1984 Toyota Camry / Vista with 1.8l turbo diesel 1C

Mike NXP · Jan 31, 2026

loafduck said:
**** my life I broke the fuel nipple attachment point for the injector pump

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Ahh s***, that sucks dude . It really is such a love / hate relationship when dealing with these old cars. I have a few other projects I want to dive in to but honestly I don't even know if its worth the time / effort / possible breaking of other parts. I may even put this rig up for sale soon

@loafduck
>>Click here to switch over to your thread to keep track of stuff. This will help me keep relevant info for my vehicle on this thread.
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On a less drastic note, I've got a dead windshield wiper and need some assistance.

I pulled the wiper arm and realized the motor is still working, but there was like a splined shaft that would bite into the arm. Those splines have since worn down and now the wiper motor shaft just free spins in the wiper arm

All I can think to do is apply some adhesive and re-attach the arm.
I can't figure out how the hell to even get in there and see the wiper motor, maybe this is accessed through the dashboard / interior?

loafduck · Jan 31, 2026

Mike NXP said:
Ahh s***, that sucks dude . It really is such a love / hate relationship when dealing with these old cars. I have a few other projects I want to dive in to but honestly I don't even know if its worth the time / effort / possible breaking of other parts. I may even put this rig up for sale soon

@loafduck
>>Click here to switch over to your thread to keep track of stuff. This will help me keep relevant info for my vehicle on this thread.
------

On a less drastic note, I've got a dead windshield wiper and need some assistance.

I pulled the wiper arm and realized the motor is still working, but there was like a splined shaft that would bite into the arm. Those splines have since worn down and now the wiper motor shaft just free spins in the wiper arm

All I can think to do is apply some adhesive and re-attach the arm.

I can't figure out how the hell to even get in there and see the wiper motor, maybe this is accessed through the dashboard / interior?

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The wiper motor is under the hood all the way on the passenger side to the left right against the back wall it'll be almost right next to one of the hood supports and behind one of the wheels passenger side wheel support. It's likely that the linkages on the spline that go from the motor to the wiper blade have worn out versus the motor itself

Mike NXP · Jan 31, 2026

loafduck said:
The wiper motor is under the hood all the way on the passenger side to the left right against the back wall it'll be almost right next to one of the hood supports and behind one of the wheels passenger side wheel support. It's likely that the linkages on the spline that go from the motor to the wiper blade have worn out versus the motor itself

Ah yeah, that makes sense. I see the motor now. The linkage and motor are working. The shaft that connects to the wiper arm is turning, but the splines on that shaft are all worn out. I'm just going to band-aid fix it with some kind of adhesive for now, just not worth spending much more time on it.

Mike NXP · Feb 1, 2026

Well, nothing like a band-aid fix to solve my problem...

I ended up cleaning up the splines on the wiper transmission shaft but the shaft is pretty much smooth at this point, not much grip. I stripped a piece of 16awg wire and shoved the wire in between the shaft and the wiper arm. Torqued it all down and it provides enough grip to work again...

Better than epoxy since it can be easily removed and fixed properly in the future ....or more than likely it holds up just fine and I will never touch it again lol

ToyotaBird · Feb 17, 2026

Big progress was made this weekend. So in the past month or so I had narrowed down my electrical issue to fuse/junction block 1 in the driver's foot well and finally got around to diagnosing it yesterday. I toned everything out with a multimeter and it tested fine, but everything north and south of that block previously tested fine independently with a multimeter and 12v applied. I opened up the junction block and it was gross inside with old dielectric grease and what I can assume was mouse piss, so I cleaned it all up with electrical parts cleaner spray, slathered everything in new silicone dielectric grease, and when I put it all back together the right turn signal and marker lights turn on independently of each other like they're supposed to!

With that headache finally resolved, I'm onto fixing a couple other frayed wires I found in the process, adding a tachometer, and replacing the headlights with an LED set.

