I have a 1995 Toyota Camry with the 2.2 5sfe that has recently been giving me some trouble. If I were to drive the vehicle so it was at operating temperature and then shut it off to run into lets say the gas station, the engine would just turn over but not start again until I let it sit for 20-30 mins. I pulled code 14 from the computer which refers to the ignition reference signal. I replaced the distributor(since the coil is internal) and now it starts up perfectly everytime. Now, I'm getting random misfires to the point it will stall out if I don't put it into neutral coming to a stop or even if it is just sitting in a parking lot idling. This problem only occurs when the engine is at operating temperature and it happens on and off.(not consistent) One minute it will drive/idle just fine, and the next I'm fighting to keep it running. It has always had a slight miss here and there but not like this. I should also say that along with doing the distributor, plugs and wires were also done.

A few things I've noticed/checked:

1. No codes this time

2. Fuel pressure is between 35-40 psi at idle

3. The temp gauge will sometimes read and other times it will only show the engine as being slightly warm even though I've been driving it. You can actually see the needle jump between the two points. I thought this was possibly a gauge cluster issue since the fans still kick on when needed.

4. I verified timing was at 10 degrees with the diagnostic terminals jumpered.

5. The electrodes on the new spark plugs look white almost like it is running lean.

Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

Describe the miss. You apply throttle and the engine misses, the engine will not idle and wants to die?

 

The vehicle drives/idles fine until it is at operating temperature. If the vehicle is parked and idling, you can start to hear the occasional misfire and the vibration that comes with it. It is more noticeable at first when I manually open the throttle body and hold the engine at a constant rpm above 1000. Once it starts having that first misfire it will become more and more frequent until you can physically see the engine shake and hear the constant missing. (the idle stays around 750 for the most part) If I keep the engine running and don't let it stall out, the condition will go away and it will act as if nothing is wrong. Then a few minutes later it will start all over again with a slight miss and then progressively get worse.

1. This same situation happens not only when it's idling but while driving also. You can feel the misfire and it will start to lose power and want to die even with your foot on the gas. Then it goes away.

2. I tried to isolate if a single cylinder was causing this problem by removing one plug wire at a time when it is acting up. All four cylinders acted the same by making the idle even rougher so I can't say for sure if one cylinder is having this issue or if its all of them.

3. My main concern now is that this may be a fueling issue since the plugs appeared white in color. That's why I checked fuel pressure but that seems to be normal.

4. Could this be related to my temp gauge jumping back and forth from cold to operating temp.

 

Temp gauge has its own sensor not connected to the computer. If the gauge is jumping around then there could be a problem with bad wiring, bad ground point on gauge or a DC power problem. Since the power to the gauge is the same for fuel gauge, tack and speedo, if this were the issue the other gauges would also react.

Might check the temp sensor for the computer (light Green/Brown wires). Should have 0.2K-0.4K at 176F and around 2.8K at 68F.

Both coolant sensor are in the same area thus check for wiring issues.

Also check that the EGR valve is off at idle engine warm. The EGR system is off until the engine coolant temp warms up.

Fuel pressure is based on engine vacuum to valve. You can try disconnecting the vacuum line and determine if