my car is having stalling issues

Asked by Kim Nov 10, 2013 at 10:51 PM about the 2003 Toyota Camry LE

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I had driven my car all day then i stopped for gas right after that it stalled at every stop
sighn or if i slowed down to stop. I put some green foam gas treatment in it and of course
more gas but it did not seem to make a differents. I have put at least 70 dallors more in
gas since then but it is not doing any better. Can you help me?

28 Answers

yes...cheapo vacuum lines made from butyl rubber (chewing gum and coal tar) will crack...swell with oil..leak and become unreliable...suckin' in air and causing increased idle speed and gutless performance...yes may stall too, if something like the brake booster hose was rotted~ I suggest silicone rubber replacements are about ten times the cost but will last forever~

3 people found this helpful.
9,690

First thing we need to know is the make and model of the car

3 people found this helpful.

you can find a vacuum leak withe a can of carburetor cleaner...at the shop we'd use an unlit propane torch...but have been duly spanked for suggesting this...but gasoline is even MORE volatile so YES use an UNLIT propane torch...chase around where the vacuum lines are and note an increase in idle speed~...that's how you find 'em~,,,,or carb cleaner which boy howdy is obscenely more expensive than RAW LP gas~anyways~

2 people found this helpful.

The temp sensor and the Intake Air Temp sensor are not too expensive, but replacement of these goodies will probably restore you back to normal operating condition~

3 people found this helpful.
9,690

Never heard of that roy. I all ways used starting fluid or wd40

2 people found this helpful.
9,690

YEP guess I did not read the whole post again

1 people found this helpful.
9,690

And Roy got the best answer for my stupitity!

3 people found this helpful.

yes, Autohousenj indeed could be anything....a vacuum leak would cause an increased idle speed and gutless performance...think we may have gone over this....chewing gum vacuum hoses are terrible...production quality...just get them out the door and running....until inevitable degradation will happen from exposure to UV and environmental conditions make them crack and rot...a MOST likely cause...if you can think of a better, cheaper approach...as I've stated the computer has eyes, and ears (virtually) to know how to handle prevailing conditions...most important in the "ice belt" we will see a lot of these in the coming months...the compy needs to know how to enrichen the air/fuel recipe...with gimpy sensors will get it WRONG....so they are each less than or around twenty...would be foolish NOT to replace these delicate sensors...in my humble opinion~

Sadly in my observation Chevron with Techron weakens the fuel pressure regulator diaphragm and although the neat little cartoons says CLEAN your engine...what you're actually doing is Cleaning away the critical components....HERE is where a nasty vacuum leak can occur...at the fuel pressure regulator...check this goodie to make sure it holds vacuum and does not leak to the fuel~

7 people found this helpful.

okay fuel pressure regulators ain't that cheap, but if your has been eaten by Techron...you must replace it and QUIT using that gasoline~ https://www.google.com/#q=2003+Toyota+Camry+LE+fuel+pressure+regulat or

1 people found this helpful.

go with the cheap sensors Kimmybob, and check the operation of the fuel pressure regulator with some kind of sucking tool...a baster...(probably not enough suction) but stoke it like a pipe and see if fuel flow is affected...should open up the fuel with increased suction...some gurus say its NOT that way...guess it depends on which vehicle~....but check it...you may need do NOTHING except perhaps replace the vacuum hose with a silicone one~

okay ron, wd-40 would cause a reduction in speed because it is NOT combustible (yeah I was a kid once...fire crackers down fence pipes and all that) and found WD-40 to be perfectly useless for anything else except Water Displacement (like if they had you doin' a pressure wash on the engine to find an oil leak) for example and still be able to drive the thing outta there...be packin' a can of WD and you will be able to drive it AFTER an engine wash~

1 people found this helpful.

and dammit ron...starting fluid IMMEDIATELY strips any lubrication that once was there away....shortest path to engine destruction~

9,690

But Roy starting fluid is about he same as carb cleaner > plus once it hits the spot it gone for ever. It will not hang in there and dedtroy stuff unless you keep spraying it. You have to be smart about it

1 people found this helpful.

Ronc258, "starting fluid" is ETHER suitable for putting a guy unconscious for removing the bullet....carb cleaner is PERCHLOROETHANE....not the same puppy, rover~

9,690

Most of the starting fluid these days has a lubricant add to it. To prevent damsge from drying out

1 people found this helpful.
9,690

I do like the idea of LP gas though. I have never tried that before. Thanks for the help. I will try that next time I am checking for a vacume leak

1 people found this helpful.
30

I have this same problem with my 2002 camry XLE 3.0 but it runs perfect 99% of the time. I cleaned the throttle body (it was very dirty) and it happened again. If it were a vacum leak or a fuel pressure sensor wouldnt it be a consistent problem??

3 people found this helpful.

@rhallsey (notified me)~ would check the fuel pressure ...don't know there is gonna be a "fuel pressure sensor" be nice if there were....if a vacuum leak you'd hear it hissing...have a distrust for Techron as this contains benzene and things that will eat organic compounds....such as the fuel pressure regulator diaphragm....now it's just a theory, but have seen more than one "eaten completely away" fuel pressure regulator~ the misfire may be do to reduced spark and/or grounding potential...with the cold weather and road salt it most often is the main ground connection to battery from the chassis at fault~

I realize this is an old thread but how come not one poster mentioned the possibility of a dirty IAC valve?

220

It's the ECT Sensor from my experience. My 2004 Camry with 135,000 miles started to stall at stops once the engine warmed up. Not while driving, but at stops with no dashboard warning lights (i.e., engine light was not on/flashing). I had to keep it reved while stopping. This happened on my way home on Black Friday morning after running an errand. After reading tons of posts, I gave the ECT Senor fix a try first. My local Pep Boys didn't have the sensor in stock, so they had to ship it from a different store and I picked it up the next day. Normally, it was $62, but a Black Friday weekend special knocked it down to about $40. It was super easy to install (I found a Youtube video on how to replace it) and my car hasn't had any stalling issues since (nearly 3 weeks, knock on wood).

1 people found this helpful.
20

I had 2 Toyota camrys a 99 and a 01 and both times it was my IAC(idle air control valve)there were pretty expensive so what I did was take it out and clean them,very simple and it fixed the problem every time.

2 people found this helpful.

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