2000 Toyota Camry common oil leak, cam Oil Plug fix. Complete step by step repair. 

Great to hear! I appreciate your comments. You right on, female owners like my sister always get rip for $500 plus min on any visit. Wow you have 99 Camry and no leaks Amazing!!!!! these Camrys can last forever that's only reason i bother to repair 20yr plus car. I originally had a valve cover gasket leak and though that was my problem, after replacing valve cover gasket to my disappointment i still had leaks on my driveway so then i went after cam oil plug.

" if the owner is female it would be $1200" lmao so fucking True 😂

Those F-ing blue books and the ones who use them are Dicks.

❤ Why you didn't take out valve cover head it would be easy. 😊

Replace them before the day comes with new oem preventive measures..

Glad I could help!

Great thanks for info

In a few days I'll be replacing the valve cover gasket and want to replace the cam oil plug as well. While I have the valve cover removed do I just remove the cam oil plug by inserting a screw on the inside instead and just pulling it out?

@@thehut1 why would you? Just change it. You already took it off.

can you tell me of a video that shows that method ?

@@crabapple6775 this is a lengthy one but it’s in this one. Just skip thru it and you’ll find it. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-0CM8WX8uDx4.html

Haha if you use the original valve cover gasket it will most likely leak. When you put it back on. Depending on how old the VC gasket is. That Rubber gets brittle over time. And then you will have fixed one leak and got another. This was the best and cheapest way to fix this problem. New VC gasket 15-25.00 cam plug 6.00 NAPA

Go for it! I am not pro mechanic It not a hard job, just set time for it. The plug is easier to get out than it looks you can just drill a hole and wedge in a screwdriver against the engine block. I made a mistake of replacing the crack Evap tube to the throttle body with a larger 1/4 tube and cause a engine code P0442 that was a mistake the Evap tube is 3/16 do NOT go larger. I have video on this in my channel ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-zwRVrViNh24.html

LOL that's what I did the Valve cover first only to find out the cam plug was leaking. You describe it right its a walk through. I had to replace the Air Intake hose and Vacumn line to the throttle body. My Intake Hose ($90 online) was crack by the hose clamp at throttle body. The vacuum line crack when i removed it. When replacing the vacuum line I made a mistake and use a 1/4 tube after a week I got P0442 code (small vacuum leak detected). It turns out the tube was too large for pinch clamps was not able seal the tube connected ends! the correct tube size is 3/16 ! The 3/16 tube made a solid tight seal at conn ends you didn't even need the pinch clamps. no more P0442 code!

I had a leaking valve cover by the ignition bracket. Figured it was causing all the oil smell. The oil smell did go down for awhile as I cleaned the area. The car doesn’t drip oil and I still am losing oil. Burning smell returned. Only other oil leak I noticed was the pan gasket had a small leak. I too noticed oil accumulating on top of the transmission. Glad I found this video! Mine is really bad as I have to ad a quart every 1,000 to 1500 miles. Finally after this fix I should get rid of the nasty oil smell. Not long ago aswell I redid all the evap systems and even changed the canister. That helped with the smell of exhaust fumes.

I replace the plug the same way you did.

How did you remove the plug with the bracket on the outside of the valve cover? You can't just push the old plug out, right? Did you use the "screw and pull" method used in the video, but from the inside? Or did you leave the old plug and just push in a new plug behind it, from inside?

Glad it helped, Thanks

I appreciate that!

If it works great. Thats a good ideal but I already did the valve cover gasket thing thought that was the leak but it was from cam plug so I didn't want to redo valve cover gasket lol.

Thanks, good luck with your plug.

Thank you ! your comment nail it!

your welcome

Glad to hear! its a bit of work but not hard. Be prepared to replace old vacuum lines or intake hose that may be cracked.

Glad you liked it!

You're welcome!

your welcome !

Thanks 👍 I appreciate comment.

great to hear

Thats a good ideal but I already did the valve cover gasket thing that was the leak but it was from cam plug so I didn't want to redo valve cover gasket lol.

Great Thanks!

Glad it help!

Thank you !

Your Welcome!

your welcome

OMG seriously! I hope you didn't pay. FYI the hole was originally there for the old distributor, as they upgraded the engine to electronic ignition the distributor was removed and hole was just capped.

@@databug88 unfortunately, I did pay...saw your video months 2 late. I’m a delivery guy , only car and source of income. If it was not for your video, I’d be brained washed into thinking ing engine was welded by a welder $$$ + his fees included.My mind laid d to rest. Bless.

Yea I hear you. I gotten rip off a few times for one or another thing the important thing is to acknowledge it and not do it again. You got a story to tell now. Good luck with your Camry.

Thanks! 😊

Thanks, yes this may not be for everyone.

How much did it cost you ??

Your welcome glad it helped

thank you

Thank you! Cheers!

Glad you like it.... Yea you can add sealant after but it not necessary. Thanks for viewing.

Thanks

Thanks

Yes agreed!