Mike NXP · Feb 18, 2026

ToyotaBird said:
Big progress was made this weekend. So in the past month or so I had narrowed down my electrical issue to fuse/junction block 1 in the driver's foot well and finally got around to diagnosing it yesterday. I toned everything out with a multimeter and it tested fine, but everything north and south of that block previously tested fine independently with a multimeter and 12v applied. I opened up the junction block and it was gross inside with old dielectric grease and what I can assume was mouse piss, so I cleaned it all up with electrical parts cleaner spray, slathered everything in new silicone dielectric grease, and when I put it all back together the right turn signal and marker lights turn on independently of each other like they're supposed to!

With that headache finally resolved, I'm onto fixing a couple other frayed wires I found in the process, adding a tachometer, and replacing the headlights with an LED set.

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Nice work. Curious about your tachometer project coming up.....Keep us posted if you end up getting that done......I wonder what RPM these motors are running at 60mph. Sounds like at least 2200-2400 but its hard to tell

ToyotaBird · Feb 18, 2026

Mike NXP said:
Nice work. Curious about your tachometer project coming up.....Keep us posted if you end up getting that done......I wonder what RPM these motors are running at 60mph. Sounds like at least 2200-2400 but its hard to tell

I know they rev out to 5200 rpm which is wild for a diesel. I've already given myself issues because the Autometer diesel tachs only go to 5k and I bought a regular 6k tach which apparently has different wiring, so I just had to buy a different alternator sensor to hopefully make it work. I'll report back with my final setup once I get everything working.

Mike NXP · Feb 23, 2026

Well I don't know why, but I decided to put the old Camry up for sale. Im shooting for $6500, sort of hoping for zero interest so I can just keep driving it.
>> Not really sure what this rig is worth because I've got nothing to compare it to .

Its weird, its for sure one of the easiest starting diesel motors I've ever seen and I drive it everyday...40+ mpg's but man its just getting old and I cant help but think its only getting older and will need more TLC that I just cant provide for it and local shops don't really want to work on it lol so here we go

ToyotaBird · Feb 24, 2026

Mike NXP said:
Well I don't know why, but I decided to put the old Camry up for sale. Im shooting for $6500, sort of hoping for zero interest so I can just keep driving it.
>> Not really sure what this rig is worth because I've got nothing to compare it to .

Its weird, its for sure one of the easiest starting diesel motors I've ever seen and I drive it everyday...40+ mpg's but man its just getting old and I cant help but think its only getting older and will need more TLC that I just cant provide for it and local shops don't really want to work on it lol so here we go

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Well damn, it'll be a shame if you do sell it, but I also understand wanting to move on to something else.

I finished fixing all the damaged (and improperly fixed) wires and installing the LED projector headlights with the help of a $25 relay harness kit on Amazon that made them plug and play, minus the added markers and turn signals integrated into the new headlights.

Next up is wiring the tach, but when I went to start the car it wouldn't start and I haven't run it since changing the fuel filter. After some diagnosis I realized the primer on my filter housing is shot so the fuel system wasn't actually primed. A new one was $60 on Amazon, but will take a couple weeks so I ordered a primer bulb as a stopgap so I can at least get the car running.

Mike NXP · Feb 25, 2026

ToyotaBird said:
Well damn, it'll be a shame if you do sell it, but I also understand wanting to move on to something else.

I finished fixing all the damaged (and improperly fixed) wires and installing the LED projector headlights with the help of a $25 relay harness kit on Amazon that made them plug and play, minus the added markers and turn signals integrated into the new headlights.

Next up is wiring the tach, but when I went to start the car it wouldn't start and I haven't run it since changing the fuel filter. After some diagnosis I realized the primer on my filter housing is shot so the fuel system wasn't actually primed. A new one was $60 on Amazon, but will take a couple weeks so I ordered a primer bulb as a stopgap so I can at least get the car running.

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Damn dude that headlight setup is sick...lack of illumination is definitely a factor with the stock setup lol

Yeah I'll immediately regret selling mine but I do enjoy just switching up vehicles and seeing what else is out there.

