I have a 1998 Toyota Camry with an intermittent problem that’s existed for over three years. My local dealer has checked the car out and found nothing wrong. Of course, the problem doesn’t occur when he has the car, but it’s so fleeting I doubt he’d find anything even if it did.
Every once in a while, on the order of once every 100 miles or so, the car loses power. It doesn’t stall, it just doesn’t respond when I push on the gas pedal. This will last anywhere from a few seconds to a minute or so. Sometimes it will start to respond, sort of chug along for a few seconds, and then falter again, or it will respond for few hundred feet and then lose power again. Needless to say, when this occurs pulling out into traffic it’s a dangerous situation. I’ve tried to find a common variable for when this occurs (full/low gas tank, cold/hot weather, level/hill driving, slow/high speed, etc.), but nothing is consistent. The only thing I noticed is that the engine doesn’t stall when this happens. If I pull over and put the car in neutral the engine revs fine.
Some things I’ve considered: something in the gas tank, transmission problem, fuel delivery problem. I’m not sure what the dealer checked when I had the car in, but I assume he looked at things like filters. His only suggestion is bring the car in again, and again, and again. I’m down almost $150 with him and still have no clue what’s causing this.
Any suggestions as to what might be going on here would be appreciated.
Craig