1996 Camry 4 cyl, 2.2L engine stalls (intermittent)

[stingraycamry1996]

Hello all, i would greatly apreciate your help in diagnosing what's wrong with my 1996 4 cylinder 2.2L Camry 275 000kms.

The car stalls from time to time, the first time was after having gone up a hill and coming to a stop sign, it started to idle very low and stalled, i was able to start it up right away. the second stall was after a 10 minutes drive on flat surface and pulling into a gas station it stalled, i was able to start it up right away too, the third stall was after a 30 minutes highway drive and taking the exit and coming to a stop sign it stalled again and again i was able to restart it and continue.

here's what i have done so far.

1- changed the plugs
2- cleaned the TB
3- changed the air filter
4- changed the oil
5- changed thermostat
6- i was getting REALLY bad MPG (18 MPG) so i changed the coolant temp sensor located at the bottom of the rad... i'm now getting 26 MPG.

generally the car runs great and i'm getting great gas milleage now that i've changed the faulty coolant temp sensor but the ocasional stall is starting to tick me off a little.

any help would be greatly apreciated guys.

thanks !

[Novice_cardude]

Have you tried popping it into neutral when it's starting to idle really low to see if this makes a difference?

I'd say check/clean the Idle Air Control valve and see if your condition improves. If it's not throwing a code then it's not detecting a mixture or misfire problem. If it normally idles fine then it's not a consistent timing issue. Obviously if it starts right back up it's not likely to be an electrical problem... Sorry just thinking out loud ... i've got a bit of the holiday spirit mixed with some Red Bull making it's way around my blood stream.

Only other thing I can think of offhand is the TPS, and i can't think of a way to test that right now without a scan tool...

[Mike Gerber]

^ I agree with Novice_cardude about the idle air control valve causing the problem. Remove the air intake tube to the throttle body again and this time spray some O2 safe carb cleaner or throttle body cleaner liberally down in to the square hole in the base of the throttle body. That hole leads to the idle air control valve where your problem probably exists. Let the cleaner soak down there for 15 or 20 minutes. Then put everyhting back together and start the car and take it for a ride. See if the problem goes away. If not, try a second cleaning or remove the idle air control valve for a more thorough cleaning.

Mike

[Camry LE 94]

I was having the same problem with my 96 DX bro. I thought it would be the gas filter so I replaced that, but that didn't solve the problem.
Second, I searched for any leaking vacuum hoses. Sometimes older, more brittle hoses can crack at the ends if you accidentally push them while working on your car.
That must of been my problem because I located a slender, leaking air hose connecting from the firewall (I believe) to a small hole on the throttle body. When I actually found the leak, I moved the hose up and down to see if it would affect my idling and SURE ENOUGH, when I moved the hose, my car stalled! I was so relieved to find the problem by myself without having to run to a mechanic who would probably try to rip me off!

My car would usually stall upon deceleration to a turn or red light/stop sign, in the middle of traffic! It was getting extremely annoying!

Best of luck to you.

[mohlere]

Have you tried checking to see if you have oil in your distributor cap? I am working on a 1994 Camry and had to replace the oil seal on the distributor shaft......did not exhibit those symptoms, but would probably be worth checking.....just a thought.

[stingraycamry1996]

sorry for the long delay in replying.... but with the hollidays and since i dont do the repairs myself and have to wait until my mechanic has an opening ... so it's kinda long.

he just called me back tonight, he removed the idle air control valve and cleaned it and then he told me that something in the tank had rusted (evaporator ??) and there was lots of rust and crud on the bottom of the tank, so he took all the gas out (1/4 tank) cleaned the tank and put new gas in and chainged the strainer for the fuel pump. i can't wait to go get it tomorrow morning, i really hope this has solved my stalling problem.

will keep you posted

well, it's next morning, i picked up the car and filled it with gas and stalled 3 times on the way home.

i think i'll pop the hood and look for vaccum leaks, see if i find anything.... if not i fear it may be the fuel pump.

[zwfly]

cat converter?

[Conundrum]

how do you inspect cat converter?

[sc2dave]

Originally Posted by zwfly

cat converter?

why would it be the cat if he says it only does it at certain fuel levels?

[05DCLB]

Replace the EGR valve, if carbon forms on shaft it will stick open and idle rough or stall.

[CROYCE992]

i really can't speak for everyone but i for one saw a definite improvement in my gas mileage after running a few treatments of Lucas Oil Upper Cylinder Lubricant. im averaging about 2 more miles per gallon (low of 1 and high of 5 overall)

[fenixus]

Originally Posted by stingraycamry1996

6- i was getting REALLY bad MPG (18 MPG) so i changed the coolant temp sensor located at the bottom of the rad... i'm now getting 26 MPG.

hi. can i ask if you any trouble codes for bad ECT or did it start suddenly at some point in time ?
i'm having similar trouble with low mileage and crazy fuel trims at idle. was wondering about ECT sensor on my 5s-fe. did you test with multimeter to make sure it's bad ?

i'm now getting 19-21MPG while less than a year ago car could do 28 MPG or so. did full tune up and replaced oxygen sensors, ran sea foam through it and still no luck ...

[stingraycamry1996]

Originally Posted by fenixus

hi. can i ask if you any trouble codes for bad ECT or did it start suddenly at some point in time ?
i'm having similar trouble with low mileage and crazy fuel trims at idle. was wondering about ECT sensor on my 5s-fe. did you test with multimeter to make sure it's bad ?

i'm now getting 19-21MPG while less than a year ago car could do 28 MPG or so. did full tune up and replaced oxygen sensors, ran sea foam through it and still no luck ...

no codes, no check engine light or anything like that when the stalls happen, it was like that since i bought it six months ago.

i did not test it with a multimeter.

i did notice one thing though ... when the stalls happen now i just give the gas pedal a couple good pumps and rev the engine 4-5k rpm and let the gas off, then she idles fine.

after changing a lot of parts with no results i've decided to cut costs and live with the occasional stall every once in a while.

[stingraycamry1996]

a couple days ago i had the EGR valve & pipe cleaned ( they weren't clogged) the EGR valve tested good.

i also got the readings off my ECT ... after a couple minutes it reads 0.300 after 10 minutes warming up it settles at 0.255

i'm STILL getting the occasional stall when the engine is warm and i'm coming to a stop sign or traffic light.

[WhiteRabbit]

I have the exact problem as you. I replaced my ECT sensor and it did not solve the problem. I've been searching on what to replace next.