Newly acquired 1998 Camry LE
 

Hello all,

A friend of mine recently (as in yeaterday) GAVE me her 1998 Camry LE. She has owned it since March 2002 (with 32K miles) and replaced it with a newer model. It currently has roughly 225K miles on it but runs great! I wanted to join a forum as I've had great luck with a Land Rover forum in the past (1999 LR Discovery II is my other car). If anyone has tips on repairs I should consider, please feel free. I'll list some of the repairs that were recently done, and their mileages below to help weed out any unecessary suggestions. Tha ms so much for any input! I'm really excited to work on and learn more about this Camry, not to mention the awesome fuel economy! Cheers!

224K miles: changed oil/filter and transmission fluid
220K miles: changed oil/filter and air filter, topped up coolant
215K miles: balanced tires
214K miles: replaced spark plugs (4) and ignition wires, valve cover gasket replaced, oil changed
207K miles: replaced front brake pads and rotors, replaced rear pass wheel bearings and hub, wheel alignment
186K miles: replaced front suspension mounts, tightened rear mounts, replaced tires (4) w/ Goodyear
152K miles: replaced struts (4) w/ Monroe

One thing all cars benefit from is having fluids in good condition.

For trans suggest changing all the fluid including that in torque converter and differential at least every 60K miles although more often is better. The more worn out the fluid is, the darker it will get.

In the case of the power steering fluid. Draw out as much fluid from the PS reservoir as possible then refill with new. Do this between drives until the fluid appears clear and red again. The PS fluid should be the same as the trans and diff.

For coolant the anti-corrosion chemicals become exhausted. Read the container for expected service life.

Check brake fluid. The darker the fluid the more water is has absorbed. You can flush the system yourself using the same method as when bleeding the brakes.

The timing belt is good for at least 90K miles but they can break from too many miles. Find out when it was last replaced. If the belt breaks the engine WILL NOT be damaged unlike as on some other engines models.

If original radiator with plastic upper tank top, the tank can start to have hairline cracks and very small leaks. The small leaks can lead to big leaks. Monitor the coolant level and check the tank for sign of coolant. Coolant hoses can also fail from age.

Check the drive axle CV boots for splitting and holes and repair ASAP if found.

The can fuel filter seldom plugs up, no need to change as part of maintenance.