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Toyota Camry Starting / Stalling Questions

24

Comments

  • ravirajraviraj Member Posts: 2
    Thanks Kiawah.

    Today it started without any issue. May be when next time it starts giving problem I will have mechanic to check the voltage with voltmeter.

    Actually I don't want to wait till it fails again. I am afraid that what if it gives problem again when I really need car or if I am some where away from town.

    I took it to mechanic also, as it is staring without any issue he said he can not check anything. Thanks.
  • phd86phd86 Member Posts: 110
    bad battery. just had that happen to one of my cars. wasn't the starter or anything else. ran the interior lights and occasionally a click on the solenoid. not enuf juice to turn the starter.
  • j2thefloj2theflo Member Posts: 1
    hi my girlfriend is having the same problems. its been going on and off for a few months. at first we thought it was her battery because nothing would actually turn on. but after a jump nothing changed. we tried a jump one more time and it worked after that. same exact thing happened the next day. she brought it tot the toyota dealer and told her that nothing was wrong with the battery, so she didn't replace it. things seemed fine after that until month later her car wouldn't start again. this time it was making very loud clicking sounds very fast. we tried to start it about 8 times before giving up. her father gives it a try later on the day and gets it started. i have a feeling it might be the starter but i'm not a mechanic. i advised to bring it to a different dealer from last time to see what they come up with. if you could share your experiences with me that would be very helpful.
  • athuraiathurai Member Posts: 7
    Hi,
    I have a 1997 camry which had the engine light on. I checked the OBD codes and got P0136 (just one code nothing else). The guy said Oxygen O2 Sensor Circuit Low Voltage (Bank 1, Sensor 2). Now, I replaced the front oxygen sensor only a year ago. Is this the same one or different. If so where is it located.

    Also, this could be due to the fact that my fuel is running lean. Every time I start in the morning for the first time the engine stalls, I have to race it and/or pump the gas pedal few times to get it started. Do you guys know how to increase the fuel/air mixture to adjust so I can get a more rich mixture which might fix this issue.
    Thanks for any help in advance
    Andy
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    Sensor 1, is between the exhaust manifold and the catalytic converter. Sensor 2 is 'after' the catalytic converter.
  • kajotekajote Member Posts: 3
    hi..having the same problem with my camry..did you find out the proble?..ken
  • bubba38bubba38 Member Posts: 21
    my wife had her toy just die a couple of days ago stalled while driving, all electical drained just checked batt it is dead not sure where to start any suggestions tried hooking jumper cables just sprarks like grounding out dont see any cables or wires bare initially
  • gingitgingit Member Posts: 9
    When I experienced this in the past, it turned out that an animal had gotten up into my engine and eaten the coating off the wires (it apparently has fish oil or something in the coating that makes it appetizing to critters such as snakes, rodents, skunks, etc.) It is apparently very common once the weather turns cold for animals to like to climb up inside warm car engines to stay warm, and then they find they like chewing on the wiring coatings. The exposed wires then caused shorting out, and the car shuttered and then died. When this happened the first time, it caused the computer that runs my engine to short out, so the whole computer and most of my wires had to be replaced/repaired (the mechanic even showed me all the little chewed bits of rubber around the engine to explain to me about the animal, although we didn't see signs of the critter - sometimes it will kill the critter and you'll find the snake or whatever still there). BTW, when I called the insurance company to see if they would cover the cost, I was surprised that they would, and they said it actually is somewhat common.

    Unfortunately, when they did the initial repair, they failed to spot one bundle of exposed wires that was hidden by an after-market security system my car had. So, more than ten years later, my car again had electrical failure when the battery was fine, and a resourceful mechanic trying to diagnose it asked for permission to remove the (now-defunct) security system, and when he did, discovered the one bundle that hadn't been repaired. Over the years the exposed wires had corroded to the green hue "of the Stature of Liberty" as he described it, and they finally got so hot they fused together, causing the car to die. He replaced that one bundle and again my problem was resolved.

    Hope this is helpful.
  • graybear56graybear56 Member Posts: 7
    I have a 1999 Camry. I installed a new battery (I must have had a mental lapse) and connected the cables backwards. Short story: I blew fuses. I have replaced the 100 amp alternator fuse and the engine will crank but not start. The lights, radio, dome, etc. will not come on. I know there is another fuse that is blown but I don't know where. I have checked all under the hood and under the driverside dash. CAN YOU HELP?
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    Can you tell me whether your horn and hazard flashers work or not? That would potentially pinpoint the problem.

