roy the confused one. Does this idiot light monitor anything else?

Hi all, On my 08 SE with out the multi-information center I can not get the "Maintenance Reqd" light to reset. I have read through the procedure in the Owners manual but this does not work. Procedure as written on page 323: press and hold the trip meter reset button, turn ignition to on until trip meter displays 000000. On mine it reset the "B" trip to 0.0 but the idiot light stayed on. thanks

Failing radiator cap or overflow bottle cap. If this cap does not allow air to return into container as the engine cools it creates a vacuum which causes the hose to collapse. May want to check the hose to see if it feels soft or mushy when sqeezed. This is the easiest way to tell if a hose is getting close to failing. Roy

Sludge removing: possibly use a product like CD 2 or Valve Medic. These are both high detergent additives to help remove sludge build up on engines. Suggested method for using these products is to add to oil, drive for 200 miles continiously and then drain the oil. You don't want the sludge circulating in the engine and or plugging the filter. May even consider another oil change in 500 to 1000 miles. Oil is cheaper than parts even at the price of oil today.

Ken, I doubt it is the motor since the wipers work. Since the vehicle was stored I would start by trying to trace the wires in question. Mice seem to love eating insulation off of wires when vehicles are stored. A simple short in the switch circuitry would cause this. Check relay, is it stuck on or is it getting a signal telling it to stay on? If getting a signal then you will have to trace that signal back to see if switch is faulty. Good luck

I presume you mean voltage drops. Sounds like you may have a bad charging system. Not sure but suspect that the voltage regulator and alternator are one piece. Is there a local store where you can get this checked out? Most systems I have worked on the voltage should stay in the 12.5 - 13.5 VDC range. Target is usually around 13.2 VDC. Good luck

You only get carbon when something burns so I would possibly suspect a bad EGR (Exhaust Gas Recycling) valve. If this valve fails it can let excess amounts of exhaust (carbon) into your intake. May be other possibilities but this is where I would start looking. Roy

With all five lug nuts removed it sounds like the rim has corroded to the pilot hub. Aluminum alloy or Magnesium alloy rims are really hard to get off if they have not been removed for a while. Road salt really aggravates this problem. Try spraying some good penetrating oil on the pilot hub. Let it soak in and then put your hands at the 3 & 9 o'clock positions and try to rock the wheel back and forth. NOTE: Make sure the vehicle is securley supported before rocking to much. If you can safely rotate the wheel, turn it 90 degreea and try rocking again. Good Luck

Yup, removed it bent the side bars a littel so it leaned back at a reasonable angle the reinstalled them. As far as safety, when did head rests become standard? Been driving since 76 and I am pretture sure most cars back then didn't have them and people still drove...

What do mean by "Head unit"? The head rest on the back of the seat?

Badges, we don't need no stinkin' badges Since this is my first Toy o ta. I hope it is reliable proves to be a good choice.

Welcome, we need more experienced wrench flippers on this site

Not sure if this helps but I had a 94 Grand Caravan where the rear wheel cylinders where defective. The rear brakes did not work at all. Have you tried jacking up a rear tire and spinning it while someone else applies the brakes? This was how I finally found the problem. Other wise diving could indicate failing springs and or struts. Usually with strut failure you also get a lot of bounce when going over bumps. Also usually get uneven tire wear. Long shot but are the springs broken? Unusual but not impossible. This would usually allow the front to sag while stationary. Good luck Roy

Does this mean you know all of the proper torque specs etc.. for all your vehicles. Or do follow the philosphy that plugs only need to be changed when the car don't start, tranny fluid-there is such a thing and it's supposed to be changed!! Just curious. I have been wrenchin for years and I never got that good yet. Not startin a war, just sayin some of us are more cautious than others. Roy

Dapqam, nice arcticle but the blind spots I was refering to are caused by the mirror hanging so low as took to block my line sight when sitting at an intersection and looking to the right. Between the rear view mirror and the corner post you can easily hide two vehicles. Roy

Vaseline will help lube the O-ring and also help seal any small imperfections in the filler neck also. Roy

Don't what all changed from 06 to 08 but my 08 SE does NOT do this. Roy

I presume you have a Strut spring compressor for removing and reinstalling the springs? Never worked on a Camry but on the other brands you should check for: Worn, cracked or damaged rubber bushings or gromets in the A-frame or swing arm pivots. These can cause some serious clunks when they wear out. New Strut should have replacement rubber mounts if required. If not inspect the old ones carefully for cracks etc. Springs, make sure they are not cracked or broken. Rare occurance but it does happen. Brake lines, tie rod ends, etc while you are in there. Be very carefull when removing and installing the springs. They have a LOT of power and can and will hurt you if not handled with caution and respect. Roy

Not sure if Toyota has changed there policies from 9/09 to 10/07 but when we we bought our 08 we recieved three keys with the vehicle. Two with the remote features and one Valet ket. We also received a tag with the key ID number in case replacements are required. To date I have not requird any dealer service but the sale person hascontacted me two or three times asking if we have any concerns requiring his help. Roy

Vehicle in question is an 08 Camry SE with 2.4L & spd auto and 3.2 K miles The following is a list of items that in my opinion are both good and bad about this vehicle. None of these would prevent me form buying another Camry. NOTE: Opinions are like ass holes... everyone has one and they quite frequently discharge the same substance. Safety Concerns: 1) Excessive large blind spots caused by large windshield and central doorposts. I suspect some of this is due to the side air bags. Rear view mirror also creates a large blind spot for me. NOTE: Almost all new cars have this problem. 2) Brake pedal and accelerator are to close together for size 15 boots. Real easy to apply the brake when going for the accelerator or a worse condition is, getting the side of your boot caught under the brake pedal when going from driving to braking condition. Safety & or Inconveniences: 3) No Key lock in passenger door. This is really bad since I will not carry the “Loaded” (push-button remote) key in my pocket. Almost every time I try it sets off the alarm or locks – unlocks the door or trunk etc. Trying to let wife in first is impossible and if parallel parked you now must stand in the street to unlock the vehicle. 4) Vehicle is very susceptible to being blown around by side winds. This may be a combination of the SE suspension and steering as well as the vehicle height. Don’t recall the Caravan being this bad though…. But it has been a few years since we sold the van. Likes: 1) Transmission shifts are very smooth. 2) Seats are reasonably comfortable and seat height is better than most. Note: This contributes to Item 3 below. 3) Body panel fit and finish appears to be better than previously owned vehicles. 4) Hood has self-supporting hinges or struts. I never have liked the support rods since they are always in the way. Dislikes: 1) This is the worst starting Fuel Injected vehicle I have ever owned. It cranks for 7 – 12 seconds minimum before it will start. Once started it runs flawlessly. I have tried turning the key to the on position in hopes this would allow fuel pump to pressurize the injector rails. No change. Does the fuel pump run with key in the on position? Or only after the starter is engaged? I can’t hear the pump run so am unable to tell. 2) Headrests are slanted to far forward and very uncomfortable for both my wife and I. We cannot get them adjusted to comfortable position. Only way is to lean the seat back like we are driving in the “Hood”. I removed the drivers head rest. 3) Extremely noisy in the cab. Note: This is really loud anoying. Only a slight cross wind and this vehicle howls like a banshee. I have checked window and door seals for fit and installation. Tried cracking windows open etc. Can’t seem to find a single source of this problem. Also transmits what seems like a lot of road noise into the cab. This may be in part due to the SE suspension.