Camry Stalling

[misso]

I am a new member and have been experiencing difficulties with my 2001 Camry since the beginning of November. When I take my foot off of the accelerator and begin to apply the brake the engines stalls. There is a bit of warning as I see the idle bounce between 250-750 before the engine shuts down. This happens sometimes 1-2 times a week after about 20-30 minutes of driving. The speed that it dies varies anywhere from 20-35 miles per hour. If I put my foot on the gas (after the car is in nuetral) it doesn't stall, but it drives roughly. The huge problem is that I can't brake after the car dies and I have come close to getting into numerous accidents. I have had it in to two different dealers who cannot replicate the problem. I keep hearing that everyhting is fine and then it dies again while I'm driving it. I am extremely frustrated with the fact that no one can fix the problem. My fuel injectors were just cleaned and the ECM was replaced - obviously not the problem since it continues to happen. Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.

[+Steve]

ask your dealer to check the intake hose as this could be split and where the engine leans forward when breaking it causes the hose to stretch a little creating an opening in the hose... this bypasses the air intake management system

see a pic of an older camry below

[misso]

Thank you very much for the advice! The car is at the dealer now so I will mention that to them today!

[+Steve]

it happened to me and sounded familiar.. but it might not be that.. just another suggestion

[misso]

I spoke with the service manager and he said that that was something he had already checked. I do appreciate your reply, however.

[benisj]

I have a 1994 Camry stalling with no warning and under similar (but also broader) situations. After 2 months of mechanics, I finally got one to disconnect the EGR system (bypassing the EGR valve) and we appear to have "fixed" the stalling problem (would stall on hard break, sometimes while idling at a stoplight or accelerating from a complete stop at a sign). You don't "need" the EGR to drive the car, so its something that can be dissengaged for a few days to troubleshoot your problem.

[misso]

Thanks for the advice - I will check into that as a possible solution!

[benisj]

Alas, I spoke too soon. The stalling and high revving in park is back...and the car is back in the shop after 4-5 days of perfect running. Next thing to look at is the distributor (ignition coils?--I am pretty ignorant on this) according to my mechanic who has ruled out the EGR thanks the to problem coming back AFTER we disconnected the EGR. We also noticed very little dirt on a now 4 month old air filter making ME wonder if there is a problem with general air-flow in the engine. Nothing clogging the intake leading to the filter, but man that filter is as clean as the day we took it out of the box.

DID YOU EVER GET YOUR PROBLEM RESOLVED?

[ntl]

I just discovered this club so I hope that I am placing this query in the correct location. I have a 1996 Camry, 4 cyl. with manual transmission. It now has about 190,000 miles on it and generally runs well. However starting when it had perhaps 50,000 miles, in cold weather, and sometimes in wet weather it will stall repeatedly when first started if one does not keep up the rpms using the accelerator. It is as though the automatic choke does not function properly. Sometimes the problem does not occur, and sometimes it is much worse than others, e.g. will repeat during the day when car has sat for three or four hours.

My otherwise very good mechanic has "tried everything" and can not fix it. He reports that a number of other Camry customers have had the same problems. Any ideas?

[benisj]

The saga continues...

We, as of Friday January 9, have discovered a bad TPS (Throttle Position Sensor) and bad MAP (Manifold Air? Pressure) sensor on my regularly but randomly stalling, fluctuating RPM at idle, 104,000 mile, 1994 Camry. Hope to have both replaced next week. No idea what the parts cost, though. Anyone paid for a TPS or MAP? Looking for estimates on parts cost. Thanks.

[toyotatom]

I have seen toyota stalling problems first hand. One with a 92' Corolla and now with a 94' Camry. Both 4 cylinder cars. On the Corolla, I brought it to 5 different mechanics including a dealership that put it on the computer only to find nothing coming up as defective.

As a last resort after dealing with it for several months and a recommendation from another mechanic who did not want to change a part unless he was certain it was defective, my son changed the distributor. Hurray success at last. That was last year.

Now our 94 Camry with 172,000 is showing similar problems.

So, we took care of the obvious routine maintainance stuff like distributor cap, wire, rotor, fuel filter, PC valve, plugs. You guessed it. Sometimes running great, sometimes stalling.

