Toyota Camry 1983

Toyota Camry 1983 Q&As

Check out real-world situations relating to the Toyota Camry here, particularly what our experts have to say about them.

• My 1996 Toyota Camry has motor oil all over the engine

  Check that the engine-oil dipstick is seated in its tube correctly. If it's not, this could be a great place for oil to escape and become plastered all over the engine. It's the small yellow, plastic loop just below the oil filter. While you're there, check that the oil filter itself hasn't come loose. Try to tighten it by turning it by hand clockwise. If it moves at all with hand pressure, it's loose.

  The most likely culprit, however, is the rocker cover gasket. If this seal breaks, oil can be free to migrate out of the engine, right down the side of the cylinder head and crankcase, making the mess you've described. To check, clean the engine with degreaser and water until all the oil is gone. Then take the car for a decent drive, open the bonnet and the source of the leak may be very obvious.

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• Toyota Camry Bluetooth - How to Use Bluetooth in a Camry?

  The first thing you need to know is how to connect Bluetooth to Toyota Camry software. That means switching on your phone’s Bluetooth and making the device visible to the car.

  From there, the 2011 to 2017 Toyota Camry Bluetooth pairing process involves going to the car’s screen and opening the menus to find the Bluetooth prompt. Your phone and the car should `find’ each other at which point you make sure the passcodes on each match and you should be good to go with a stable connection.

  From then on, the car should recognise and pair with your phone automatically, without having the use the manual connection setup process. As well as make calls, the Bluetooth connection should also allow you to play music and access some phone apps through the car’s infotainment system.

  Although it’s much better these days, Bluetooth Toyota Camry style wasn’t always brilliant and many owners complained of poor connections and call quality. This model Camry was caught up in that, too, so don’t be surprised if you have a few problems or need to spend some time troubleshooting. Some owners even ditched the standard Toyota head unit for an aftermarket one with better Bluetooth quality.

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• Toyota Camry Engine Oil - What Type & How to Change

  Toyota Camrys from 2017 onwards use the same engine oil, regardless of the engine or drivetrain fitted. So, the recommended Toyota Camry engine oil for either the 2.5-litre petrol engine, the 3.5-litre V6 and even the Hybrid Camry, is a fully synthetic engine oil with a rating of 0W20. This Toyota Camry oil type is quite `light’ (thin) but ensures the engine is lubricated quickly, especially in the case of the Hybrid version where the engine is stopping and starting regularly.

  When it comes to how to change oil on a Toyota Camry, the task is really no more complex than it is for other conventionally laid out cars. Which is to say that if you have the right tools and some experience, this critical piece of maintenance shouldn’t pose too many DIY obstacles.

  To carry out this service, though, you’ll need to know the size of the drain plug, what replacement oil filter to buy as well as the drain tubs necessary to catch the old oil. You can find out the correct oil change interval (how often to change oil) in the specifications section of the car’s owner’s manual.

  If that all sounds a bit too hard, a service centre with a qualified mechanic should be able to handle the job relatively cheaply and will attend to the details like disposing of the old oil correctly and safely and resetting the service-reminder light on the dashboard.

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• Should I buy a Toyota Camry or a Toyota Corolla hatchback?

  Both are regarded as great choices as a used car, so it will really come down to whether you need the extra interior space of the Camry over the practicality of the Corolla’s hatchback layout.

  With your budget, you might be able to get into a Camry Hybrid which will reduce running costs around town (which suits your suggested usage pattern) although these early Camry Hybrids can be more than a decade old now, so a close check of the condition of the batteries would be a mandatory pre-purchase requirement.

  The Corolla, meanwhile, was first seen here in hybrid form in 2016, and those cars are still closer to mid-$20,000, so possibly out of your range. The exception is a grey (private) import Corolla Hybrid, but these can be a bit more of a lottery than a locally delivered Toyota.

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