not starting when cold !! - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

92classic · 02-17-2009, 07:04 AM

hello everybody, i am new to this forum, i hope somebody can help with this, i have a 92 camry 4 cyl. 2.2, automatic. 173,000k , recently car is not starting in the mornings, it cranks, but i have to crank it like 6 or 8 times before it comes to life, battery is good, starter sounds healthy doing it's job, after it starts is fine the rest of the day. any advice?? i read about coolant temperature sensor, ignition coil, IAC, etc,etc, but i am not sure at this point where to start, anyway thanks for your help.

***96paseo*** · 02-17-2009, 09:54 AM

Cleaning your TB is the place to start. If that doesn't work, check the IAC motor and ECT. At that mileage and age, you should also check your vacuum lines for dry rotting.

92classic · 02-17-2009, 10:05 AM

thanks paseo, a question, the ECT is the same as coolant temperature sensor? excuse my ignorance.

***96paseo*** · 02-17-2009, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 92classic

thanks paseo, a question, the ECT is the same as coolant temperature sensor? excuse my ignorance.

Yes, that is correct.

JCamry94 · 02-17-2009, 10:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 96paseo

Cleaning your TB is the place to start. If that doesn't work, check the IAC motor and ECT. At that mileage and age, you should also check your vacuum lines for dry rotting.

Same stuff happened to me, seafoam that bitch! (the TB)

***new echo owner*** · 02-17-2009, 11:35 PM

What have you done so far to diagnose the problem?

N.E.O.

92classic · 02-18-2009, 08:01 AM

i changed the ECT, cleaned the TB, the IAC, adjusted the timing with a timing light, was running good, but like i said the problem was in the mornings, so i wait until this morning and..... now the car won't start, before it just to start after the 6 or 8 crankings , now, it's just plain dead, i did a quick check on the sparks, (you know the kind you take the spark plug wire off and hold it against ground) and i saw arcs of sparks but the were intermitent, you know like, i crank it and see it, and the crank it again, and don't. at this point i want to believe it's the ignition coil, but i believe those when they go bad they just plain die. in my case i still have spark. well, next i don't know, maybe fuel pump, or maybe wires. heck i don't know.

Stillrunning · 02-18-2009, 01:03 PM

Problem in morning may be due to overnight condensation. Ignition wires or cracked distributor may be the cause. Spark needs to be bright and blue, not just white. It should also not be intermitant on each firing. The ECT could have been checked to see if out of spec. before just replacing.

92classic · 02-18-2009, 02:33 PM

thanks stillrunning, your answer makes a lot of sense, i found another post from somebody having the same problem, well similar, and he fixed by changing the coil, i think i am going to change the spark wires and the ignition coil to see if that fix the problem, yeah , you are right i should have check the ECT before replacing it. i am 30 dollars poorer now.

***new echo owner*** · 02-18-2009, 11:36 PM

Check the resistance of the ignition coil and pickup coils, weak spark can cause starting problem. Check the spark plugs and plug wires too.

N.E.O.

92classic · 02-19-2009, 05:53 AM

an update on this, i changed the coil and put new bosch spark wires and this morning the car sarted with no problems, i hope it keep it that way, i have a serious debate in my brain, as to know why the coil went bad like that, i remember a year ago replacing the same coil, but the symptoms were not starting at all, and no sparks whatsoever, this time i had sparks and once the car started was fine the rest of the day, this coil fail very often?? like i said i replaced a year ago with an advance autoparts one, a year seams to me like a very short period of time for a coil to go bad, but once again is me. thanks everybody for your help. i keep you updated .

Stillrunning · 02-19-2009, 05:58 AM

Why would you assume bad coil when you also replaced wires? Did you test coil before replacing it? Why did you not replace wires first to see if that solved problem?

92classic · 02-19-2009, 07:52 AM

stillrunning, when i changed the coil and fired it up, i still have the old wires, but just in case i replaced them, because the old ones were 5 years old. i got this car 6 years ago.

ECale3 · 02-19-2009, 12:10 PM

Sounds like she has hypothermia, you should get her a blanket.