quick question about a Camry...

[Figit090]

I have a friend that i've been helping, she knows jack about cars frankly. well i've checked the fluids and helped her out a bit, and just recently she hit a rock slide and has a problem i'm going to go check out tomorrow...

she says it rides rough and once when she pressed the gas it revved a bit before making the car move. she checked the fluid, said it was fine, but she also said there was a lot of red fluid under her car when she pulled out of the parking space, and there's a good chance she read the dipstick wrong.

soo is there anything i should look for in particular? after looking for obvious damage and proper fluid level should i start it up and see for myself?

 

[Mr.PFloyd]

auto tranny is fucked. I wonder if she put a hole in the bottom plate.

 

[Figit090]

i was thinking that but didnt want to come to conclusions because i dont know hardly anything about autos...

what should I tell her? is that a pretty difinitive thing? maybe tell her to go see a mechanic? stop driving it or drive it until it dies?

she was planning on going home on friday too...

any more advice is greatly appreciated. i'm a car buff but by no means a full service mechanic but i want to help her out still. I know basics and how to do a headgasket job

I also saw sludge in her oil cap but I'm not sure i should even bother with that.

CRAP.

 

[1jzdreamer]

Sounds like a busted transmission pan to me.

Don't let her drive it until you verify what it is, and get it fixed. You should be able to get a new plate for it, and if she didnt drive too much with no fluid it should be OK. new plate, fill fluid up, Lucal oil tranny fix stuff.

 

[IwantMKIII]

I have a friend that i've been helping, she knows jack about cars frankly. well i've checked the fluids and helped her out a bit, and just recently she hit a rock slide and has a problem i'm going to go check out tomorrow...

she says it rides rough and once when she pressed the gas it revved a bit before making the car move. she checked the fluid, said it was fine, but she also said there was a lot of red fluid under her car when she pulled out of the parking space, and there's a good chance she read the dipstick wrong.

soo is there anything i should look for in particular? after looking for obvious damage and proper fluid level should i start it up and see for myself?

i was an owner of a 93 v6 auto camry for a long time. If it happened when the engine/tranny was cold and it goes away quickly its no problem. If not, then check tranny oil. If tranny oil is there check kick down cable and tighten it. If thats ok check shift selenoids. if they are ok then its your torque converter

/end thread

 

[ArthurRitus]

Sounds like shes lucky she wasn't in a supra...

 

[Figit090]

Sounds like shes lucky she wasn't in a supra...

huh why?

ok i have pics. it is her tranny, and she did dent the oil/fluid pan pretty badly, here are pics. it's dripping a good bit but still holding fluid. not sure how much i pulled the dipstick out and it read full but it was on a slight slope and that doesnt even really matter as the engine wasn't even running so i dont know what it will read when the torque converter is using fluid.

anyway, what should I have her do... fill it up high and make a quick drive to a mechanic for a fix? or tell her she should tow it? I said she might be able to get a used pan and then have a mechanic put it on for her and keep the price down. good idea?

I had her call a few places (i dunno how many she tried) and one place about 15 minutes away from her said to fill it up really full and drive it to his shop...where he would then check it for free and tell her where to go from there - i think that's a bad idea but i'm not expert, i'll let you guys look at the pics and give me advice to give her.

nearest mechanic i think is probably about a 4-5 minute drive.

by the way - she said she drove over an hour after she hit the boulder/rock that did this, i think two hours. and it still has SOME fluid sooo...hopefully the tranny is OK?

here are pics;

 

[annoyingrob]

My bet is the front edge of the pan is no longer flat, and thus not sealing. Get under the car, figure out where it's leaking from, throw some FIPG in it, and fill it back up.

The problems she's having are just from low fluid. The transmission SHOULD be fine.

 

[Figit090]

did you look at that pan? it looks like it has some pretty bad dent to it...

and that last photo...IS where it is leaking from... at least it looks fairly clean around those drops and it dripped once when i was looking at it... i'm fairly confident there is a hole there...

 

[Mr.PFloyd]

get it towed man...

 

[Jeff Lange]

Tow + new pan.

 

[Figit090]

ok. i'll let her know tomorrow. I'd wait for more replies but it sounds like the best idea is to get it towed.

