86 Camry engine sputtering like it's out of gas - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

fwoodward · 06-18-2007, 10:29 PM

I have an 86 Camry AT with 86k miles. 6 mos ago it started driving real sluggishly, as if it were out of gas is the best way I can describe it. It was hesitating and pausing. I took it in and a diagnostic indicated cylinder #3 was shot. Took it to another shop and they also indicated a bad cylinder. I had the engine replaced and about $1300 later, it was driving like normal. Now, 6 mos later, it's starting it again. Haven't even put 2k miles on it. The maintenance on this car has been kept up to date always. In fact, 3 days ago I had it in to get the brakes checked and the guys commented on how clean the engine was and they told me the only thing this car needed was the front rotors - everything else was in tip-top shape. And now suddenly it's sputtering.

Before the engine was replaced, this is what we went through - replaced fuel filter, replaced plugs, replaced air filter, fuel injector cleaner, checked timing, checked belts.

Any ideas on what could be causing the engines to deteriorate like this? This is going to be the 2nd engine in 6 mos and haven't even put 2k miles on it! (the 2nd engine had 100k miles on it so it wasn't brand new)

I hope I've given enough information, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

atobe · 06-18-2007, 11:45 PM

check fuel pump and fuel lines ?

Doctor J · 06-19-2007, 08:12 AM

2sfe engines tend to have ROTATING CAM LOBES on the cam (the lobes are pressed on the cam).This issue was addressed in the engine repair information.If the lobe moves out of the place, the valve may not open enough, causing weak cylinder. Do the leak down test. If all cylinders are tight, open the cam cover and verify that the lobes are in alignment.
Also cleaning the valve lifters may help.
In my 3sfe engine the thread for spark plug number one is worn, so when the compression gage was used it indicated 30 psi.

fwoodward · 06-20-2007, 12:03 AM

Thank you for the responses.

When the engine was replaced 6 mos ago, they also replaced the radiator because it had a leak. And either the radiator was leaking into the transmission fluid or the transmission fluid was leaking into the radiator - I couldn't understand him. And that's what caused the original engine to die.

Anyway, I took the car back to them this morning AAANNNNDDDDD they told me there's 2 separate issues with my car causing the problems. I need to get a new radiator because mine has a leak in it. I told him they replaced the radiator 6 mos ago when they replaced the engine. He said the 2nd part of the problem is that I have a tiny transmission leak and also need a major tune up.

Since the wires and plugs were replaced 6 mos ago, as well as the radiator (I was charged for the radiator replacement, I can only assume it was actually replaced) and I have noticed no leaks under my car AT ALL, does this make sense?

Kingdom934 · 06-20-2007, 12:31 AM

Doesn't make sense in my view. If the rad was leaking, wouldn't it be leaking and showing? Also it had been 'replaced' 6 months ago, so how can it go bad so quick?

Does the antifreeze level drop in the rad?

Doctor J · 06-20-2007, 08:06 AM

Have you actually seen that your old engine was pulled out and the other was dropped in?Did they show to you the original engine core?
Are these @#$% taking advantage of you?
Here is my story:
When I suspected the torque converter went bad on the car (and it was due to careless installation),I asked the transmission rebuilder to run a stall test. He told me that the test would not show anything(which is a big bull). Another experienced idiot WITH ASE certification was not able to read the torque setting on the torque wrench.
I am suggesting just to try different shop. When 4 cylinder car runs on 3 cylinders, you will note the miss right away.

wiccanferret · 06-20-2007, 08:38 AM

I don't see how either of those issues could cause the problems you're experiencing, with the exception of the "minor tune-up." What would a "minor tune-up" be except for changing the plugs and wires, anyway? Someone is playing you.

***toyomoho*** · 06-20-2007, 05:43 PM

Any guarantee on this engine such as 1 year, 12K miles? What does the temp indicator read when driving, normal? How does the engine oil look, OK? Is it a grayish white, cream color and the consistency of a milkshake?

Any competent shop should be able to easily check the cam lobes. The shop appears to be not addressing the engine performance issue, whilst suggesting other repairs that appear unrelated to the problem..

fwoodward · 06-21-2007, 06:29 PM

Thanks again for your responses.

I got it back from the garage and it runs fine now. They said they replaced the radiator (this would make the 2nd radiator replaced due to a crack in 6 mos) and did the tune up - wires, plugs, distributor, etc. So for $185, it's now running normal again.

I didn't actually see them put the new engine in 6 mos ago, but this one is definitely not my same engine. So they did replace it, that I'm sure of.

And that's what I thought was odd, my radiator is leaking, but my temperature gauge never got anywhere near hot. I checked the levels in my battery, radiator, oil, power steering maybe 3 weeks ago and other than adding a little water to my battery, nothing was low or had a bad smell or color. Who knows what can happen in 3 weeks I guess.

The engine came with a 30 day warranty haha. But luckily, the engine is still good, it was just the radiator that needed to be replaced and that was still under warranty so I didn't have to pay for that.

So, based on this, is it fair to assume that my 1st radiator leak caused the engine to overheat (or something else since the temp gauge never showed it heating up) and eventually fail since it wasn't properly diagnosed for at least 3 weeks? And this 2nd radiator that got a leak, causing the engine to overheat (again, gauge never showed it heating up) and could have caused this 2nd engine to fail if it was driven for another 3 weeks before being diagnosed?

Oh, also, the shop that replaced the engine and the radiators is not the same shop that misdiagnosed it for 3 weeks. That was a different shop.

Thanks again for all your input.

***toyomoho*** · 06-22-2007, 01:12 PM

The repair costs were OK for changing a radiator and tune up. A leaking radiator unless resulting in temp overheating (as indicated by the gauge, if it works OK) would not cause an issue with engine operation. If the radiator leaked, the coolant level in the overfull tank would drop. Suspect the real fix was the tune up. If possible find out what the shop did during the tune up, then if the problem reappears you will know what to do.

fwoodward · 06-22-2007, 05:22 PM

The repair cost of $185 was for the tune-up and the diagnostic to determine the problem, the radiator replacement was under warranty.

They replaced the distributor cap, the plugs, the dist rotor, and the plug wires. The plugs were only 6 mos old so I imagine the distributor was the problem this time. It couldnt have been the problem the last time since it was not replaced then.

Thanks for your response