So yesterday we changed the distributor. ($150.00 for a remanufactured one) It may not solve the problem but it's really not a lot of money to replace a part that has provided 10 years of service. So Far it's running great. I will let you know how it goes in a week.

There are other parts that could be defective like the oxyegen sensor on the catalytic converter, or a maps sensor, but when they go the check engine light generally comes on.

By the way, changing the distributor pretty straightforward as long as you do not crank the engine while to old one is out.

Good luck.

[James7977]

I think its the Torque Converter which is causing the stalling. I've done some extensive research, and everything is pointing to this part.

(Torque converter clutch) which controls the slip speed of your transmissions torque converter at highway speeds.

in normal operation the TCC solenoid opens at about 45mph and commands the torque converter to slip in order to increase gas mileage over long distances. For whatever reason a common occurance has been found with these transmissions, the transmission reaches operating temperature and the TCC solenoid opens it may have a tendency to stick open causing your car to stall when coming to a stop after reaching a speed of 45+. Replacing the TCC solenoid will fix this issue given that you havent damaged the torque converter by excessive occurance of this issue.

(Car must be fully warmed up before the problem will occur. which would explain why it will start after 15 minutes to an hour) I'm not sure this is it but I'll know by next week.

[ntl]

I may not have been as clear as I should have been about the nature of the 1996 4 cyl. manual transmission stalling. It never happens once the car is warmed up and it is not entirely consistent. What happens is that the car, particularly if the outside air is cold and/or wet, and the car has not been driven for a number of hours, will start fine but once I take my foot off the gas the rpms slow and the engine stops instead of maintaining an idle speed. The problem is not always present and sometimes, even on the coldest day, the car idles properly and I don't need to keep my foot on the accelerator in order to keep the car running.

[misso]

My 2001 Camry was stalling while warm (original post-automatic transmission). Since my car is rather "new" the dealer and district manager worked to get the car repaired. The car finally gave a code leading to the throttle position sensor which tested ok. They finally replaced the throttle position sensor (anyway), EGR valve, vacuum switching valve, and temperature sensor. So far the car hasn't stalled. I am keeping my fingers crossed! I hope this helps someone else, too!

[toyotatom]

The 1994 Camry that I put the new distributor in screwed up again. I finally broke down and brought the - - - ing car to the dealer, only because I don't have the diagnostic toys they have or the time to figure the damn thing out. I'm sure I'll be a bit poorer by the end of the day.

The guy behind the counter said it sounds like an EGR valve. I'll find out when I pick it up.

[threadprinter]

I've got a 1996 Camry 4cylinder automatic that exhibits the same stalling upon cold startup as ntl's - starts fine, but stalls if I don't have my foot on the gas.

So I'm stalled at work, and wishing there was a quick fix. Thanks all for recording your experiences. Let me know what ends up working, I'll let you know what I find out.

[benisj]

For ToyotaTom...

You finally broke down and took it to the dealer and they said EGR... Well what do you know. That must be the STANDARD answer as one of our local Toyota dealers said the EXACT SAME THING. In fact, the whole story went like this:

Dealer Mechanic: "Mr Banik, we think we have found your problem. Your engine has a lot of carbon build-up, especially in the throttle body and the EGR valve. We cleaned the throttle body and that didn't seem to improve the car all that much. I've got the EGR system disassembled right now and I can see a lot of carbon--like strands of it, kind of like a magnet when it picks up magnetic dust. The EGR cannot be cleaned, so we will have to replace it. This means you'll be looking at a new EGR valve, sensor, VCV, water pump...yada yada yada [sorry, I cannot remember ALL the parts that were part of this EGR system overhaul]. Its gonna cost ya about $736."

Me:"You cannot 'clean' the EGR valve but you are physically looking at it right now and can see the carbon?!?!"

Dealer Mechanic: "Well, technically I am not looking at it right this moment. Our mechanics have it disassembled and say this is the problem. I am the customer service rep who places the call to you. There is another guy who actually drives the car too. But, yes, an EGR cannot be cleaned. Its very common for these to get dirty and need repair."

Me: "So your mechanic can physically see and touch the carbon, but cannot clean it?"

