3.0L V6 Cold sluggishness

[mattw]

My 94 Camry (113k mi) is very sluggish when cold, such that it's a little nerve wracking to pull out in traffic. When warmed up, it's just fine. Anyone know what causes this, and how to fix it?

The dealer of course always wants to do various expensive flushes and cleanings, but they sound a little gimmicky.

[BigAirSkier1580]

I know my '92 V6 is sluggish in the morning too.

Mainly, it seems to be the transmission. It won't allow it to operate well until it has fully warmed up.

[EKam]

Your car will last longer if you warm it up every morning... even as little as 2 minutes.

Your tranny is cold, the engine oil is sitting at the oil pan below your engine, everything will be sluggish - it's the car doing its job to protect itself.

[Luckynumber5]

yup gotta let it warm up, my 92 v6 does the same thing, just keep it under 3000 rpm till the temp guage starts to climb

[dthepit]

if you have a 94 v6, you may have the over sensitive knock sensor problem, causes a big loss on power, most noticeable in my car anyway in first gear. It drives me crazy, and being in traffic with it acting up can be really frustrating.

[MRQtwinturbo]

every car manufacturer recommends that u let the engine get up to normal operating temp before u start to floor it.....only common sense.....

[amerikim]

Same thing here...I live 500 feet from an on ramp. New oil in both engine and trannie did not make the cold morning ordeal change for the better. Hmm, maybe time to get a remote starter.