97 Toyota Camry LE 4cyl 2.2L........first of all I am the 2nd owner of the vehicle. 1st owner took excellent care of the vehicle as do I.. I have owned over year and half and have only had 1 problem ( split fuel fixture on top of fuel pump)... the car has been driving excellent til 3 days ago. DAY1- ran out of gas, and tried driving it up a hill to get to gas station on other side. no probs rest of day... DAY2- drove wife to work at 6:45 am and did some light driving throughout that day. then around 4pm i started the car and went to store when it mad weird sputter as i started it. I drove it 2 blocks to the store and it was acting like it was low on gas again so i put in $10 gasoline. When i drove it home it sputtered and jolted so I immediately parked it. When i started it, to try and hear any problems the idle would go up and down from 1000 to 2000 on the Tach. I also noticed a cracked air intake hose and did some research online. DAY3- i ran OBD to find only 1 cod ( P0303) which is 3rd cylinder misfire.. So i went to store and bought & installed brand new Air Intake hose, Throttle Positioning Sensor (TPS), Vacuum Hoses, and EGR valve ( EGR is the only thing i haven't installed), and 4 new Spark plugs.....Everything but the EGR valve has been installed. When I start the car now it idles around 1.5-2 and if I give any gas, there's little hesitation and if i do it fast enough sometimes ill hear a pop or hiccup from engine. Not as much sputtering... but if i try and drive it, there's constant sputtering and hesitation...I even pulled the ECT at suggestion of someone on another site and it made it worse like it was running out of gas. Plz i HAVE to get the car running asap, its how me, my wife get to work and my son get to school.. I tried to be as accurate and detailed as to what probs I hear/see and what Ive done to fix it. Please anyone.. I'm willing to leave my ph number or email, whatever I have to do, to give exact information to anyone that can help me. I'm very capable of fixing just need some direction

 

Tough to diagnose given these issues could have been caused by running out of gas or something else happening after this.

Was the gas used OK, no excess water or ethanol?

If the cracked air intake hose was at the throttle body, this is a normal problem which typically cause no issues.

EGR should be off at idle and full throttle.

Since the code is for No 3 cylinder check the ign wire and plug socket for damage.

Any other codes such as P0300?

Backfire out throttle body or exhaust?

Back fire can be caused by low fuel pressure. Has happened running out gas causes fuel pump to over heat and become damaged. The fuel is used to cool pump.

Then there is the thought that fuel tank debris gets picked up as the last of the fuel is drawn into the pump. The can filter in the engine compartment should catch most everything. The sock filter in the tank may plug up.

The actual fuel system pressure and fuel flow are not monitored by the computer, thus no codes available. But code(s) related to their effects on the engine system operation such as misfire, too rich or lean mixture, etc.

 

TOYOMOHO: the gas used was good. and yes the air intake was cracked at the throttle body connection, but ive bought and replaced with brand new one.It does give a pop noise from the engine compartment, but only when i press the throttle down fast. If I slowly increase the throttle it sounds normal. yes it gives the P0303 code, also it gives a pending P0303 code, also a P0120 which is the TPS, although I tested the TPS (it was fine) and replaced with brand new one. In the last 2 days I have installed brand new Air intake hose, Vacuum lines, TPS, replaced 3 spark plugs (the 4th has the spark plug boot stuck above the plug so i cant get my socket around the plug to remove it. I also tested the MAP & TPS harness's with a voltmeter using the Haynes book as a guide (they were perfect voltage too). I also have a new PCV valve that I am replacing today. And do you suggest replacing all spark plug boots and wires?

 

Suggest replacing spark plug wires, boots, etc.

 

yes, i was able to cut up the remaining piece of the boot that broke off and was stuck on top of cylinder 1 spark plug. I replaced spark plug 1, so now I have all new spark plugs. I also replaced the EGR modulator, and Spark plug wires.... and yay it seemed to work.. however I still have check engine light on, and the idle is still a little high. the car drives great, but seems to shift a little late and if the car is in Neutral and the a/c is turned on, it will idle even higher... any suggestion on the idle? so far you've been spot on and a tremendous help and I really appreciate it, seriously. thank you

 

What was the code, still P0303?