I see here that a lot of people have had this same problem with no solution. Are we going to continue hearing about other people's problems with this car, or do something about it?

 

The thread is now up to 28000 plus hits.

 

Yes this is common problem with 03-04 camry's due to design defect .I've been asked few times to do repairs on blown gasket camry's 03-04 and i allways declined the job and explained that the car needs new engine .I know people that lost $$$$$ lots couse the engine price is over 80% of the value of the car and u never know when the replacement will go bad

 

A new engine is not needed

I had my camry engine repaired with the NS3000L inserts and 9 months later with 20,000 miles on the repair, the engine is running fine.

You should get a kit and fix those engines, you are passing up some good money.

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This theory may have been discussed in another thread so my apologies if that is the situation.

I just saw this problem for the first time today. Same 3 bolts. The mechanic showed me the bolts and something very strange was threaded on the bottom of 2 of the bolts.

You could thread them off and on and they were identical spring like pieces Same height and diameter. They would compress and stretch just like springs.

The third bolt did not have it but there was some trash at the bottom of that bolts hole.

The OD of the springs were flat and were the same as the OD of the bolt thread. There are still threads at the bottom of the holes in the block although the bolt is very lose when you thread it in. Very interesting. There is no doubt in my mind that these are worn heli-coils.

The question is when they were put in and who did it?

The car only has about 85k on it and was bought with about 75k. All posts seem to indicate this problem manifesting itself at a much higher millage than this. The repair of the 3 bolts could have been performed before it was bought but I don’t think so. Can’t prove it though.

However, I do have an alternate theory.

Fact 1: There has been absolutely no plausible explanation as to why these 3 bolts and only these 3 bolts fail. Not one.

Fact 2: These engines were manufactured in multiple plants.

It makes more sense to me, given the above two pieces of information, that one plant had a problem with the boring or drilling operation during the production of these blocks: specifically problems with these 3 bolt locations. Too many blocks had been produced to just trash them, so they did a mod with the heli-coils

That just seems a more plausible explanation given the lack of any other cause of failure being offered.

t's a 4 cyl, 2002 and millage is closer to 100k but that's still considerably lower than other testimony here. I still believe these were factory mods from the same plant. However, who's to complain when your engine fails at 130,000 miles?

Here are the photos

 

Helicoils are threaded both inside and out, and are made of stainless steel.

So I can't see how they would break smooth with the outer edges of the headbolt threads.

More likely the aluminum block would break off and you would pull the bolt, with Helicoil still attached, and aluminum coiled in the Helicoil's outside threads.

Helicoils may also be magnetic, but a coil made of aluminum most certainly would not be. Did you check if those coils you took off the headbolts were magnetic?

The theory behind just those three headbolts pulling is:

"The foam insulation used to protect the plastic intake manifold from heat is causing overheating in that center area at the rear of the engine block, thus causing metal fatigue. Allowing the aluminum threads in the block to break off, and those three headbolts to pull loose."

I am an original owner and there were no factory installed Helicoils found in the block when my Camry was repaired. Only aluminum coiled in the headbolt threads, that looked identical to the photos you posted.

My camry had 155 K miles on it but I still had the block repaired using NS3000L inserts, at a total cost of $1000.

The car just passed 183 K miles and it is running fine. So it has cost me an extra 3.5 cents per mile since the repair. And that gets lower with every additional mile.

Money well spent I believe.

 

Just finished the head bolt thread repair on my sister in law's 2004 camry with the 2AZ-FE 4 cylinder. Her issue appeared at 105,000 miles. Time will tell, but I do feel confident these will hold. If anyone wants my kit, message me.

 

just wanted to pass this along in case someone else runs into this.
After finishing the NS300L repair, I test drive it, no leaks, all is perfect, except I couldn't get it up to normal operating temp. I suspected a bad connection or a bad coolant temp sensor, as I had put a new thermostat in myself. Not the connection, so I replace ECT sensor, same readings on temp gauge, only getting to first or second mark while driving (30 degrees outside at the time). So I pull the thermostat and find two holes drilled in it! My sister in law had taken the car to a mechanic after I had put the thermostat in, and apparently thought the problem was due to trapped air. I have read of the drilling of holes in a thermostat was an old-school fix for burping trapped air. I replace the thermostat with a new one (no holes or jiggle valve) and presto...normal readings, warms up like she used to, doesn't overheat, etc. just a heads up if you have taken your camry to have a shop troubleshoot this problem. The car passed all the tests ( except for the mystery of where the coolant was going...tests conclude not internal leak...no external leak....they tell her then its an internal leak even though tests confirmed no internal leak...etc.)

 

Hi Everyone,

I have a 2003 Camry that I bought with confidence because I always thought Toyota's lasted forever. Apparently not. I am facing a stripped screw and what appears to be a valve leak or head gasket issue. I have not started over heating yet but in trying to deal with it before it becomes an emergency I have discovered this ugly little secret. That I may have made a very bad investment.

Has there been any progress with confronting Toyota about this?

 

April,

I commend you for researching the problem. You've made an investment and now you must pay more money to protect your initial investment. Find a mechanic in your area that is familiar with this problem. There is a fix (see thread) that seems to do the trick. I dealt with this a couple years ago, Toyota reamed me but fixed the issue and I'm still driving my Toyota.

PS: I bought my Toyota with the same mind set. Nothing lasts forever but the Earth and sky....


If anyone has had any luck with getting Toyota to "participate in the repair" (which they adamantly refused to in my case), please post so that we can form a united front and get Toyota to take care of THEIR problem that has cost many of us lots of money!