Long story. Please bear with me. My wife bought a 2001 Camry with the 4 cylinder engine new and drove it for 300,000 miles (it was serviced at the dealership every 5k miles). It burned a little oil but since we did an oil change every 5,000 miles we had no problems. Her nephew turned 18 and needed a car so he got the Camry (free) and my wife bought a new car. We gave the nephew strict instructions to service the car every 5000 miles and change the oil. He had it for 2 years and never changed the oil. He decided to enlist in the army and the gar was passed down to the younger brother who immediately complained that the engine made knocking noises. He took it to autozone who checked the oil and found none on the dip stick.

So, it needed a new engine. She found a mechanic who would replace the old engine with a low mileage Japanese replacement. He did the job but now it's missing a part that I think is related to the smog equipment. On passenger side of the engine compartment there is a component that is missing. It had 6 or so small plastic hoses coming out of it. The question for this is, will this prevent the car from passing the smog inspection in Ca? (you can see the part in this you tube video. ) Other than this, the engine runs great. Very smooth.

Next up. The transmission shifts hard when we drive the car. I checked the fluid level in the transmission but I can't determine what the true level is because the fluid partially runs up the dip stick. There isn't a clean line showing where the level is. The fluid is clean so the mechanic might have put some new fluid in it. Will it shift hard if it's too full? I wasn't aware the transmission shifted like this. It worked great when we gave it to her nephew.

Can you believe this? 18 year old kid gets a great car for free so he can go to college. 2 years later the engine and transmission are toast. This must have been why he enlisted in the army.

I'd appreciate any advice on the car. It looks like we'll need to rebuild the transmission in addition to the engine. I think we should have sold it instead considering the value of cars like this with 300K on the odometer.

 

Is the referred "missing" engine "emissions part a metal colored item having all the tubes coming out of it? The location of this part being between the radiator coolant reservoir and engine? If so this is for the ABS braking system and is NOT a smog related issue. The car model had optional ABS braking which your car may not have. The tubes should be metal not plastic as they are brake lines.

Your state should have an emissions test website which explains what is checked on a car.
Need to check the trans fluid when the fluid is HOT, engine running and in Park. Prior to checking with engine on, move the gear selector from Park to Low and back pausing in each gear.

The trans fluid level should at the top of the HOT mark or HOT notch on the dip stick.

If you have trouble viewing the fluid level on the stick let the engine run and keep checking. Any excess fluid will eventually drain down the dipstick tube walls and make viewing the fluid level on the stick easier. If you turn the engine off the fluid will just back fill into the tube making reading harder.

Take a sample of the trans fluid from the dipstick and put on a paper tower to blot out. The fluid should be red or pink in color and dark (blackish) or black. The internet will have photos of transmission color with a description of its condition based on fluid color.

Hard shifting in forward gears is a sign of wear or other problems. The cars transmission computer should have self check system which can be accessed to check for possible transmission trouble codes.

If the trans fluid was never changed suggest you change it all to determine if this improves shifting. DON'T do a flush or add chemical cleaners to the fluid. Just remove all the old fluid and replace with new. This typical involves gravity feeding new trans fluid into the trans dipstick tube via a machine. Then having the trans oil pump move out the old fluid via the removed trans fluid pan.

If the trans is shot might consider a used or rebuilt one. Unless you have some direct route to a trans builder the cost of rebuidling your own trans is typically much higher.

Yes, I KNOW people are too inconsiderate to bother to do even the basics to maintain a car or other equipment!!!! That's one reason I don't loan anything that can be damaged to anyone unless I know they can be trusted to maintain it.

And of course the kids actions damaged the car but your stuck repairing it on your dime. Thus the kid never needs to atone for his actions.

 

Hi Joey, I want to thank you for your excellent and well thought out response to my inquiry. I wasn't aware this car had anti-lock brakes as an option. It seems it must not have had it. Since it was always dealer maintained, it's apparent I didn't know what was and wasn't in the engine compartment. I wish I would have taken photos of it before it was worked on. The best news is, it probably isn't missing any smog equipment.

We drove the car for a 4 or 5 miles. I checked the trans fluid level when we got back (engine running, trans in park) but didn't know about the need to cycle it through the gears. I'll do that test and see if I can read the level on the dipstick. I don't recall the color but I think it was pink. I believe it takes Dexron 3. I was hoping to find the fluid level a little low and a cheap solution to the shifting problem. I think we need to find a shop that can replace it with a rebuild unit. The guy who installed the engine might be able to do it.

I guess modern kids aren't taught about cars in high school or they are too preoccupied with their phones. He's generally a good kid but this time he blew it.

Thanks again for your advice. Bill

 

Again might change the trans fluid and trans filter screen. It may not solve your issue but worth a try. There are no adjustments such as bands on this trans.

Officially the name Dexron III has been discontinued by GM (which owns the licensing rights) but it can easily be found at any auto parts store.

I think most practical education in high school such as shop class has been eliminated in a quest to pass the standardized tests.