new solara owner, already problems

[fenixus]

Hello everybody!

A month ago bought nice 2000 Solara 4-cylinder. like this car very much but after a week of nice driving problems started.
First of all I changed oil right after purchase, then I replaced the air filter. I filled gas tank with Premium gas from Getty. car was working nice until suddenly the RPMs started to go lower and lower, I almost completely lost acceleration and several times had trouble with power. Finally bought new Duralast Gold battery. unfortunately it didn't solve the problem. Last Friday when I was coming back from work the engine in my car shut down several times when I was stopping for red light. RPMs were as low as 100-200 and engine was working really rough and shutting down itself after some time.
A friend of mine checked air intake, air hose and everything around it, it all seems to work fine.
Finally he adjusted the RPM screw so I can keep the engine running, tommorrow I wanna take my car for computer check up, maybe it will tell where the problem is.

Separate thing is when I turn on the blower (not the A/C) and set it for max (step 4) RPMs (Parking gear) drop down from 900 to 600 and all lights become dim for a second. When I turn it on on Drive gear RPMs drop down from 500 to 300 which is even more amazing for me. I thought that idling engine (D) should have 900 RPM...

What should I check next? fuses, relays, computer, fan?

Any ideas what may have happened to it? Anyone had similiar problems?

Please help.





Best regards,
Kuba.

[Guamaniac]

Is the check engine light coming on? From what u describe, it could be a multitude of problems but I would 1st do some diagnostics to narrow down the issue...I have a 2001 Solara, and one day it started running really bad, and idled rough...My check engine light did come on though, and the error code pulled pointed to a bad coil pack, so I would definately run the diagnostic test....

[fenixus]

Hi,

engine check light appeared once after my friend dissasembled air hosing and some wires and put it back all together. he disconnected battery cables for 1 miinute and then connected them and the engine check light disappeared. morover the fluctuation of RPMs stopped and now it happens only when turning on the blower which is still not quite normal...

I will see my mechanic tommorrow to check the computer for error codes. hopefully this will give some light on the issue.

should I be also worried about sparkplugs and wires?

Thanks,
Kuba.

[Guamaniac]

Well IMO, since you bought this car used, and you sound like someone who cares about having a good running vehicle, then if you don't have any maintenence history on the car, I would start from scratch....

Pay the extra money for some peace of mind, and get a tuneup and replace the plugs, and do all the things you would normally do on a mid-grade tune up.... Let your mechanic know what your friend did with your car so if he pulls the codes from the car's computer he can trace it back to what your friend was messing with or if it is an entirely seperate issue....Once your car is running good, you should be a happy Solara owner Goodluck!

[fenixus]

I just love cars, especially this one
tuesday morning's visit at mechanic's workshop will hopefully discover the truth for my current problem(s). will do the tune up (sparkplugs & cables) too since do not want anything bad happening to the engine.

Let you now asa I know something new myself.

[PoshPepper]

Do a diagnostics and go from there, too many things that it could be to be guessing, also Good luck!

[fenixus]

Hello again,

Unfortunately my mech doesn't do electrics and do not have a code reader
Anyway I went to AutoZone and guys there can do a computer scan for free. they use simple device from Actron which shows I think only current problems. Well for me it didn't work since a friend of mine disconnected the battery in order to reset Check Engine Light. I was stupid because this Check Engine Light mean that computer recognised an error and if I used a code reader that time I would know what the problem was.

But the good thing is that the seller of my car is an electrician and my mech says he's got PC software reader (they know each other). perhaps he will know what wrong is. Maybe it is just some electrical shortcut. someone says that when blower or electrical windows cause RPM to drop it means that some "mass wires" have poor contact with car body. Will see car electrician tonight after work. hopefully as previous owner he knows the deal...

Guys, please if you have 2000 Solara (4-cyl) write me correct engine RPM readings for all gears (Park, Drive, Neutral, Reverse) since my friend and me messed up with the screw for adjusting RPMs. Now I do not know the correct values.
Currently I have 700 rpm when P, 500 for D. IMO this is way too low, but to be honest this car is my first japanese one, so I don't really know...

[Guamaniac]

Hi Fen....Well, it seems that you're making things more difficult for you then it should be....I know you probably have been dealing with your mechanic for awhile and trust him, but tbh, I really think you need to deal with someone who #1 has the tools and equipment you need for your vehicle, and #2 has a good understanding of your vehicle....

I know the manufacturer is very expensive, so I take my Solara to a "TOS" (Toyota only service" repair shop...All their mechanics are Toyo certified, and most of them used to work for Toyota...Also, they only use genuine Toyota parts, not parts from Napa or Kragen....TBH, you probably will pay a little more, but you get what you pay 4....

