1984 Toyota Camry / Vista with 1.8l turbo diesel 1C (10 Viewers)

[Mike NXP]

**Edited 05/10/2025


I'm going to use this forum to compile any and all information that I can find on the 1983-1984 Toyota Camry w/ 1.8L 1C Turbo Diesel Motor. This model is known as Vista outside of the US.

This vehicle with the diesel motor was sold and available in the USA for 2 years

There is very little information on the internet for this particular model + engine combination so hopefully this will help archive any relevant information.


Vehicle history

• Was said to have been purchased in Canada in October 1983. Model year is a 1984.
• Two owner car that has otherwise lived in Montana it's entire life
  
  The timeline is sort of assumed based on seller information
• The original owner had the car until approx. 2020. I see a timing belt sticker from back in 1994 but have virtually no other proof of any maintenance history
• The seller told me the original owner "fully rebuilt the motor", the seats were redone, and the body was painted. I believe this story checks out based on some evidence around the engine ( rust free hardware, goopy sealant along some surfaces)
• I was told this all happened around 190k miles but based on the story being told I am guessing that this was done between 2010-2012. The stereo installed was discontinued in 2011 for further timeline recreation
  
  
• The vehicle currently has 196k miles

List of questions / thoughts / parts I am trying to find

• ** Most important question - Why on earth have I not found anyone else in the world who has one of these cars and is commenting on this forum
• Torsion arm bushings. Tried to source the entire arm + just the bushings. Can't find OEM, Aftermarket, or Junkyard
• Accessory idler bracket. I hacked into mine and destroyed the original bolt which I know realize may be OEM. Curious to see what an OEM setup looks like fully assembled.
• Curious on how to gauge the overall health of the diesel motor without diving in too deep

Mechanical Resources + On-going Problems
>> I will add to this list as I take on more projects

• Power steering pump removal / replacement . Remanufacture option available on Rock Auto
  >> I haven't done this yet but there is a slow leak from the backside of the pump
• Fuel filter replacement
  >> Haven't done this yet either but more info coming soon
• Image of the accessory idler pulley / tensioner
  > Bracket - 44381-12020
  > Pulley w/ tensioner - 44350-12050
• Replacing accessory drive belts / belt route diagram
• Suggested oil viscosity for Toyota 1C 1.8l diesel engine
• As far in as I could get when removing cover and inspecting timing belt
• Power Steering Bushings no longer available making an alignment not possible
  
  
• ** Major Failure** Multiple lights on dashboard, not charging, parasitic draw.
  >> Alternator failure in L circuit. Causes dash lights to go out, no glow plugs, and other no charge issues.
• Removing alternator in Toyota 1C diesel

Fluid / Parts information

• Engine Oil - 4.5QTS with filter change. Viscosity list linked above. I am going with Shell Rotella. T4 seems fine and anything higher may be overkill but still researching
• Oil Filter - Mobile M1-204A . This has a large inner diameter thread
• Coolant - Peak Green 50/50. bottle states good for old diesel engines so that works for me
• Alternator V Belt - Gates XL 9330
• Power Steering + Air Con Serpentine Belt - TBD
• Power Steering Fluid - Calls for DEXII. Nowadays thats DEXIII/MERC. Multi ATF is too thin
• Manual transmission - Same as above, use Valvoline DEXIII/MERC. Fill is a 17mm head and the drain is a 24mm. 2.75 QTS
• Same stock with 13" wheels but was able to fit 14" wheels with studded snow tires. 175/65-14"

Other information I've found on the Toyota Camry 1.8L Diesel

• Toyota newsroom press release
• More vehicle info with 20+ great photo
• Junkyard history lesson
• One of the very few youtube videos I can find of the 1.8L

Two of my favorite Toyota images. Really wish I had those rims, I love the way they look but I think that was only for the gas version of this car?

