SERIOUS Acceleration problems

[WhippinCamry]

91 camry. ive replaced the whole igntion system except distributor.
all new vacuum hoses. fuel filter, air filter, o2 sensor,oil pressure sensor,valve gaskets. the list goes on and on.


i get an occasional stumble on acceleration, like a bog/dieing out. i push the throttle more or let up and it gets going after about 3 seconds.

on the high way going into 4th i beleive it kinda slightly jerks more that going into any other gears.

if im comming off a turn or a long idle. sometimes first doesnt engage instantly.

and when its cold the car bucks,stumbles and acts very strange for about 5-6 seconds.

where do i even go now? never been stranded.....yet. but these problems bother me and id like to fix them so the car will last.

tranny fluid checked by 2 oil change places and said its good (i put lucas in and fresh fluid in the summer. no filter change)
no leaking trans fluid or oil.

trans is very jerky. and the mount has been replaced. as well as the front motor mount. noticed "sludge" covering the left part of firewall,wiper motor,injectors,fuel rail. and all wires.but car doesnt leak oil

car was ran VERY hardly on 3 cylinders (crack in dis tower) for a while.
and i got it running pretty smooth minus these problems. throttle bodys clean and injectors also. car idles pretty well. i did adjust the throttle cable and distributor timing slightly ( for a little better acceleration) and that helped i beleive.


I know multiple people on here know what could be wrong, very smart.
please please give me a hand. i do the same when i know what im talking about. HELP! ?

[holmesnmanny]

My first thing to do would be to clean out the idle control valve, then I would look at getting the throttle position sensor replaced or atleast tested. If you hear any rattling coming from the cat it could be clogged up. When the engine is hot check to see if the cat is glowing red.

[WhippinCamry]

Okay i will check the cat. where is the idle control valve? i was trying to clean the egr. but i couldnt get the banjo bolt off at the bottom. couldnt get a tool in there cause its so close to the fire wall.

and i replaced the tps with a brand new one and it did nothing. i didnt have the old one tested. so im trying to be smart now and not throw parts at it.

i really appriciate the fast response! thank you.

[WhippinCamry]

also, my car was compression checked. 200 on all 4 cylinders. i will look for the idle control valve in my haynes manual tonight at work. cars never stalled on me or anything.and the car isnt throwing any codes.
it did throw a code 12 distributor, rpm signal problem after i had a coolant leak fixed at the shop (blown hose, its winter here)
before that there was no codes. cleaned the wires on the distributor (looked clean) and put them in nice and firmly. and erased the code and its not came back.


one more thing to add. it was really cold a few weeks back, i would say about 5 degrees below. and it idled Erraticaly. very rough and very very hard unusual idle.
almost dieing out but still running.
not sure if that helps at all. thanks once again for your time and know how.

[holmesnmanny]

Originally Posted by WhippinCamry

also, my car was compression checked. 200 on all 4 cylinders. i will look for the idle control valve in my haynes manual tonight at work. cars never stalled on me or anything.and the car isnt throwing any codes.
it did throw a code 12 distributor, rpm signal problem after i had a coolant leak fixed at the shop (blown hose, its winter here)
before that there was no codes. cleaned the wires on the distributor (looked clean) and put them in nice and firmly. and erased the code and its not came back.


one more thing to add. it was really cold a few weeks back, i would say about 5 degrees below. and it idled Erraticaly. very rough and very very hard unusual idle.
almost dieing out but still running.
not sure if that helps at all. thanks once again for your time and know how.

Did the issue start after the car got to 5 degrees below? The reason I ask is that coolant goes through the idle control valve to keep it from freezing but maybe either there wasn't enough coolant in there or maybe the ratio of coolant to water wasn't high enough and it froze over partially, harming the seals inside it especially if you only have water inside. Just a guess. You could try subbing it for one from the junkyard if anything.

[holmesnmanny]

You may know this already since you did a compression test, but you can always check each cylinder somewhat manually by pulling the wire of each cylinder from the spark plug while the car is running. If the car doesn't bog down then you know that cylinder is a problem. Obviously after pulling each wire you'd put it back before pulling another.

