'89 Camry - still no low end power

[Skiermang]

I've put some parts and time into the GF's Camry and haven't made any headway. It's an '89 Camry DLX, 4 cylinder FWD electronic automatic. The car has 238,000 miles on it.

Earlier symptoms were poor gas mileage (15 MPG) and no low end power.
I've done the following:

Cleaned throttle body and IAC
Replaced air filter
Cleaned EGR system
Replaced spark plugs, plug wires, distributor cap and rotor
Replaced fuel filter
Set timing to 10* BTDC with diagnosis port wires jumped (timing read in spec after removing jumper)
Checked compression (170 to 175 PSI across all four cylinders)
Verified cam timing was correct
Pulled engine codes: code 11.


From my searching, code 11 was an electrical supply issue to the ECU, probably caused by the old wiring to the alternator:



I pulled the EFI fuse, started the car and ran it through the gears when it was parked and read codes again: got the all-clear code.

Symptoms are still no low-end power. Once you get the revs up to, say, 2,000 to 3,000 RPMs and above, it pulls as hard as it should. I should buy a cheap tach to hook up for diagnosis purposes.

I'm a bit confused as to what it could be now. I do not recall the exhaust smelling overly rich but I haven't specifically checked. Also, the spark plugs I pulled out looked as if the fuel mixture was just fine.

What's next on my list is to check the cold start switch, oxygen sensor, engine coolant temp sensor and check for clogged exhaust/catalytic converter filter. I do not believe it's a vacuum leak due to how smoothly the car runs. No misses or hesitation, just no low-end power.

Any other thoughts?

[fredk]

do this, put a timing lite on it and dont jump the terms, rev it up and watch the timing as to how it goes up and see if it starts up before it pulls hard, are the distributor hold down bolts near the end of the slots?

[Skiermang]

Originally Posted by fredk

do this, put a timing lite on it and dont jump the terms, rev it up and watch the timing as to how it goes up and see if it starts up before it pulls hard, are the distributor hold down bolts near the end of the slots?

The bolts were near the end of the slots when I started adjusting the timing: it was at 15* BTDC with the diagnosis headers jumped.

I forgot to rev the engine and check timing without the headers jumped. I'll do that later today.

[Skiermang]

Originally Posted by fredk

do this, put a timing lite on it and dont jump the terms, rev it up and watch the timing as to how it goes up and see if it starts up before it pulls hard, are the distributor hold down bolts near the end of the slots?

I just put the timing light on it again without the terminals jumped. With a cold motor, it was advancing the timing approximately 25 to 30 degrees with a little bit of throttle. If I applied a lot of throttle it would retard the timing to about 5* BTDC then bring it back to 10 to 15 degrees.

The cold start injector switch failed the STA-GND measurement: it had no resistance between STA and ground. The manual says it should have 20 to 80 Ohms. An earlier reading, when the motor was warm but not hot, showed it at 85 Ohms, which is over spec.

[fredk]

i unplugged my cold start injector years ago along with the egr valve, leave the timing lite in the drawer, put 87 in the tank and start advancing it until you hear a little pinging on slight accell, see if the bog goes away, do this over a few days time

[Skiermang]

Looks like it's a moot point, I believe I spun a rod bearing on the motor while revving it after Seafoaming it.

[Skiermang]

I was doing a bit of research tonight and I think my problems may be from a bum torque converter. Does this page jive with what you guys know?

http://www.babcox.com/editorial/bf/bf90054.htm

Now that you know a little more about how a torque converter works, let's look at some of the things that go wrong. One of the classic symptoms of a bad torque converter is a vehicle that is sluggish or lugs when starting out from a dead stop. The vehicle may feel as if it is in second or third gear rather than first gear. What's happening is the torque converter is failing to provide any torque multiplication because the one-way stator clutch is not holding, allowing the stator wheel to slip.

It says to perform a "stall test" to determine if the converter is bad. However, since everything is out of the car, I'm thinking it may be wise to drop $120 or so on a rebuilt converter from ebay. Any thoughts on that? Is the transmission really difficult to drop with the engine in the car?

[fredk]

a converter would be a good idea, just dont expect it to cure all your ills

[Doctor J]

Before digging into the transmission, try to drive the car with the Throttle Position sensor unplugged. If driveability improves the TP may be worn out due to the mileage. Second, check the Catalytic converter (exhaust) Lastly, with this mileage of 238 kilo miles, the engine most likely has pitted valve seats and this will not show during the compression check (because the combustion pressure at expansion stroke is much higher then during compression stroke) the leak through the valves is compensated by carbonized piston rings which raises compression (on my 79 Supra, the engine have had good compression despite blown head gasket).

[Skiermang]

Originally Posted by Doctor J

Before digging into the transmission, try to drive the car with the Throttle Position sensor unplugged. If driveability improves the TP may be worn out due to the mileage. Second, check the Catalytic converter (exhaust) Lastly, with this mileage of 238 kilo miles, the engine most likely has pitted valve seats and this will not show during the compression check (because the combustion pressure at expansion stroke is much higher then during compression stroke) the leak through the valves is compensated by carbonized piston rings which raises compression (on my 79 Supra, the engine have had good compression despite blown head gasket).

As my other thread title suggests, the motor and transmission are currently sitting in my garage. I'm debating if I want to replace the converter since it's sitting next to the transmission right now. thank you for the tip on the valve seats, looks like I'll be taking a gander at those, too.