This guy is just thinking about all the hot ass that will inevitably be extremely attracted to him and his new Turbo D. Meanwhile this small child of unknown gender is just thinking " I wonder if I fed my Tamagotchi this morning"

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Original post from the pre-purchase days of this vehicle
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Well like the title says, although not in regards to the Toyota truck world. .. Im new to Toyota diesel but have an opportunity to buy a 1984 camry with the Turbo D =] ..Hard to resist but also don't need another project. Parts are seemingly still available for the stuff ive checked on


Seller claims engine was fully rebuilt 5+ years ago and has since been used to fart around town without any issues . Fresh paint job,new interior, and allegedly gone through from front to back. Lived in Eastern Montana its entire life and is said to have no rust ..Garage stored along side a few dozen other collectors cars and is needing to downsize


Going to fly to billings and drive it 8+ hours home to NW Montana

Anyone out there familiar with this setup? I suspect if the motor was rebuilt properly and all of the wear items were replaced , what could possibly go wrong =]

How does this motor get fuel,where is the fuel pump,how is it powered

 

[mudgudgeon]

That's a lot of money for a 40year old commuter car / grocery getter.

Even if the mileage is low on the engine rebuild, and the car sa whole, every rubber seal, rubber hose, rubber bushing, rubber/plastic trim, seat foam, plastic wire insulation etc etc is 40years old, and has degraded, broken down, or gone rock hard or brittle.

If I wasn't totally obsessed with that particular model for some reason, I'd be looking for something 20-30 years younger for similar money.

Doesn't strike me as a particular cool / must have vehicle.

 

[Mike NXP]

That's a lot of money for a 40year old commuter car / grocery getter.

Even if the mileage is low on the engine rebuild, and the car sa whole, every rubber seal, rubber hose, rubber bushing, rubber/plastic trim, seat foam, plastic wire insulation etc etc is 40years old, and has degraded, broken down, or gone rock hard or brittle.

If I wasn't totally obsessed with that particular model for some reason, I'd be looking for something 20-30 years younger for similar money.

Doesn't strike me as a particular cool / must have vehicle.

I agree but you cant really buy anything for 5 grand in my area especially 20-30 years younger..... Suppose I could get a corolla with 200k or a old tacoma with 300k with rust and no maintenance but this seems to make more sense. I like unique vehicles and this checks that box

Ive got an old 92 corolla that i beat the snot out of and its amazing how the original vac lines and other parts still feel fresh

Anyone out there know about this particular motor / vehicle build that can chime in?

 

[duncanrm]

Wow.. that is really cool.. I have never seen one of these in Australia.. passenger diesel was never much of a thing here unfortunately. Even the body shape for a camry is not familiar to me, strikes me as more of a Crown if anything.

Sorry not much help.. but its cool.

 

[Mike NXP]

Wow.. that is really cool.. I have never seen one of these in Australia.. passenger diesel was never much of a thing here unfortunately. Even the body shape for a camry is not familiar to me, strikes me as more of a Crown if anything.

Sorry not much help.. but its cool.

For sure, apparently these only made it to Europe ,Canada,and I think the US for two years .

I think this motor was used in the much older Crown or perhaps a model called the Carina ? Some countries called it the Toyota Vista

Its hard to resist such a unique find that seems to still have parts available if needed

 

[duncanrm]

I think this motor was used in the much older Crown or perhaps a model called the Carina ?

Corona maybe.. the front is very reminiscent of an early 80s Corona.. I am not familiar with that specific engine, but I'm going to dig around later. If its running, pull the oil cap off and see how much "blowby" is coming out, its a good indication of diesel engine health, the other two great indications of health are a little harder to assess quickly - oil consumption over time and coolant going missing. . a compression test is clearly very difficult to do before purchase and quite risky to setup.

 

[Mike NXP]

Good advice , thanks for sharing that

The seller is seemingly trust worthy. Says he has dozens of vehicles in his collection and has never had a diesel that starts as easy as this one does, even after sitting for weeks . He allegedly knows the original owner as well


He replaced every other wear item during the refresh over the past few years . The motor rebuild happened 5+ years ago bit has only accumulated 5k miles .assuming it would show signs of a bad rebuild by now

I believe the engine model is the 1C-TLC

More info for those who like to read . This chassis was called the V10

Toyota Camry - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[mudgudgeon]

How does this motor get fuel,where is the fuel pump,how is it powered

Injection pump is rotary VE pump.
VE pump design is licensed from Bosch, they are used in a load of cars & light trucks from Toyota, to VW, to Dodge Cummins, to Mitsubishi . . .
Pump is driven by the camshaft timing belt.