Dealer SERVICE REP (now that I know what he really is): "Mr Banik, I am not trying to be difficult here. We see this kind of thing on a regular basis. We could probably spray some stuff in there like we did to the throttle body [at a cost of $35 I might add] but it won't help any."

Me: "Put the car back together. Do not replace anything. I will pick it up after work."

Dealer SERVICE REP: "I understand Mr. Banik. That will be $170."

Me: "$170? You told me it was $35 to spray stuff on the throttle body to clean it!"

Dealer SEVICE REP: "Yes, $35 for the cleaning--that's 1/2 hour of service. Plus the diagnostic fee and the time for us to analyze and drive the car to recreate the problem."

Me: "Just get my goddamn car put back together please."

-------------

Long story even longer...

I took all this info back to my neighborhood mechanic who disconnected the EGR to troubleshoot it rather than start throwing parts at it. Car ran well for 2-3 days with EGR disconnected (temperature for those couple of days was a dry 45-50 degrees), then started to exhibit the same stalling symptoms: hard crank to start cold, engine rev high in park/neutral (2000 RPMs), sputter/stall giving gas coming out of complete stop at light and/or stopsign, stall engine completely if shift from high 2000 RPM park to Drive or Reverse, cannot start for 30-60 minutes after stalling. As of late, the car will even LUNGE (due to fluctuating idle RPMs) when sitting at red lights. I almost bumped a guy in front of me the other day WITH THE FOOT ON THE BRAKE!!! Now I two foot drive when the car is not in the shop.

I am getting the TPS (throttle position sensor) replaced today. Mechanic is very sure there is a problem with the TPS he hopes related to the part, and not some other computer component. He is also troubleshooting the MAP (mainfold air pressure?) sensor as he is beginning to think there might be TWO problems manifesting themselves at the same time.

:censor:

[tbn04]

I have same problem with my 95 Camry.

These are the parts I did replaced: Distributor, EGR Valve, Idle Air Control Valve, Spark Plugs + wires, ignition switch, fuel filter.

I also have a mechanic checked these out: TPS, cleaned throttle body, ECM, etc..

BUT THE PROBLEM STILL THERE.

What's next???

[lillies]

MY COROLLA T3 AUTOMATIC SUDDENLY STALLED FOR THE 2ND TIME, DEALERS THOROUGH TESTING REPORTED NO FAULT. NEXT MOTERWAY JOURNEY IN BUSY PEAK TRAFFIC IT STALLED AGAIN AT 70MPH. THIS TIME A NEW COMPUTOR WAS INSTALLED. 1ST MOTORWAY JOURNEY IT HAPPENED YET AGAIN, THIS TIME ALMOST CAUSING A MAJOR ACCIDENT. THE CAR WAS ULIFTED AND BROUGHT BACK TO THE DEALER. I REFUSE TO DRIVE THE CAR AGAIN.

WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF ANY OTHER DRIVERS HAVE HAD SIMILAR EXPERIENCES BEFORE I TAKE FURTHER ACTION. :

[threadprinter]

Reporting back on my 96 Camry that would stall upon cold start:

Turns out that the IAC Valve was sticking. Followed the directions on cleaning IAC Valve from: http://yotarepair.com/Engine.html

Car's starting and idling fine now...Checked the records, and the car's had 3 of them valves since new.

Sounds like a common problem, and instead of $3 of carb cleaner and a simple procedure, the dealers opt for the $180 part. Typical.

[iku]

Had engine stalled on my 88 Camry also. This type of problem is very hard to pin point cuz it could be caused by a lot of factors. One thing I want to point out is, it was an electrical problems for my car. Short circuit or open circut could cuase the engine to shut off. Oh yeh, if you have an alarm system, have it check. Hope it helps.

[balkema]

The problem, at a stop car stalls when warm. The car is a 1994 Camry 4 cyl engine, auto tranny, 104,000miles (live in New England where it cold). When cold the car is perfect, no problems. When the car stalls you can generally get it started right away, reving it up will keep it going, but it will stall again.

1) I bought new plugs--they come with a standard gap of 0.044" , can't get the engine started, flooded it several times. Regap the plugs down to 0.020, car runs. Still will stall at stop signs. The bigger the gap the worse it runs. 2) pull a plug with the wire attached (put a dummy back in the engine) nice long spark 1/8" when grounded to the engine. So I wonder if when hot there is a problem with the ignition.

