Gen 4: CAR STARTING ISSUES

[07civiclx]

ok, a 98 camry, i4, 2.2l with 130,000 miles
we started having problems recently and cant figure out what it is
if its moist out, the car barely starts, u have to floor the gas, bring it up to about 4 grand, then let off so it will idle at 2 grand to warm up
otherwise it chokes and sounds like its gonna die
thought originally it had to do with the A/C being on, found out it was whenever its HIGHLY HUMID out
ok so things it could be
(already guessed these and started replacing things one peice at a time)
Battery? nope, replaced with a bigger brand new one
Spark plugs?? nope, now have bosch plat 2s (mind u the car has NEVER had a tune up... damn gfs parents!)
Wires? nope, replaced with autolite ones
hmmmm
oil? maybe, havent done an oil change, but i doubt

so im running out of ideas
could be ignitor coils, but they are HARD to get to and EXPENSIVE
i need to get this fixed ASAP, but cant figureout WHAT i could POSSIBLY be
i need ideas, and im hoping its cheap

cause ive spent alot so far
so its not:
battery, spark plugs, wires, air filter (brand new K&N drop in)
BAH!

[BamZipPow]

Have you pulled any codes from it yet?

If you want to make the investment...you could buy/borrow an AutoTap system and hook it up to yer car OBDII port and see what's up.

www.autotap.com

[07civiclx]

Originally Posted by BamZipPow

Have you pulled any codes from it yet?

If you want to make the investment...you could buy/borrow an AutoTap system and hook it up to yer car OBDII port and see what's up.

www.autotap.com

yea no money for that!
i wish i did cause i could find many uses for it
a long time ago it had a check engine light on, but was reset by the dealership (the code was for the rear oxygen sensor, but it has not shown up since, it didnt specify what the error was, just that the oxygen sensor provided an error)

so since i STILL dont have a check engine light, im going to assume no error codes

[ASG14]

Little water in the gas. Try throwing in a bottle of dry gas. Same thing has happened to me several times.

[ONE_to_HATE]

IAC Valve for me. I use to have this chronic problem when it was cold out.. sometimes she'd fire up like she did at 20K sometimes it was a battle to keep her on. So yea.. good luck with that.

[07civiclx]

doubt water in gas, its had MANY MANY tanks of gas go through it, this is not a new problem (but it is at the same time ;-))
asg go to maryland ;-) i need a bumper!
where would that valve be located? how difficult is it to repair/replace?

its only when its damp out, never when its dry but ur right about sometimes its a battle sometimes its not, i found that a quick drop of the peddal to 4000 rpm, it decides oh shit im cold! and runs at 2000 grand to warm up.....
weird, to me it seems like an ECU issue or some sort of sensor

[Hajoca]

Vacuum leak??

[07civiclx]

Originally Posted by Hajoca

Vacuum leak??

that only appears when its moist out.... i doubt it

[ASG14]

Not vacuum. If it was vacuum, the car would stall at temp (under 1k RPM's).

The only 3 starting issue's I've had like that were due to water in the gas, cracked distributor cap, and the spark plugs which you already replaced.

Due to the fact this happenes with high humidy, it's pretty likely the issue is in the ignition system. 1998 I think was 2 coils, and no distributor.

BTW, I;m not going to MD next untill January, but I will have a full car (set of snow tires, or summer tires, depending on road conditions and which will need to be on car), so no room for anything big.

[07civiclx]

Originally Posted by ASG14

Not vacuum. If it was vacuum, the car would stall at temp (under 1k RPM's).

The only 3 starting issue's I've had like that were due to water in the gas, cracked distributor cap, and the spark plugs which you already replaced.

Due to the fact this happenes with high humidy, it's pretty likely the issue is in the ignition system. 1998 I think was 2 coils, and no distributor.

BTW, I;m not going to MD next untill January, but I will have a full car (set of snow tires, or summer tires, depending on road conditions and which will need to be on car), so no room for anything big.

AHG ur killing me!
cant strap it to the roof? lol

neways yes i was thinking coils too, but i dont know how to test them without dropping the 70 bux EACH for them!!!!
wicked pricey buggers!
any idea on how to test them first?

[ASG14]

No idea on testing, but if those are the issue, get used ones on ebay. Like here is a pair of them for $60 shipped: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1997-...Q5fAccessories

[07civiclx]

at those prices id prefer buying new from advanced auto parts lol
ill keep looking, any other ideas from people before i give this a shot?

[BamZipPow]

Originally Posted by 07civiclx

so since i STILL dont have a check engine light, im going to assume no error codes

Don't make that assumption just yet. Just go to AutoZone and have them see if there are any codes stored...

[07civiclx]

Originally Posted by BamZipPow

Don't make that assumption just yet. Just go to AutoZone and have them see if there are any codes stored...

and how much do they charge for that service? cause im pissed at the last cost of error code clearing

[ASG14]

It;s free, and to clear the codes you just unhook the battery......