[phyl26]

I got another question for anyone out there that knows why Toyota Tercels idle rough when they are cold or have not been driven for awhile. That is what my 91 Toy
Tercel DX is doing. If it has set all night and I go to start it, it will either die and I have to restart it or it idles rough for about couple minutes and then is fine. Could it be the fule injection and if so what is the best brand to put in your gas tank to clean out your fuel injection? Or should you even put anything in your gas to help the fuel injection? After engine warms up the car drives great. So I don't have a clue as to why it idles rough when cold. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I know zip about cars. That is why I ask you guys cuz I know some of you have done work on your cars or are mechanics. Thanks for reading. :whatwhat:

 

[justincyoung]

why Toyota Tercels idle rough when they are cold or have not been driven for awhile

A while, as in 6 months? If its been a long while the gas could have gone bad. Try running through another tank if this is the case.

 

[Tercel GTS]

Mine was doing that last week, I think it was bad fuel.

 

[phyl26]

Bad Fuel?????????????

Mine was doing that last week, I think it was bad fuel.

Clue me in to what kind of gas is bad fuel. We go to the Beacon gas station( cheaper gas prices) or Chevron if we put on c.card. As to lengthof time it has been idling rough its been about 3 weeks. What gets me though is the fact we just had a tune up done on the car about 4 months ago. Thats why we thought it may have been fuel injector causing it to idle rough cuz its not getting a steady stream of gas. or maybe a little clogged? We had a lot of work done with the tune up. had a tranny flush, oil change, some dash lights were out( fuses they put in for shift columne and dash display just burnt out!) Had a timing belt put on, new motor mounts. New tires. Muffler clamp. So, thats about it. What should I do.? What is considered good fuel and should I fill the tank up with it, and see how it runs then?
I go to this one mechanic but some of his work I have had to go back and have him redo it again. Like the fuse that went out and had been replaced about 3 months ago. Are Toy Tercel DX know to be tempermental cars? Before this, you could not even hear the engine running. Still can't once engine is warm. So, can ya tell me what you did when your car was doing the same thing? Would appreciate any and all info to get my car back to idling like it used to when first started. Thanks to all who took the time to give me advise. :clap:

 

[NickR]

It's not easy to say what is good fuel. It may depend on the particular gas station, and whether they keep it clean, as much as on the brand.

I would suggest you buy a bottle of fuel injector cleaner (costs about $2), and dump it in the gas tank when you fill up. That should clean up the injectors.

What is the idle rpm when the engine is cold? (And tell us how cold it is in Fresno, these days). One possibility is a faulty coolant temperature sensor, so the car's computer doesn't know that the engine is cold, and is failing to raise the rpm and the richness of the fuel/air mixture.

If you are feeling a little adventurous, you can read what your car's computer is telling you (if anything) about this problem. Here's how:

Look under the hood, next to the fuse box, and find a little black box, about one inch square, with "Diagnosis" written on it. Open the lid of that box, and read the sticker under the lid to locate the T and E1 terminals. Get a paper clip, open it out into a U shape, then stick one end of the paper clip in the T terminal, and the other end in the E1 terminal. Turn the ignition key to "on" (do not start the car). Watch the Check Engine Light flash. Count the flashes. A long flash means ten, and a short flash means one. So 2 long flashes followed by 3 short flashes means 23, for example. If you get code 22, I guessed right, and you need a new coolant temp sensor.

Toyota Tercels are very reliable.

 

[matrix37495]

say my car has been sitting overnight, after i start it it sounds like a cylinder is missing, then after a few seconds of that it idles smooth. any ideas as to the cause?

 

[phyl26]

To who asked how long its been idling wrong...

It's not easy to say what is good fuel. It may depend on the particular gas station, and whether they keep it clean, as much as on the brand.

I would suggest you buy a bottle of fuel injector cleaner (costs about $2), and dump it in the gas tank when you fill up. That should clean up the injectors.

What is the idle rpm when the engine is cold? (And tell us how cold it is in Fresno, these days). One possibility is a faulty coolant temperature sensor, so the car's computer doesn't know that the engine is cold, and is failing to raise the rpm and the richness of the fuel/air mixture.

