Toyota Camry (1997-2023) firing order — diagram & guide

The Camry has been one of Toyota’s longest-running models for years and in the mid-size executive sedan class it’s among the most reliable vehicles. It’s largely due to a simple, yet efficient blend of four-cylinder and V6 engines used throughout its production.

If you need some pointers to maintain yours, we’ve got a quick solution for you. This guide on the Toyota Camry (1997-2023) firing order will lead the way as you get to explore the firing sequence for your particular engine. We’ll go over all the engine options for the past five Camry generations so you’ll have an easier time keeping yours running smoothly.

Fourth-generation Toyota Camry (1997-2001) firing order

As the first generation of the Camry to catch into the early 2000s, the fourth-gen not only received cosmetic updates but also a few updated engine options. To be precise, this generation is among the last to offer the 2.2-liter four-cylinder and a 3.0-liter V6.

Toyota Camry 2.2L firing order

If you own a base model of the fourth-gen Camry, it comes in handy to know that the Toyota Camry 2.2L firing order is 1-3-4-2. It’s a standard Toyota’s four-cylinder at the time which means the cylinders go from the first one on the left side to the fourth one on the right side.

Toyota Camry 3.0L firing order

When it comes to the higher trims of the Camry in this generation, the only available option was a 3.0-liter V6. So, the Toyota Camry 3.0L firing order is 1-2-3-4-5-6 and that can be a relief since it’s one of the simplest V6 firing orders possible.

That’s not the case with the cylinder arrangement since it’s a bit more complex for this engine. The first cylinder is the one on the passenger’s side along with cylinders 2 and 3. The driver’s side cylinders go from 4 to 6 front to rear.

Fifth-generation Toyota Camry (2002-2006) firing order

For the fifth-gen model, nothing much has changed in terms of available engine options. So, Toyota still decided to keep the 2.2-liter four-cylinder and a 3.0-liter V6. Nothing new was added, so the firing order remained 1-3-4-2 for a four-cylinder powertrain and 1-2-3-4-5-6 for a V6.

Sixth-generation Toyota Camry (2007-2011) firing order

With the next generation, things have gotten a bit more complex with Toyota Camry engines since all the previous powertrains were replaced with new ones. These include a couple of four-cylinder options along with a new 3.5-liter V6 at the time, so let’s discuss the firing orders.

Toyota Camry 2.4L firing order

The Toyota Camry 2.4L firing order is 1-3-4-2 and it’s a common firing pattern that all the four-cylinder Camry engines share. So, there’s no room for mistakes there and all you have to do is identify the cylinder positions and then proceed to check the cylinders one by one by their firing position.

With this engine, it’s a bit easier as there are only four cylinders, going from the first one on the left to the fourth one on the right side.

Toyota Camry 2.5L firing order

The 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine is the most commonly found one for all the Camry models from the early model years of the sixth-gen to the present day. It first appeared with the sixth-generation Camry and the firing order is once again 1-3-4-2.

The cylinder layout also matches the previous 2.4-liter engine, so the cylinders go from 1 to 4 left to right.

Toyota Camry 3.5L firing order

As mentioned, the 3.5-liter is a second in line of Camry V6s after the 3.0-liter engine used in the fourth and fifth generations. However, it’s a bit different even though the Toyota Camry 3.0L firing order is 1-2-3-4-5-6, just like for the previous V6.

The thing is – it features a different cylinder pattern, so it’s a transverse engine with a first cylinder being in the upper cylinder bank. It’s located as the upper left-most cylinder, while cylinders 3 and 5 follow up to the right.

The lower cylinder bank houses cylinders 2, 4, and 6 from left to right, so this engine is significantly different from the 3.0-liter one.

Seventh-generation Toyota Camry (2012-2017) firing order

Just like with the fifth-gen Camry, the seventh-generation carried engine options that were the same as the previous generation. So, drivers could choose between the 2.5-liter I4 and the 3.5-liter V6.

The firing orders have remained 1-3-4-2 and 1-2-3-4-5-6 respectively, so we’ll move on with the next generation.

Eighth-generation Toyota Camry (2018-2023) firing order

Finally, we reach the latest generation of the Camry and this one is specific for its hybrid 2.5-liter engine which is in essence the same base powertrain used in the previous generation. Along with this one, there was also the same 3.5-liter V6 offered, but we’ll deal with the hybrid engine since it’s slightly different from before.

Toyota Camry 2.5L hybrid firing order

Even though the 2.5-liter engine was still more or less the same and based on the same engine block, the eighth-gen 2.5-liter engine featured a hybrid component of the engine.

That means there’s an electric motor in combination with the petrol powertrain and the firing order is still 1-3-4-2. The cylinder order is also kept the same, so the hybrid component doesn’t make much of a difference when it comes to maintenance unless the electric motor fails.

Our take

As the time comes to wrap up this guide, one thing gets pretty clear – the Camry models always had pretty remarkable and dependable engines. As long as you provide them with proper maintenance, they should serve you for years to come, especially for the latest 3.5-liter V6 and the 2.5-liter I4.

So, make sure to rely on the information outlined in this guide so you can properly keep the engine running without any loss of efficiency or misfires.