camry 2008 is getting weak

[st800]

I have a camry 08 with 4 cylinders and it seems like my camry is getting weaker. it has only been 3 years. and i can feel it weakness when running up hill. anyone notice that in their camry too? i am thinking of selling it and get a honda accord v6. i havent own a honda yet. Only been a tyota man!!

[Yuko]

How many miles is on it? Have you tune it up with new filters, oil, and plugs?

[st800]

Originally Posted by Yuko

How many miles is on it? Have you tune it up with new filters, oil, and plugs?

it has 50k on it. new spark, air filter--every 5k, coolant flush even though they said not needed but done anyway by toyota services, oil change every 3.5k even when they said every 5k, did the 30k service, 50 k minor service... did everything they said.

[Yuko]

With the engine in top running shape and the tire's inflated correctly. The only thing (might be far) I can think of is the hot weather. Having the A/C on puts a good load on the engine and warmer intake temperture have shown power loss but not by much. How bad is the power loss compare to three years ago?

[st800]

three year ago it ran great. I babied it until it passed the breaking period. I never once go pass 65 within the first 1000 miles.

at the time it was always "ready to roll" when u take the pedal off the gas.

now u have to step on the gas for it to go foward. I also notice that in my relative camry too. I think it is just the way it is.

[Yuko]

Any vehicle over time begins to lose some power due to age and wear. Even my sister's new Nissan Versa wore in. Off the dealership lot, it glides on the road wonderfully but only after 5k, she said she has to put her foot down to take off.

[Ahil]

Shouldnt be that bad. Fuel filters or injectors may be fouled?

Try finding some nice empty twisty roads/track and really giving the motor some work; 4krpm+ for an hour or so. If that doesnt fix it, then i dunno..

[TierOneSupplier]

This is a long shot, but try different brands of gasoline to see if you can tell any difference. I can sure tell a difference in our '98 Sienna. It runs great on some brands (BP and Shell) but with Marathon fuel, it would rather ping than get up and go. (This is with 87 octane regular). I don't know the situation in your part of the country, but here in Kentucky we have no labeling law so you never know when you're buying E10 (10% ethanol) and when you're not. This can result in a noticeable difference from one fill-up to the next.

[st800]

Originally Posted by Yuko

Any vehicle over time begins to lose some power due to age and wear. Even my sister's new Nissan Versa wore in. Off the dealership lot, it glides on the road wonderfully but only after 5k, she said she has to put her foot down to take off.

yeah.. unfortunately it has to come to that.

Originally Posted by Ahil

Shouldnt be that bad. Fuel filters or injectors may be fouled?

Try finding some nice empty twisty roads/track and really giving the motor some work; 4krpm+ for an hour or so. If that doesnt fix it, then i dunno..

is that a little too harsh?

Originally Posted by TierOneSupplier

This is a long shot, but try different brands of gasoline to see if you can tell any difference. I can sure tell a difference in our '98 Sienna. It runs great on some brands (BP and Shell) but with Marathon fuel, it would rather ping than get up and go. (This is with 87 octane regular). I don't know the situation in your part of the country, but here in Kentucky we have no labeling law so you never know when you're buying E10 (10% ethanol) and when you're not. This can result in a noticeable difference from one fill-up to the next.

only one gasoline since the day it got out of the lots!! Exxon

[Ahil]

Not harsh at all. The engine is designed to safely run up to the redline. Cars which have been granny'd everywhere the engine can become lazy and 'fatigue' so to speak. Giving it a spirited run at high rpms refreshes the engine by removing a bit of carbon build up and the increase in oil pressure during high rpms might assist in re-lubing and flushing the internals. Im not too sure on all the specifics, but it has worked in alot of cases. (Just make sure to be safe whilst doing it).

In the meantime, how many Kilometers/miles on your car? If its over 100K, it'll need a transmission filter and fluid flush (if that hasn't been done already).
Air filter can also play a huge part. My camry was similar to yours until i put a K&N air filter in it - it completely refreshed the engines performance (mine was at 200K km mark when the motor was fatigueing, but K&N filter brought it back to life)

[TierOneSupplier]

Originally Posted by Ahil

Not harsh at all. The engine is designed to safely run up to the redline. Cars which have been granny'd everywhere the engine can become lazy and 'fatigue' so to speak. Giving it a spirited run at high rpms refreshes the engine by removing a bit of carbon build up and the increase in oil pressure during high rpms might assist in re-lubing and flushing the internals.

Agreed! In fact, a trusted Toyota tech and friend recently wrote to me and said, "Not reving an engine will allow excessive carbon to build up inside of it and this could cause pinging or spark knock. Toyotas are meant to be driven. DO NOT BABY IT"

[islandboy57]

For what it's worth, my '05 (same engine as yours) feels just as good as it did when I first got it, if not better. Timely synthetic oil changes and good tires make a big difference. Are you still on the same tires? If yes, is it time to change them? If no, perhaps it's not a good tire?

My gf has an '09 Camry (same engine as yours too) and it feels good too. It shakes a bit more at idle with the A/C on than I'd like but nothing out of the oridnary for a four-cylinder. We've got the same tires - Michelin Pilot Exaltos - and use the same Castrol EDGE synthetic oil.

[minizcule1]

I had my fuel injectors cleaned by professional and that breathed new life into my 2000 camry.