So I went out to check the oil this morning and the dipstick has broken off just above the full line. There is still just a bit of plastic attached to the metal part and apparently the rest is down in the pan. How worried should I be about this? Could it clog up the oil pump or pickup tube? I last checked the oil about a week ago, so I'm not sure how many days I've been driving it this way.
View 3 RepliesI was checking my oil level and saw that it was broken. I have to drive about an hour each way home tomorrow. Is this a bad thing to do, or do you think I'll be ok? I have no time to fix right now and only mode of transportation.
View 2 RepliesI was checking the oil this morning before getting ready to drive (for an hour) to the in-laws for Christmas, and the Effing orange plastic dipstick tube broke about halfway down. Now I'm afraid to drive for an hour at highway speeds, for fear that a lot of oil might come out of that compromised Effing orange plastic dipstick tube part -- would you all agree that I should not drive the car? Figures this would happen on Christmas Eve when nothing is open.
View 6 RepliesI replaced my valve cover gasket yesterday on my 2004 Camry. While putting back together, three of the tabs on the connectors for the ignition coil harness snapped off and would not stay together because of tension on the harness. I tried to zip tie them because I read that in another forum post but the clips (alligator clips?) inside the connector did not seem to be making contact with connector on top of ignition coil. The car was mis-firing and running very rough.
After much frustration, I finally removed the wires with the alligator clips from inside the connector and plugged them directly into the top of the ignition coil. Well, the car started and seems to be running/idling fine although now the Check Engine Light is on. Also, I have not driven car yet.
My question: Can I drive the car like this or will the vibration from the engine eventually loosen the connections. I am planning on ordering the connectors but they will not be in for a few days and I need to drive the car.
I just changed m trans fluid, and now I can't get a clear reading on the dip stick the fluid is thick near the bottom where it says cold then gets thin, to thin to get a reading, starting about 2 inches above the cold mark, I know I out the recommended fluid amount plus a bit more, so, whats the trick?
View 9 RepliesOk I have 2012 se I4 and I can't find the transmission dipstick either I'm going blind or the car doesn't have one. I will like to check the fluid....
View 14 RepliesI have a 2010 Camry and on Friday I got my oil changed at a local shop and while there the guy told me that they broke the lip off of the oil filter housing that I need to get a new one from Toyota before my next oil change. Said not a big deal right now but do before next change. My first mistake was paying for the oil change and not making them replace the housing since they are the ones that broke it. Well that night I drove about 150 miles and the next morning I drove 75 miles my car started making a odd noise when I would accelerate but not while I was just cruising. Then is just died while I was pulling into parking spot. Started it back and died again and just kept dying and not stay started. I check the oil and the stick is bone dry. There is oil all over everything under my car and had to pull it home on a trailer. Obviously the filter leaked all of it out, but my oil light never came on. Question is do you think there is damage to my motor? Do I make the oil changing place replace my motor so if it did damage I don't have to pay for it in a few thousand miles?
View 4 RepliesWhen checking the oil I am having difficulties determing the level. It is difficult to determine an actual line of the oil level. Oil is smeared above the dimples of the dipstick. I know it is not two inches above the top dimple. I have two other vehicles in the family and it is very easy to tell the level. After driving how long should I wait for the oil to settle into the pan? How to determine the level on the dipstick. A friend of mine to said to check to see if the lower dimple is filled with oil.
View 1 RepliesMy wife drives an 07 camry; 4 cyl/auto. the transmission has a dipstick so I can check it, and I can see it is discolored. the car has 76kmi on it. she just drives it back and forth to work; no abuse, no start/stop, just highway and 45mph roads.
I am going to change the trans oil. I see on the dipstick it take Toyota WS fluid. I'll buy it at the dealer to be safe.
do I *really* need to drop the pan and change the filter? I have a fluid evacuater, and could suck it right out the dipstick, or I can pull the pan plug.
Is the dealer going to sell me a filter and pan gasket? I have read that many dealers wont even sell me the parts.
A friend of mine who also owns a 4 cylinder 2000 Camry just recently changed the oil and oil filter in his car is fretting that he overfilled with new oil because he discovered he surpassed the full line on the dipstick by 3/16 of an inch. I told him the 3/16 of an inch past the full mark is not going to make his engine blow up and to not worry about it. But being extremely anal about these kinds of things he is insistent that he remove that 3/16 of an inch of extra oil.
Another of our friends (who is a certified mechanic) of many years told him that cars are somewhat designed to be idiot proof and going slightly past the full mark is not going to destroy the engine.
On my recently purchased 2013 Camry with DUAL VVT-i on the engine I cannot locate the transmission fluid dipstick.. I have ordered the owners's manual but it has not arrived.