    When you say you replaced the 100Amp alternator fuse, was it blown?
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    Don't see you responding, so let me give you some info that may help since I'll be off the system for a while.

    The battery feeds two things, direct hotwire power to the starter motor, and also to the input of a fusible link (I suspect this fusible link may be bad in your case).

    -> The output of that fusible link, feeds a couple things. It feeds the input to the 100A alternator fuse which you indicate you replaced, it feeds the input to the 30Amp AM2 fuse, the input to the 5A Alt-S fuse, and the input to the the 40A main fuse.

    --->Now the output of the 100A alternator fuse, feeds the input to the 40A AM1 fuse, and also one of the wires to the alternator.

    --->The output of the 40A main, goes to the starter relay (secondary), which ultimately then goes to the starter motor.

    --->The output of the 30A AM2, goes to one of the two circuits in the ignition switch (called AM2).

    --->The output of the 5A Alt-S, is a wire that also goes to the alternator.

    If you have a voltmeter, you can begin checking where you have power, and where you don't. So for instance, if you pulled the AM2 fuse, and did not find any voltage on either of the two prong holes, then you'd know something 'upstream' of that was bad, which is the 100Amp fuse you replaced, and then upstream of that is the fusible link. In this hypothetical situation, if you then checked the 100Amp fuse and both lugs were okay with 13+volts of power, then you'd look for a fried wire/block going from the 100A fuse to AM2. More than likely however, hopefully it's one of the fuses or fusible links that is blown.
  • graybear56graybear56 Member Posts: 7
    I know the horn works. Not sure about the flashers; I'll have to check later this evening.
  • graybear56graybear56 Member Posts: 7
    The 100 amp fuse was blown was why I repaced it.
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    If the horn works, then the fusible link must be okay or you wouldn't have power there at the horn.

    Check to see if:
    - the 40A Main is blown,
    - whether the 30A AM2 is blown,
    - and whether your headlights work.

    If neither the 40A Main or the 30A AM2 look blown, then you are going to need a voltmeter. Do you have one? and know how to use it? You can pick a simple one (either analog or digital would be fine for this task) at radio shack or chain auto parts stores (pep boys, autozone, etc). I'd guess you could get one for 10-20 bucks.
  • graybear56graybear56 Member Posts: 7
    The horn and flashers work.
    The headlights do not work.
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    Check that 40A Main fuse. It feeds the secondaries of two relays, the Starter Relay and the Headlight Relay. You've verified that the headlights aren't working, so it appears that either the 40A Main is blown, and/or the Headlight and/or Starter Relays (or wiring in that connector box). You may also have other problems, but you're getting close on at least one problem.

    Can you answer the question about do you have voltmeter, and know how to use one?
  • graybear56graybear56 Member Posts: 7
    I have a buddy that has one.
  • graybear56graybear56 Member Posts: 7
    I have already checked that fuse for continuity. It is good.
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    Okay, let me just summarize, to make sure we got this right.

    Your starter will crank, but it won't start running.
    Your dome light, headlight, radio don't work.
    Your horn and flashers do work.

    Let's start with the the dome light, which doesn't work, and should be easier for you to troubleshoot. It may identify the problem, or a clue to other problems. It get's it's power source from the fuse link block, thru the shorted pin (a wire just to the right of the 7.5A dome fuse, then it goes to an 'integration relay', to the ceiling bulb, back to the integration relay, then to the door switches. This is an integrated circuit, so may have fried but lets check the basics
    - With the voltmeter, check for 13-14 volts on the shortpin, pull the dome fuse and check for voltage on the one leg where the fuse would plug in. You'd expect voltage on one leg (being fed from the short pin), no voltage on the other leg...which feeds the integration relay. Check to make sure the 7.5A fuse has continuity. You can't really check the integration relay, but now check the dome light itself. You should have voltage on one side of the bulb holder. When the switch is in the ON position, the ON switch actually provides a path to ground, so you should + on one side of the bulb, and nothing on the other. Check to make sure the bulb filament has continuity. "I believe" you should get this bulb to work even if the integration relay might be defective. Assuming that bulb lights with the fuse having voltage and the dome switch in the ON position, then if you switch it to the DOOR position and it doesn't work, then your integrated relay is bad. It's on the back side of the fuse box that is inside the vehicle under the dash, by your left knee. The integrated relay provides the nice controls for the dome light, timed delays when entering and exiting, slow diming, and it monitors the door sensors.
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    There are two fuses associated with the radio, 20A radio#1 and 7.5Aradio#2.
    20A Rad#1 is in that same fuse box up in the engine compartment. It gets it's power from the same connection that provides power to the shorted pin mentioned with the dome light. If you have power to the shorted pin, then you should also have power on the one leg of the Radio#1 fuse. In addition for checking that voltage, check to make sure that the fuse has continuity.
    The 7.5A Rad#2 fuse, gets it's power from one of the internal wipers on the ignition switch AM1. That wiper also provides power to both the 15A cigarette lighter fuse, and the 15A Power Outlet fuse. It's easy to check either of those two outlets for power, and if they have power, then the input to your Rad#2 fuse should also have power. If you do NOT have power on the outlets, then check your 40A AM1 fuse. If power on the outlets, then check the continuity of the 7.5 Rad#2 fuse. Remember the key needs to be in and turned to provide power to this circuit. If you have power on both of those fuses to the radio, and it still doesn't work, your radio is undoubtedly toast.

