Once in a while, everyone will realize they are excited about something you never expected to be.

We recently went through the wringer with my wifes car, a 97 BMW 528i. I bought her car not running, not realizing the extent of the problems, and wound up rebuilding the top end of the motor as well as the transmission. On top of the other stuff it needed, by the end I had around $5k in the car plus my time. It got hit hard in a parking lot, and insurance totalled it out, and offered me a non-negotiable $2k. Not wanting to drag it through court, time, etc. we took it.

In the words of Ron White, I told you that story to tell you this story. I just got done building my turbocharged 1990 BMW 325i, and quickly realized that I didn't want to drive it in crappy weather. I've got 3 years and about $3k in the engine, everything else is currently stock. I'm about to put some work into the body, suspension, etc. I don't want to go through that all again, especially since those cars are starting to get pretty rare with the post-facelift body work (only made for 2.5 years), not totally rusted out, abused, etc. I was lucky to find this one.

So, I started digging for a beater to drive in the winter. I was originally looking for a truck, but stumbled across this ad on Craigslist for a 1990 Camry. I almost glossed over it because people in my area have a habit of using "keywords" sections in their ad of stuff that is completely unrelated. But I noticed in the title that it was all wheel drive. I thought "eh, I'll look at it...It is a Toyota." And as it turns out, it is in great shape, relatively low miles, and minimal rust (or so he says, no pics under the car). Then I started digging, and found that these are both reliable and rare. I've attached a couple pictures from the listing on CL.

I'm getting my cash together and going to look at it tonight, and would like to know what to look for as far as things that can cause me big problems/repair bills later on. I'm comfortable with working on anything, but only if the price is right.

So, any suggestions on what to look for on the v20 Camry AllTrac? I mean specifically as far as abuse, noises, etc. outside the normal realm? What commonly breaks?

 

Stick or auto trans, V6 or 4 cylinder engine?

Toyota offered various models with Alltrac, Celica, Corolla, Previa and Rav4. The Camry was offered between 1988 and 91.

Basically the same car as 2-wheel drive but having a trans incorporating a transfer case plus and a rear differential. The rear axle is set up like the front having half shafts and independent suspension. The 1990 offered stick or auto trans. The center differential was able to lock with push of button, but only do this when stopped or driving in a straight line.

Inspect the car the same as any 4WD AND a Camry. Listed below are common Camry issues.

Do a few tight 180's and 360's and check for clicking or popping noises from CV joints. Check all CV joint boots for damage which will lead to joint failure.

If auto, make sure trans shifts smoothly and doesn't over rev when shifting. Trans should shift quickly from Park to a selected drive gear without large time lap plus no hard thump as the gear engages. Make sure trans does not slip in F or R when starting off.

Typical engine idle when hot is around 800 RPM.

Check driveshaft U-joints for excess play and rear diff for whining noise when accelerating.

If auto trans check fluid condition and last time changed. Auto trans tend to fail if the fluid was never changed. If stick check for any whining noises.

Check the diff locking system by using the button.

Turn steering wheel lock to lock and feel for roughness or binding in steering rack system or popping from upper strut mount bearings. Inspect steering rack bellow boots where steering rod exits for signs of PS fluid as PS housing seal can leak with age. Also inspect PS pump drive shaft for leakage.

Ask when the timing belt was last changed. For this year 60K miles is recommended but newer belt designs can go 90K.

Look under the timing belt cover (passengers side) for signs of leakage from seals. If 4 cylinder also check for leaks in this area engine on from oil pump seal.

Check upper plastic radiator tank for hairline cracks and coolant leakage.

The upper strut mounts and sway bar bushings can wear out resulting in a pop, knock, click noise when going over potholes or speed bumps.

Check that all dash indicator lights come on, then off once engine starts. If car has airbags double check they work, has happened cars are sold with airbag removed and air bag light disabled.

Check that all windows and door locks as wiring in door can fail due to wiring flexing from door use. Of course make sure all other items work.

Check trunk spare tire wheel well and the well on each side this for signs of water. The drivers side has a vent behind the rear bumper cover that the can leak water into the drivers side well.

If engine is started cold, look for white smoke at tail pipe as valve stem seals can harden and leak with age and non-use.

Make sure any keys open all locks as car may have had a valet key which doesn't open all locks. Check the trunk unlock inside car works.

Remove oil filler cap on engine and as best as possible look for signs of sludge. Sludge should not be a problem but always best to inspect what you can.

Sniff around the gas filler area for gas fumes as the upper area where the filler tube attaches to tank can rust.

If an auto trans, this is where my concerns would be thus check trans operation. Lack of trans fluid changes causes $$ problems.

Parts for this year are readily available including many for Alltrac. Still given the limited sales numbers, finding say a used trans may be difficult.

There is a website for alltrac owners.

Celica All Trac Homepage

 

Sorry, I thought I had the other info in there. It's a 4 cylinder, manual tranny. Just got a timing belt and water pump. Ad says it hard to start when it's really wet out. Probably a distributor related issue. I've been digging and have found that parts are readily available and affordable, which is impressive to me.