Timing belt, i would guess would be a 100k km service interval.
This means swap the belt, the tensioner and idler pulleys, and tensioner spring every 100k km.
If the engine hasn't been touched in 5 years, it would be something to swap regardless of mileage.

 

[Eurasiaoverland]

How does this motor get fuel,where is the fuel pump,how is it powered

Here is a fuel pump from a 2C-T, which is the 2 litre version of that engine.

It is Toyota's first generation of rotary injection pumps (alongside the L and JDM 3B) and probably the first turbo diesel. The design was unchanged until about 2000ish. Probably the last part of the engine you need to worry about.

Not sure which 'parts' you are claiming are still available - filters, belts etc no doubt, but forget body panels, interior parts etc.

I'd probably buy it.

 

[Mike NXP]

Here is a fuel pump from a 2C-T, which is the 2 litre version of that engine.
View attachment 3732488
It is Toyota's first generation of rotary injection pumps (alongside the L and JDM 3B) and probably the first turbo diesel. The design was unchanged until about 2000ish. Probably the last part of the engine you need to worry about.

Not sure which 'parts' you are claiming are still available - filters, belts etc no doubt, but forget body panels, interior parts etc.

I'd probably buy it.

Good information thanks.

Yean I meant replacement parts in regards to mechanical stuff . Interior was reupholstered a few years back .


Hmm ok cool , so timing belt controls fuel pump... As long as fuel gets to a motor with good compression, then she goes bang bang. I like the simplicity of it all

The thing sounds so awesome too. Call me crazy but I think this old camry has some cool points going for it

I cant really imagine what could go wrong unless she runs hot or something that I wouldn't notice until the long drive home

 

[Mike NXP]

Thought it was cool to see a 5 lug wheel on this vehicle .

The current owner did a lot of work , other than the previous owners engine rebuild. Went front to back and changed all fluids and anything that needed to be fixed. Spent a bunch of time hunting down a shifter cable that he eventually found off an old land cruiser and made it work, pretty cool history behind this rig

 

[mudgudgeon]

I cant really imagine what could go wrong

40 year old car? What could possibly go wrong??


Seriously though, I would plan to swap all fluids, change air and fuel filters, Relace all rubber hoses on and around the engine, inspect or change soft brake lines, inspect the turbo for bearing wear or play. Check suspension bushings, ball joints etc

If some of that's already been done, you might not need to redo it.

 

[Mike NXP]

40 year old car? What could possibly go wrong??


Seriously though, I would plan to swap all fluids, change air and fuel filters, Relace all rubber hoses on and around the engine, inspect or change soft brake lines, inspect the turbo for bearing wear or play. Check suspension bushings, ball joints etc

If some of that's already been done, you might not need to redo it.

Lol dude don't jinx me . It's all allegedly been done and is in more than road worthy condition . This thing is a sleeping beauty just waiting for me to give it the beans

 

[mudgudgeon]

Knock on wood


Could be. Only one way to know . . .

 

[TheBussman]

I think it's cool i would drive it, do you think it will go the speed limit? I've driven a few Mercedes 240Ds (similar power output) and they were too too slow to go onto the highway (they may both have had other issues making them slower and also had automatics without converter lockup)

 

[Mike NXP]

Knock on wood


Could be. Only one way to know . . .

Indeed my friend . I agree . Just going to have to make it happen....

I think it's cool i would drive it, do you think it will go the speed limit? I've driven a few Mercedes 240Ds (similar power output) and they were too too slow to go onto the highway (they may both have had other issues making them slower and also had automatics without converter lockup)

Yeah good question. I hear the non turbos can be a bit of a dog but I was told it can cruise at 65 -70 without any issue. I was told its got plenty of pep for what it is ...the only downside here Is how far it is from home and the need to commit . Also , **** id like to just get a good deal one on my life lol its expensive for what it is



Alright so give me some general diesel knowledge. I know a little bit but curious of stuff like :

- What rpms would a turboed motor like this be happy cruising at ?
- What do I do in the winter time with fuel ? It has a block heater which is kinda cool but he says it's not necessary to use most of the time
- Are you swapping fuel filters often or can they go for a while

 

[Eurasiaoverland]

Alright so give me some general diesel knowledge. I know a little bit but curious of stuff like :

- What rpms would a turboed motor like this be happy cruising at ?
- What do I do in the winter time with fuel ? It has a block heater which is kinda cool but he says it's not necessary to use most of the time
- Are you swapping fuel filters often or can they go for a while

The 2C-T fuel injection pump is rated to 2400 rpm, meaning the engine can theoretically rev up to 4800 rpm. I would imagine something like 2500-3500 rpm would be the sweet spot before it gets too noisy and loses efficiency. Unlike a petrol, peak torque in a diesel (especially a turbo diesel) should be much lower than the redline. Maximum efficiency is probably around this engine speed.