What do you think about how that local mechanic said to fill it up as much as possible and drive it to the shop for a 'free diagnosis'??

maybe he was hoping it would break down so he'd get money?

its actually kinda hard to tell without hearing the conversation but...sounds lame to mee. i wouldn't drive it for more than 5 minutes if I HAD too.. she did drive it for 2 hours though.

well anyway, its my bedtime. thanks for your help guys.

 

[super.secret.supra.club]

Happened to me once, except it was a drunk driver in the front who wrecked and launched a fat SUV bumper under my Corolla. Toyo sells the fluid pretty cheap, filters are "meh" on price, I forget if it was $40 or $60 for one. Don't know about the pan price , you can probably just take one off a Camry from the junkyard if you can find it. Those damn pan bolts don't hold a lot of torque though... ask me how I know.

edit: grammar what?

 

[annoyingrob]

did you look at that pan? it looks like it has some pretty bad dent to it...

Yes, it's bent, and thus is not sealing anymore. So re-seal it.

 

[Figit090]

Yes, it's bent, and thus is not sealing anymore. So re-seal it.

its worse actually it has a hole(s). she needs a new pan.

 

[annoyingrob]

its worse actually it has a hole(s). she needs a new pan.

FIPG works on holes too.


Edit: I'm drunk. You can't argue with a drunk.

 

[Figit090]

no but i can ignore you.
FIPG on a hole? what if it falls out? thats dumb. LOL..

thanks anyway.


moving on - she had it towed to a shop (the same shop that said "drive it to us with extra fluid we'll check her for FREE!" ) so she's wondering if she should get a second opinion.

She said that the shop told her that because she drove it so long with it like that (2 hours) she needs a full transmission rebuild.

she has AAA - should I tell her to go to another shop and have them take a peak?

 

[super.secret.supra.club]

Umm, where in California is this?

I don't know a damned thing about rebuilding an auto tranny so I'm hoping someone will chime in or throw the bs flag onto the field.

But really, if it's just the transmission pan that's the problem, you can buy a Chilton's guide for about $15(or just read it at the store), and there's what you need on changing oil on a tranny, the only difference is you'd be replacing the pan in the process... Second opinions are always nice though, make a few calls around, check the local better business bureau, etc.

 

[Figit090]

Umm, where in California is this?

I don't know a damned thing about rebuilding an auto tranny so I'm hoping someone will chime in or throw the bs flag onto the field.

But really, if it's just the transmission pan that's the problem, you can buy a Chilton's guide for about $15(or just read it at the store), and there's what you need on changing oil on a tranny, the only difference is you'd be replacing the pan in the process... Second opinions are always nice though, make a few calls around, check the local better business bureau, etc.

northern cali, why?

Not my car. if it were me i'd be under there with new parts ASAP but i'm not working on someone else's car with out being a certified and licensed auto mechanic. I trust me but if i mess up on hercar and a mad father gets in the picture - i'm fucked, and i dont like the idea of a written agreement with a friend. plus i have no time.

local better business bureau?? whats that?

thanks again everyone. and my friend thanks me, which is indirectly thanking you as well.

 

[super.secret.supra.club]

northern cali, why?

Not my car. if it were me i'd be under there with new parts ASAP but i'm not working on someone else's car with out being a certified and licensed auto mechanic. I trust me but if i mess up on hercar and a mad father gets in the picture - i'm fucked, and i dont like the idea of a written agreement with a friend. plus i have no time.

local better business bureau?? whats that?

thanks again everyone. and my friend thanks me, which is indirectly thanking you as well.

I understand where you're coming from, before I knew anything about cars I would go around when my car needed a tune up and I'd get different responses everytime the mechanic would get back to me. At one point I was told I needed to change my oil after I only drove 1k on it, needed a new battery after less than 30k on a new one, and that my brakes were in need of replacing when my friend taught me how to get them turned with new pads. I'm cautious about taking my car to any mechanic now, so I do some shopping around if I need anything, or see what the guys around can refer me to (i.e. machine shops).

The local better business bureau is a group that gives the 2 thumbs up to any shop/restaurant/etc. that generally does a kickass job. It just dawned upon me that your AAA probably has a book listing shops that recommend where a good place to go is, if you haven't done that already.

Best of luck with it.