Thanks very much for the information, I'll keep this all in mind.

 

I never knew such a Camry existed! Keep up us posted with what you find.

 

Well, I just got home with the new Camry. It drove great on the 100 mile trip. Turns out it is a 2 owner car, and the 2 owners are related.

Beyond what was in the picture on the rear fender & the muffler, there as no rust. There was a "clunk" in the drive line that turned out to be the rear diff bushing. It does have some minor high speed vibration, probably tires out of balance from sitting or age. Pulls a tiny bit to the left. Either mismatched tires or alignment could be to blame. A couple tires are older, but still have plenty of tread. I was planning on getting a good set of snow tires on it anyway. On the way home, I rolled a couple windows down to let the "car that has been sitting" smell out, and they wouldn't go back up. I shut the car off at KFC where we stopped for dinner, turned the ignition back on, and the windows all worked again. So there's some gremlin there, maybe a circuit breaker or something? Also, the speedo doesn't work. He said it worked before they did the timing belt & water pump, so they either forgot to plug something in or busted the sensor.

There was only one major issue. The syncro for 4th gear is pretty crunchy, so I may have to split the transmission open before winter to replace it. At which point I'll probably go ahead and do a full rebuild (all syncros, bushings, bearings, whatever). Or I'll just shift it carefully, as doing so keeps it from crunching.

That's really all that was wrong with it. Interior is really clean, dashboard is in great shape, everything is intact. The engine sounds really tight. No piston slap or valvetrain noise. That was expected, though. Body is totally straight save for the little bit of rust and faded paint.

The car rode like a dream. Suspension was perfect over every bump. I got to test it on a lot of them. The roads going to the owners house was paved, then chip and seal, then gravel, then dirt, then rutted dirt. The only reason I knew I was still on a road was because of the GPS. I had to drive it 10 miles out to get to a road where I could get up to highway speed...

In the end, I wound up getting the car for $1,150. Considering I don't need to do anything to get around in it but put a plate on it, I think I did pretty good...

*EDIT*
I forgot, the AWD system works perfectly as well. As far as it starting rough, I think it is definitely the distributor.

 

Congrats on your new car. Should be a lot of fun.

Next time the windows don't work, check the power locks as on the same circuit breaker (30A Power CB). If OK, check the Power Main Relay.

Is the car starting rough or running rough when cold? The engine has a cold start injector on a timer. If running rough, check ign coil which can can crack.

 

I'm not sure of all it's patterns yet. When I looked at it yesterday, it tried to flood. Had to hold the pedal to the floor to get it to clear out and start. It hadn't been started in at least a few weeks at the time. Driving it, it hesitated a little bit if you romped the pedal too hard. If you roll into it easy it was fine. One it got up to temp, that seemed to stop for the most part. I'm also unsure how old the gas was in it. I immediately filled it up after leaving and it seemed to behave better.

This morning, it started fairly easily. Pretty much what I'd expect from a early fuel injected car. Still spit and sputtered a little cold when you romp the gas. Feels like maybe a tune up and some fuel injector cleaner may be in order. Doesn't feel serious at all. Has good power, doesn't try to stall. Idles a little high, around 950-1000 warm. That may be an adjustment somewhere?

 

If the gas is ethanol, it can start to separate and pickup water within a relatively short time.

There is no idle screw adjustment, the Intake Air Control (IAC) valve controls idle. This is a valve that bypasses air around the throttle plate based on engine coolant temp and input from computer.

Try try cleaning the IAC valve and throttle bore. The internet would have posts on doing this. The engine is a 3SFE but the 5SFE is similar. Unlike the 5SFE, this engine as a MAF sensor, try cleaning it. Use only spray cleaners safe for these jobs as there are plastics involved.

The screw on the throttle body is to adjust the throttle plate opening and is set at the factory. Suggest not adjusting it.

Start with a tune up and cleaning the IAC and MAF. Failing spark plug wires can also cause issues.

 

Thanks for all the advice! I'll probably dig into all that next weekend. I've got to deal with the exhaust, too. I knew it was rough, and that it was basically non-existent behind the cat. I pulled the section between the 1st and 2nd muffler on Saturday, as it was just laying there rattling, literally not connected on either end. Then yesterday, I was backing out of my driveway and the section right behind the cat dropped & was dragging. I had to jump back in the driveway and pull the muffler hangar real quick. Now the exhaust is totally gone behind the cats, and I'm pretty sure the flex section is blown out too.

I am considering boosting the 'ol Camry. It's pretty fun now, but I'd like to turn it up to like 225 HP or so. The only problem is that I tend to get carried away. That's how I wound up with a 500 HP BMW 325i. The question is do I really want to spend the money... Nothing elaborate, definitely not a racecar. Only thing is I'm just not sure how I want to tune. Thinking Megasquirt, but that may be overboard. I'm hunting now for a simpler method of tuning.

 

Its possible to boost the engine but might find a 3SGTE engine and swap this. It has been done in the Camry Alltrac, the stick makes the job easier.

Do some research on parts swapping. The Celica GT-4 may have things in common with the Camry Alltrac.