ALREADY BAD? 2018 Toyota Camry A25A Engine With Just 116K Miles! Will They All Have This Problem?

Toyotas are thought of as being one of the most reliable car brands out there. That does NOT mean that their engines can't fail. Today we tear down the engine from a 2018 Toyota Camry. This is the A25A-FKS Dynamic Force engine found in 18-22 Camrys, some Rav4, and other Toyota/lexus products across the globe. The failed at 116K Miles and while I did not get any "why" details with this engine, we find out exactly why this engine was condemned and replaced.

Special Thanks to @TheMeganBerg for the Cameo! I can't believe she always agrees to this.

Why am I doing this? My name is Eric and I own Importapart, a full service auto dismantling business. Part of our model includes buying and dismantling blown, failed, and core engines to salvage the good parts for resale. We do not rebuild or repair engines, merely supply parts to those who do.
Use code "I Do Cars" to save 10% off of anything on our website that you can add to your cart.

00:00 Intro
02:20 Removing Spark plugs and inspecting condition
03:18 EGR Valve & Cooler unbolting and DISCOVERY!
04:07 Looking at the intake ports and valves, Dual Injection HELPS!
05:32 Peeling off the valve cover shows good maintenance!
07:40 Removing the timing cover and inspecting timing chain & guides
16:43 Cylinder Head Bolt Cracking and Head removal. UH OH!
20:58 Best Oil Filter Removal Technique
21:27 What's it look like under the oil pan? #MochaFRAPPE
24:20 Upper Oil Pan Removal
25:30 Full Rotating Assembly Disassembly Including Rods, Pistons, Crank
27:39 Inspecting All bearings, Rings, pistons and internal engine parts
29:32 Summary

As always I hope you enjoyed this video. I love all of the comments, feedback and even the criticism. Catch you on the next one!

-Eric

[matthewjuhlin]

Eric: not a fan of EGR systems
John Deere tech: not a fan of EGR systems
Kenworth tech: not a fan of EGR systems
Cummins tech: not a fan of EGR systems...

[KKaz]

I think this shows that it IS possible to design an engine with all the modern geegaws (cooled EGR, DI, electric WP, etc.) and not be overly complicated and hard to service like so many engines we see here.

[jgranger]

I just did an oil change on one of these for a long time costumer. 198k miles. 5k mile oil changes. Drained oil and looked like it had 1k miles on it. Ow16 oil. Clean and clear. His on board mpg said 42.5 mpg. He has without fail changed his oil every 5k miles with 0w16 oil. No timing cover leaks. No other issues with the engine. Both rear wheel bearings have been replaced.

[redeye]

"I Do Cars" Saturday teardowns are the highlight of my week.

[DIYDaveOK]

My wife's 2020 Rav4 has this engine, and I am *ruthless* on the 6mo/5, 000 mile oil change interval. I saw this video come up and kinda gasped, then felt good to see this didn't look like some chronic issue. Great as always.

[IKnewMickey]

Those bearings end the "0w16 oil is too thin" argument. I've heard engine builders say these motors have low tension piston rings that can lead to scuffing the cylinders and oil burning issues. With Toyota building millions of these A25A engines every year, it's not unusual to see a few "bad" ones. Cheers Eric! Great channel!!

[scottmaguire]

I am a Toyota tech in Canada. I have been with Toyota since 2018 when these A25A series engines were first being rolled out. In 6 years I have only seen one of these engines being torn down for warranty repairs, and I was that tech who repaired that engine. I had a worn out rod bearing on cylinder 4 if my memory is correct. That is really the ONLY major engine fault I have seen on the A25A engine at the dealership I work at. I have yet to see any cooling system related failures on these engines.

[dawnpoint]

Glad to see Toyota still making engines that are somewhat straightforward to take apart.

[stanleystrycharz]

That engine shows signs of burning oil. The ring lands for one of those look terrible. Engines with low-tention piston rings will gum up the ring lands, score the cylinder walls and start to comsuem oil if you don't change the oil regularly. At 5000 mi not 7500 to 10, 000. Oil is the key!! Keep it clean and use good oil and these engines will go 300K.
This one was not well maintained.
Love your videos! Thanks for sharing all the information too.

[vincenthardman]

Please don't stop releasing the videos on a Saturday night. It's morning in the UK and I don't get out bed until I've watched the latest tear down. Thanks for the great videos Eric, always fascinating and entertaining.

[johnnysokko]

A little over 100, 000 miles and the bearings look like new. Impressive to me.

[joshuagibson]

Eric, thank you for including chapters on this video. I do well with 15-20 minute video, but with longer ones like this I lose interest. Following along with the chapters makes it so much better. For me at least.

[watercannonscollaboration]

Speculations aside on how these fail, as someone with a RX350 with a 237k mile 2GR-FE, I’m just happy to see a tear down of any Toyota engine to see what’s behind the scenes

[marathoner]

As always Eric, thanks for the Saturday night entertainment. Nice to see Mrs. IDoCars make a cameo in the video as well. I only wonder what's she going to do with 2 used timing chain guides? :D

[RexMods]

Eric considering selling a used water pump? I'm calling the police.

[johnpurdum]

I bought a '20 Camary used and the service records were good. I will do my best to keep up with the maintenance. Oil change every 5k or sooner. After reading the comments i now know i need to watch out for water pump failure. Dig this channel!

[johnvaz]

Ok so I work on a fleet of taxi cabs we have all hybrid Camrys. Years range from 2014-2019. Our 2019’s are the most problematic at around 250 k I put a new cylinder head on them with all new gaskets and kick them out the door. Our 2014-2016 we on average get 500-750k on these cars pretty amazing. Definitely not a fan of the newer A25A engine. Lots of issues. Great video

[tomkzinti]

Using the plier handle to loosen the oil filter was fkn funny! I saw that coming and had a good laugh when it worked. You're funny, good job. Also, good job on your real-time narration! As always, you've schooled yourself beforehand and never missed a beat as a result. Pure sheer genius at work. ;)

[jeffjankiewicz]

I never miss a teardown, my Saturday night ritual.

[SSV-i-c-e]

1st in New Zealand always waiting for a new vid to drop Sunday lunchtime 🇳🇿