Hi,

I own a Japan made (Vin # starting with JT) 97 Camry LE Sedan which has been pretty good until lately.

Issues recently I see:

1. Front CV boots needed replacement. I was told that the ball bearing had come off and that the entire boot along with axle needed to be replaced. The whole thing with parts and labor costed $750.
Is this resonable.

2. Since getting the above work done, I am hearing some crunching (light)/creaking sort of noise when i rotate the steering wheel. It almost sounds like it might need some lubrication of some sort.
Can anyone pls comment on this?

3. In general, I notice a bit of creaking/rattling of seat/other parts inside the car. Is this something that is normal/can be fixed easily.

4. I was also told a while back one of the toyota service shops that my head gasket might be leaking. I went to another service place and they said it wasn't an issue. This was more than 6 months ago and I haven't noticed any issues. What's the best way to know if there is really an issue with the head gasket?

Appreciate any comments/help with this.

AJ.

what I know is camry should not have that 1st problem you have because it always is a honda's problem specially civic. The others might happen but not that many. Maybe you were the unlucky one got the car that has problem. Hope you will get things better!

On the head gasket issue... if you have a 4 cyl make sure you check the distributor O-ring before you have a head pulled. Toyota wanted to charge me $809.00 just for labor to pull the head. I brought the car to a mechanic at work and he found the leak coming from the dist. o-ring.

Answer to #2: The rubber seal where the steering shaft meets the floor (just above the brake pedal) may need some lube. Try getting some grease in between the shaft and the seal. Should be a 5 minute job. Let me know if it works.

Answer to #2: The rubber seal where the steering shaft meets the floor (just above the brake pedal) may need some lube. Try getting some grease in between the shaft and the seal. Should be a 5 minute job. Let me know if it works.


Wont this get messy since you're doing it inside the car. Do I need to remove the seal or any parts?

Thanks for your suggestion.

#1, did you hear any clunking noise when you turn? If yes, you need a new CV joint, and it's easiest to replace the whole shaft. A reman one costs under $100 at NAPA, life time warranty. If no noise yet, your CV joint is still good. My suggestion is that if the genuine one is still good, replace the boot (of course you have to clean it up and repack with moly grease). It's not a easy task, but that CV joint will last another 7-10 years. The reman one is cheap and easy to replace, but probably last only 2-3 years. Depends on what part is used, a new shaft from a dealer could cost more than $300 dollars. You can get a reman one on the internet for $60. Labor, I can, as a home mechanic, replace both in 2 hours.

By the way, it's virtually impossible for the ball bearing of a CV joint comes off. If you ever take a drive shaft off the car and know how CV joint works, you will know what I mean. It's just impossible.

#4, did the shop explain why and where it's leaking?

If it leaks between a cylinder and a coolant tunnel, you will see white smoke comes out from your tail pipe. Your will need to add coolant frequently since it's burnt away. And there will be white gel inside your engine oil filler cap since the water gets into and blends with the oil.

If the leak is between 2 cylinders, a compression ratio test will tell you that.

There are other ways to tell you if and where the gasket leaks, such as "Blowdown Test", etc. Make sure before you replace it. It's not an easy task and probably cost a lot.

#2, somehow, I don't feel it's a lubrication issue. Since replace the shaft may need to take apart the suspension and steering rod so the steering nuckle can swing out, I doubt something was not put back right. You need to find where the noise is from.

#3, I would check the alignment and balance the wheels/tires. Balance a wheel is not a simple job. Most shops just thow your wheel on the machine and do a dynamic balance. There are actuall much more to get a correctly balanced tire. This may work for 80% of all wheels, but sometimes it just won't fix the vibration.

If this happened after the shaft replacement, hmm, my doubt if the job was done right is stronger.

I feel bad that A dealer would say that a headgasket is leaking but I have not looked at the car so I can't say if is or not. I have not replaced one on a camry yet for leaking. #1 why did u let it go so far on the c.v.boot ? when u or they change your oil did they not see your c.v.boots? Toyota c.v. shafts just dont break loose! If u would have got the job done sooner u would have payed about 200.00 per side to get done. With the miles u have on the car I think the seat is the last of all your problems enjoy your car

Wont this get messy since you're doing it inside the car. Do I need to remove the seal or any parts?

Thanks for your suggestion.

Just a simple grease in a spray (white grease or silicon) should do the trick. Use that little plastic tube that comes with the spray and get it right in between the shaft and the rubber seal. No mess and no fuss. Should take 5 minutes max.

Ciao.