2) pull the cap off of the distributer check the coil before and after a hairdryer application to internal coil--resistance within spec. The gap coil resistance within spec. Try to jam a feeler gage down to test the gap, not really successful. This has to be some type of heat sensitive component.

3) Replace the distributor cap and rotor--regap the plugs to 0.040" runs fine--next morning after warm up starts stalling at every stop.

4) Wonder if it is voltage related--battery voltage ~12 volts, rev up goes to 14+. At idle with all accesories on (defroster, heater max, lights etc) will stall at idle--runs really rough, turn everything off seems better. Huh? Idle speed is about 780RPM.

5) check spec's on TPS--has normal resistance

6) as somebody else said, it seems like it'll run all day on the highway at 65mph

7) I tried a hair dryer on the igniter module and I didn't see any difference.

8) Check engine light never comes on, but checking the codes, when I do the jumper between TE and E1 (I can't remember exactly the pins) the check engine light (Mal) blinks onece a second, but the overdrive "off" light blinks out a 6 and a 1 this makes no sense to me at all.

9) As one gentleman mentioned, some of these problems may have something to do with a lock-up selenoid in the auto tranny. So I watch the tach and it looks like there is a pretty tight coupling between engine and tranny at idle which unlocks when the speed hits about 20mph or second gear

10) I also tried to get the fuel filter out to replace it, but for the life of me I couldn't get the bottom flare fitting off, short of cutting the tube and re-flaring it--but it really doesn't sound like a fuel starve problem as I can drive it 65mph in second gear on Rt. 128 without any cut-out.

I just don't know. The biggest diagnostic is that when the plugs are gapped tight the situation is much better, when standard gap it runs like **&^% when warm.

[benisj]

Discovery made 3/12...

FYI, my mechanic was ready to cave and change the fuel pump/meter/filter but after 30+ minutes of running a fuel line (pressure?) test on the 94 Camry and things coming back normal, he just wasn't ready to take it apart yet. So he quit for a day or two...

Friday he took apart the throttle body again. Put it back together, still no improvement, but noticed an irregularity with air intake. I don't know how exactly to describe what he did, as I only talked to him on the phone, but he first verified there was no clog in the air intake leading to the air filter and leading from the air filter. However, air was not getting in the engine correctly. So, he took the entire assembly off (what exactly constitutes ENTIRELY I am not sure) and drove the car...and stopped the car...and waited...and restarted the car...and drove the car...and stopped the car...and waited..and drove the car...and stopped the car. Everything worked perfectly. Then he put all the crap he took out back in and the car went back to showing its old problems. So, at this point, he is trying to pinpoint a problem that seems to be between the air filter and the engine--or probably more realistically the EGR system as I think that is what the air intake feeds into.

Keep your fingers crossed.

[scakat]

1994 Camry 4cyl auto, 183K miles. The car had run fine since I bought it 1 year ago. One morning it wouldn't start. It turned over just fine, but no fire. Had it towed to dealer. They replaced timing belt, air intake control valve, cleaned the fuel tank?, replaced plugs. The car ran fine for two days, then began to stall once warm, wouldn't idle. I took it back to the dealer, they said it must be the distributor cap, rotor, and plug wires. I just told them to give it back to me, since I can go on a parts hunt just as easily. Anyway I replaced the distributor cap, rotor, plugs, wires, fuel filter, PCV valve. It ran a little better for a few days, but then right back to the stalling when warmed up. It finally died and wouldn't start again. Had it towed back to the dealer. I got the service manager to look at it, and he immediately said "It's the distributor". They replaced the distributor ($473) and all seems good. I'll let you know if it holds up since I've seen others in this space say that the distributor was replaced but wasn't a permanent fix.

[orthotomeo]

This will not be a solver for all of those with problems, but if you have your A/C button pressed in (Don't have to be using it) then this can result in irregular idle and lunging. Sometimes fixable other times just a characteristic of the car cooling.

I keep a small wrench with me and adjust the idle as it tend to slip and that helps a bunch. When my sitting idle drops below 700 i start to get problems. (89 Camry Wagon v6 at 160k km)