Engine skips- '98 XLE - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

LagunaMom · 07-31-2009, 07:32 PM

I've got a '98 XLE with 233k miles on it. We live in Phoenix (read: very hot weather), and lately the engine has been skipping at times when I accelerate. My hubby said it was jerking a lot on the way home. About a month ago, a sensor read that there'd been a misfire, and it was reset and never came on again. Can't take it in until tomorrow, but any ideas (other than age) what it could be? Or is it simply just age? It's our 3rd or 4th Camry, so I didn't think there'd be engine problems until we got to at least the 300k mark.
If it's too expensive, we'd get another used Camry. Hubby drives a lot so gas is consideration, as well as the cost of the vehicle itself. (Just had a pay cut.) Any suggestions for $7k or under?
Thanks.

Mike Gerber · 08-01-2009, 11:11 AM

When posting a question it is always best to agive as much information as possible. Which engine does this car have; I4 or V6? What was the exact code that was read about a month ago? What if anything has been done to the car recently?

If you have $7K to spend and the body of this car is in good shape, you will most likley be better off fixing the current problem, depending on what the problem actually is.

Mike

LagunaMom · 08-01-2009, 03:19 PM

It's a V6. Can't remember the code. I've just driven it for a few hours, and it appears the problems is when the car's in the lowest gear, as in backing up or getting onto the freeway-- both with the air conditioner on.
We put a couple of thou into it because it wouldn't pass the smog test. Don't remember what had to be replaced, though.

BTW: You're not the Mike Gerber who went to Senn H.S. in Chicago in the '60s, are you?

Mike Gerber · 08-01-2009, 03:52 PM

"BTW: You're not the Mike Gerber who went to Senn H.S. in Chicago in the '60s, are you?"

No, I'm the one who went to Sullivan H.S. in the 1960's, but I actually met the one you mentioned about 40 years ago while in college.

Without the code this is really just a guess, but you did say it was a missfire code and the problem was when accelerating. OBD2 codes can be a random missfire code which would be P0300. Specific cylinder missfire codes would be something like P0302, which would be a missfire in cylinder number 2. Do these codes ring a bell? We then have to start with the basics. Most missfires on a V6 engine are caused by worn spark plugs, or bad coils. When was the last time the spark plugs were replaced? They should be replaced every 60,000 miles. The coils generally last the life of the car, but can and do sometimes go bad. After these 2 basic things, the next thing to check than can cause a missfire would be the individual fuel injectors. Each cylidner has it's own fuel injector so when you get to this point it is really best to know the specific OBD2 code, because it may point to a specific cylinder. Have any of these items been changed or checked recently.

If it is a missfire code and it is not repaired, it will return. Then get it read for free at Autozone, if you have them in Phoenix, and report the code back here. Continuing to drive a car while missfiring can damage the catalytic converter. The unburned fuel that enters the missfiring cylinder must exit the cylinder through the exhaust valve and goes through the exhaust system. The catalytic converter is part of the exhaust system. Constant unburned fuel going through it will eventually damage the converter.

Mike

LagunaMom · 08-01-2009, 05:11 PM

Small world! That Mike Gerber is a friend of my husband's. I went to Lake View.
Where did you go to college? UI alum, here.
Just returned from the auto shop. It's a #3 cylinder misfire. We've never had the plugs changed, unfortunately. I think it was the converter that had to be replaced along with something else.
Yes, we have Auto Zone here.

Mike Gerber · 08-02-2009, 11:25 AM

I went to college at UIC, which was called UICC back then.

"It's a #3 cylinder misfire."

The code was probably P0303. Did the shop change the plugs and did that solve the problem?

Mike

LagunaMom · 08-02-2009, 03:03 PM

I just got it diagnosed yesterday; I'm taking it in for service in the morning.
I went for 2 1/2 years downstate but graduated at Circle in '73. Don't feel any affinity for the Chicago campus. I just ran out of money downstate and had to move back to Chicago to work for a semester.

Mike Gerber · 08-02-2009, 05:29 PM

I graduated from Circle in 71. Yes, it was pretty hard to have any feelings for the place back then. It was hard to get excited about all the glass and concrete.

Let us know what the tech does to correct the problem.

Mike