2001, 4 cyclinder, smoke at start, poor economy
 

It's been awhile since I've been here.

My wife's 2001 Camry (4 cylinder) has 345,000 miles on it. She drove it for 300,000 miles (dealer serviced every 5,000 miles) before giving it to her nephew. He drove it while in college and ignored all maintenance. We got it back with no oil in the engine (rod knock) and a clunking transmission. She found a guy who installed one of the used engines from japan in it. Now, I'm driving it because of the high price of gasoline. (condensed version of the story. ha ha ha)

In the morning, it makes white smoke at start up and takes 2 start attempts to get it to run. The fuel economy is only 20 mpg even when I drive it on the highway. I'm easy on the gas pedal and drive slow. During the first 300,000 miles, it always got mid 30 mpg. I put a new air filter on it. I'm planning to pull a plug to see what it looks like. The throttle body might need to be cleaned too. Can the throttle body be cleaned without removing it? There are no error codes in the computer. The engine runs good otherwise.

Thanks

White smoke at first start can be worn valve stem seals.

How is the cars acceleration?

Did the change in MPG start after the engine change? If so, suggest this is the place to start. Japan has different emissions controls, sensors, etc and the year of engine may be different. You cars computer is expecting your cars emissions controls, sensors, etc for that year of car. When doing an engine swap the old sensors, etc can be swapped to the replacement engine. Make sure this was done.

Also check for vacuum hoses issues such as cracks, missing hoses, etc.

Is the engine idling OK?

Hi Joey,

The acceleration is fine, just as it used to be when my wife drove it. The transmission clunks when it shifts, especially when cold.

I'm not sure when the white smoke started. The car was at my wife's sisters house for several months so her daughter could drive it. The mechanic had problems getting the engine to pass a smog check (he went through all of the driving tests) and had to replace the catalytic converters. It's been hot here lately but it was cooler today. The engine started right up today. I don't recall seeing or smelling the acrid smoke.

Yes, the MPG dropped with the engine change although it might have started before. The nephew ran off and joined the Army so I couldn't talk to him about it. The original engine had a definite rod knock and there was no oil on the dip stick. I think it had blowby too so sensors could have been clogged up.

I think the mechanic transferred parts from the old engine to the 'new' engine so I think it has all of the original external parts. I'll ask my wife to give him a call to find out. I checked for cracked vacuum hoses but didn't find any. I think I'll get some replacement hose and start replacing various parts, like the two hose for the MAP sensor.

Thanks

I got a new symptom yesterday. I was in a hurry so I pressed a little harder on the gas pedal to get the car moving and it hesitated before taking off. Seemed to be a misfire/hesitation. No coded thrown.

The computer doesn't monitor every system. Some systems are monitored indirectly.

The issue is an engine change is a major repair and who knows what was done in the process.

Does this hesitation occur both engine hot or cold?

Might look into getting an ODBII scanner that can output data in real time plus check for Toyota (not OBDII) trouble codes. Perhaps the fuel/air ratio is too rich, the A/F sensor has become lazy, stuck open EGR valve.

Pickup some kind of service manual. Many of the sensors can be checked with a VOM meter.