RPM low, car doesnt turn on

[elmasduro]

Hi all, i have a toyota camry 2002 with 154k miles. the last couple of days the car was taking a little longer than usual to crank up but it will turn on. i was thinking the battery is bad. after 3 days, i went to the store and when i went to turn on the car it will not crank at all. i thought it was the battery. i boosted but will not turn on at all. then i press the accelerator while boosting and it turned on right away. when i left the accelerator pedal go, it turned off. so i tried and again and as long as i keep the rpm a little lower than 1000, the car will stay on.

i noticed that usually the RPM stayed below 1000 before the problem happen which is normal. now when i go to my car the RPM is at 0 which make me believe some type of sensor is bad. so i tried the following to make sure they work find.

1. i tried with a good working battery and car turns on the first time. i turned it off and no start.
i press accelator pedal and works fine as long as i keep it above 0. if i take the foot off the
foot of the pedal, it goes back to 0 which is not normal

2. i disconnect the battery and let the car run on the alternator and it stayed on while pressing the pedal.

3. it cannot be the starter, cars turn on when i press the pedal on the good working battery my friend lend me.

so the only thing is that there is something that is letting dropping the rpm to 0 and that is not letting the car turn on. rmp should be slightly below 1000 when car is off. i dont think it is normal if it drops to 0. any ideas out there of what could be the problem? thanks a lot

[judge34411]

Originally Posted by elmasduro

Hi all, i have a toyota camry 2002 with 154k miles. the last couple of days the car was taking a little longer than usual to crank up but it will turn on. i was thinking the battery is bad. after 3 days, i went to the store and when i went to turn on the car it will not crank at all. i thought it was the battery. i boosted but will not turn on at all. then i press the accelerator while boosting and it turned on right away. when i left the accelerator pedal go, it turned off. so i tried and again and as long as i keep the rpm a little lower than 1000, the car will stay on.

i noticed that usually the RPM stayed below 1000 before the problem happen which is normal. now when i go to my car the RPM is at 0 which make me believe some type of sensor is bad. so i tried the following to make sure they work find.

1. i tried with a good working battery and car turns on the first time. i turned it off and no start.
i press accelator pedal and works fine as long as i keep it above 0. if i take the foot off the
foot of the pedal, it goes back to 0 which is not normal

2. i disconnect the battery and let the car run on the alternator and it stayed on while pressing the pedal.

3. it cannot be the starter, cars turn on when i press the pedal on the good working battery my friend lend me.

so the only thing is that there is something that is letting dropping the rpm to 0 and that is not letting the car turn on. rmp should be slightly below 1000 when car is off. i dont think it is normal if it drops to 0. any ideas out there of what could be the problem? thanks a lot

Your kinda tossing a lot of stuff in here.

So to start when was the last time you did any general maintenance? An what did you do?

When did you change plugs, cleaned throttle body, changed air filter and such?

maybe best we start there? An any lights stay on in the dash?

[elmasduro]

i bought this car used 2 years ago and the previous owner used to maintained it very well. i havent change the spark plugs, the air filter was change like 1 1/2 years ago, i havent clean the throttle body. no lights in the dashboard. basically, the car doesnt turn on or crank. rpm idle is at zero. when i get boost the car will only turn on when i press the gas pedal and try to turn it on at the same time. if i let go gas pedal, rpm will drop to zero and car turn off.

[judge34411]

Originally Posted by elmasduro

i bought this car used 2 years ago and the previous owner used to maintained it very well. i havent change the spark plugs, the air filter was change like 1 1/2 years ago, i havent clean the throttle body. no lights in the dashboard. basically, the car doesnt turn on or crank. rpm idle is at zero. when i get boost the car will only turn on when i press the gas pedal and try to turn it on at the same time. if i let go gas pedal, rpm will drop to zero and car turn off.