    I doubt that you would have had the key in and turned when connecting the battery incorrectly, so the fact that the key wasn't turned would have provided protection to the AM1 side of the power feed thru to the 7.5A fuse. If you have a power problem, I would expect to find it on the 20A fuse supply side.

    By the way, if AM1 is okay (w/key in on position), I would have you check to be sure the turn signals work, gauge lites up, heater motor blows, and wipers work.
  • michael85648michael85648 Member Posts: 1
    it starts, lights work, has funny diesel engine like noise, oil is low, and time for change 120,000 miles got new, never had problems before, have always taken to dealership for maintenance. later in the day tried again and it did catch into gear. that was yesterday. this morning it was a bit harder to start but it did and again would not catch gear when i put it in reverse or drive. its a 4cyl automatic, i live in va kinda cold right now in mornings, but have been here for in this weather for 10 yrs. pls help if u can. thank u.
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    Headlight circuitry is more complicated, and I'd like to see the results of your analysis of the above two circuits.

    So when you indicate the results of the above, can you tell me whether you have daytime running lights or not in your vehicle.
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    Hows your engine oil, and transmission fluid levels? Ever change any of those? If your engine was running really really slow and/or your fluid was thick and old, it might have trouble getting the transmission fluid pressure up to engage.

    Does it have symptoms that your battery voltage is low? (Starter turns slowly). If so, you may want to get it to an autoparts chain (pep boys, autozone, etc) and have them do a load test on your battery and alternator, and check for corrosion on your battery terminals. Load test is usually free.
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    I just realized I shouldn't just automatically assume you know how to use a voltmeter. If you do, then just ignore this.

    When checking the voltages on the fuse box up in the engine compartment, put the negative lead of the voltmeter on the negative post of the battery, and use the positive voltmeter lead to insert into the fuse slots to check the voltage. You should read about 13-14 volts if there is power.

    When you are inside the vehicle, you'll need to find a metal ground (or a bolt connected to metal not plastic) somewhere, to ground the negative lead to
  • graybear56graybear56 Member Posts: 7
    Everything works except the radio and dome light, but the engine will not start. Could it be the ignitor?
    And I just realized. I said this is a '99. It is a 94 Camry. (Bad case of brain freeze).
    Sorry,
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    Thanks, a 94 vs. a 99 model year makes a big difference, different electrical systems.

    You failed to indicate what voltages you found on your dome light. The 20A dome fuse is common to both dome and radio (as well as other things), which you have reportedly checked. Can you verify with a volt meter the voltage on the dome light itself and bulb?

    Also, tell me whether the luggage compartment light is working or not (the trunk light).

    I'm trying to get you to resolve what should be the easier problems first. They are easier for you to track down, and may lead to and be related to the problem associated with not starting.

    "Not starting" could be any number of problems, and you'll need the ability to electrically prove that a circuit has power or not, and that fuses really are good or bad. That's why I need you to get a voltmeter and prove whether circuits actually have the power they are supposed to have.

    If you can't get this diagnostics to work, then you're going to have to have it towed to a shop with some expertise in resolving Toyota electrical problems.
  • 1998camry1998camry Member Posts: 2
    Hi, I have 87k miles on my 98 Camry. Y'day while coming back from my day care my radio, clock, & dash controls (incl. odometer, RPM, temp. gauge) stopped working all of a sudden. Fortunately, since my home was only a couple of miles away I managed to driive back safely.

    After parking the car I noticed that it wouldn't change gears (couldn't get to Drive from Park) even though it started up fine. The horn, head lights and hazard lights work but the turning signals don't.

    I was thinking may be a fuse was blown..Could you please let me know what to look for and what might be the problem.

