97 Camry won't start

Asked by TrailAndError Jul 12, 2017 at 01:56 PM about the 1997 Toyota Camry LE

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

Got a unique situation here. Car had been sitting for about a year and went
to start it up and needed to replace the battery. After a new battery it started
right up and ran good for one day and since it had older fuel in it I filled the
tank to dilute the old gas. Went out to start it the next morning and it won't
start now. So I dumped a can of HEAT into the tank thinking that maybe
there was some condensation that accumulated during the year it sat and
had worked it's way down into the fuel line.

Just for the sake of elimination of potential issues I checked the spark, which
it has, and the air filter. Then I figured that maybe the fuel filter might have
some water in it along with the fuel lines so I cracked to the top off it and was
going to use the fuel pump to push some fuel through the lines and clear any
water that was in them.

Here comes the strange part. Despite fuel leaking out of the top of the filter
the car actually started and ran rather rough, like it wasn't getting enough
fuel, but ran for about 10 seconds while leaking fuel. I jumped out of the car
and screwed the top of the fuel filter back down so it wasn't leaking anymore
and it quit like it had ran out of fuel. I don't think that there could have been
any air getting into the line when the fuel was leaking out of the top of the
filter so I don't think I have an airflow problem. But why would it die when the
fuel was connected again and not leaking? For verification purposes I tried it
again and the same sequence of events occurred with starting when the fuel
filter was leaking, and then dying when I closed the system to stop the leak.

Any suggestions on a why, and what I need to do to get it running again?

Thanks.

6 Answers

7,445

Only thing I can think of is that there may be an evap purge line issue or if you have a evap purge valve under the hood see if that is ticking away or has a loose hose.

21,330

Suggest you pull the engine oil dip stick and check the quality and odor of the oil. Does it smell likegas? I would also find the Fuel Pressure Regulator and pull the rubber hose off. Do you see or smell gas?

1 people found this helpful.

We have a 97 Toyota Camry and the car will not move forward or backwards it runs normal but refuses to move can anyone help us plz

21,330

Assuming this vehicle has automatic transmissiom....with the engine running...check the transmission fluid level. The procedure is in the Owners Manual. What color is the fluid? Does it smell burnt? Also...any warning lights on or flashing when the engine is running?

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