Camry runs poorly after cam-belt change...

[Nortonguy]

I thought I was doing really well with the work on my 2000 Camry 2.2. I put in a new cam-belt right on the marks, new crank an cam seals and idlers, and a new water pump and housing. New steering and alternator belts and new double-wire platinum ngk plugs, oil change, new radiator hoses, thermostat and coolant.

Car started right up, but after it warmed up while sitting there, it quits running. I thought maybe the ecm needed trained because the battery had been disconnected, so I go for a drive and the car is cutting out off-idle then it catches again with more throttle. As long as I am either giving it a quarter or more throttle or idling, I can drive the car, it accelerates okay. But at a cruise when given a little throttle to maintain speed it cuts out. Sitting at a light is a crap-shoot, it may keep running or it may not. When it does idle it is about 500rpm indicated, but after a minute or two it will start to cough and surge.

Anyway, before I did all this work the car ran absolutely perfect. It idled forever and ran faultlessly with really good power.

I thought the car was going to run better because I found the cam belt was a tooth off, and it had some cheap looking champion plugs in it with single side-wires.

Crap.....

[Mister_Perkins]

sounds like you might have a problem with the ignition system, or your timing jumped.

[Nortonguy]

I found it! I was staring at stuff under the hood and on the driver's side of the engine compartment way in the rear corner a couple of large vacuum hoses about 5/8" O.D. come up from somewhere and plug into something else(sorry about the ambiguity). One of these was not attached to anything. So I looked around and found a place to put it close to where it's mate was landed, clamped it back on and that ended all the problems.

This hose was clamped on, maybe the engine moved around during the cam-belt change and pulled it off. Hard to believe as it was a tight fit and it's clamp had to be loosened to push it home. Maybe someone had it off in the past and did not put it back on securely?

Anyway, I will try to look up exactly what it is for and post it here.

Just one more thing to watch out for during a cam belt change, screwing something up on the opposite side of the engine bay far away from where any work was done, weird....