New to the site. Have been looking at buying a 98 Camry with the 2.2 and auto. Wanted to know what I should look for as far as expensive things to fix. I know that this engine has a timing belt and it should be replaced at 1 hundred thousand miles. This car would be replacing my expensive 03 BMW 325i,

Thanks and have a safe 4th of July

 

Welcome to CF.

Have sent a private message with what to check for.

Suggest replacing the belt every 90K miles. The belt can and does break. The good news is no engine damage will occur from a broken belt. There is no warning of impending breakage and the engine just quits.

If your paying a mechanic the Camry will be much cheaper to maintain then a BMW. Its a basic designed car, not over designed and overly complicated which can lead to time consuming repairs for a BMW but might be a very simple and cheap repair on the Camry. This stated a BMW can a sweet driving car. I equate Camry of these years to a utlity car. It will have a louder interior and less confortable suspension. It will get the job done but would prefer the BMW although it can be a wallet buster if you don't DIY on repairs and use after market parts.

The 4 cylinder Camry engine gets 32 mgh overall. The V-6 gets 26 mpg. Both can use regular gas.

Review the list and post back.

 

Thanks for the information. Will print it out and take with me when I check out the car. My BMW has been a lot of $$, since a lot of the issues were electronic stuff. I was using the BMW as a daily driver, then moved to a new job that was closer to my house so I started using my street legal scooter. But I got in accident about 2 weeks ago where someone didn't merge and I was making a Right hand turn and they were thinking the lane was still there and we hit each other and I ended up going over there hood.

Even through I have 21 years of riding a motorcycle, I think it is time to give it up. I have been off work for 2 weeks and have 2 more weeks off, and I have been in pain since.

So a friend of mine said that a person he knows was saleing there old Camry, so I'm looking at buying it.

What is the cost from a shop to replace the timing belt?

 

Appears $500 and up at a shop. Its a common job and they should be able to quote you pretty accurately.

Find out when the belt was last changed and what other parts with it.

When replacing the belt there are also two pulleys the belt rides on. Some replace these every other belt change.

Another issue to consider is the water pump, cam, crank and oil pump seals. The number of seals will depend on the engine model. The issue is the labor to get out these parts is the same as to change the belt as the same parts need to be removed to assess them. Talk to your friend about perhaps doing the water if high mileage and never changed. The seals can leak and would be subject to inspection by the mechanic as SOP. Make sure to use a decent branded timing belt such as Bando, Aisin or Toyota brand. Had some other brands that broke at 90K miles.

If you can DIY or have a friend do it, the parts cost will be around $150 for all parts.

In the past one used to be able to find a belt change special for less money but not sure today as auto repair places can be short of mechanics and long on customers.

Gave up street riding a LONG time a go as was no physically comfortable on a bike and saw too many bikers hit by cars. Not worth the risk anymore.

 

Thanks for all the information . If the seller doesn't know when the belt was changed last, should I just change it? Never had a car that had a timing belt, only timing chains.

The Camry has a few clear coat issues and the Right rear quarter panel got hit, but I will repair those issues later. I have a electric scooter (Street Legal) with a top speed of around 40mph. The people around where I live don't pay attention when they are driving. This is the 2nd accident, 1st one was in a parking lot. I was stopped at a Stop sign and someone hit me from the rear and then took off. These accidents have costed me a lot of $$. So I plan on saleing the BMW on eBay and then use the extra $$ on fixing the Camry.

Thanks

 

I would definitely replace the timing belt if there is no documentation stating when it was done last and that time frame is within spec.
Replacing the belt is for peace of mind and reliability.
I'd hate to get in the care everyday wondering when 'today is finally the day'...

 

Will change the belt, first thing as I believe the car has been seating for the past 2 years. There is a battery charger on the battery and the car has been started every couple of weeks.

Will take me a few weeks to get the car, will update this post when I get it

 

A little update. Found out that the timing belt has been replaced all ready. It was done about 10 thousand miles ago, and about 2 years ago.

 

Great!

Thanks for posting back with the results of your investigation.

 

Went to smog it, but got the famous OBDII Not Ready. So the car failed. Doing the the drive cycle, so hopefully when I try the smog check again it will pass.