Hey Scotty! My name is David and I'm 25 years old. I'm at a bit of a crossroads with my 2002 Camry 2.4L. As you may know, it has the infamous 2AZ-FE oil-burning engine, and it has 214,000 miles at this point. I bought it as my first car in 2020 with 150k miles and I've put a lot of money into it since then:
- Alternator
- Starter
- Power steering pump & hoses
- Harmonic balancer & seal
- Tensioner pulley
- Water Pump
- Radiator
- Cooling fans
- Valve cover, and gasket
- 4 new OEM ignition coils
- All 4 motor mounts
- Both CV axles
- Brakes (rotors, pads, and calipers front & rear)
- Tires
- Ball joints
- Tie rods
- Control arms
- Sway bar bushings and links
- All 4 struts
- Repaired the front bumper twice because of 2 small accidents
The reason for my concern is that the oil burning and the leaks are getting out of control. I'm currently calculating this, but I'm burning more than 1 quart of oil every 500 miles. The transmission is also wearing out, because it would not get into gear when I first start it cold, until I wait a few minutes.
The leak is getting so bad that the oil is dripping on the ground, and getting all over the undercarriage, even throughout the rear suspension.
I've checked under, and the engine has to be pulled out for the seal replacements, because it is leaking through the timing cover, and the other side that connects to the transmission which I believe is the rear main seal. Based on my research as of now, here is everything it needs to get fixed:
- New power steering pump (current one is winning loudly on cold start)
- New rack and pinion (current one is leaking)
- New intermediate steering shaft
- New 3 motor mounts (current bottom ones have too much play)
- New timing cover gasket
- New rear main seal
- New piston rings
I posted some pictures below where you can see that:
https://postimg.cc/gallery/GRnMyDh
I'm trying to see if it is worth to either fix, replace the engine, or just get another car indefinitely, but please let me know your thoughts, this situation is really stressing me out because I drive more than 40 miles a day daily with my full-time job.
Thank you!
David De Jesus
It's not worth pouring lots more $$$$ into a 23-year-old car with hundreds of thousands of miles on it and all those problems. Time to start looking for another car.
@chucktobias Yes, I figured that would be the best decision, I contacted my local Toyota dealership just to find out how much would be, and they told me $3,615 + taxes just for the rear main seal and the timing cover gasket, not even mentioning the piston rings🫨
It would most likely be cheaper at an independent shop but still more than the car is worth.
@chucktobias Hello Chuck! Sorry for bothering you again but I did something stupid, it turns out what is leaking is transmission fluid. I noticed when the fluid was way too low, and I filled it back up again. I also noticed that this major leak started happening EXACTLY when I replaced the passenger side CV axle AND the seal. I'm guessing I installed the seal incorrectly and that's why it's leaking.
I'm not even sure if the rear main seal is actually leaking because it is in the exact spot where the shaft goes into the transmission, and obviously with the axle spinning while driving, it splashes the oil everywhere.
I've provided a picture just so you can see that the fluid leaking is red-colored:
It's no bother, that's why we're here. Good catch, that does look like transmission fluid. I'd fix that seal and keep an eye on that area for further leaks.
@chucktobias Thank you so much!!