95 camry 4 cylinder idle issue

[msm15]

Hi my 95 canry 4 cyl 5s-fe with 146k has been acting up lately. The car upon start up does not idle properly and fluctuautes above and below 800 rpm. I recently changed the air intake hose from the air filter to the throttle body but it didnt help. I am very familiar with my 98 volvo and do all the work myself and know all the components the car has and doesnt have, but that does hold so for my camry - I dont even know if it has and EGR valve (my volvo doesnt) or not. The camry definatly needs a good seafoaming as its got 146k on it and it wasnt cared for properly by the previous owner.
I was just wondering if anyone had any tips on where to start with to solve the poor idling problem.

my initial assumption just based of my konwledge of my volvo (which is turbo charged) is that I may have a vacuum leak somewhere along the air intake line - if any one has any comments, I would like to hear them.

thanks

[new echo owner]

How does it run after the engine is warmed up? What kind of maintenance have you done on the vehicle? Have you had a tuneup recently?

N.E.O.

[msm15]

Hi N.E.O. thanks for the reply. the car runs fine after warm up but it does vibrate at stops I did the gen 4 dog bone swap and changed the fron engine mount it helped but still not enough I will have to do the others later. My mechanic said one of the bearings inside the engine are shot.

As far as whats been done to car - here it goes:
to start with I got the car a year ago with 144k for 400 dollars from a friend
1. head gasket done (by an unreliable guy- didnt do such a great job)
2. radiator
3. ac condenssor
4. tune up
5. thermostat
6. air intake hose

Do these cars have an IAC Idle air control valve ? I looked in the haynes manual but it didnt mention it

[Mike Gerber]

Some vibration at idle is normal for the generation 3 (1992-1996) 4 cylidner 5SFE engine. It is just the nature of the beast. The fluctuating idle when cold is not normal.

When you say tuneup, what exactly was replaced?

To answer your questions, yes the car does have an idle air control valve and also has an EGR valve.

To start with diagnosing your problem, I would first do a thorough cleaning of your throttle body, paying particular attention to spraying the cleaner liberally down in to the hole just inside the base of the throttle body. That hole leads to the idle air control valve, which is under the throttle body. I recommend letting the cleaner (either throttle body cleaner or O2 safe carb cleaner) soak in to the idle air control valve while you clean the rest of the throttle body. Here is a good thread on how to do it to the 5SFE engine:

How to: Cleaning Throttle Body -4 Cylinder Engines- With Pictures

If that does not solve your problem I would then check the engine coolant temperature sensor (Toyota calls it an ECT sensor in their manuals). You will need a digital volt/ohmeter and the specs from any manual to do this. There is a generation 3 factory service manual stickied at the top of the Camry forum, over at AutomotiveForums.com. It is available for free downloading.

If these 2 things don't solve your problem, you may have to remove the idle air control valve to give it a more thorough cleaning. If that still doesn't solve your problem I would then check the coil inside the distributor. Again you will need a DVM and the specs form the manual. Also inspect the coil for hairline cracks.

Mike

[msm15]

thanks Mike - all that info is really helpful I would like to remove the throttle body, and IAC valve and really go at it

[Mike Gerber]

Originally Posted by msm15

thanks Mike - all that info is really helpful I would like to remove the throttle body, and IAC valve and really go at it

I would start with a simple cleaning first. 10-15 minutes with some O2 safe carb cleaner and an old toothbrush may be all that your car needs. Worth a try IMHO.

Mike

[new echo owner]

Sounds like Mike has got it all covered here!

N.E.O.