92 Camry runs like crap now!

[sljorge]

My baby is dying! My '92 Camry i4 has run great for 2+ years since I got her back in July 2007. She has 198k miles and gets 25 mpg.

Out of the blue the other day, she started to cough and sputter. I popped the hood and noticed the main air intake hose going to the throttle-body was cracked. I taped it up to see if that was the problem - No difference. I ordered a new hose off eBay and installed it tonight - no difference.

From reading in this forum, I suspect the EGR valve and associated components. I pulled the EGR vacuum mod and checked the filter. Seemed fine. I tried to pull the EGR valve but couldn't finagle the pipe fittings (so that's still out there).

The charcoal canister seemed fine when I pulled it and check the flows per the shop manual.

I put it all back together with the new hose and no change. Still coughs and hacks and sputters down the road.

I bought some Lucas fuel injector cleaner and Seafoam (1/3 can) and put in the tank. No improvement. I am getting ready to run some Seafoam thru the vacuum line but am waiting for some input on the subject of Seafoam in general.

I paid $2500 for the car and have put almost $1000 of new parts (struts, brakes, mounts, etc.). I am not interested in spending a lot more money on this car.

Suggestions?

-Dazed and Confused in Arizona

[CROYCE992]

here is my guess: it probably has been a long time since that crack has progressed taken in either miles or weeks. i am betting that during all this time your throttle body has taken in some of the nastiest unfiltered air it has ever breathed in its lifetime. its good that you decided to replace the hose but id suggest you clean out your throttle body using an appropriate cleaner (i.e. Deep Creep) and run some Seafoam through the brake booster and it should fix all your problems.

simply put, all that nasty air probably mucked up some critical parts and needs a good cleaning is all. good luck

[JohnGD]

Cough and sputter while idle or acceleration? In neutral or in gear?

I wonder if you need to do a compression test given the engine was eating dirt for a while.

Originally Posted by sljorge

Out of the blue the other day, she started to cough and sputter. I popped the hood and noticed the main air intake hose going to the throttle-body was cracked. I taped it up to see if that was the problem - No difference. I ordered a new hose off eBay and installed it tonight - no difference.

From reading in this forum, I suspect the EGR valve and associated components. I pulled the EGR vacuum mod and checked the filter. Seemed fine. I tried to pull the EGR valve but couldn't finagle the pipe fittings (so that's still out there).

The charcoal canister seemed fine when I pulled it and check the flows per the shop manual.

I put it all back together with the new hose and no change. Still coughs and hacks and sputters down the road.

I bought some Lucas fuel injector cleaner and Seafoam (1/3 can) and put in the tank. No improvement. I am getting ready to run some Seafoam thru the vacuum line but am waiting for some input on the subject of Seafoam in general.

I paid $2500 for the car and have put almost $1000 of new parts (struts, brakes, mounts, etc.). I am not interested in spending a lot more money on this car.

Suggestions?

-Dazed and Confused in Arizona

[sljorge]

Both. But really bad when idling in gear at low RPM's. I usually drop into neutral to avoid really rough idle (has never died - yet). Starting off from a stop is very rough. Not so bad at a good clip.

[sljorge]

Used CRC Thottle body and Air Intake cleaner and thoroughly cleaned out around the butterfly valve. Was pretty bad and got lots of brown "run off".

Followed that with a good 1/2 cup of Seafoam thru the brake assist line. Wow! A lot of smoke flowing down the street!!! Good thing it was dark!

Unfortunately, no difference!

NEXT????

[JohnGD]

Besides checking the EGR system, I'd be interested in a compression test. Maybe an oil pressure test.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=92697

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=98949

Originally Posted by sljorge

Used CRC Thottle body and Air Intake cleaner and thoroughly cleaned out around the butterfly valve. Was pretty bad and got lots of brown "run off".

Followed that with a good 1/2 cup of Seafoam thru the brake assist line. Wow! A lot of smoke flowing down the street!!! Good thing it was dark!

Unfortunately, no difference!

NEXT????

[hill8570]

Any sort of tailpipe smoke? Black / Blue/ White?

Check engine light on? If so, have you checked the code(s)?

[whip_cracker]

Mate,

Just make sure that the spark plug leads are connected to the plugs... will give you the same problems too.

Good luck man... sounds like a pain in the arse

[96paseo]

When was the last ignition tune-up done(cap, rotor, plugs, wires)? I'm thinkin' either dirty TB or coil on its way out. Especially if the coil is original. Just replaced a mine a couple weeks ago. Tested out fine on the meter but was cracked in three places and was leaking spark near the high tension lead.

[EEngineer]

time to do a V5 5spd swap

[Mike Gerber]

If the tune-up parts 96paseo suggested don't solve the problem, then the next thing to definitely check would be the coil inside the distributor. You will need a digital volt/ohmeter and the specs from any manual to do this. Also inspect it carefully for hairline cracks. This is a problem area on the first three generations of Camrys, as they rack up a lot of miles. If you don't have a manual you can download one for free at the top of the Camry forum over at AutomotiveForums.com. Download the generation 3 manual.

Mike

[llcoolpass]

everyone just posted no diagnostic help to your whatsoever by offering that you should replace x y z. only smart stuff was said to check the compression and oil pressure.

if you have nothing relevant to say, say nothing at all. better never than late is another forum rule [dont bring back old threads].

you have a rough running engine. it happens at idle and acceleration and cruise.

you found a broken intake tube, that goes between the air meter and the throttle body.

you added cleaner to the fuel.

first, buy a adjustable-gap spark meter. about 14 dollars at Advance Auto Parts.
check the spark for each spark plug wire. inform us, or use world wide web [not the internet] search tools and this site to find info on that yourself.

second, assess your maintenance record -- have you been replacing things, that could have caused this, at the recommended time? fuel filters, spark plugs, air filters, so on. check the computer for codes and other info [as much as you can for how much you can afford]. at the minumum gets any stored codes.

third, if you get this far, you should check the spark plug condition. it can tell you how the engine is running. look at all of them, and make sure not to mix them. you need to make sure you can see the condition of each. coloration, material build up, damage, fluid [oil or coolant or fuel] and more will tell you the condition of combustion chamber and cylinders and the info there is www searchable or you can inform us here.

fourth, if you get this far and still aren't sure, you should do a static compression check [leave those spark plugs out from number 3], and the engine shall be cool to the touch before you do this. record and compare measuredments with standard.

fifth if you get this far then use your car as a tradein . just kidding. then you should check the EGR function, fuel pressure, and VACUUM readings of the engine.

sixth, wow, you have a lot of tools, you should have know to check all of this. well, we all need a reminder [or a reason to buy tools] from time to time. you should check for malfunctioning distributor, less common head gasket failure modes, clogged catalytic converter, PCV failures / leaks of crankcase system..........maybe a mouse is living in your air meter or throttle body / intake manifold or she built a huge nest in there.. lol [actually its not a joke, it happens]

that's a lot. i need a breather. but that's pretty much everything i can think of during lunch that i go through diagnosing cars with problems with the little bit you gave me.

[sljorge]

Take a look at these pix:





I think I have a shorting issue with plug #3. Going to buy new plugs and wires now.

[eyeball96]

I have a feeling that new wires will solve your problem.

[sljorge]

It's amazing what a little short will do to your car! New plugs and wires did the trick!

She's back to her old self again, purring like a kitten.

Now I just need to fix the massive oil leak....


Whip_cracker gets the prize for correct diagnosis.

Thanks again for all the help!