I have a 1991 Camry that's been giving me fits when it comes to starting up in the morning. She starts when key is turned, revs up...and then dies down. dash board lights up as if I have turned the key to the on position. After about three times she will do just find. I have had the battery and alternator checked. they are fine. I have replaced the fule filter and the had the pump checked...they seem to be fine. Someone suggested to me that my choke might be getting hung up, but wasn't sure if my make and model had a choke. So what do you guys think?

 

Are you getting high idle until it stalls?

I don't have a manual for a 91 but every car is the same for a proper cold start. They need a richer mixture and they need a higher rpm. Your 91 will have some setup for both. If you have fuel injection then either the ECU will give a richer mixture through the 4 injectors or through a single cold start injector which means you will actually have 5 injectors. If you have a carburetor then you will have a choke that resticts air rather than riches the fuelbut the result is the same - more fuel less air for a richer mixture. Vacuum leaks will also affect idle as well as the operation of the EGR valve if you have one. It could even be the ignition switch, but if it happens only when cold then I doubt all three. It does sound like the cold start fuel system and not an ignition problem. You could spray some carb cleaner down the throttle body on cold start to see if the added fuel source keeps it running, that would point to a lean fuel problem. But don't look down the throttle in case it backfires. Maybe someone with a 91can help you more. Do you have a way totroubleshoot any suggestions?

 

This weekend is when my godfather and I are going to look at the choke and throttle body. It drives fine once it revs up and goes to normal idle. We are going to change the plugs too because I'm pretty sure they haven't been changed in a long time ( I just recently got the car...it's a hand me down with very low milage.). I don't have any issues when driving, not since I got the clogged fuel filter changed. Someone also suggested it could be a relay in the ignition system, but I'm not getting a check engine light.

 

Ok Interesting thing happened this morning. It was raining...something that hasn't happened in forever. I go out, start her up...after 3 tries she decides its time to wake up. I back out of my driveway, get going down the road and it's like she is hung up on something. Wouldn't go past 15 mph if that. Now the engine sounded normal. I pulled off, turned her off and restarted. Made my way down the road. Sat at a light for no more than 10 mins (maybe 12). When it was my turn to go, I took my foot off the break, tapped the gas a little, made my turn and got going down the road. Again, I couldn't get her to go past 15mph. Pumped the gas a bit before having to stop at a light. Sat for all of 2 mins, and she did just fine. Now she had done this once before about two weeks ago. That's what prompted the fuel filter change. She hadn't done it since. don't know if that has anything to do with the starting issue. I will say that in general, she doesn't like the rain. I can't go faster than 50 before she start slipping and sliding and sometimes getting her to go after having sat in a puddle of water at a light is an issue.

 

If you're having wet weather drivability problems I would suspect your wires, cap, rotor. When was the last time you changed those?

 

I'm pretty sure it's been a while. I got this car after it had been sitting for years. When I got it and had it looked over, I was told all was fine. but it's been 9 months since then and this summer has been pretty bad. It's been hot and up until today, we hadn't seen rain since May for the most part. So really the rain has little to do with it. I think what happened this morning had more to do with bad traction than anything else.

 

UPDATE: Now My accelerator is sticking when I try to drive her first thing in the morning or after she has sat for a long time. It does it within the first 10 mins of me driving, after that she drives fine. and now when I start her up, a large cloud of smoke appears fromthe exhauste. Someone suggested that when I had my muffler and manafold repaired about a month ago that they may have damaged the O2 sensor or valve. Makes sense since it started doing this within a week of getting that fixed.

 

Not necessarily. On cold start-up the emissions are working in open loop. Not until the engine is warm will the system go to closed loop. Because cold start-up is using a rich mixture I doubt the O2 sensor hot enough to send a signal oreven be considered by the ECM. If they had damaged your sensor it would give problems when warm. Have you pulled any codes? What color is the smoke? Sticking accel. could be worn linkage or dirty throttle plate.

 

we are going to try and pull codes tonight. after almost die yesterday trying to get home, my godfather is going to pull out his hand held to see what he can get. the smoke is black.

 

Black smoke (not blue) is rich mixture, way too rich. Spark plugs will also probably be black.