Camry :: 2003 With Sludge 3mz-fe - Check Engine And Oil Indicators Came On
Feb 24, 2012
My wife has a 2003 Camry LE with the 3mz-fe V6. First, from what I have seen, these engines appeared in 2004 models, but that's what's in it. Anyway, she doesn't take care of her car and the other night the check engine and oil indicators came on. Having been through this with a VW Passat (known sludge engine) myself, I immediately suspected a sludge issue. The next day, I had a mechanic come over and check it. He pulled one of the valve covers and sure enough, there was sludge everywhere, some of the oil journals completely occluded.
So, the question is what to do? As I said, I've been through this myself. When it first happened, I had to have main bearings replaced and they flushed the motor well enough to get normal oil pressure. It wasn't 3 months before the same thing happened. They flushed it again enough to get the oil pressure back to normal and I got rid of it that weekend. I know flushing the Camry could solve the problem, but could just as easily push sludge into other parts of the engine and give me a nice deja-vu. The other options are to have the motor rebuilt or buy a used motor. The car has 80K on it so I'm thinking a remanufactured engine.
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My 2003 camry had black oil when I bought the car. I flushed the engine with motor flush two times. Very dark oil came out both times. But when I did third time oil was clear.
I do not have any oil pan or valve cover leak. Do I need to drop the oil pan to clean the gunk if there any?Do I have to clean the oil pick up also?
If the oil is dirty and black does it mean gunk built up in oil pan and oil pick up strainer?
I peeped through the valve cover but I did not see any gunk in the cylinder head.
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My 2003 passat 1.8T has been in and out of the shop for the past few months all for the same prob oil sludge was building up in the engine the first time around tried to avoid pulling the oil pan and just ran some flush to clean it out needless to say that didn't work so i had to have my mech pull the oil pan and clean up the mess...... even though this is a known issue that vw is well aware of the refuse to fix the prob unless u have all of your oil change receipts which I do not have because i have my stepfather change my oil I now know that I need to run full synthetic in it......
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I have an' 03 Camry with 46K miles and last week the check engine came on. Turns it was the Arem Sensor, whatever that is, that caused the light to come on and needed to be replacement. So my question is, is that a common problem with Gen5 Toyota Camry's?
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I own a 2003 Camry LE. I went to Autozone to find out what the check enginge light was for and was given P0031. When the service person checked it out on the computer he said the probable causes were:
1) open or short circuit conditions
2) poor electrical connections
3) failed oxygen sensor
4) EFI relay fault.
I asked how it could be narrowed down and he said it I would have to get the car checked out.
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I changed the spark plugs in my daughters 2003 camry, and now it is sputtering and and hesitating. is there a chance I put them in to tight? The check engine light is on, and it will start blinking for a few seconds and then stop blinking and remain on when the car gets up to speed. The car wasn't doing this before the sparkplug change.
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I'm getting a P0128 code on my 2003 V4 Camry. Autozone diagnosis says it's either
a) coolant low level
b) sensor not working correctly
c) thermostat not working correctly.
As part of 90k mile check about 3500 miles ago, the mechanic replaced the coolant. I didn't check the coolant after he had replaced it but I just checked it today and it's about 1 inch below the full level. Is this normal coolant usage considering that it's been about 3500 miles and 3 months since it was last filled?If the coolant level is okay, then how do I figure out if it's the sensor/thermostat?
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My 2003 Camry with 160k miles is running OK but the check engine light came on and P0341, P0352 and P0354 are displayed with my code checker. I looked up the three codes and could not determine anything that would cause all three codes to display at the same time. I plan to reset the codes to see if and how fast they come back. Is there anything common that could cause all three to display at the same time?
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We bought my wife's wagon with about 24k miles on it. It runs like a champ still (3k later). She has a client who has the exact same car but with 60k miles and the engine needs to be replaced. Something about sludge in the engine.
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I have a 2003 Kia Sedona EX with 103k miles on it. It is currently in the shop (KIA Dealership) and I'm being told that I have metal flakes in my oil and excessive sludge in my oil passages. This is causing my oil pressure to come in at 15 PSI instead of the specified 93 PSI. My mechanic has recommended a new engine.
I have only had the vehicle for 9 months and have done regular oil changes in that time.
Is there any hope of cleaning out the sludge? If yes, what do you recommend?Can I do successive short-mile oil changes?Can I use SeaFoam or some other product to clear it?Did I just happen to buy a car that hadn't been taken care of very well and now I really do need a new engine?
I've already replaced in the last 6 months of the 9 months I've had it:
Tires (Less than 10k miles on them)
Front & Rear brakes (whole thing)
Water Pump/Timing Belt/Serpentine/etc
Catalytic Converters - both fronts and the rear (just last week!!!)
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i have a 2004 passat 1.8t just hit 110k miles on it and a warning light that said stop engine oil pressure service manual came on and shortly after the engine died. it like putted like i ran out of gas. the engine cranks but doesnt turn over. i had it towed to a place and they said its the timing belt. another mechanic said that the engine could be blown. i researched the warning light and found a class action law suit against vw for engine sludge problems.