    Appreciate the help.
    Thanks.
  • kajotekajote Member Posts: 3
    i would agree with you to look for a fuse{s}look under the dash and the hood for fuse boxes sometimes there is two seperate boxes.my fuse was under the hood in my 93 for the radio and clock,ect..since your shifter usualy needs to have the brake pedal pushed down to shift, it could still be a fuse. but, not sure on that one. your sensor for the brake pedal could of went out as well,usualy behind the pedal its self..good luck
  • 1998camry1998camry Member Posts: 2
    thanks for the suggestions. I just want to update that I was ablet to use the bypass button on the gear console to move it to Drive and get the car moving. However, all of the other dash controls, radio, clock, cig. lighter, a/c are all out. when I drive the car it appears as though I am going at a lower gear (D1 or D2) even when I have it on D.

    Also, I think the 100A alternator fuse might be blown. can anyone confirm if this could cause my problems and also do I need to check any other fuses?

    Thanks again.
  • jimandkim1jimandkim1 Member Posts: 3
    Hello My Mom has a 92 camry 2.2 whick sometimes sits for 2-3 days at a time. Most of the time she will crank with no problems. Sometimes she will not start and the starter clicks, the horn blows, lights flash. I jump the car, she cranks right up and ready to go. Decided to keep the car for a few days at my house to piddle around with it, maybe find the problem, tune up, filters, etc. I drive to work each day no real problems. I have had the problem a couple of times on occasion. ie drive for 20 mins, stop for 30 mins, drive for 10 min, no crank. jump start, runs again for several days no problem. Could this possibly be the starter solenoid? Thnaks for your help, Jim
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    Have you had the battery checked? Many autoparts stores will check free of charge.
  • jimandkim1jimandkim1 Member Posts: 3
    no. I should but this is the third battery in the last 20 months.
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    Corrosion on battery terminals? Loose connections?

    When you had the battery swapped before, did they run a complete load test on the battery and alternator? ...... or....did you just simply replace the battery?
  • jimandkim1jimandkim1 Member Posts: 3
    terminals are clean, no loose connections, just replaced battery.
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    I'd check the starter relay in the engine compartment fuse box.

    Normally, when you have a no-start condition, and then you jump it with another battery and it starts right up, you'd highly suspect the battery. If it's not the battery, you would suspect one of the connections that you might wiggle while putting on the jumper cables, or corrosion up inside the wire on the battery cables.

    One would not necessary suspect the starter relay with your symptom, as jumping with another battery wouldn't typically have an effect on the relay. But, you indicate you have checked the battery and cables.

    If it's not the relay, you're going to need a voltmeter to help isolate the problem.
  • bchen357bchen357 Member Posts: 1
    new to this forum and to car (in general).
    a month ago bought a second-hand camry ('93). it ran fine, but today right at the intersection when the light switched to green, the engine shut itself off.
    i tried to turn the key and restart the engine - there was NO sound. as if the engine was dead. it so happened there was a pep boys next to the road so i pushed the car there.
    i had a battery changed (old one was 4 y/o). it seemed everything worked fine now - EXCEPT , right at pep boys, i started the engine and was trying to back out the car after they installed the new battery, once i shifted the gear to R, the engine died right then. i was able to start the engine after shift the gear back to P, and this time the engine did not die when i moved to R to back up.
    Any idea why the engine died suddenly at the traffic light and why it died the second time after i got a new battery (when i shifted it to P) thanks a lot
    :confuse: :sick:
  • kajotekajote Member Posts: 3
    i would definately check the alternator along with the connections and voltage regulator..most places will check the alternator for free
  • alex24alex24 Member Posts: 54
    If your alternator is bad , then your engine is running off your battery, and as soon as your battery runs out of power your engine will cut out again, 93 Camrys have problems with the Distributor unit shorting out, some distributors short out after getting to a hotter tempature. and engine cuts out, and some short out causing the RPM to keep flickering unsteady, but from what you said, its does sound like your alternator/voltage regulator has a problem, or your wire connections are not making good contact.
  • ngay1703ngay1703 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 1989 Toyota Camry and my brake lights do not work. I checked the fuses ( all of them! under hood and inside driver panel) also replaced all the bulbs with new. I still have no brake lights and the dash light indicator continuously shows a little car with the back light problem. What can I do? I would like to know if there is a stop switch attached to the brake pedal and if so how do I check it and/or replace if it is bad. Can I get a diagram and directions on this part...I think it is called an actuator switch? Also, if anyone has any other useful information as to what may be the culprit please let me know. Possible a relay or a link?
    -----signature-----
    Implantnha khoa
    Where will we go after dead?
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    Check the 20A Stop fuse, and the 15A Tail fuse, both in the drivers side lower left kickpanel. Yes, there is also a stop switch on the brake pedal, but verify that you have power to the circuitry first.