If you are feeling a little adventurous, you can read what your car's computer is telling you (if anything) about this problem. Here's how:

Look under the hood, next to the fuse box, and find a little black box, about one inch square, with "Diagnosis" written on it. Open the lid of that box, and read the sticker under the lid to locate the T and E1 terminals. Get a paper clip, open it out into a U shape, then stick one end of the paper clip in the T terminal, and the other end in the E1 terminal. Turn the ignition key to "on" (do not start the car). Watch the Check Engine Light flash. Count the flashes. A long flash means ten, and a short flash means one. So 2 long flashes followed by 3 short flashes means 23, for example. If you get code 22, I guessed right, and you need a new coolant temp sensor.

Toyota Tercels are very reliable.

I have a husband but he knows absolutely nothing when it comes to cars. I don't know how to see what the idle rpm is when the engine is cold Its been in the low 40's lately here in fresno.But from what you are saying I think that you are right about the faulty coolant tempature sensor. Any idea as to how much for that with part and labor? Funny thing is it started doing this about 1 -2 monthes after tuneup. Could that have anything to do with how it idles when cold? The guy who does all the work on our car; we had him put in a fuse for the dashboard and shift column and it just burnt out. Is there warranties on fuses. Its getting harder to start it on the first try so we gotta do something about it, I just want to do the thing that will fix it.:hammer:

 

[NickR]

If you have a tachometer (rev-counter) on the car, it is easy to know the rpm when cold. You just look at the gauge on the dash. If you don't, you just have to listen. Does it sound as if it's revving higher when you first start it on a cold morning? Does the idle speed gradually slow down as it warms up?

Replacing a coolant temp sensor would take about 10 minutes, and the new part would cost about $30. But it was only a guess on my part. Read the codes and it will either confirm or disconfirm my guess. It requires no special knowledge of cars, no experience, and no tools except a paper clip, to follow the instructions I gave above. If you can count, read, have hands and eyes, you can do it just as well as anyone else.

Fuses are designed to blow. They won't warranty it.

 

[Donald]

Fuses are designed to blow. They won't warranty it.

But if they blow repeatedly there is a problem with the system that they protect. Probably a loose connector that is vibrating, or an intermittent short circuit.

 

[phyl26]

No, it starts but idles off and...

If you have a tachometer (rev-counter) on the car, it is easy to know the rpm when cold. You just look at the gauge on the dash. If you don't, you just have to listen. Does it sound as if it's revving higher when you first start it on a cold morning? Does the idle speed gradually slow down as it warms up?

Replacing a coolant temp sensor would take about 10 minutes, and the new part would cost about $30. But it was only a guess on my part. Read the codes and it will either confirm or disconfirm my guess. It requires no special knowledge of cars, no experience, and no tools except a paper clip, to follow the instructions I gave above. If you can count, read, have hands and eyes, you can do it just as well as anyone else.

Fuses are designed to blow. They won't warranty it.

AS I was saying, when I start it in the mornings, it will idles kinda rough and at times it dies and I have to start again. That ususally does the trick. After its warmed up, no wierd idling at all. It also does it if it has been parked a long while (5 hrs). It seems like its not getting the right amount of something. osygen, or gas? WE put on a new fuel filter but that didn't help. Next, we are going to put some fuel injector fluid in gas and see if that helps at all. Other than that, I guess we will take it to our mechanic and have him put it on the diagnostic machine to see exactly what it is that is making it do this. Thanks for input!:whatwhat:

 

[Tercel GTS]

You may ask the mechanic to check the fuel pressure when the car is cold and has been sitting. The fuel pump may be in it's last stages and not wanting to operate properly until warmed up. Just a thought.

 

[dayton967]

Rouch Idle in morning

As per the Manual of my 98 tercel a rough idle is often found when the engine block is really cold, I know up here in the land of the could my engine will run very rough for a bit, when it's really cold. From what I remember it does that to warm up faster.

J.