1984 Toyota Camry / Vista with 1.8l turbo diesel 1C (2 Viewers)

[Mike NXP]

On the sender threads, I normally put a smear of something like https://www.repco.com.au/car-care-p...JjkCP60lfz5K_kA9TIKM6bjTM3Xaoh38aAtaREALw_wcB however I don't think Mr Yota lists them as requiring something and don't overdo it, sender needs to ground out to the engine block, but I find a bit of peace of mind knowing that it won't weep and the threads won't gall.

Good to know, thank you. Agreed, I don't think its necessary but probably OK if needed. I ended up tightening it down a bit more, I barely had it wrench tight. Got another full rotation or two out of it and seemingly its good to go, for now.

Did another test drive today, everything seems to be functioning as it should be. F***k I love driving this car


I think next on the list will be rear suspension and brakes. The brakes are a bit out of round / grindy sounding and the shocks are a bit bouncy. Going to just ride it out for now though

 

[AndyMax]

Good to know, thank you. Agreed, I don't think its necessary but probably OK if needed. I ended up tightening it down a bit more, I barely had it wrench tight. Got another full rotation or two out of it and seemingly its good to go, for now.

Did another test drive today, everything seems to be functioning as it should be. F***k I love driving this car


I think next on the list will be rear suspension and brakes. The brakes are a bit out of round / grindy sounding and the shocks are a bit bouncy. Going to just ride it out for now though

That’s awesome! You’ve got me so stoked for my own Camry! Should hopefully be getting in the garage this weekend, I’ll post a startup video.

If you do end up, taking on the suspension, please share part numbers and process. I briefly shopped around for struts while sourcing parts, but I didn’t want to start spending money on the chassis until I ensure the engine is running correctly.

 

[Mike NXP]

That’s awesome! You’ve got me so stoked for my own Camry! Should hopefully be getting in the garage this weekend, I’ll post a startup video.

If you do end up, taking on the suspension, please share part numbers and process. I briefly shopped around for struts while sourcing parts, but I didn’t want to start spending money on the chassis until I ensure the engine is running correctly.

**** yeah, nothing like firing up that old engine and listening to it clank away....

As for shocks / coils, I've done minimal research and to be honest will most likely hand it over to local mechanic to get it done since I don't really know how to deal with the spring coil on the shock...for sure will post it up here if I get it done.

Next priority is getting new tires, these current tires look OK but they are 15+ years old and have quite the shake going on lol

That plus my Highlander just started dumping oil from pressure sensor, so got plenty of other crap on the to-do list

 

[AirheadNut]

Stoked to hear it is back up and running! There is nothing quite like the clatter of an old IDI diesel. BTW, we are down to the last few spots open for the Great Divide Rally, if that's something you'd be interested in now is the time to reserve a spot. We finalized the route last weekend and are wrapping up the last few details. I'd love to see your diesel Camry there!

 

[Mike NXP]

Stoked to hear it is back up and running! There is nothing quite like the clatter of an old IDI diesel. BTW, we are down to the last few spots open for the Great Divide Rally, if that's something you'd be interested in now is the time to reserve a spot. We finalized the route last weekend and are wrapping up the last few details. I'd love to see your diesel Camry there!

f**k so tempting to go rally this thing but I have a feeling I'm not brave enough to do it..... I see you did the route in a Jetta which is inspiring but ground clearance and fear of killing this old car has me a bit worried ...

 

[AirheadNut]

We ran the route twice yesterday in a stock 2000 Jetta, the gravel sections are almost entirely smooth, well maintained county roads. There is one large speed bump and a few cattle guards and potholes, which will be clearly marked in the roadbook. These areas of the route will be relatively low speed anyway (20-35mph), so there will be ample opportunity for attentive drivers to slow to accommodate road conditions.

There will be a 1980's Volvo and a 1980's VW, and I am planning on bringing my newly purchased Mercedes W116 along, so you wouldn't be alone in the low clearance category.

 

[Mike NXP]

We ran the route twice yesterday in a stock 2000 Jetta, the gravel sections are almost entirely smooth, well maintained county roads. There is one large speed bump and a few cattle guards and potholes, which will be clearly marked in the roadbook. These areas of the route will be relatively low speed anyway (20-35mph), so there will be ample opportunity for attentive drivers to slow to accommodate road conditions.

There will be a 1980's Volvo and a 1980's VW, and I am planning on bringing my newly purchased Mercedes W116 along, so you wouldn't be alone in the low clearance category.

You've got me back on the fence but still having trouble committing......I'm going to see if I can find a buddy to tag along with me

I got about 5" of clearance before the drain pan takes a hit lol can't believe how low this thing is


** Switching this convo over to your thread in MT406

 

[Mike NXP]

OK all is well in the world of the old Camry but timing belt paranoia has been haunting me again.....I did find one local mechanic who was like sort of semi-willing to work on this lol.

This is as close of a look as I could get and I can only see the backside of belt....Should I let the fear take over or just ignore this and keep driving

Engine was said to have been rebuilt less than 10k miles ago, but it was seemingly 10-15 years ago. Sticker on engine last shows timing belt being done in 1995 lol no other signs of it being done.

