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Jim
Grant has been working in the automotive industry for over twenty
years. In addition, Jim is an ASE Master Technician with advanced
L/1 certification. He works as manager and technician in his
family's automotive business in New Hampshire. He writes weekly
automotive consumer columns and is editor of an automotive newsletter
that is circulated throughout North America. |
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Jim Grant's Tech Tips
‘90 Toyota
Camry, Stalling Problem
Q: I have a’90 Toyota Camry 4 cylinder, automatic transmission
with AC that has about 175k miles on it. The car runs well except for
an intermittent stalling problem. The car will start and run normally
until the temperature gauge starts to rise, at which time it will quit
when the accelerator is pushed down. If I let go of the accelerator before
the engine dies, the car will idle. If I nurse it through the "bad spot",
the engine will pick up and run normal. Once the engine is warmed up past
this point, the problem disappears. I have replaced the spark plugs, distributor
cap, rotor and wires, checked the fuel pressure (it is normal even when
the problem is occurring), replaced the fuel filter and checked the EGR
valve. There are no fault codes in the computer, so I am assuming that
the throttle position sensor, air mass sensor, oxygen sensor and other
computer inputs are OK. This problem seems to be worse when it is damp
outside, but I can't find any particular electrical problem. Is there
any specific system that I should be checking that would cause this problem
?.....John
A: First,
never assume that if there are no computer related codes, there is not
a computer related problem. Because the dilemma is consistently related
to engine temperature during warm-up, the coolant temperature sensor would
be suspect. The coolant temperature sensor is a critical input to the
computer. The computer uses this information to meter fuel, control spark
timing, idle speed, emission controls, and with an automatic transmission
shifting and torque converter lock-up function. I know I missed a few
others. You can see how if the information provided by this sensor goes
nutz so does your car! To prove or disprove the coolant temperature sensor,
one must monitor voltage readings of the sensor as the engine warms up.
This can be done with a good voltmeter or a labscope. What we often find
is glitch (bad spot) in the sensor that only shows up at one point and
then is gone as quickly as it came. Checking the coolant temperature sensor
is a diagnostic step worth taking.
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