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My wife started her 2010 Camry (4 cylinder) this morning and the Oil Pressure, Check Engine, and Check Battery lights were all on.
She turned the car off, waited and started it back on and the same thing.
I rushed our kid to day care and her to work before coming to work myself, I haven't had a chance to check anything.
I replaced the air filter and cabin air filter over the weekend and the oil was changed at the dealer 2 weeks ago.
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I have a 2006 Kia Spectra with 74K miles. It was apparently neglected before I bought it (at 55K miles), and has a case of engine sludge. It's clogging my oil control valve, and a couple engine flushes (by Kia dealer) over the last year have failed to correct the problem thus far. The car runs ok, but cannot pass an emissions test due to the check engine light and corresponding codes. Can I perform the flushes myself? What product should I use? Can I safely remove and clean the OCV myself? What product should I use?
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Could armadillos playing around have broken a fuse or something? Otherwise car works great My mechanic looked briefly but wasn't sure what to do.
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A friend of mine has a 2002 Century with a 3100 engine, 65,000 miles. The car has been well cared for, with all regular maintenance performed on time.
The car is losing coolant, the low coolant sensor comes on every few hundred miles. The local garage has added coolant, replaced the coolant sensor , and flushed the entire system. At this point my friend asked me to have a look.
1) Slimey "milkshake" on oil cap. Cleaned & dried it 4 days ago. 100 miles later, it's all slimey again.
2) Rad cap also has slimey gunk on it.
3) Coolant recovery tank is CRUDDY. The walls are all darkened with what I'd assume is oil residue.
Now, before anyone starts saying this is normal with Dexcool, I'll mention that I have a '98 and an '02 Grand Prix with Dexcool, they have 218,000 and 158,000 miles, respectively. My oil caps are bone dry. My coolant caps have only Dexcool on them. And my coolant recovery tanks are so clean they look new.
In seems to me that there is some kind of internal issue, e.g. intake manifold gasket, where the fluids are mixing. FWIW, I don't see any sign of external coolant leakage. Do the 3100s have any known issues in this area? I suggested my friend have the Buick dealer pressure test it (when it's cold), and go from there.
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We have a poorly maintained 2001 Dodge Intrepid 2.7L with 155,000 miles on it. Over the Christmas break, we left it untouched in the driveway for a month. After that it wouldn't start without being jumped off, and the oil light flickered when the car idled. We had the battery, alternator, and starter checked at a local shop; all of them checked out fine. Nevertheless, the car wouldn't start without being jumped off. It would click once, and then nothing. We also noticed it was overdue by 2,000 miles for an oil change, and thought this may be causing the oil light issue. Since the 2.7L Intrepids are notorious for engine sludge, we added a couple of ounces of Seafoam, drove about 15 miles, and then took it in for an oil change. Now it starts without a jump. So my question is Is there any way that oil sludge (and perhaps a weak starter?) is the issue?
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I've got an oddball '88 SWB with the M5OD transmission. Since I've had it (about a year now), its always required a lot of gas to get it rolling without it stalling after sitting overnight or during the day at work, especially putting it in reverse for the first time. The shifts have always been a little choppy/jerky/grabby/whatever you want to call it, too. Mostly going into first from a stop, but you can feel it other gears too, especially if you're not flooring it.
Anyway, it seems to have gotten worse and I'm getting to the point where I'm looking at a cause. One thought I had was oil contamination on the clutch discs, I know this will make a clutch feel "grabby". There is some sludge accumulation between the trans and engine, and it appears I may have a very slow leak there.
I have to change the trans fluid this weekend and am wondering if there's anything I should inspect while I'm at it -- I don't know a whole lot about the clutch system on this van and there's next to no information on it. Frankly, I don't even know if its hydraulic or cable.
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I replaced my seven year old original battery on my 2008 Camry V6 SE. The car started ok, but the check engine came on and showed the P300 misc engine misfire. The car ran fine. The original battery failed the load test at the local auto parts store. I replaced the battery and the check engine light went out. I have noticed better engine performance and better transmission shifting too.
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I was told the speed sensor for my 2007 Camry LE was dirty. My ABS light goes off every now and then and also my check engine light as well. It's starting to not have power going up hills and the acceleration is a little funny (speed will decrease randomly then shoot back up after a bit of time). I read there is more than one speed sensor, which one should I be replacing? Will cleaning it fix it?
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What to do to get rid of P0031 check engine code on my 4 cyl. Camry LE. He replaced O2 and A/F sensor (Denso with CA emission), computer module (got dealer calibrated it), verified wiring/voltages, inspected the catalytic converter. When the code is cleared it will not come up for some time, but when the car is started cold it comes right back again.
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I have a 2007 Toyota Camry LS that says check vsc system. The check engine light, vsc and trac lights are all three are on. That is a concern but another big concern is that is sometimes runs sluggish and acts likes it wants to stall. ?
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