 

[AirheadNut]

If you can find a competent mechanic who is willing and able to work on it then I’d say just get it done. Just make sure they know the factory process and have the equipment to do the job properly, I’ve just been reading about a person who took their TDI to a mechanic for a timing belt job and it was returned to them not running and in pieces. The mechanic didn’t have the proper tools to set everything to TDC or to adjust injection timing afterwards.

 

[Mike NXP]

If you can find a competent mechanic who is willing and able to work on it then I’d say just get it done. Just make sure they know the factory process and have the equipment to do the job properly, I’ve just been reading about a person who took their TDI to a mechanic for a timing belt job and it was returned to them not running and in pieces. The mechanic didn’t have the proper tools to set everything to TDC or to adjust injection timing afterwards.

Roger that. I'm going to go through the steps in the service manual and bring it in to his shop along with the box of parts I have to see what he thinks.

They are all cruiser guys and solid techs but not sure of their diesel experience. Every diesel shop I called in the area says they only work on trucks lol

Do you know the boys up at Northridge Auto in Cfalls?

 

[AirheadNut]

I don't have any direct experience with Northridge Auto, but people seem to like them and have positive things to say about them. Dave at Back 40 Imports would be the local Toyota diesel expert, but I'm pretty sure he only works on LandCruiser diesels and the odd Hilux.

 

[Mike NXP]

Right on, I reached out to Back 40. Not sure if he's willing to work on this yet but we'll see
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Adding coolant temp sensor to Toyota 1C-T

• Ordered upper hose from Napa and saved current hose just in case this fails
• Cut hose at the half way point. I ended up also cutting a bit of length off each end of the hose. Needed like a razor blade chopper cutter tool thingy
• Install temp sensor of your choice, I used one from Amazon seen below that came with wiring and gauge with audible temp alarm
• The hose clamps that came with sensor were way too small and I couldn't tighten em' down enough to keep fluid in. Replace with full size clamps
• Keep everything loose during the install so the hose can settle in to the right angle...I started with clamping the sensor down then moved to the engine side of the hose.
• Run wires through boot on passenger side. Install gauge somewhere, I went in the center cubby so I can close it up and not look at it too much, otherwise you may get temp monitoring madness
• I got power from the turn signal fuse which is hot with the key on and then grounded out on the post nearby. Seems to work fine for now

Operating temps seem to be around 190-194F.

@AndyMax let me know if you end up tackling the 'cooling fan on/off switch' project.

 

[Mike NXP]

Damn, turns out shes actually running kinda hot. Gauge says 212-216 under load. 194-198 at idle.

Outside air temp only 70ish F. Would probably get hotter if it was summer temperatures + pushing it any harder

I've heard the fan kick on every now and then, but currently even sitting at 210+ the fan isn't spinning. I wonder if that has anything to do with the higher than usual temps

 

[bj70bc]

fan clutch fluid....

 

[Mike NXP]

fan clutch fluid....

Does that theory apply for electric driven fans or is that for belt driven ?


** Deleted, posted the wrong info .

 

[bj70bc]

oh, your on electric fans

 

[Mike NXP]

oh, your on electric fans

Yeee. Going to try and diagnose a bit further but as the outside temps increase I can see this maybe being a bit of an issue. Need to get the fan to kick on at 194F
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Apparently I was in the gas engine section of the manual. The switch for the diesel is apparently on the radiator
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[Mike NXP]

On today's misery menu :

Electric Fan

• Service manual says they should turn on at 194F. Mine are not but I need to troubleshoot further. Was running 210F + cruising at 60mph
• I removed the connector at the bottom of the radiator and the fan runs with key on.... According to the service manual this might mean that I need to replace the "temperature switch"
• Partsouq shows the diagram below, I think this is the correct switch but not in stock. Amayama shows out of production
• Part #89428-15030
• 
• 

- I'll need to troubleshoot more but would like to find a proper fix instead of running fans full time / rigging a switch


Coolant / Temp sensor

• The cheapy Amazon temperature thing works well but started leaking from the sensor threads after one heat cycle. I removed it and put some of that Permatex PTFE thread goop on. Hope that fixes it , otherwise may need to get a better quality part

 

[Mike NXP]

Hmmmm. Might be worth the money to try one of these Amazon parts

I wonder what my chances are that it will be a pain to remove and I crack the radiator trying to get this thing out .

 

[AndyMax]

Hmmmm. Might be worth the money to try one of these Amazon parts

I wonder what my chances are that it will be a pain to remove and I crack the radiator trying to get this thing out .

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Yeah, I tried replacing that sensor as preventative maintenance, it was easy enough to remove, but the one I ordered on Amazon didn't fit. I'm not sure which one I got. I ended up putting the old one back.

Haven't gotten around to working on the Camry. I ended up just buying a cheap 03 Tdi 5 speed sport wagon that became available in my area.

Now that I've got something to daily I really have to motivate myself to either work on the Camry or sell it.