2000 Toyota Camry V6 3.0 engine, Coolant empty:?

I have no idea about cars. And I don't know where to look for the recovery tank. Do you have a diagram that could help me locate these things that you are talking about?

Thanks.

So let me explain to you what I see.

I see a white plastic (or some such translucent material) tank that says "coolant". It looks like a 2 gallon can of juice. The fluid in it is empty.

There is a hose that starts at the bottom of this tank that follows into something that has a cap, I opened the cap to find fluid at the top, so I assume that container has a full level of fluid in it.

So from what you said, I'm guessing I initially looked at the recovery tank (with "coolant" printed on it). So the recovery tank is probably the one that is empty. Am I right?

If that's the case, it probably just needs a refill? My wife tells me that it was empty at the time we saw the car initially. So its not a leak on the way here. Please let me know what you think. I apologize for the ignorance. I've never owned a car before (The first one I owned was bought a month ago but I sold it because I wasn't happy with it).

Thanks.

Thanks! That was very helpful. I have a new question:

What tires would you recommend for a 2000 Camry XLE, V6 3.0, with 118K miles on it? I live in a place where the winters are quite extreme with a lot of snowfall. The summers are warm, sometimes humid, sometimes dry. I drive smooth, brake smooth (so the braking distance is slightly longer when I drive), and usually drive at constant speeds, not making huge accelerations/decelerations.

What's your opinion about the Firestone Affinity Touring P205/60R16 tires?

Reduced noise and all season handling is important as far as I'm concerned.

Thanks.

Thanks for all the excellent advice so far.

Hi,

I have a question about something different. The seller told me that the CEL came on a few days before the sale. He took it to the dealer and got some code and the dealer told him that the code meant that he had to replace the charcoal canister. The dealer gave him a quote of $400 to do it but told him that it wouldn't be a problem even if he didn't change it. I have two questions:

1) Is it true that its not problematic not to replace the charcoal canister? What would you advise me to do?

2) Is the estimate of $400 a fair one? How much does a toyota part cost?

Thanks.

Results of the autozone scan:

Troubleshooting P0446
OEM Brand: Toyota

Definition
Evaporative emission control system vent control
circuit fault

Probable Cause
Open or short circuit condition
Poor electrical connection
Faulty CCV vent control solenoid.

Thanks.

Two questions:

1) Where on the car is the valve (by "rear", what do you mean exactly)? What tools do I need to get there?

2) How do I check if its bad? Just a visual inspection? IF so, what do I look for?

Thanks.

P.S: Once again, I apologize for my ignorance. It should be quite clear by now that I have no idea whatsoever about cars and car repair!

I went ahead and got engine diagnostics done at the local mechanic's. Here are the results and the estimates that I received. Please tell me what you think.

He says that the oil seals are leaking oil and that the water pump seems to be leaking a bit. He also told me that the back tires are cupping and that it means just one thing: the rear struts are bad and need to be replaced.

The CEL is on and will go away if the closed vacuum switching valve is replaced and the sway bar links on two sides need to be changed but these, he said, aren't crucial but the water pump, seals and the struts are crucial and need to be changed before the winter. He also tells me that its better to use the green coolant because the red one eats into the water pump due to its acidic nature and so he recommends a cooling system flush to replace it with the green stuff and he says that the red coolant is responsible for the water pump leak. Here are the estimates:

Labor:
Item Unit price Total

Rear struts $78 $234

Water pump $78 $351
(includes replacing front oil seals, water pump and serpentine belts)

CSFF $39 $39
(Cooling system flush and fill)

Mount and balance tires $15 $30

PARTS:
Item Unit Price Total

Timing Cover Set $15.58 $15.58
(ref TCS 45890)

Timing Cover Set $23.80 $23.80
(ref TCS45889)

Quick Struts (2) $224.56 $449.12

Water Pump (new) $109.52 $109.52

Belt $20.73 $20.73

Belt $19.73 $19.73

Anti $14.99 $22.49
(Coolant)

Tires (2) $94.56 $189.12
(Uniroyal Touring 75000 mile tread warranty)

Labor total: $654.00
Parts total: $1136.21 (Discount: $286.12)
Parts less discount: $850.09
Shop supply charge: $39.80
Sales tax: $104.21

TOTAL ESTIMATE: $1654.10

(The estimate with the other stuff like the sway bar links, the vacuum switching valve, etc total to $800 but he told me that those were not necessary immediately and I could do without them for quite some time).

Let me know if this is a fair estimate and if you think his recommendations are precise.

Thanks.

He checked the alignment, and it was alright. I don't know about the bushing but he usually looks at that, so I'm guessing he looked at all of that too. So the tires probably cupped due to the struts being bad, am I right? So he told me to get the struts before I put on new tires.

The estimate for the parts that I got for the rear struts was as follows:

Part no. 271680 Quick strut $224.56
Part no. 271681 Quick strut $224.56
(W/ Chassis # SXV20 W/Chassis #VCV20 W/Chassis#MCV20)

I don't understand what's in the brackets, could you please explain?

It says $225 for a pair, does it mean that I'll spend just $225 for BOTH quick struts if I buy from that ebay seller? Please advise if this is a good idea.

Thanks.