Wife said the '98 2.2L "Hiccupped" on the freeway today......

[redgtxdi]

Just when I think I'm getting ahead, here we go. I'm dropping the poor thing off at a local "reputable" mechanic tomorrow to give a go at getting that funky steering issue resolved.........so what happens today, the day before I think I'm starting on the right track??........ The wife tells me the thing "hiccupped" on the freeway today. I'm like, WTF? How?

She told me it was at cruising speed and it just sorta "paused". I just hung my head & thought.......(Hmmm, I just bought one new car, hell why not another?)

Any ideas???




Oh, on top of this new problem, I've also got to:

1.) Get new passenger side power window switch (tang on rearward edge broke & now when you shut the door the whole assembly pops out of the armrest. (nice)

2.) Glue the driver's side interior cloth back on the panel. I don't know how it started falling down & not sure I want to know.

3.) Figure out some kind of repaint option as the clear coat is starting to peel away now.

[fenixus]

sounds like a few possible issues, but most likely something covered by minor tune up items (spark plugs, plug wireset, fuel filter, air filter).

[ghettosled]

this happens to me when my throttlebody (and idle air control valve) starts to get gummed up. a can of cleaner does the trick for me.

[redgtxdi]

Originally Posted by ghettosled

this happens to me when my throttlebody (and idle air control valve) starts to get gummed up. a can of cleaner does the trick for me.

That would be a relief if that's all it is. Which one is the IAC valve again??

I once had to spray some TB cleaner in the butterfly a few years ago when that sucker would "stick" from the closed position. You'd sit at a stop light and go to hit the gas, but the pedal would stick til you pushed hard. Freaked me out. Finally did that & all was well.

I never took the TB completely off as I didn't want to ruin the gasket but maybe I'll do that this time & clean everything really well. Could I do it without replacing gasket?

TIA

[fenixus]

if this car had trouble with a sticky throttle plate then maybe IAC valve is same sticky still, it's hard to clean thoroughly when spraying through the opening.

check the DIYs in Camry FAQ sticky section, they cover both on car IAC cleaning and its remvoal along with the Throttle Body (gaskets need to be replaced).

[redgtxdi]

So as an update....... It did the "hiccup" thing to me 3 times on the way home yesterday whilst looking for the mechanic who WASN'T there. (8am to 5pm)

I can honestly say it literally does "hiccup". It's like it falls on its face for a split second as if somebody pulled the coil wire. I'm looking at a highly recommended new mechanic to check out the steering issue but he can't look at the car today so it'll have to wait 'til Monday. (Any mechanics wanna work anymore?)

Sooooo.....if I get really motivated tomorrow, I'll do the IAC myself, but looking at the DIY on removing that sucker, I would not look forward to that job. I see emphatic cursing involved in that little thing.

[fenixus]

first check the basics, so:
1. make sure the air filter is clean or replace it with a new one (any paper one does the trick)
2. unplug spark plug wires and check resistance between both ends, should be no more than 25K ohm - numbers will vary with length of wire, but generally cannot be higher than 25K.
3. remove the spark plugs and see how they look like.

new NGK TE58 wireset (for 4cyl gen4 camry) is very cheap on amazon or in advance auto if you order online with one of their discount codes (and local pickup in store nearby). same about the Denso plugs, OE is Denso Double Platinum PK20TR11.

fuel filter is harder to get too, so try adding a bottle of 24oz Chevron techron concentrated fuel system cleaner to fuel tank and see if it helps.

generally first three items can be replaced every few years or 60k miles to keep the car tuned well. fuel filter is a good idea to repalce around 100k miles, it's nowhere near lifetime as dealer claims.

also spray the hell out of IAC with a TB cleaner (let it soak for 15 minutes), I had best results with Sea Foam Deep Creep foamy spray cleaner.

[redgtxdi]

Thanks for the shopping advice!! And actually, I had the fuel filter changed about 5 years ago (@ 120,000 miles, at 191,000 now) so I probably wouldn't suspect that just yet. However, I think it's been about the same period of time since plugs/wires/cap/rotor so I'd be inclined to change those just to change 'em anyway.

Air cleaner was changed a couple months ago so all good there.

IAC I'll give a go but probably have to set aside a solid day just to make sure I'm covered for time.

[hardtopte72]

Fuel filter on gen 3 and gen 4 is not lifetime. It is a 60k mile filter IIRC. Only lifetime filters are in tank filters.

[fenixus]

^ yeah, they are not lifetime, Haynes actually recommends very short intervals on everything, like:

fuel filter every 60k miles
plugs (double electrode), and wireset every 30k miles <- to keep them at top notch specs
air filters every 12k miles
trans fluid exchange every 15k miles (severe conditions) or 30k miles (normal conditions)
diff fluid exchange every 30k miles (severe conditions) or 60k miles (normal conditions)
etc.

however real life numbers can get a little higher, e.g. I still have original OEM plug wireset on V6 at nearly 130k miles and it works fine.
OEM fuel filters are not bad, they can last a while, but still I would personally swap them out every 60k miles as mentioned above. with aftermarket fuel filters I wouldn't even consider using it for more than 30k miles though ...

I think dealers don't even have a change interval on fuel filters, that's why I think they consider them lifetime (which is BS obviously).

[redgtxdi]

And I think we've covered this before, but isn't the trans/diff on the 2.2L Gen 4 "shared"???

I know I've changed trans fluid / had it flushed several times over the years but never any specific mention of diff.

My '95 Prizm has a separate diff drain & fill but they're quite obvious, if not at least the drain part.

???

[fenixus]

no, on 2.2L gen4 the trans chamber is separate from the diff chamber. you don't fill them together, there is a separate fill plug on the back of diff for that purpose.

Originally Posted by redgtxdi

And I think we've covered this before, but isn't the trans/diff on the 2.2L Gen 4 "shared"???

[redgtxdi]

Hmmm........well then I may very well have the same diff oil in there for 200,000 miles, eh?

I had the trans pan dropped, cleaned, replaced once about 3 years ago as I didn't have the time to clean up all the mess. Would that have required diff oil refill at that time??

(cringing at the thought of what 200,000 mile diff oil would look like)

[redgtxdi]

OK a couple more questions....

#1.) Do 5sfe trans/diff share the same *drain* plug?? (IOW, as I've had the trans flushed regularly, I'd assume somebody would have, at some time, thought about the diff unless it gets done at the same time anyway, no?)

#2.) What about cap & rotor while I'm doing the plugs & wires and preferred brand? (I spoke w/ the mech who did the Control Arm Bushings for me today & he said not to bother w/ the TB/IAC. No probs at idle = no probs w/ IAC. Plugs, wires are where the prob would be.)

???

[JohnGD]

Originally Posted by redgtxdi

#1.) Do 5sfe trans/diff share the same *drain* plug?? (IOW, as I've had the trans flushed regularly, I'd assume somebody would have, at some time, thought about the diff unless it gets done at the same time anyway, no?)

No. There are separate drains/fills for both the transmission and the differential.

Originally Posted by redgtxdi

#2.) What about cap & rotor while I'm doing the plugs & wires and preferred brand? (I spoke w/ the mech who did the Control Arm Bushings for me today & he said not to bother w/ the TB/IAC. No probs at idle = no probs w/ IAC. Plugs, wires are where the prob would be.)

???

NGK ignition parts. Including Iridium-IX plugs.