'92 Camry Hot Start Problem -Overheated Throttle Body?

[Joan Sing]

Thank you folks for all the help over the years that have kept my Toyotas running. Now I have a problem that has me stumped. My 2.2 liter '92 Camry, has a hot start problem. When it is fully warmed up and I shut it off and leave it sit for around 20 - 50 minutes, it will start and run poorly for a few seconds and then die and won't start until the engine cools down. The only solution that I've found is to pour about a quart of water or snow over the throttle body and let it sit for a minute. Then it will always start, run rough for a few seconds and then run normally. This doesn't happen if the engine is stopped for five minutes, just during that 20 - 50 minute window. This has happened when the outside temp. is 80F or -5F. The engine is not overheating, there is proper coolant level and a new thermostat. It runs well other than that one problem. I cleaned the throttle body and IAC without taking it off the car, but that didn't make a difference. Could this be a EGR problem? Why would the cold water be a solution?

I'd really appreciate any help for this nagging problem. Sometimes it's hard to find liquid water this time of year. Thank you.

[1996camry]

check your ignition coil (electronic) that is located inside the distributor cover. you have to remove distributor cover. if the ignition coil went bad, the car is hard to start when its hot. it can starts when its cold.

I'm not sure if your model has ignition coil or not, but I am sure your car has distributor.
report back!

[Joan Sing]

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll try that. I would have tried that earlier, but I would think that if the coil was the problem, it would fail to start any time the engine is hot. Also, pouring cold water on the TB seems to fix the problem every time. That makes me think that it's related to a sensor, valve or something on the TB.

Thank you.

[hill8570]

Symptoms sound more like vapor lock than anything else...not something you normally see on FI rigs, 'tho.

Which part of the TB are you dumping water on? Just the plenum, or are you hitting the throttle body itself (where the throttle plate and the IAC are)?

Since the injectors are on the firewall side of the plenum and TB, I'm wondering if you just happen to be cooling off the injectors or fuel lines when you dump on the TB.

Not a lot of sensors on the TB itself. The TPS (throttle position sensor) is the only one that springs to mind.

You should make a habit of bringing along an old spark plug. Next time this happens, pop off one of the plug boots and check for spark.

[Mike Gerber]

In addition to testing the coil as suggested by 1996camry, also check the engine coolant temperature sensor. Toyota callls this an ECT sensor in their manuals. It's the sensor under the greeen plastic connector, on a port just to the right of the cylinder head, as you are standing in front of the engine. That sensor may be out of range and telling the computer the engine is always cold. This will provide a richer than normal fuel mixture. The mixture may be fine for starting a cold engine, but too rich to restart a warm engine. You will need a digital volt/ohmeter and the specs from any manual to do this test. If you don't have a manual available, you can download one for free at the top of the Camry forum over at AutomotiveForums.com. Download the generation 3 manual.

Mike