Hard Start, rough idle, bogs when floored.....

[phil2810]

90 V6 CAMRY.... I must of "installed" this problem while doing a tune up trying to get better mileage and power.

I replaced the air filter and fuel filter last weekend with no noticeable improvement in MPG or power.

During the week I noticed the exhaust smelled more like straight gasoline than exhaust and found I had 2 cylinders not firing (pulled the plug wires and no change in idle), so today I replaced the plugs and wires.... I didn't change the distributor cap and rotor, but I pulled them and inspected them... they looked almost new and checked out good with an ohm meter.

Since it's a V6, I had to pull of the intake plenum/throttle body to get at the back plugs .... so in turn I had to disconnect the throttle linkages, a bunch of vacuum lines, cold start injector supply, ISC and TPS connectors etc... I checked and rechecked everything before I fired her up and when I did crank her, she started great and responded well to throttle!! She was idling maybe a little high, but I thought that might have been because the ECU had been compensating for the non-firing cylinders.

I let her run and warm up (maybe 15 minutes) while I cleaned up and put my tools away (hahaha jokes on me I should have left the tools out). On the road test, she seemed like a new car for the first few minutes, but then I started noticing the power dropping off. I pulled over and she stalled but restarted and idled, but not right (sometimes fairly smooth but sometimes up and down- almost to a stall then a surge then settle out or not). When I apply the throttle gently, she'll rev up, but if I go wide open throttle she starts to sputter and bog down.... This happens in Park and Neutral as well as Drive.

There is no CEL and no soft codes when I jump Te1 and E1 (steady all normal flash). I'm getting good spark through all the wires and when she is at idle I smell no gas in the exhaust, so I don't THINK it's an ignition issue. I rechecked all my vacuum lines and didn't find anything obvious. I pulled my EGR valve off, made a block plate out of a tin can and bolted the EGR back up with the plate installed..... No change, so I left it for now. I also pulled the PCV hose of the intake let it vent to the air and blocked the intake vacuum port, also no change.

I think I'm going to use my propane torch to sniff around for vacuum leaks next, then I'm going to look around in the fuel delivery areas.... I did notice that when I put the AC on the RPM's increase, so the VSV is apparently doing it's thing with the fuel pressure regulator. BTW when I replaced the fuel filter, I made sure the banjo bolt holes lined up with the output fuel line.

Anyway, sorry for the long post, but I guess the more info I give the better. I appreciate any ideas.

Phil

[Doctor J]

I would suggest to inspect all wiring connections first.[AFM, TP sensor}