In cold areas, winter diesel should be sold as standard at the pumps, so no need to worry too much I would say.

Fuel filters are changed somwthing like every 25,000 km but there should be a float sensor in the fuel filter housing to tell you if the sedimenter needs draining. If the tank is rusty inside (not so common in a diesel as a petrol) or full of diesel bug muck (unlikely in MT climate) you may have filter problems. Otherwise, not really an issue.

The only thing I would really check before a long journey is the cooling system - make sure the thermostat works, the radiator flows, the radiator cap seals and that the hoses are not deteriorated.

That is a sweet little car. It looks like a manual (but you mention a transmission cable...) in which case I would love it as a commuter car.

 

[MYTANK]

This is pretty cool - Do you have any photos of the build plate / Have you looked it up in a toyota parts catalog just yet?

 

[Mike NXP]

The 2C-T fuel injection pump is rated to 2400 rpm, meaning the engine can theoretically rev up to 4800 rpm. I would imagine something like 2500-3500 rpm would be the sweet spot before it gets too noisy and loses efficiency. Unlike a petrol, peak torque in a diesel (especially a turbo diesel) should be much lower than the redline. Maximum efficiency is probably around this engine speed.

In cold areas, winter diesel should be sold as standard at the pumps, so no need to worry too much I would say.

Fuel filters are changed somwthing like every 25,000 km but there should be a float sensor in the fuel filter housing to tell you if the sedimenter needs draining. If the tank is rusty inside (not so common in a diesel as a petrol) or full of diesel bug muck (unlikely in MT climate) you may have filter problems. Otherwise, not really an issue.

The only thing I would really check before a long journey is the cooling system - make sure the thermostat works, the radiator flows, the radiator cap seals and that the hoses are not deteriorated.

That is a sweet little car. It looks like a manual (but you mention a transmission cable...) in which case I would love it as a commuter car.

This is all great info so thanks for sharing . Im traveling for work this week and responding on the call phone sucks but I will make sure to check it all out.

I suppose I should have said shift cable , yeah its a little 5 speed fwd with transverse motor setup


*** Just booked my flight , going to check it out and most likely driving her home this Friday .


The current owner drives it still and says every vac hose and rubber bits under thr hood were replaced =I so cool

This is pretty cool - Do you have any photos of the build plate / Have you looked it up in a toyota parts catalog just yet?

Negative on the build plate

I did find some history on the generation (v10 series ) Camry and Vista . Also found some hilarious old review videos where they call it a CamRay lol

Really very little information out there .
Came from Japan , imported through Canada in the 80s , and was enjoyed and maintained for decades in Eastern Montana

 

[Mike NXP]

Bit of relevant info . Figured this forum would be a good place to compile info on this platform and motor that is seemingly fading away with history . I will old girl this to the test right off the rip with a drive across Montana and then up over the divide back home

Once I get it back home and back on my computer I'll add pics and all things relevant


For now, found some info saying it was manufactured in the Toyota Tsutsumi plant. This old article calls the 1.8 version of this motor the 1C-FF , contrary to the wiki page which calls it the 1C-TCL

Turbodiesel to Power Toyota Vista and Camry | Toyota | Global Newsroom | Toyota Motor Corporation Official Global Website

TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION is now offering Vista and Camry models with an 1800cc turbocharged diesel engine. These new Vista and Camry front-wheel-drive cars went on sale in Japan on Aug. 18 at Toyota's Vista and Corolla dealers.

global.toyota

Bit of history from a junk yard find

https://www.autoweek.com/car-life/classic-cars/a41097187/1984-toyota-corolla-diesel-sedan-is-junkyard-treasure/

Not much other information out there except for the wiki page and then most other stuff on the 2c bigger version of this motor that was mentioned above