Another Camry Problem - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

lionheart03 · 01-14-2009, 08:47 AM

Heres the problem. Driving on the interstate, everything is normal. Outside temperature is like 10 degrees F, with the car heater on. Turn cruise control on at 70. I turned the cruise on after I had driven perhaps 5 miles through town and 5 miles on the interstate. As soon as the car downshifts, the temperature guage suddently jumped to max (within a couple seconds), and car begins to miss. I immediately pull over. Coolant hoses seem to have pressure on them, rariator is full, everything seems normal.

Try to start the motor, nothing. Just cranks over without firing. Let it sit a few minuets, try again, starts right up, temperature gauge is back to the normal position. So I go ahead and drive the last few miles to my destination, everything seems fine.

Any ideas? I don't think my car actually overheated, perhaps something electrical? This is the first time I've ever had a problem like this.

FYI, this is a 91 Camry, 170K, 3SFE, and I recently rebuilt the motor due to a bad valve.

Thanks in advance for any and all help!

Doctor J · 01-14-2009, 11:45 AM

Were the fans running when engine was overheating??

disregard · 01-14-2009, 12:11 PM

that same exact scenario actually happened to me once so i shut the car off for 5 minutes and let the fans run. all of a sudden the temp gauge was back to normal and it never flared up again, So i didnt think nothing of it. Has never repeated itself.

lionheart03 · 01-14-2009, 01:40 PM

Fans were not running. I don't think the car was actually overheating. The gauge was holding steading around the middle of the scale where it normally is. As soon as the car downshifted in overdrive, the gauge went nutts and jumped up real fast and held there. If the car was overheating, why would the gauge jump up so fast like that. When I got the car started again, it was only a few minets later, and the gauge was back in the normal position.

I was going 70 when this happened, as soon as the gauge jumped up, the engine began to miss also, and while I was braking/coasting down the engine died. I checked over all of the wiring connectors I could find, they all seemed to be making good connections.

I've been driving my car all week since the rebuild, with around 175 miles put on it, and no problems like this so far.

Jeremy

disregard · 01-16-2009, 11:47 AM

sounds like a screwed up sensor somewhere. Maybe the coolant temp sensor.