View 14 RepliesI am about 7300 miles from my last oil change about a year ago. I was checking my dip stick the other day and while I was looking at it, I got a whiff of what definitely smelled like gasoline.
I have a little over 47k miles on it, and barely drive it 10k a year, mostly city some highway trips here and there.
Is this normal? Should I be concerned? If gasoline does mix with the engine oil, is the ECU smart enough to pick up any anomalies and alert me with a check engine light?
Fluid level on the dipstick looked fine.
I am checking the tranny fluid level in my daughter's 2007 4 cyl Camry tomorrow.
This tranny has the dipstick and each time we try to check the fluid level with the dip stick we are not sure if we are getting a good reading or not.
What's the trick to it. Should the tranny fluid be at a certain temp before checking? I don't have the manual with me so I'm trying to find the procedure.
I recently installed a new stereo in my 2003 Camry. While deciding whether to get a bluetooth option, I messed around with the drivers side pillar cover, which is where I would have run the bluetooth wire/mic, had I decided to go that route. Anyway, I took the pillar off and I guess the clips that held it on broke off? It was never 100% "attached" so to speak, or so it appeared. Even before I took it all the way off the top part was a little loose so I think that clip was broke off already. When the cover came off I noticed that the 2 spots where the clips attached appear damaged as well, but I can't tell that for sure as I don't know what it would look like undamaged. Also, part (or what appears to be part) of one of the plastic white clips came off too. I was planning on attaching pics, but posting rules for me say no attachments...
a. Is the cover broken as far as being able to hold new clips on?
b. If it isn't broken, where do I get new clips?
I have the above passat with the AWM motor. There is signs of moisture in the dipstick tube, but not on the oil fill cap. Now today the plastic dipstick funnel snapped due to being frozen to the dipstick.
Now the dipstick had what looks like lithium grease on it. The car has been slowely loosing coolant. But exhaust is clear, no signs of steam or coolant burning through exhaust.
But if the lithium grease like substance on the dipstick was a oil/coolant mix WHY did it freeze . I use a 50/50 mix of pentofrost SF. According to their lable should be good down to below zero. It has not gotten that cold here yet, even at night.
Why or how I could be getting moisture into the motor? And why is it only visible on/in the dipstick funnel and nowhere else.
I have a 2006 with 154,000 miles on it. I usually have my oil changed at Valvoline, but the last time the tech said there was no oil in my engine. He did drain oil out of it and filled with 3 1/2 quarts of oil. It did not show on the dipstick. This last change I did myself and used 3 1/2 quarts of oil, ran it around the block, waited about 5 minutes checked it and it still does not show on the dipstick.
Could I have gotten the wrong dipstick at some point? This one fits and seals good. I now do not want to run very long not knowing what my level is. Can measure the dipstick length? To compare with what I have.
So I have been told I need to have the transmission fluid changed in my GX470 by the dealer. They have said that off and on when I take it in for an oil change or some other services since 60K miles. I have never felt a difference in the transmission performance and have had no 'quirks' with it like I have had with other cars when the trans fluid is nearing the end of its useful life.
So I am concerned that since it is a 'sealed' unit that has no dipstick to check the fluid condition, they have a 'safe' way to tell me I need an expensive service when I really do not.
I am not afraid to work on my cars (I used to work on my cars including my built up rotary with a street port) but have just been too busy to do that stuff for the past 15+ years and am starting to get back into maintaining my own cars again.
I just found out that the air conditioning compressor is broke in my 2006 prius and its going to cost $1800 to fix it.. I am not in the loop here but that seems ridiculously high. I mean i save money at the pump but all that money just went out the door if i get this repaired. I am really contemplating trading the car in rather than deal with that expense..
View 5 RepliesI have a 2006 gx470 and have recently had the front shock/strut break just above the lower bolt at the lower arm. Have not done any harsh driving. what causes it?
View 6 RepliesI found a post in the forums with a similar issue to the one I have the only difference is that I have a Sonata GLS 2012:
"one of the "slider" control knobs on my '04 sonata has broken and i need to replace it. i'm not sure i'm calling it by the right name; i can't seem to find it anywhere when i google it. it's the small plastic piece in the middle of the air vent that controls the direction of the air flow.
I can't get an accurate reading on my dipstick of my '08 RX 350. I just tried after it sat all night and the oil is over the full marks. I just had the oil changed at Lexus and they used my 6 quarts of Mobil 1 and I told them not top it off to 6.5 quarts because I wanted to.
The tech said he did not add more than what I gave him. I just called Lexus and they said, yes it is difficult to get an accurate reading for some reason. He said check when the oil is warm and has sat for 5 minutes. Any others have trouble reading the oil dipstick accurately?
'08 RX 350 Flint mica/ blk 84,000 miles