[WhippinCamry]

I had the shop run a compression test. im almost 100% sure its not a igntion problem.
and yes it started acting weird after it got to below 0.
sometimes it does run rough and idle irratically when cold. but latley it hasnt.
coolants fine. been flushed in the summer and also when i had the coolant hoses replaced a coulple weeks back.


im more conserned about the bogging on slight acceleration off a dead stop.
intake manifold leak? or ?

its just really dangerous and annoying. pulling out in a busy street and it basically temperarly looses all power and then goes back.


also when driving at 55-70 mph up hill, car will drop a good 5-8mph if i keep the throttle steady. and if i push it down. it takes off irratically with a nice jerk/quick stumble and it powers up the hill fine.

[Mike Gerber]

The idle air control valve is under the throttle body. There is a sqaure or diamond shaped hole in the base of the throttle body. That hole is a port that leads to the idle air control valve. Did you spray the cleaner liberally down there when you cleaned the throttle body? If not go back and spray some down there and let it soak for 10 or 15 minutes before trying to start the car.

"car was ran VERY hardly on 3 cylinders (crack in dis tower) for a while."

That could have ruined/clogged your catalytic converter. All that unburned fuel from the cylinder that was missing goes out the exhaust valve and through the exhaust system, including the converter. You can try disconnecting the converter and taking the car for a quick ride to see if that helps.

You say you replaced all ignition system components except the distributor. Remove the coil from the distributor and test it with a digital volt/ohmeter and the specs from any manual, and also inspect it carefully for cracks. If it's not to spec or if you find a crack in the plastic, replace it. The coil cracking after many miles is a common problem for the first 3 generations of Camry.

Mike

[WhippinCamry]

yes the throttle body is spotless. i cleaned it again today.
coil is brand new. every ignition componet including a dis o ring. except the distributor itself.

i dont have a ohmeter. i need to get one.
i didnt take the iac off today because the only screw i seen on it (pointing towards the front of the car) was rusted. and when i did the tps (with correct screwdriver) a rusted bolt completly stripped out and had to be ground off.

i did clean the contacts with electrical cleaner.

also the left side distributor cap bolt hole is stripped. but still holds on.
cap is completly firm on. and the gap on that side between the dis cap and the dis is barley a crack. im pretty sure thats not causing it.



how can i get the cat off or disconnect it?
is it welded?

i have been hearing some kind of rattaling comming from down there/suspension or engine. like bb's in a metal can.lol

and the exhaust fumes smell of unburned fuel it seems like for a while now.

car runs with decent power when pushed almost full throttle and it seems to rev high into "power mode" is what ill call it.

[dem2757]

where is that sound coming from exactly? lower engine or the muffler

[WhippinCamry]

i would say down by the pedals. my engine does tick very lighlty. could be the sound of the belts running.

i did install 2 subs also so it could be something in my trunk or back seat rattling. ive got some junk on my center consol.

car seems to have nice power if i push it almost full throttle.
ive got a cold air intake, oem denso plugs, and a dc sports free flow exhaust.

i have noticed today that my intake hose had a slight amount of oil inside it.
and a slight amount got around the mass air flow. cleaned both. mass air flow with electrical cleaner and let drie. still no good.

car is throwing no codes

[dem2757]

ticking should be only from the injectors or from valve action. belts make a whirring noise unless a pulley is going, then it makes whining noises (my power steering pump annoys me now...)

sound of bbs in a can doesnt sound good. your flex pipe could be rusted through, it would vibrate

[WhippinCamry]

not nessisarly any odd noise. just the sound of a engine running.
no whining noises. and no vibration.
the injectors and fuel rail are covered in sludge. oil/dirt/possibly gas?

should i clean the injector plugs with electrical cleaner?

[WhippinCamry]

also the injectors seem to move side to side pretty easily.
not sure if thats how they work. but seems fishy to me.

[WhippinCamry]

Today i pushed the pedal hard and it seems to be giving me back a little power (firmness in the pedal). leads me to beleive somethings clogged.
i know when i changed the egr bottom hose. it was clogged with black sout.
i cleaned it as deep as i could with a very small screwdriver.
i want to clean it. but i cant get a tool in there to get the banjo bolt off the bottom!

the cat wasnt glowing red at all from what i seen.
just steaming slightly cause the snows melting over here.