2007 Toyota Camry Engine

[Jess714]

I purchased a 2007 Toyota Camry from a dealership in October 2013 with 95,327 miles on it. I was driving down the highway one day and all of a sudden the temperature gauge went from the middle to pegged on cold and then there was knocking noise in the engine. The temperature gauge NEVER went to the hot. Car only had 112,000 miles and I had an oil change just two weeks before. Any ideas what it may be? I had oil changes every two months, had just had all fluids topped off in April and had been keeping track of levels and there was no inclination that this problem would occur. Had new battery and alternator put in at the beginning of the year.

Thanks

[Mike Gerber]

It's hard to guess what went wrong based on the information given but if this is the 4 cylinder 2.4 liter 2AZ engine, they are known for having an oil burning problem. (Toyota recently sent out a letter to registered owners of this engine explaining a special service campaign for the oil burning problem.) Did you check the oil very recently before this drive? If so was the oil level at or near the full line?

Mike

[Jess714]

Mike,

I had an oil change TWO WEEKS before this happened. Toyota is saying that because the engine is shot they WILL NOT fix it. I knew about the excessive oil consumption after my car died. It literally went within seconds when the temperature gauge pegged itself on cold. I also had oil changes every two months. I bought the car in October 2013 and this happened in June 2014. Been trying to do something about it but can't seem to get anyone to help out. Toyota refuses to even look at it because it had 112,000 miles on it and it's already dead. They said that in order for them to do anything about it the car has to be driven and tested for the excessive oil burning. I'm a Veteran and have no way of getting nearly 4000 dollars to get the engine fixed. Also, I have a feeling my mechanic (who I have never had a problem with and brought everything to) is screwing me over. I don't understand how I can burn through a new oil change if they did the service right in two weeks. I feel like my mechanic or Toyota is at fault and I can't prove it.

[Mike Gerber]

Did you check the oil after the engine went dead? Was there any oil on the dipstick?

How many miles had you driven during the 2 weeks since the oil change? Time alone means very little here.

Are there any signs of oil leakage like from the oil filter underneath the engine or from the oil pan drain bolt? These are 2 things that could be traced back to possible mistakes made during the last oil change.

Mike

[Stealthee]

I'm just throwing a guess out there, but when the temp gauge dropped to cold, it very well could have started to get hot. Some cars have coolant senders located in bad spots and if there is an air pocket created in that spot when the coolant gets low then the sender will read a cool temperature.

I had to replace "coolant elbows" on my Grand Prix in a gas station parking lot once. I finished up at 9 o clock at night and did my best to bleed the system of air. When I got going down the road I realized I had no temp showing on the gauge. I started listening to the car carefully at that point to make sure it wasn't overheating. The next day I bled the system of air a little better and the gauge started reading again.

[Brian R.]

@Stealthee +1