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Hello, I have a 1999 Toyota Camry with the I-4 2.2 Engine. (5S-FE)
My engine does always seem to run cold for no particular reason. I noticed that it happened slowly over the course of months the car would run a bit colder and just a little more cold next week. I Thought the Thermostat was stuck open.
So I just changed it with an aftermarket one. Took it for a test drive and Still the same thing. Replaced it again this time with a new OEM Thermostat. It helped a bit more but still much too cold. Other things I have done is check the Coolant Temp sensors. I have 2 of them One is for the ECU and one is for the Gauge on the Instrument cluster. Both appear to read the same. ECU says it runs about 145-160F.
I took an inferred thermometer to the engine and I get almost the same reading. My heat also does not work that great. In Traffic everything is nice and warm and great.
Im at a loss of what I need to do. Cooling fans Turn on as they should at 205F and turn off around 190. I threw cardboard in the Rad and that has helped a lot.
Thanks for any help providedThings I have Done:
Removed Air In cooling System twice
Changed Thermostat (New OEM is Installed)
Checked Coolant Temp Readings
Compared Coolant Readings to Actual Engine Temp
Checked Fan Relays
Cardboard in Rad.
Changed Coolant temp Sensors with known working
Checked for Codes Stored and Found none
Using 50/50 ish Collant Mix
Checked make sure belt is going right way
Removed Thermostat and saw Further Temp dropThis Video should be Helpful too.
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I suggest pulling the thermostat and heating it in a pan of water with a hopefully accurate thermometer to see at what temperature it is actually opening at. If you have any of the old ones around add them to the soup. Let us know what you find.
Ah yes, I forgot to mention that. That has been done, oddly all 3 thermostats work as they Should (Old OEM, New OEM and Aftermarket) When I pulled the now old Thermostat from my car for the very first time is was actually Closed. They Opened around 175
Good that you checked. The mix of wax they put in them determines when they open. Oddly, melted wax has much greater volume that solid wax – makes for a great little engine that never wears out except sometimes they do. I’m not sure what happens. However, if they used the wrong wax mix….
Also, I think the Camry uses a dual action thermostat. It has a bypass flow configuration so there are two flow control functions but OEM should work. All else I know is that the jiggle valve should be up when installed.
[quote=”thisisbuod” post=130260]Are there any codes coming up when your scan tool is connected?[/quote]
And, with the scan tool connected, read the temperature. Maybe the gauge is bonkers.
[quote=”barneyb” post=130266][quote=”thisisbuod” post=130260]Are there any codes coming up when your scan tool is connected?[/quote]
And, with the scan tool connected, read the temperature. Maybe the gauge is bonkers.[/quote]
He stated above that he already checked the temp with the scan tool. The car gets to temp while sitting still, but the temp (from the engine and in turn the hvac heat) drops when driving. So no matter what the scan tool says we are having an issue retaining proper operating tempurature.
If we know the thermostat is good, the only thing (after a few hours of contemplation) that could possibly cause this might be a reverse flow in the cooling system. I’ve never seen this happen, but I guess it could be possible.
Have you had the serpantine belt replaced with in the last few months? Just for shits and giggles make sure it is routed correctly.It was replaced around 20,000 miles ago. I didn’t have that problem then as bad. It still ran a little cool but nothing to make me do anything. The only other thing that i can think of is that my Hood is missing its insulation, maybe heat is escaping too fast? (it gets hot enough to make the water on the hood steam if its raining) I never cared about it missing because all it did was make the engine quieter. I’ve asked two mechanics and they don’t know why ether.
EDIT: For the Sake of improving this form I’ll swap hood with my Friend sense he just so happens to have a 99 camry as well. I will Report Back.
The hood insulation won’t cause this. Make sure that belt is routed correctly. It will take two minutes.
If the belt is routed the wrong way around that water pump it will cause a reverse flow. This could push coolant through the radiator and bypass the thermostat.
That Picture does not look quite correct. It is for the 5S-FE Engine? I do know my car has Two Belts. My car is all the way in the garage. I will be sure to look on my way to work tomorrow.
Just look up the exact engine diagram. You seem pretty capable. Dealer mechanics are no better than regular mechanics. Some don’t think they are even as good. I’ve said it before, dealer mechanics tend to have a different set of priorities than a regular mechanic. Dealer mechanics are guaranteed customers. Regular mechanics (from my experience) seem to have more pride in their quality of workmanship.
On some vehicles, it can be very easy to install a belt incorrectly…..especially if the mechanic is too arrogant to look up a schematic.Just sayin
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