The cam plug is holding up just fine. I slip the plug in with some oil. its just a plug in non pressure enviroment it should hold up for another lifetime.

Lol I originally thought it was valve cover. I had small leak in front of valve cover so I did replace valve cover gasket (see my valve cover gasket video) only to find out I still had a leak somewhere. After deeper look I realize the cam plug was leaking. You can see the oil would accumulate below that cam plug area on top of engine casing. Look deep with flash light.

Thank You

thanks

Thanks

the plug is not worth saving.... new plug only $4.00 see link bit.ly/ToyotaPlug

Thats alternative, good point. I orignally had change valve cover gasket only to find out it didn't fix my leak and had to do Cam Plug LOL. I thought about doing thru valve cover but decided this was the more proper way but i can see taking off valve would be easier.

can you link to a video showing the way you recommend ?

@@crabapple6775 hey do you have 1999 or close Camry?

@@ap-mb3sm 2000

@@crabapple6775 cool . Are you having this issue to,,? Leaking cam plug?

yes

The plug is only $4.50 i would replace it.

I originally thought it was my valve cover gasket and replace it only to find out it was still leaking. It was this cam plug if your camry is as old as mine the cam plug will leak.

Follow up: mine was leaking for abt 2 yrs. .Sure thing, that was 90% of my leak-thanks for this video

I just wipe it clean as shown on pic. No need to make a cleaning project you will know if it leaks again.

Parts purchase from parts@toyotadm.com Toyota oil Plug 90339-36001 $3.50 Toyota intake hose 17881-03110 $93.07 The vacuum line you can get from local auto parts store it is 3/16 inch tubing sold by the foot. Very important DO NOT use 1/4 inch tubing or bigger you will get check engine light error PO442 see my video ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-zwRVrViNh24.html

your welcome

Yes can do it through valve cover as others do on RU-vid. I have not done thru the valve cover and don't know what torque is on 2 bolts. Others have said no need to unbolt just clean and silicone seal the cam plug while in place.

The torque on the two bearing cap bolts is 14 ft-lb from the service manual.

im gonna clean that area and everything around it, drive it, then check if its leaking there

its coming from cam plug. Over 20 years the rubber around cam plug is degraded and fails to seal.

No, but after installing cap you can put some sealant around cap.

Search by Toyota Part no. 90339-36001 Here link where i purchase from: parts.toyotadm.com/oem-parts/toyota-engine-expansion-plug-9033936001

You may be right!

Yes you can, see this RU-vid vid by others ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-_g25dFgzjDI.html How ever I believe the prober way is removing plug from outside of Valve Cover. It was very easy tapping new plug back in. I am not a professional mechanic.

Absolutely. That's how I did it on both ends. Got some arguments online from the Dr. Doom types until I pointed out, if you were installing a new cylinder head, you would have to reinstall the caps on both ends. All you need to do is remove the valve cover and loosen - not remove - the caps. The tightening torque is 10 foot pounds as I recall. Doing the front cam seal is more complicated because you have to remove and reinstall the timing belt. Unlike a lot of home mechanics, I do like timing belt engines. When you do a timing belt, you can change everything on the front of the engine. Seals. Tensioner. Idler. Water pump. The belt itself. I have no doubt that aftermarket timing belts made today are much stronger than the ones from decades ago. They all are made to last 100,000 miles. My preferred brand is Dayco. I am sure they are all good though if they are brand name.

@@databug88 You did a great job..Thanks.

Thank You!

I was thinking the same but it probably trouble lol

yes that's alternative method

I would think it will work the plug is recessed and you can put a nice bead around it. let me know how it work out of you do this. just wana say It was easy to pull plug out and easy in, you don't need to use self tapping screw as i did just drill whole put screw driver thru hole just yank it out no big deal.

@@databug88 has it leaked any oil since?

No Its all good. I had originally did Oil pump gaskets and then valve cover gaskets only to be disappointed and realize it was this plug too was leaking. Finally im leak free after many years.

@@databug88 so u don't add any oil btween oil changes?

No i don't add oil between oil changes

Whoa

Was any silicone involved?

@mrpina83 there was remnants of silicone from a previous owner and fix. Couldn't believe the cap was inside. I cleaned everything up and made sure I didn't knock the new cap too far in. No silicone on this fix.

LOL great you got it done!

It stops, just add some oil around it taps in easily no problem.

@@databug88 oh man I tapped it in by feel, so hopefully it doesn't fall off and installed everything else back together. One thing I noticed is to be careful with the engine coolant temperature (ECT) sensor. I barely moved it out of the way to get the coil bracket out the way and it broke. I went to O'Reilly and they luckily had one in stock with lifetime warranty (Import direct) for 30 bucks.

felpro 61083. Its a metal gasket.

No as i recall there is a cam shaft that goes to passenger side

No its not hole, its just a recess cavity on engine block. If you leaking there its dripping from the cam plug. The oil drips spread all around the coil pack bracket that was remove in video.