    Let me know what you find when you check those fuses.
  • twmp88twmp88 Member Posts: 1
    the back-up wire was cut off in the rear trunk under the lid on the left side, i guess.
  • tywitywi Member Posts: 10
    I stopped my car and shut the engine off. When I tried to started it I had starting noise everthing was quiet. All the lights were on. After playing with the key in the ignition turning it on and off many times , and put the car in neutral and moving it a little I shut everything off. I put the key back in the ignition and turn the key and the car started. Any ideas I what part may need to be replaced?
  • satishkapoorsatishkapoor Member Posts: 2
    edited February 2010
    My camry just started this issue,
    It starts and runs fine if there is no stop for miles. After shutting down and to restart it takes some cranking time to start. When restarts I have to press the gas pedal otherwise Idle is very low and tries to cut off, then it runs OK.
    After shutting down for an hour or so it starts fine. Even burried in the snow for two days it started fine.
    It had cut off at Red light after driving some miles few times, and restarts after some cranking time.
    I have added Gas addidive for dry gas.
    Temparature Gauge shows very low Temprature. Stop and go traffic temp gauge may go to less then half.
    Battery is one year old.
    Any suggestion Please
  • typesixtypesix Member Posts: 321
    Temp gage being low indicates you need new thermostat. As engine doesn't warm up enough, fuel mix is going to be rich, maybe too much so. Replace the thermostat and run the car for a while, preferably on highway.
  • booppallabooppalla Member Posts: 1
    Our 5 year old put the vanity light on Friday am, hubby never saw it...Sat night I shut the vanity light off. Sunday morning we moved the car to plow snow, put it back in place. Sunday afternoon it wouldn't start, so we jumped it & let it run for a half our BUT NEVER MOVED THE CAR. Monday morning, car started BUT WOULDN"T MOVE. No matter if the car was in PARK, DRIVE or REVERSE, the RPMs never budged over idling when you stepped on the gas (even put the gas pedal to the floor).

    So, is there some kind of "restart" button on the electronic throttle? Is there any way that the loss of power & jump could've affected the throttle...what else could cause the car to not move when stepping on the gas pedal?

    HELP!
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    edited February 2010
    If the battery was just discharged 'just' due to the vanity light being on, then it wouldn't have started Sunday morning. I suspect that wasn't necessarily the root cause of your problem, and your battery may be going. I've already replaced mine on a 2007.

    Buy a cheap (10-20 bucks) volt/ohm meter at an auto parts chain or radio shack. Can be either digital or analog. Measure the voltage of your battery as it sits in driveway. I suspect it's less than the 13-14 volts, which would indicate that the battery is undercharged. If it is discharged, then I'd suggest having it replaced, since it isn't long for the world anyhow.

    You might have other problems, but you need to verify first that your battery is good. Let us know what you find.
  • gingitgingit Member Posts: 9
    It's possible that the jump etc triggered something with the built-in security system that will prevent the car from being taken if proper security steps haven't been followed. Some of these elements don't work on my car any more, so I don't remember details, but it would be worth a quick call to a Toyota dealer to see if they can't quickly tell you if there is a security element keeping the car from moving. I remember something about a code having to be punched into my cassette player to unlock the system. It may not be anything mechanical, so it is worth checking with a phone call before you start dropping money on it.
  • satishkapoorsatishkapoor Member Posts: 2
    Couple of years back I got Timing Belt, WaterPump etc replaced since then, Temp gauge on Highway shows low but stop and go it gets upto little less then half. Changing the thermostat is no problem I will.
    You might be correct, I smelled Gas when it started after stalling..
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    Pull your plugs, to look at how they are burning.
  • mojowomynmojowomyn Member Posts: 1
    Hello. The ignition cylinder lock was not turning past acc. Even when I removed the cylinder, the key wouldnt turn. While waiting for the new replacement part to come in, the battery went dead, and I had to replace it. The car has power now. Today I got the part - a new cylindar and two keys. The keys are transponder keys with a little metal plate on the key ring with a number. I tried to reprogram the new keys to match the engine, but it didnt work. Does anyone know what I do now? Can I reprogram the new keys, or do I need to get the car computer updated? Thanks!
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