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94 camry le v6 the severe idling problem..

it was almost an accident, last Monday I drive my 94 camry le V6 auto tranny, with 390000km on it on 401 heading warden in a traffic jam and it was a very huge jam such that my car moved only a few inches each minute.

about half an hour since I got into the jam, that I noticed something wrong with my idling speed (since I always put to N during stop), the rpm went up to 800rpm which wasn't normal. so I stepped a bit on the throttle, and the RPM reaches 1000RPM and didn't DROP down! it somehow freaken me out, and as I put into D, I can actually feel the impact of such a high rpm the car kinda had a very strong tendence to go forward.

I was so friggin, that I shut the engine and restarted it again, the RPM still keeps at 1000RPM... then I did a mistake to even give a more throttle, then it reaches 2000RPM and didn't drop down either.... I was totally friggen out. shutdown, then restart, no use, idling RPM stayed at 2000RPM..

so I have to move on since it's not wise to stuck in highway with a dangerous car, so I have to put it into D and drive on, at 2000RPM put into D gave my car a huge impact, and almost crashed into front car, I stepped on break very HARD to prevent it from moving on...I actually can feel the car had a very strong tendency to go forward despite I pressed the break pedal.

finally, I managed to escape the highway and drove only on the locals at

20km/h with both emergency lights on. The car actually felt exactly as someone was keep pressing the throttle pedel which if I let off break, the car will get to up to 60km/h.... so I put it on the 2nd gear to prevent the tranny from shifting to higher gears.. finally I managed to maintain a steady speak at 40km/h with 2nd gear at 2000RPM.

and not far from my home, suddenly the RPM drops and the car acted totally normal again, step on throttle the RPM went up and let off throttle the RPM drops immediately.. wooooollaaa... problem was gone and I happily got home.

the next day I checked the throttle body, throttle valve, and see no signs of stucking, or even if the throttle body was stucking, the gas pedal must feel very soft as I tested to jam a screw drive into the throttle valve, so it's confirmed not the valve problem.

it was exactly like if you give some gas, the engine will keep giving that much amount of gas despite you let of the gas pedal. So if it reaches RPM

2000, it'll keep staying there.

it was an very old camry and I only plan to keep it until next year, what service you people recommand to go thru? or does anyone of you know this kinda of problem? I haven't been driving it for a week that being afraid of the problem will come back again and cause more trouble. It seems that it's been initiated during a heavy jamming and gone when the traffic was good going through(locals).

THANK YOU

Reply to
grape
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check the idle air control valve.

Reply to
Ray O

I don't think it's the idle control valve... hmm,if it's so, then it should not be consistant with my gas pedal.

Reply to
grape

I didn't say that the idle air control valve is the cause. I recommended that you check it.

Also make sure that the cruise control actuator is de-energized.

Clean out the throttle body and linkage.

Reply to
Ray O

speaking about the cruise control, it's been broken since 1999, never worked once.... will it be the problem?

btw, I am a bit afraid of driving it again... it's kina very risky. and it's shaking more than before during idle.

Reply to
grape

Not likely. If you want to make sure, disconnect the cruise control actuator at the throttle body.

Take it to a Toyota dealer for diagnosis.

Reply to
Ray O

Good move Ray...I wouldn't mess with this...he might want to give it to you!... :)

Reply to
Gord Beaman

I suspect that this condition will be difficult, if not impossible, to diagnose unless the dealer is able to duplicate the condition so various components can be checked while the condition is manifesting itself.

To the OP: what was the engine coolant temperature gauge showing when this occurred? What is the fluid level in your power steering reservoir?

Reply to
Ray O

the temperature stays normal, maybe only slightly a bit higher, since more fuel is injected constantly.... but it's stays right in the middle, the oil pressure is ok at that moment. Only my right side of the car constantly had a loud *clunck* every time the wheel rotated... after this problem was gone in the locals, the *cluck* sound fainted or almost non-exist.. maybe this sound is correlated to the idling problem? It happened several times before when I was accelerating, and this cluck sound can be dated back to 2 years ago... hmm... maybe it's the key cause?

the coolant is ok ,and steering fluid is perfect, also the tranny oil, and engine oil are all A-ok.

Reply to
grape

Every time which wheel is rotated? The steering wheel or the wheel/tire?

In either case, it is unlikely to be the cause of the high idle.

after this problem was gone

That information rules out some possible causes.

That quote sounds pretty high. Did it come from a Toyota dealer or an independent shop?

Reply to
Ray O

Reply to
grape

Reply to
grape

It would be helpful if you left the original post and responses in follow up posts so people can follow the thread.

The cheap local shop probably gave you a high quote because the do not know what they are doing and it will take them a long time to find the problem. A Toyota dealership technician works on Toyotas all day long and may be able to fix it for a lot less. I recommend getting a quote for comparison purposes.

Reply to
Ray O

The ECU detemines how much fuel to deliver based on several inputs, including the manifold air flow sensor, engine RPM, engine coolant temperature, throttle position sensor, and O2 sensors, and vehicle stability and traction control ECU's.

You can find these sensors at a Toyota dealer. Some aftermarket parts are available at auto parts stores, although their quality is hit or miss. I do not recommend replacing sensors unless you have tested the sensor and it tests bad, otherwise, you may spend thousands of dollars and still have the problem.

Reply to
Ray O

Reply to
grape

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