@@databug88 ya I thought it was leaking there and that hole was the cam plug at first and then I started to panick because I thought I bought / been thinking it out wrong but then looked at videos more in depth and saw its actually that. And then when I saw you take bracket off and saw where oil leaked down that's what mines exactly doing. Thank you so much for the in depth video man! I watched the entire thing You did a great job explain every thing in detail and not leave anything off. Really good job!! Thank you!! Also feel free to disregard but I'm going to start this project as soon as I can. Which is this weekend, but I have to get to work this week. Do you think / have any tips for me to get threw the week? Should I just clean it much as I can and try keep it clean thru out week? By the way there's quite a bit of oil down below and stuff.

Tips before doing this: 1 check the Air intake Hose to throttle body mine was crack at throttle neck and needed replacing see my video ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-fHg4SAZt36M.html Very important note 2 check the vacuum line going to throttle body mine crack while removing it. After replacing this vacuum line it trip check engine light P0442 code after a week running car. My mistake was i replace it with a 1/4 inch tube this was too big the end clamps could not make a tight seal causing a small leak causing check eng light P0442 code. The correct size is 3/16 tube which made a very tight seal at connected ends and cleared P0442 code. This is the video on my fix it says its was size tube that cause the P0442 code, after video was made the actual cause was BC I use a bigger tube it could not have a tight seal at connected ends causing small leak. see my video ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-zwRVrViNh24.html

@@databug88 ok thank you very very much for that information! That is really helpful! I can't thank you enough!!

that vacuum line tip is important. i had posted wrong video link this is correct one ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-zwRVrViNh24.html

think they were 6 or 8 inches

@@databug88 ok thank you!

@@databug88 sorry for the 10,000 questions. But should I unhook the negative battery terminal? Also what should I be worried about with the throttle body. That's my only concern when doing it myself I don't want to mess up anything on that part.Also I've never done this before. And kind of intimidated since it's my only vehicle

There is no need to remove negative battery terminal. The throttle body is not that delicate all you are doing is removing the bolts and shift it just about 1/2 inch to get to that bolt on the bracket. There is a gasket on throttle make sure it does not drop away! mine was stuck on to throttle body.
 I am no pro auto mechanic but do have experience with tools. If you experience working with tools you should be able to do this. I say for newbies working on auto is getting nuts and bolts off and not to over tighten is key. The engine block is aluminum so you don’t want to over tighten and strip anything. The nuts/bolts on the bracket to engine were easy to remove just be careful not to drop them away when removing. The clamp bolts on the intake hose maybe rusted, when dealing with rusted bolts/nuts just rotate them back and forth each time little bit more. The hardest bolts to remove were the throttle body, the bolt holding the bracket to throttle assembly required some force. Always ONLY USE 6 POINT socket to crack bolts loose!!! See comments another RU-vidr spell out all the torque specs for bolts. You may want to get a 90 degree pick to use to loosen the intake hose around that throttle body intake neck. There is another method of removing cam plug just drill hole big enough to get screw driver in and wedge it against the engine case to pop it out. Browse this video ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-0CM8WX8uDx4n.html on cam plug this guy a pro. Plan for a free day you would want to take your time and don t force anything. Good luck.

@@databug88 alright awesome! Thank you !! That is very good and very helpful information! I really appreciate it!!

Yes you don't need to remove the parts you mention and just move them aside. I prefer to work in uncluttered space if its not too much trouble just to remove adjacent parts. It also makes the video easier to show all thats needed to get to the cam plug.

The valve cover gasket was replace first... then i realize it was leaking from cam plug LOL.

No the oil is way at bottom engine

Thank you sir

Toyota oil Plug / Toyota Part # 90339-36001 I Purchase from parts@toyotadm.com

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-_g25dFgzjDI.html

@@databug88 Hey, thanks a million.

Sounds like exhaust gasket leak or hole in muffler or cat

its in comments: Toyota oil Plug 90339-36001 $4.50... Parts link bit.ly/ToyotaPlug

The original engine casing was design to use a distributor in that hole. When they upgraded the engine to electronic ignition they removed the distributor and just plug it. thats my understanding.

just got done doing the job thanks for your videos brother you were the only one to show the full breakdown of the air intake assemblies subbed thanks again!

Thanks... yea thats why i did video i couldn't find one that show the whole break down to get to the plug.

i would agree with your sentiment but these Camrys are reliable work horses.

@mateofernando5066 These Toyota Camry's are great. They don't require a lot of maintenance and when they do the parts are cheap. They're like the energizer bunny. I have a 1997 with the 4 cylinder engine. It gets 31 miles per gallon on highway and about 23 in the city. What more can I ask for. I've been working on it since new and I havan't spent a lot of money on repairs. It has 365K miles and staarter is still original. I mostly do city driving and it's holding up like a rock.

@@bernardocisneros4402 I totally agree my 2000 camry alternator, starter and A/C still original! Transmission too.

Shop did valve cover job and half moons reseal. The plug started leaking about 5 months later. They didn't change it. I don't think they saw a leak on it at the time so they just did the former. Would it be better to just follow this video advice instead since my valve cover is basically like new?