Stalling and refusing to start - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

99Camrysleeper · 11-17-2009, 07:53 AM

Ok, i have a '99 Camry XLE with the 2.2L 5sfe engine about a little over a month ago I started having a problem with it stalling and then not wanting to start back up. My Uncle, who has worked for toyota for 12-15 years, said it was the fuel pump, I had it replaced yesterday. But before that I replaced the Plug wires, plugs, fuel filter, tempature sending unit, ECT sensor and it's still doing it. I'm at a loss and don't know what to do, where to look or what it could possibly be thats wrong. I also replaced the IAT sensor and air filter as well. HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm at my wits end and am beyond frustrated with my car.

mazdaverx7 · 11-17-2009, 07:57 AM

a common failure for the 5S-FE is the ignitor. when it warms up from the engine heat, it will show its true colors. the next time it won't start, remove a plug wire from the spark plug well, toss a plug into the end of it, touch it to the strut tower and crank the engine. this is the quicketst way to check for spark. is the ecu throwing any codes?

99Camrysleeper · 11-17-2009, 08:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mazdaverx7

a common failure for the 5S-FE is the ignitor. when it warms up from the engine heat, it will show its true colors. the next time it won't start, remove a plug wire from the spark plug well, toss a plug into the end of it, touch it to the strut tower and crank the engine. this is the quicketst way to check for spark. is the ecu throwing any codes?

Yes, that was something I forgot to mention. The last time I had the codes read, it had popped up with a multiple cylinder miss-fire code. When you say ignitor, i'm assuming you mean the ignition coil packs, I plan on diagoising that tomorrow morning, but any other idea's and suggestions would be benificial.

mazdaverx7 · 11-18-2009, 04:45 AM

no sir, not a coil pack. inside of the distributor, there's an ignitor. its prone to failure on the 5S-FE. whe it goes, you will get a misfire and or no spark at all.

***96paseo*** · 11-18-2009, 08:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mazdaverx7

no sir, not a coil pack. inside of the distributor, there's an ignitor. its prone to failure on the 5S-FE. whe it goes, you will get a misfire and or no spark at all.

The ignitor is in a seperate module outisde of the distributor. Its near the air filter box. You may be thinking of pickup coils. I do believe the 99 has coil packs.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 99Camrysleeper

Yes, that was something I forgot to mention. The last time I had the codes read, it had popped up with a multiple cylinder miss-fire code. When you say ignitor, i'm assuming you mean the ignition coil packs, I plan on diagoising that tomorrow morning, but any other idea's and suggestions would be benificial.

Since its a multiple cylinder misfire, i would suggest checking the spark plugs and testing the coils first. Pull your plugs and check their color. Anything different than a light brown color will indicate a problem with that cylinder. Check the coils with an ohm meter. Measure across the two high tension terminals. Since you most likely have the twin coil setup, this will be where your plug wires attach to the coils. Specs are Cold 9.7K - 16.7K ohms and Hot 12.4K - 19.6K ohms.

99Camrysleeper · 11-18-2009, 02:38 PM

Thanks, i'll check that tomorrow, since have to work in a little bit. Just out of curiosity would the Crankshaft or the Camshaft positioning sensors possibly have anything to do with it?

Dick Tuck · 11-18-2009, 03:18 PM

If this happens all the time is is probably ignition, BUT if it only happens when the car has been run for a while, shut off, and restarted a short time later it can very well be a "lazy" California "upstream" air/fuel sensor. They seem to be good for about 120K or so. (Bosch even admits that). If your car is a "California emissions" and the sensor on the exhaust manifold has gone over 100K I would think about replacing it. The trickey thing is when the sensor is "lazy" it will not trigger a code. Baffles the dealer droids. They commence changing anything they can find. BTW the sensor is not cheap but Rock Auto has them.

Dick Tuck · 11-18-2009, 03:25 PM

BTW I have a 99 4 cly and don't see anything on it but two computer controlled coil packs. It is a "lost spark" system- two cylinders are fired at the same time even though only one is on the compression stroke. That way problems with a rotating distributor are eliminated. There is so much spark provided by the new ignitor systems it hardly matters that there are two plugs in parallel. No cap or rotor to wear, no mechanical parts to wear either.

99Camrysleeper · 11-20-2009, 11:17 AM

Well, the upstream O2 sensor is over 120K, but the car is not Cali. Emissions. Here's the thing, I've tested the coil packs and the crankshaft positioning sensor and both tested well within spec. I couldn't test the camshaft positioning sensor because the connector didn't want to cooperate and come off, but i kinda doubt that might be the problem. The only other component that I could possibly see as the problem is the PCM. Can anyone think of anything else that could possibly be causing the problem, i'm out of idea's for the moment.

SexieWASD · 11-20-2009, 04:31 PM

Check for spark when it's not starting, if it has spark you can rule that out, then check that it has fuel pressure and that the injectors are switching, you should be able to hear them tick if you hold a ratchet extension to one and the other end to your ear. If that is fine check air flow, start by checking the air filter for squirrels, rats, ham sandwiches, ect... If that is fine then unbolt the exhaust after the header. If that is fine then check that the ecu will connect and give valid data with a scan tool. If that is fine wait for it to run ok again and buy a for sale sign while your waiting.

99Camrysleeper · 11-20-2009, 11:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SexieWASD

Check for spark when it's not starting, if it has spark you can rule that out, then check that it has fuel pressure and that the injectors are switching, you should be able to hear them tick if you hold a ratchet extension to one and the other end to your ear. If that is fine check air flow, start by checking the air filter for squirrels, rats, ham sandwiches, ect... If that is fine then unbolt the exhaust after the header. If that is fine then check that the ecu will connect and give valid data with a scan tool. If that is fine wait for it to run ok again and buy a for sale sign while your waiting.

Like I said before, in the previous post on this thread, i've done all that, i've checked everything I can think of. I was hoping someone might have an idea on what to try next ...... besides selling it.

SexieWASD · 11-21-2009, 06:47 AM

Did you unbolt the exhaust?

Woodyg · 11-21-2009, 09:42 AM

how about the maf and have you run any injecter cleaner in it?

99Camrysleeper · 11-21-2009, 10:08 AM

I've unbolted the exhaust, cleaned the throttle body, run several bottle of fuel injector and system cleaner through it. I'm sure of the procedure for testing the MAF sensor though, so that i haven't done.

Woodyg · 11-21-2009, 10:32 AM

I dont have a camry so I am not sure of how to clean your maf but i do know you only want to use maf cleaner on it. the others leaves residue. do a search for how to. If it was just one cylinder misfire i would suspect injectors but not with the multiple. slight chance it is an 02 sensor but that prob would have thrown an o2 code. the maf cause issue a lot without throwing a lot of codes... do you use the oiled air filters?