Well, you will need to spend some money bro. You are going to need to do all the basics. Oil change, air filter, Fuel filter, plugs, leads, and such. You are over due. If it runs with foot on pedal and dies without it, it is choking. Basically anything that keeps it clean or keeps it lubricated. An the throttle body as well. More than likely your battery is finished, and maybe your alternator has an issue. I am surprised your check engine light is not on.

If your not doing it yourself expect around $300-$700

Just about the most I can tell you with information provided. Good luck

EDIT: You do mean it starts with a boost right? Or it just keeps cranking? If it just keeps cranking without starting take off the air filter and have some one put there hand over the air inlet. If the person feels air puffing back you got a timing belt change needed. That is a few hundred bucks at a garage

Sorry I am having trouble understanding the way you are stating the problem

[Agent556]

timing belt only applies to 6 cylinder. need to know if OP's car is 6 cyl or 4 cyl.

i would say to look at the alternator if the car isn't holding idle

[judge34411]

Originally Posted by Agent556

timing belt only applies to 6 cylinder. need to know if OP's car is 6 cyl or 4 cyl.

i would say to look at the alternator if the car isn't holding idle

I Sorta read that he had it running just on the alternator with no battery connected if he keeps his foot on the gas. An he has done no maintenance in 2 years from the sound of it.

That comment about the timing belt was a question if it was running or not. And 4 or 6 cyl still have timing belt do not understand that comment?

[Agent556]

Originally Posted by judge34411

That comment about the timing belt was a question if it was running or not. And 4 or 6 cyl still have timing belt do not understand that comment?

4 cyl uses a timing chain, not a belt

[judge34411]

Originally Posted by Agent556

4 cyl uses a timing chain, not a belt

Did not know that about such early Toyota's sorry.

EDIT: But I think you understand my progression for his fix. My first Toyota, a 2010 so learning the differences.

[BlackCamSe]

When ur battery died it reset your ecu. Start the car and put it in drive with the ebrake on and just let it idle. Help it at first if it won't stay running

[sxe-10]

OP mentioned his car was having trouble cranking a couple of days earlier, if its the case with the battery resetting ecu, try what blackcamse mentioned. Also you should check your plugs, check if your air intake or filter is clogged, check if your fuel pump is working properly, have a friend crank it and listen if the fuel pump is making any noises, if not your fuel pump is dead or has an issue, lastly could also be fuel pump pressure, have a mechanic check it out if you are unsure what to look for.

[BlackCamSe]

Originally Posted by sxe-10

OP mentioned his car was having trouble cranking a couple of days earlier, if its the case with the battery resetting ecu, try what blackcamse mentioned. Also you should check your plugs, check if your air intake or filter is clogged, check if your fuel pump is working properly, have a friend crank it and listen if the fuel pump is making any noises, if not your fuel pump is dead or has an issue, lastly could also be fuel pump pressure, have a mechanic check it out if you are unsure what to look for.

He was probably experianceing the symptoms of a dieing battery. Slow cranking will def take longer to start the car. A dieing battery can do many strange things to your car...

[johnnyzee]

Originally Posted by elmasduro

1. i tried with a good working battery and car turns on the first time. i turned it off and no start.
i press accelator pedal and works fine as long as i keep it above 0. if i take the foot off the
foot of the pedal, it goes back to 0 which is not normal

sounds like the alternator is shot and can't keep the charge going to the battery (or it puts out too little charge). Also, repeatedly killing the newer battery from your buddy could have fawked up that battery as well.

Here's how to simply check both:

simple test is grab a voltmeter and measure across the battery terminals while the car is running (put meter in Vdc). it needs to read higher than 12V...from experience 14+ Volts while car is on indicates the alternator is good and charging...any less, the alternator is cooked.

now turn off the car, and measure across the battery terminals while it is off. It should read around 12V. If less, you're battery is shot and cannot hold charge.

[mxsmith]

Clean the MAF sensor on the intake. I had a similar problem with my V6 after replacing my battery. Would not start unless you gave it a little throttle, would not idle.

It takes 2 minutes to clean the sensor.