TOYOTA TRIPLE TREAT

With that in mind, I'm motivated to benevolence and have decided to impart a valuable gift to you. Here are three short but sweet Toyota® stocking stuffers that can save you hours of diagnostic time. Especially when it's the Holiday Season, and you have parties and events to attend.

RATTLE AND POP: Front Suspension Noise

Late model Camrys® and Avalons® may exhibit a rattling or popping noise from the front suspension at low speeds. In most cases these noises have been traced to the upper strut cushion attachment to the strut tower. The upper surface of the tower is covered with a seam sealer prior to painting and becomes compressed when the upper strut mounting nuts are tightened. When the sealer wears away, the upper strut mounting nuts can come loose. Charge about half an hour labor time to make the following repair

Remove the upper strut mounting nuts one at a time. Remove any built up seam sealer on the threads and tower, then reinstall and re-torque the nuts to 59 ft. lbs. or 80 Nm.

NAME THAT TUNE: Charcoal Canister Hums

To eliminate an annoying "humming" noise from a 1996-97 Toyota® Camry® charcoal canister at idle or low engine speeds, replace the vacuum hose with a revised version. Here is the easy two-step repair procedure.

1. Remove original hose and discard

2. Install new hose, connecting the end with white paint dot to the diaphragm port as shown. Please note that the original hose is not listed as a replacement part but as part of the charcoal canister assembly. The Toyota part number is 25760-20010.

TERMS OF ENGAGEMENT: Intermittent Overdrive Operation

High resistance in the E-17 ground splice could cause intermittent overdrive engagement when the engine is at normal operating temperature and vehicle speed is above 45 mph. This tip applies to any pre-September 1990 model Toyota® Truck® or 4 Runner with the A340E/H transmission. This junction is located in the harness located across the front of the engine and behind the power steering reservoir (figure 1).

The connector should be cleaned and then soldered together to eliminate the crimp-style connector. A special note: In most cases, the E-17 splice can be reached without removing any components.

On vehicles manufactured after September 1990, the junction is located at the right kick panel area and does not have this problem. The junction is called I-15 (figure 2).

And there you have it - three tips that hopefully will save you a sleigh-full of time and serve as the extent of my good will for the rest of the year. Don't thank me now, just put a good word in for me when you see Santa at the mall.