very low rpm

[xlegendx]

hey, my 97 4cyl camry le has a problem.... sometimes when i start the car, it revs very low at like 200-300 rpm and when i put it in drive or reverse, it trys to go but cant and stalls... is this the idle control valve or is it something else?

[toyomoho]

Could be the idle valve needs cleaning.

[2TCs]

I would agree. I just cleaned mine thoroughly and it idles perfectly. Especially if you have had any difficulty with cold starts, this would be the solution.

[xlegendx]

so do i follow this thread? How to: Cleaning Throttle Body -4 Cylinder Engines- With Pictures

[2TCs]

I would try that and hope it works, but I found that I needed to remove the IAC to get it working again. I sprayed and sprayed in many sessions over a long period of time and no luck. After I had become convinced that it was the IAC and that (in my case) spraying cleaner down the square hole wouldn't work, I decided to get serious and actually got my hands dirty and removed the throttle body and took the IAC apart (I am not recommending this - just in my case I didn't think I had a choice - and had nothing to lose).

The IAC is now working like new (I also found that I neede to disconnect the neg battery terminal after reinstalling the IAC to get it operating correctly).

I would not advise any of the above unless you feel comfortable doing it and are willing to purchase new components if things don't go according to plan.....