I have 1989 Camry 4 cylinder and recently I have been having a lot of issues with it starting and/or stalling. I will skip to the most recent incident. It started up fine but while driving it all of a sudden would not accelerate and then died. I started it back up, revved it up and drove fine for a couple of blocks and then did the same thing. Right after it died the second time it had a hard time starting again but would and I could rev it up in park and neutral but then died once it was put in drive. I have had this issue before but I replaced spark plugs, air filter, efi main relay, fuses, distributor cap and rotor along with wires and drove it for a couple months. It has a new battery, starter and alternator. The only thing left I can think it would be is the coil. Does that sound about right or is there something else it might be? I am just wondering if I am on the right track. Please help.

 

Does the engine die when at higher RPM or idle? When you press on the gas pedal, release it or neither?

If replacing all those ign parts made the problem go away might be the coil. The coil can crack causing a misfire and starting issues, inspect it for cracks. Typically the problem shows up more with rain (moist air). Run the engine in the dark, watch for any blue glow on the high voltage ign system parts.

A few other issues:

The throttle body has a air valve called the Intake Air Control valve (IAC). This controls engine idle via the computer. It can start to stick due to grime buildup. An internet search on the words cleaning IAC and your engine type should produce hits on cleaning it.

The coolant temp sensor for the computer can fail causing starting and running issues.

Could also be the fuel system but check out the coil first.

The AutoZone website has test data in the sites vehicle repair guide section.

 

It will not die when idle and I can rev it up while in park or neutral and it won't die but when i put it into drive and press on the gas it will die. This is the second time it has happened since I have replaced all other ignition components. Both times when it was raining. I've heard about moisture getting into the coil causing the issue. This happened yesterday morning and was stranded. I left the car and went back to it last night, it started and I drove home no problem, it idles really rough though and I didn't try to go over 30mph. Very slow acceleration. Waiting as long as I did makes me think it had time to dry out. Is that possible? I have a new coil and am planning on replacing that today. Will also check other things you mentioned. Thank you for your help.

 

I have a 94 Camry 2.2. I had some really wicked issues with ignition. Long story short, CHECK YOUR COIL. It can still fire but be faulty. Pull the number 1 plug wire, ground it to the chassis, if the spark is orange, replace it. YOu want a Blue or White spark. Also try cleaning the IAC valve.

 

Just to let all who may ever have the chance to own a late 80´s Camry into the 91´ era, be sure to check the resistances of your distributor pick-ups for stalling conditions, this happened for me for my 88´ Alltrac - so consider yourselves glad to skip the highway dramas that I ´enjoyed´ , good luck, & safe & happy driving,

Derik

 

.....know

 

I had the exact same problem with a friend's 89 camry. After reading many forums I tried replacing the coil (resistance was below spec) and temp sensor to no avail. I spent days under the hood of this car just to discover that the wire harness was rubbing the hot EGR tube and grounding out when warm, disabling the distributor. Before you do any work it is worth your while to follow the EGR tube and make sure no wires are rubbing. Hope this helps. Good luck.

 

Hi, other than my pick-up coil ohm resistance checking for late 80's Camry's, I would recommend for any other sisters&brothers suffering from the above mentioned driveability concern to honestly consider checking the current state of your pre-catalyic converter if it plugged-up (Yes, the big round downturn cylindrical compartment right after your exhaust manifold). I found this to be the case for me after doing a throttle body/intake manifold cleaning which completely plugged up my 'pre-cat' , hence thereafter not letting my car be able to breathe in order to even start or make any power or RPMs when finally I did get it to start*. You might consider taking a large screwdriver with the help of a hammer once you get the cylindrical compartment out to the used-up Catalytic material & then re-installing your pre-cat so that you can witness your beautiful Camry seem to come alive again miraculously (this all learned after 6 months plus of aggrevation %) + make sure your car is always very well tuned for the environment's sake or even get yourself a new pre-cat installed, eh?!) Good Luck