Engine has extreme sputters, shakes, and hesitates on acceleration - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

eki · 02-07-2012, 07:44 PM

I'm new to the forum and need help.
I own a Celica '00 and have been driving it for 8 years. In the last year I've noticed that my CEL started coming on. Did some scans and got P0171 error code from Autozone. The Celica was running lean and took some time to accelerate but run fine for a while. It got worse soon and I took it to a mechanic. He diagnosed a bad Cat Converter and he replaced it with an universal one. He also replaced the first Oxygen sensor, Spark Plugs, Fuel Pump and the Mass Air Flow sensor. Car's CEL came back one after 10 miles of driving. At that time I put in a 4" silencer for my muffler. The silencer had a 2.5" opening and worked well to lower the muffler noise. The CEL was still on and I disconnected the negative on the battery to see if I can reset it. Well, once I connected it back and tried to turn on my Car all hell broke loose. The engine now has extreme sputters, shakes and hesitates to accelerate above 5-10mph. I barely drove it back to the mechanic. He still is not sure what the problem is, he thinks replacing the other sensors and troubleshooting the coils should be the next step. I'm wondering if my silencer could have caused any damage? Also, I'm wondering if there is valve damage inside the cylinder? The code we're getting now is Cylinder 4 misfire. What about the Fuel filter? I don't think it has been changed at all. The car is at 122,000 miles right now. Looking for smart advice. Have been reading forums all over the place but not sure what to do next. Thanks!

dontsurf · 02-08-2012, 04:56 AM

Change your mechanic!

Get another opinion - this guy is clearly just replacing bits as an when without being sure that they're the cause of the problem. My guess is you've spent a fortune with him, but you've seen no clear improvement.

Seriously, get a third brain on this. Or a second one, given your current mechanic's performance.

deputylawdog · 02-08-2012, 05:23 AM

hey eki, i'm having the same problem with my car, i can drive if i barely press in the gas pedal, like maybe half an inch, i get acceleration, then the rest of the range i get no acceleration, then when i push it to full throttle it goes, i have replaced the exhaust (bad cat), spark plugs, and drive belt, and i sea-foamed the engine, which fixed it temporarily, until i got in it this morning. i'm going to keep trying to fix it. if you find out anything, repost. just thought i'd say a couple things i've done so far.

eki · 02-08-2012, 07:35 AM

@dontsurf
He is my second mechanic. That's why I'm here to find more advice. I feel like anywhere I got the same answer: lets keep changing parts until we find the problem ($$$). I haven't been to a mechanic that has engine diagnosis equip. Can't even take it to the Toyota dealer since I barely made it to current mechanic at 5-10mph.

@deputylawdog
Thanks for sharing the experience! I haven't done the sea-foam idea yet... at least your car accelerates @ full throttle. Mine seems like it's locked at 5-10mph and I barely made it up a hill! I will keep updating this thread if I find a solution. Keep me posted as well!

Another thing I forgot to mention: I had the CEL flashing for couple of seconds when I was driving in this condition. It disappeared and hasn't come back. I know that means misfire and is not a good thing...
I'm really leaning towards replacing the fuel filter. Lots of signs pointing to the fuel filter. The mechanic is in the process of trouble shooting the coils. He will let me know what he finds out today.

deputylawdog · 02-08-2012, 12:36 PM

I got the codes read. cyl 4 misfire. and that was when i pulled out the spark plugs, there was a really thick coat of oil and carbon. if i can't find an answer here soon, i'm just going to get it rebuilt. i think thats the easiest way to go now, one of my friends said they'd show me how and do it with me. my engine light also goes from flickering to solid on. don't let your mechanic keep part swapping, in the end you're just going to be left with a hole in your pocket. i'll keep you updated on things i try.

eki · 02-09-2012, 12:34 PM

So decided to take into the dealer shop for engine analysis today. Hopefully Toyota will be able to pin point the real problem. I will keep you posted.

deputylawdog · 02-11-2012, 12:52 PM

did you find out anything new when you took it to the toyota dealer? i'm about to take it to a friend and he's an awesome mechanic, hopefully he can give me more information on what we need to do to get our cars working. i'll keep you posted.

eki · 02-12-2012, 09:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deputylawdog

did you find out anything new when you took it to the toyota dealer? i'm about to take it to a friend and he's an awesome mechanic, hopefully he can give me more information on what we need to do to get our cars working. i'll keep you posted.

Yes. They told me that all 4 fuel injectors are damaged and need to be replaced. The dealer quote was over $800 for that replacement work! I decided to have my mechanic do it. It will cost me $400 parts and labor. He will be replacing them on Monday and I reply here for the final outcome. Good luck to all of us!

OldElPaseo · 02-19-2012, 09:31 AM

i don't know those celica very well because i own a 1993 celica. but i think a very oily spark plug doesn't have anything to do with the injectors. i think you should have a compression test done first. i would be more suspicious on valve problem which lets oil be sucked in the 4th cylinder. does it smoke blue ? does the oil go down a lot ?
i doubt its the head gasket since you didn't mention overheating, but check just in case if oil and coolant are contaminated, takes 2 minutes.