Anyways, I can't believe your machanic doesn't have the equipment to pull the error code for your Solara...Most repair shops have them, as emission problems, and electrical are a big reason for repairs in the 1st place....Anyway..goodluck


Edit-As 4 your last question, I also advise you to stop letting your friend mess with your vehicle!!! =) Just take it to a reputrable shop, and have all the issues addressed and fixed, and be done with it, and start driving your car and enjoying it rather then worrying about it....

[fenixus]

Just came back from the seller-electrician. well... hmmm.. i'm not 100% satisfied, but it was for free
anyway replaced spark plugs with the same make - Denso. it came up that now rpms are not as big problem as they were before, they still fluctuate a little bit when engine idling, but it's better than it was
that guy had a few programs like DigiMoto and OBDII Collector. the on-board computer does not generate any errors at all. again adjusted rpm screw but as above it's not perfect yet.

tbh I know what you mean Guamaniac, but this car was running nice in first place so I'm thinking of fuel. just realized that my problems started right after filling up the tank with Super f**kin' fuel from Gulf. probably there was some water in it and it caused problems with idling. some minor electrical fluctuations are still present and I don't like it, but I think I need more time to think of it before going to certified Toyota only workshop heh
i just have more.

tbh again, I can say that this car was somewhat neglected, it was standing for 6 months in the garage before purchase, oil was old (over 3000 miles for sure, but not black of course), air filter clogged with some leaves and dust, spark plugs old (one rusted). moreover this car had fire under the hood a few years ago, so some parts were replced with not known make ones... i'm not a rich guy heh so going to toyota cert. shop may become a big chalenge for my wallet

will test it in close future, so time will show... for now i stay 95% happy.

for now I consider testing & replacing fuel injectors, because electric problems occur ONLY when engine is started. id doesn't seem to appear when turning ignition key to READY position. anyway, time will show...

thanks for suggestions and help, will be around here always

[SolaraTRD]

When taking off a battery & putting it back on or replacing it with a new one, it does reset the ECU. not only the check engine light (cel) turns off, the ECU has to reconfigure timing and detonation of the engine.

The engine will run a bit rough and idle with rpm's "rattling" After a week when the ECU adjusts, the engine hopefully should be running back to normal. I had a CEL light on my solara. Disconnected the battery, put it back on, CEL didn't come on until exactly a week later. Disconnected, then a week, same thing.

it takes awhile. Just wanted to point that out.



ALSO.. if that CEL light is on, a diagnostic from autozone will give you a hint to what it is... but forking over $80 for a certified toyota to do a diagnostic, they give you a FULL/COMPLETE overview and pinpoint EXACTLY what and where is going wrong. hope that helps.

[fenixus]

Thanks SolaraTRD. I wasn't aware of the fact that ECU adjusts for a week... it means that if I had important CEL it will show up again this Saturday afternoon and engine rpms should become steady if there is no problems at all.
So far no more problems with RPM drop down after turning on A/C, blower or anything else it's even opposite, now when I turn on blower and A/C at the same time RPMs are getting higher about +100 which I think is better

I will obseerve my car's behaviour until Sunday and if some problems persist (or CEL comes up) I will probably go to Toyota cert. 'shop for complete test. If I don't experience more problems I probably stay with what I have

[SolaraTRD]

Originally Posted by fenixus

Thanks SolaraTRD. I wasn't aware of the fact that ECU adjusts for a week... it means that if I had important CEL it will show up again this Saturday afternoon and engine rpms should become steady if there is no problems at all.
So far no more problems with RPM drop down after turning on A/C, blower or anything else it's even opposite, now when I turn on blower and A/C at the same time RPMs are getting higher about +100 which I think is better

I will obseerve my car's behaviour until Sunday and if some problems persist (or CEL comes up) I will probably go to Toyota cert. 'shop for complete test. If I don't experience more problems I probably stay with what I have

I was relieved when I saw my CEL dissappear when I disconnected the battery. Car ran fine. It was a sensor malfunction. Week later, that bastard came back on. redid the battery, came back on about a week later. It was somethign I couldn't get rid of.

If it does come back on again, don't disconnect that battery and take it to diagnostic. That'll be 100% full-proof you would know what is wrong with the solara.

Good luck

PS... Start saving now, cause labor costs are rape in the arse.

[fenixus]

My friend adjusted engine's RPM's again after I replaced spark plugs, so currently car retrieved its performance
heh, already received a speeding ticket a few hours after that

Anyway, finally found the source of problem for my electric power fluctuations. Since it happens ONLY when the engine is running, it's coming from an alternator. Measured voltage and here it is, meter says 13.40 V - 13.65 V, which is unfortunately too low. I was told that it should be at least 13.70 V up to 14.20 V Probably will need to replace alternator soon and hopefully this is gonna be the end for my solara repairs