Unusual problem: no oil to intake cam...posted in wrong place earlier

[Badge Head]

Sorry, I just found this site and am not familiar with it and posted this in a different forum earlier!
I hope someone can help me with this problem.
I have a 2001 Toyota Camry with a 2.2 liter 4 cylinder engine. it has good oil flow to the exhaust cam but no oil to the intake cam. the toyota dealer cant or wont get me an oil flow schemitic. I am rebuilding the engine myself. there appears to be a steel ball approx. 3 inches down the oil gally on the intake side. should it be there and can it be repaired?

 

[Eric Winkworth]

I have no idea about the steel ball...

this might help I dunno
http://www.toyodiy.com/parts/

 

[ToyotaDon]

This is the only schematic I could find.



I had to go back to 1992 when the 5S-FE was first offered in the Camry. The dealer would have had a hard time finding it...they just wouldn't have taken the time.

 

[Badge Head]

Hey there, thanks for the reply. My husband is already in bed and I checked and found your reply. I will be sure he sees this in the morning before work.

I hope it is okay for me to respond to you.....I know absolutely nothing about mechanics, but remember him being puzzled about the steel ball he mentions in his original post. Being mechanically illerate as I am, I have no idea if your reply explains that with the diagram...but don't see anything that looks like it would pertain to that?

Do you have any idea what the steel ball is that he refers to, or how it possibly came to be there.....or if it can be removed?? I hope he doesn't kill me for asking....in case that is a stupid question...

Thanks again for taking your time to reply!!!!

 

[Badge Head]

Are there any Toyota mechanics out there?...

This is Badge Head's wife as he is working...please be patient with me ..

I have more information from him after posting to "JustAnswer.Toyota". The reply from there was that: "The intake and exhaust cam gets the oil pressure from the same line. Check the end of head cam carrier for proper installation and clogging.The ball bearing is for plugging the line at a certain point after drilling and should be left alone."

My husband says that he has that ball bearing out and that there is oil pressure coming to the point where that ball bearing is located. There appears to be another ball bearing about 3 inches deep down the intake passage and that is where the oil restriction is at. There is no oil coming to the intake cam journal.

He says Toyota would say "get a new cylinder head", but that there is nothing wrong with this cylinder head except this blockage. He said he has been in touch with Toyota....and they were not helpful....


I apologize if I am posting in the wrong area .... or if there is another site that anyone can advise for me to use, I will be happy to try that. I hope I have stated the problem with clarity...being a woman and knowing absolutely nothing about mechanics, I may have goofed up!!! Sorry..

It seems it is easier to replace parts instead of finding what the problem is, and I was so hoping to find a knowlegible Toyota tech who would may have ran into this problem and could advise us.

Thanks for any help and especially your patience!!!

 

[ToyotaDon]

I am a Toyota tech, but have not seen this issue before. The ball bearing is there because they have to drill 2 different directions to get the passages directed properly. A drill bit can't make a 90 degree turn, so 2 holes are drilled, and a short section of one is blocked off.

The picture I posted above is all that Toyota provides for an oil-flow diagram. You may try to talk to a local machine shop, they could have more info.