89 Camry V6 BAD studder at RPM and Speedometer does not work??

[jchustla]

Hey guys, as some of you know I just finished swapping in a rebuilt 2vzfe long block in my 89 Camry (89 V6 Rebuild Project!).

I finally got around to buttoning things up and getting it running after some minor issues (broken CV axles, coolant leak, fuel filter leak etc.) I primed the new engine and it fired up on the first start. There is no check engine light on and the engine runs really smooth until it gets warmed up then it idles a bit rough.

The problem I am having is the car will not let me rev past 1400 RPM without shuddering there. If I put the accelerator all the way down it would rev and hold at 1400 RPM and bounce for about 3 seconds (like a rev limiter) then it will rev higher. After the revs drop from letting off the accelerator the idle would get real low and the car will stall out.

I just set the timing using the Toyota service manual instructions ( It was pretty far off before) and the engine did idle better but now it will not let me rev past 1400 RPM at all! It will hold the revs there like a limiter. I replaced all the spark plugs when I did the engine swap but I reused the distributor, spark plug wires and ignitor (OEM stuff with around 40K on them). I don't see how this can be an ignition problem as there is no CEL on and the car idles very strong.

I filled up the tank with fresh gas (93 octane) and replaced the fuel filter. I am currently diagnosing this problem and searching this site for more info. The car was not doing this before on the stock engine with rod knock.

Also after the swap the speedometer is not working anymore? I am searching the service manual but can't find any information about a speedometer cable?

Anyone with any kind of insight or who may know how to diagnose these problems please help.

Thank You.

[dem2757]

Your belt has to be a tooth off. this problem is timing. Or your distributor somehow isnt keeping the timing. OR your throttle position sensor get banged up somehow. check those two areas. if you have the service manual you should be golden

The speedometer is a gear driven cable that threads onto the transmission and gets feed from sensors on the 2 front wheel axles. (or hubs) the threaded section is almost always at fault, a bad speed sensor throws a code from the transmission diagnostic.

[white90dx]

Originally Posted by dem2757

Your belt has to be a tooth off. this problem is timing. Or your distributor somehow isnt keeping the timing. OR your throttle position sensor get banged up somehow. check those two areas. if you have the service manual you should be golden

The speedometer is a gear driven cable that threads onto the transmission and gets feed from sensors on the 2 front wheel axles. (or hubs) the threaded section is almost always at fault, a bad speed sensor throws a code from the transmission diagnostic.

I'll second checking the mechanical timing of the motor (cams vs. crank and how the timing belt was set). You will have to take off the upper timing cover(s) and verify - hopefully it isn't too hard on the V6 motor.

I also want to correct a bit what dem said about the speedo. There are no wheel speed sensors on the gen2 Camry (unless you have a very rare model with ABS). The speedo cable is driven off the back/top of the differential housing using a worm gear driven by a gear on the differential. It is effectively the average speed of the two axles. Make sure that the cable is in place between where it comes out of the firewall near the brake booster and goes down to the top rear of the transmission. The two ends should be able to be tightened by hand (they are knurled plastic pieces).

-Charlie

[dem2757]

really? the toyota manual says there are speed sensors in the tranny itself!

[white90dx]

Originally Posted by dem2757

really? the toyota manual says there are speed sensors in the tranny itself!

Those are only used in the auto transmissions for shifting, etc. The really interesting trans is the AWD auto... it has a bunch of sensors for the auto locking diff, etc. Anyway, none of those are used for the speedo though. Same with the ABS wheel sensors - they are only used for ABS.

If the speedometer itself makes the electrical signal and sends that to the ECU. The ECU will sometimes throw an error code, but it takes a while...

-Charlie

[jchustla]

Thanks guys! I will update you all when I get a chance to check those parts out.