After thinking on it , I cant imagine my car is worth over $6k , Im going to drop the price down to $5k and see how it goes....I honestly just don't know what these are worth

Mike NXP · Feb 27, 2026

Starting to think selling the old Camry isn't a good idea lol.....What the hell would I replace it with? Maybe an old beater Tacoma, or I saw some older RX300s that were tempting but all had issues.....Could get a little newer Camry but that seems stupid...... Unless I throw more money into it and get to the next level of vehicles for sale but what's the point, I've already got a unique little car that gets me to work...maybe mission accomplished? Oh the never ending car debate that I have with myself.....Fun times

I could see myself going for something like an older ES to replace the Camry, would be a classy ride and still has that "J" VIN...I've got the same motor in my Highlander and it can take a beating....

Noticing so many of the newer toyotas being manufactured in US. Learned the Corolla Cross is a Mazda in disguise.

ToyotaBird · Feb 27, 2026

I installed the primer bulb right before the dead filter housing primer and could head and feel it moving fuel when I squeezed it, then after 5 seconds of cranking the car fired up again, so mission accomplished until I get the new filter housing to replace the broken one.

Mike NXP said:
Starting to think selling the old Camry isn't a good idea lol.....What the hell would I replace it with? Maybe an old beater Tacoma, or I saw some older RX300s that were tempting but all had issues.....Could get a little newer Camry but that seems stupid...... Unless I throw more money into it and get to the next level of vehicles for sale but what's the point, I've already got a unique little car that gets me to work...maybe mission accomplished? Oh the never ending car debate that I have with myself.....Fun times
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I could see myself going for something like an older ES to replace the Camry, would be a classy ride and still has that "J" VIN...I've got the same motor in my Highlander and it can take a beating....

Noticing so many of the newer toyotas being manufactured in US. Learned the Corolla Cross is a Mazda in disguise.

>https://www.lexusofhenderson.com/inventory/used-2005-lexus-es-330-fwd-4d-sedan-jthba30g255064800/

If you do trade up for a Lexus there's some pretty fun ones, but that ES you linked seems a bit overpriced, probably because it's from a dealer. I personally own an SC400 and it's an amazing car after manual swapping it. I also sent one of my car buddies from the Air Force the link to your Craigslist ad and he's somewhere out that way in the Northwest and also a huge vintage Toyota guy.

Mike NXP · Feb 28, 2026

ToyotaBird said:
I installed the primer bulb right before the dead filter housing primer and could head and feel it moving fuel when I squeezed it, then after 5 seconds of cranking the car fired up again, so mission accomplished until I get the new filter housing to replace the broken one.

If you do trade up for a Lexus there's some pretty fun ones, but that ES you linked seems a bit overpriced, probably because it's from a dealer. I personally own an SC400 and it's an amazing car after manual swapping it. I also sent one of my car buddies from the Air Force the link to your Craigslist ad and he's somewhere out that way in the Northwest and also a huge vintage Toyota guy.

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Dude nice work, that's a slick fix....Awesome to see you bringing it back to life.

I love that SC, Im way into the LS as well but I need a good FWD to rip around in the winter. Old school folks may laugh at that but idk fwd with snow tires is pretty unstoppable around here.

but I agree, WAY over priced even though KBB in that area actually shows it around that value.. Got them down to $7k and will wire money today lol then I need to hop on a plane and fly to vegas to drive it back lol ....Probably should have been more like 4-5k but its a one owner desert car, with new tires brakes and decent service so I'm just gonna go for it.

There is nothing in my area worth buying for any less...lots of old , leaky, rusty, neglected vehicles...

Mike NXP · Feb 28, 2026

Knocked it down to $4500 and handed it off to the next owner today....It was fun while it lasted but on to the next for me

and I didn't even get a goodbye picture =[=[

ToyotaBird · Feb 28, 2026

Mike NXP said:
Knocked it down to $4500 and handed it off to the next owner today....It was fun while it lasted but on to the next for me

and I didn't even get a goodbye picture =[=[

Damn dude. What a strange coincidence, I was just telling my buddy who was having issues with his Subi that he should go on an adventure to buy it off you. Hopefully you're onto something more fun and I hope you linked the new owner to this thread so he can see everything done to in since it's a strange car with not a lot of information