89 Camry stalling when engine is warm

[Gonz]

I bought an 89 Camry w/ the 2.0 and AT over the summer. It had around 215k miles on it and ran OK for the first 1000 miles or so. By OK i mean it did not start easily(but would start after a few seconds) and it did not idle perfectly, but it was good enough considering the mileage.

After a while it got to the point that it would stall from time to time when accelerating from a complete stop. It seemed like it only did this on very humid days, but that could have been a coincidence. This problem got worse with time so i took the car to a mechanic, he suggested it needed a MAF sensor.

I replaced the MAF sensor and the car started much easier than before and idled great. On the first test drive it ran perfectly until i stopped in my driveway, the car stalled as soon as i came to a complete stop. It started easily but died when i put it into gear.

I let the car cool down and it started easily and ran great when the motor was cold, but once it warmed up it stalled as soon as it was put into gear. The engine idles great when warm and if you slowly give it gas it revs normally, but if you quickly give it gas it sputters and stalls. The spark plugs are brand new, the distributor cap and plugs look fairly new also.

Sorry for the long post, just trying to give as much information as possible.

[Mike Gerber]

2 things come to mind. 1. Check the engine coolant temperature sensor. 2. Check the coil inside the distributor. Along with checking the coil to be within spec, also remove it and check the back side for cracks. For the 2 basic tests you will need the specs from any manual and a digital volt/ohmeter. If you don't have a manual you can download one for free at the top of the Camry forum over at AutomotiveForums.com. Download the generation 2 manual.

Mike

[Gonz]

Well the temp gauge has always been weird, and will go all the way to the highest reading for no reason at all. It stays that way about half the time. However the temperature of the engine didn't seem to matter until recently. Before it only seemed to give me problems after heavy rains.

[Doctor J]

The temperature sender for the gage and engine coolant thermosensor for computer are 2 different things. First check the trouble code, code 22 points to the thermo sensor.
It can be a wild guess but check the ground wires attached to the bolt under intake manifold. This bolt is the ground point for ECU engine comp and the engiune temperature gage. Bad connector there can cause stupid gage reading and engine stalling when hot. Good luck

[white90dx]

If it is related to moisture in the air (especially rain), then it is probably the ignition coil. Its located inside the distrubutor and likes to crack with heat and old age. You did the right thing by replacing the rest of the ignition system, but the coil is a weak spot on this car...

That should at least fix the stalling and lack of power - there may be something else wrong too. (check what Mike and Dr. J suggested while you are in there...)

-Charlie

[Gonz]

I spoke to a mechanic today and told him what the car is doing, he says the ignition coil makes sense, but it might be the EGR valve also since the car is acting up when the engine is warm. Is that something that's common for this car?

[91 2VZ]

Originally Posted by Mike Gerber

2 things come to mind. 1. Check the engine coolant temperature sensor. 2. Check the coil inside the distributor.

My 91 LE V6 had this problem over the summer. I changed my coil then but recently changed the coolant temp sensor located on the water neck ($25 part from Autozone) and my car has been running fine recently.

I haven't been daily driving it since my brake lines are rusted/leaking so I can't tell if the coolant temp sensor permanently fixed the problem. But it doesn't hurt to change that sensor to see if it helps.

[Doctor J]

The stuck open EGR will cause COLD driveability problems

[white90dx]

Originally Posted by Gonz

I spoke to a mechanic today and told him what the car is doing, he says the ignition coil makes sense, but it might be the EGR valve also since the car is acting up when the engine is warm. Is that something that's common for this car?

If the EGR is blocked closed, then the car will run fine (though may fail emissions). If it is stuck open, then it will have issues when cold more than hot (like Dr. J mentions).

Replace the coil and the coolant temp sensor (the two wire one, not the coolant temp sender - that's one wire and for the gauge cluster) and you should be good to go!

-Charlie