I have a 2000 Toyota Camry that quit while I was driving. What do I need to check?
Asked by Robert Jan 05, 2016 at 10:35 AM about the 2000 Toyota Camry LE
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
I have a 2000 Toyota Camry that quit while I was driving. I have tried jumping
it off and the starter tries to engage but will not turn the engine over. It acts as
if the engine might be seized, but there is plenty of oil in it.
7 Answers
You may have a broken timing belt. If you have what they call an interference engine, that means that the valves hit the pistons and they are all bent. That's why the engine will not turn over. See if you can remove a couple of the timing bolts from the plastic cover. Try to pry it back enough to get a small light in there and see if the belt looks shredded. Post back with findings.
Just looked up the 2000 Camry. If you have the 4 cyl. engine, it does have the interference engine. The V6 Camry does not.
Thank you for the information. That sounds like it is probably what happened, guess it is time to buy a car. It would cost more to fix than the car is worth.
Yeah, if your valves are all bent, you'll be looking at a new set of valves, then they will plane the head, then they replace the water pump and all of the timing accessories. You'll be looking at over $2000 or better in parts and labor. I would verify first if the belt broke before getting rid of the car. Would be a shame if it were something silly like a totally dead battery. That will cause a car to die and sometimes there's not enough life to turn over the engine even with a jump start. A quick test with a volt meter will determine if your battery has the full 12 volts or not. Also take a quick look at your main fuses and relays under the hood. Sometimes it's the simple things......
thing....did you ever resolve the issue with this vehicle?