I ran low on oil, 3 qt. before the light even blinked!!, and now I have what sounds like the lifters rattleing, ticking, and need to replace them! I have the 2.2 in a 1999 camry with DOHC 16 VAVLES, is there anything special I should know before I pull the cams out and replace the lifters?

 

If the engine ran low on oil the bearings may have been damaged.

There are no lifters on this engine. The cams rotate against steel shims on top of the valve assy, this pushes the valves down.

 

its also possible he spun some cam lobes as well............

this job is going to cost him.........

 

The engine still runs strong, so I think the cams are ok, but I'll check them out thouroghly, with a mic. if I can find some specs, while it is disassembled.

The parts store guy shows hydraulic lifters for this motor??? I'm confused?!?!

 

The AutoZone website at www.autozone.com should have valve clearance spec's for this engine. The site requires registration to use but is otherwise free.

The 2.2L valve train was always as described.

You should be able to get an idea of the valve train condition just by removing the valve cover and looking. Removing the cover only takes a few minutes.

 

well the valve train is just fine...after checking the clearences I found a couple of toyota mechanics at the local dealer to listen and both agreed, it's a wrist pin. so I'll run thicker oil for awhile, until I decide to rebuild or swap engines. It only has 80K on it so I think a freshing up, rings, rod bearings, main bearings, and wrist pins should'nt be to bad... What do you guys think?? Oh btw the mechaniccs also said something along the line of removing the counter balance shafts as they aren't really necessary?!?!

 

Are you going to do the job yourself and if so remove the engine or have the engine remain in place?

One issue in any engine overhaul even when doing the work yourself is costs can add up. Suggest making a list of parts with their cost along with any outside machine shop work you may need and comparing against the cost of a used engine.

Take the engine apart and determine the condition of the crank and rod bearing journals, etc (added cost if needing rework).

If you find you only need the parts you stated it should be worth it to fix this engine. You will at the least know its condition.

Suggest when the head is off to think about replacing the valve stem seals. They can wear out at around 120K causing a little oil blow by at cold engine start up. With the head off replacement will be easy for you. Shop around for seals, Toyota wants way too much.

I suggest you leave the counterbalance shaft in place unless the bearing surfaces were some how damaged. The shafts have the same type of bearing setup as the cams, no bearing shells. If you take the counterbalance system apart take note of the shims that are in place to obtain the correct gear backlash so you can put them back in place.

People have left them off but you will need to plug a few oil flow holes.

 

please leave the counter balance shafts in the engine. yu may at least check for bearing wear though. the purpose of those counter shafts is to give the engine a vibration free feel to it. once you remove those, that little engine will shake like a harley-davidson.........maybe the mechanics like that feeling, in time, you won't........ actually, i'd try to buy a short block if possible. or a re-manufactured engine, with a warranty. rather than do the job yourself. since you had to ask questions on just the lifters, tells me you will NOT be able to do the rebuilding yourself. see how much a low mileage engine from a bone yard will cost too. you have alternatives..

 

Thanks for the input, I'm still deciding on what to do. I'm transfering my plates to another car, so this is not a priority. I've rebuilt many engines over the years, first one was a 350 4bolt in a 69 chevelle back in '75. I've just never tore into a Toyota before, but all the reading and question asking is helping me learn. My buddy says "Let's tear it down and take a look" . I think a box of wobbly pops and some wrenchs are are going to be in the near future. I'll report back with the progress. Thanks again for your help and suggestions!