89 Camry

[loughton]

I just got this camry. I'm not going to be able to work on it until the spring, but I would like to know what I should do to it. I would like to fix the power locks & windows, as they do not work. Also, there is some rust forming above all of the wheel wells. The antenna is also loose.

I would like to keep it looking normal (stock). Any minor performance upgrades would also be appriciated. Thanks alot for any suggestions.

Heres the same model, in the same colour,

It's a 1989 LE V6.

[Joe W]

If you could give us info like mileage, maintenance performed ect... It is probably best to replace the plugs, wires, cap, and rotor (cheap), for starters.

[Toysrme]

Minor upgrades - and traditional ones simply dno't do anything on Toyota v6's.
It's either get ready to spend some money to get some preformance, or forget it.



N/A the big thing is the crossover pipe between the headers, and the header pipe to the cat. It costs a bit of money for custom Headers + y-pipe.
After that skip everything & have the heads ported & polished with a good valve job done.
That'd probably open up 30-40 horsepower and your peak horsepower would be up in the stock 3.0L range.

Not *really* that expencive for that kind of gain N/A... But you're talking 2 big lump sums most people won't pay.

You can advance your timing & lean the engine a little bit stock - or after you do a few mods richen it. That'll give you a little more top end power, and the timing advance will shift your powerband down a couple hundred RPM. Not big... But it's free.


After that your common intake / exhaust upgrades. They're not a good place to start.... They gain practically nothing. Heed those words.





The good news about the crossover pipe... Is when it comes to turboing. Because the stock exhaust all routs through the front exhaust manifold, you can sling a small, common, used turbocharger off it, and it will drive smoothely, and you won't have to do much welding.
Moving the oil filter with an oil filter relocator is not a big deal.

While noone has done it, and it remains to be seen how far the 2vz-fe can go power wise. The fuel system with a couple minor, cheap upgrades is good for 200-230 horsepower. So you're talking about a few hundred dollars in used parts, some elbow grease, and the closest thing to a custom "bolt on" turbo kit you'll ever find.

You'd make more power at 3000rpm than you do now at 5200rpm. Don't think there would be any lag.

[DFBonnett]

Originally Posted by loughton

I just got this camry. I'm not going to be able to work on it until the spring, but I would like to know what I should do to it. I would like to fix the power locks & windows, as they do not work. Also, there is some rust forming above all of the wheel wells. The antenna is also loose.

Pick up a Haynes or Chilton manual for about $20 locally or on Amazon or BN.com. Not as good as a factory manual but it will answer most questions you will have. Your problem with the windows and doors is probably a fuse or relay. There are electrical diagrams in the manual. You can also pick up a book on basic body work to deal with the wheelwell issue.
FWIW
YMMV

[typesix]

Rust above the wheel wells is common for this body style.

[augie7071]

My problems with my 89 camry windows was the wiring harness between the door &the body, drivers side. easy to get out & look at. over half of the wires were broke or split. the wires go to the main control unit,drivers door. check it out. i also have rust and the antenna is loose wedged it with wood

[loughton]

Hey guys, thanks alot. The car has 316,700 km's (196 788 miles) on it. I've got a couple grand in the bank, and i was planning on using it to buy a car. Since i have recieved this one for free, it's free to spend on repairs and upgrades. Thanks for all the help. Any more advice is well appreciated.

Edit: Thanks DFBonnett, I've ordered a manual. I await it's arrival.