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Hesitation and high Idle after cold start

Tiny
JAY_SANCHEZZ15
  • MEMBER
  • 1997 TOYOTA CAMRY
  • 3.0L
  • 6 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 157,000 MILES
Hi there, My car listed above LE V6
156,000 miles - hesitates when I am in traffic.
For example, in stop and go traffic I will come
to a stop slowly, and try to accelerate but
there is about a 1 second delay when I press
the pedal and the car goes. This doesn’t
usually occur at high speeds just low speeds.

Should also mention that when I turn on the
car on a cold start (it’s 80*F outside), it idles
at about 1,800 rpms. It doesn’t settle lower
than 1k rpms until I put it in gear or wait a
long time (5min maybe?) If I don’t wait for the
car to settle to 1k rpm, and I choose to put it
in drive, the idle drops from 1,800 to about 800rpm (normal I think?) And the car will “walk”
at about 5mph which seems and feels rather
fast because I am not pressing the gas, and
as soon as I do it will shift into 2nd gear
because it’s already traveling fast. It also is difficult to stop with brakes after cold start (because its "walking" fast)

Car has no CEL codes
Car passes emission test with my OBDII
scanner(Blue Driver)
Recent Maintenance done:
New Battery Replaced Spark Plugs and rear
wire set. (NGK)
New Air Filter
New Fuel Filter
Changed Transmission Filter (not flushed just
drained because ATF was black)
New Engine Coolant Temperature Sensor
Tried to clean IAC with throttle cleaner
Cleaned MAF Sensor with MAF Sensor
cleaner.

Could this be a bad throttle position sensor or Oxygen Sensor?
Any help would be appreciated as I am a
college student and don’t have much money
to throw into parts.
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Friday, June 28th, 2019 AT 11:33 AM

45 Replies

Tiny
KEN L
  • MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
  • 42,895 POSTS
It is important the IAC is clean because it is hindered easier with gunk. Here is a video of the job being done:

https://youtu.be/XMB16Gg-qNg

Please run down this guide and report back.
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Saturday, June 29th, 2019 AT 7:40 PM
Tiny
JAY_SANCHEZZ15
  • MEMBER
  • 45 POSTS
Thank you for your reply Ken.
Is it worth cleaning the IAC valve or replacing it entirely given the amount of miles on the car?
Does the IAC motor wear out or is it simply carbon buildup that keeps it from opening and closing?
My reasoning is that I could take it apart clean it, but if the motor is worn out then I’d still have to replace it.
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Sunday, June 30th, 2019 AT 3:26 PM
Tiny
KEN L
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It is an electromagnet driven valve (no motor) they don't wear out just get dirty. Let me know what you find.
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Monday, July 1st, 2019 AT 11:07 AM
Tiny
JAY_SANCHEZZ15
  • MEMBER
  • 45 POSTS
I replaced the Idle Air Control Valve over the weekend with a new part from AutoZone. They were doing a sale for the 4th of July so I got it pretty cheap. I know cleaning was mentioned, but I found it rather difficult to clean the smaller areas deep in the valve.

Anyway, I started up the car and have yet to see any signs of improvement during cold start. Still idles high, around 1,800 rpm's and stays there unless I wait a while or put it in gear.
I am assuming that the car needs to relearn the idle with the new IAC, so I will take it on a long drive tonight.
Any suggestions on further steps?
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Monday, July 8th, 2019 AT 8:00 AM
Tiny
KEN L
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When you replace the valve did you service the throttle bore? Yes, it does need to relearn which a long drive will help achieve. Here is a guide to help with the throttle service:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/throttle-actuator-service

Please run down this guide and report back.
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Monday, July 8th, 2019 AT 10:49 AM
Tiny
JAY_SANCHEZZ15
  • MEMBER
  • 45 POSTS
Yes, I removed the throttle bore and made sure it was as clean as possible. I used carburetor cleaner to do this. I also took a toothbrush to make sure I was getting into the area where the throttle plate rotates, took it to the butterfly, and the intake manifold (the plate seems to close all the way and open with no issues). The throttle bore is practically spotless, with no thick amounts of carbon. I also cleaned a little bit inside the intake manifold, as I noticed it had a lot of carbon build up. I just used the toothbrush and scrubbed it down best I could.

How long of a drive are we talking? I am assuming a long drive with various speeds? IE> highway and city driving
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Monday, July 8th, 2019 AT 1:57 PM
Tiny
KEN L
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It should take about five miles to reset, around town should do it. Make sure there are no vacuum leaks.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-use-an-engine-vacuum-gauge

Please run down this guide and report back.
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Tuesday, July 9th, 2019 AT 9:34 AM
Tiny
JAY_SANCHEZZ15
  • MEMBER
  • 45 POSTS
Haven’t checked for vacuum leaks, but wanted to update after driving car for a while. The car still idles high at cold start, and walks’ fast. I have found that the car does not shift properly into third gear, when the car is cold. It reaches high rpm's and does not shift past about 20 mph, so it stays in the second gear. However, if I let the car reach operating temperature, it runs great. I’ll check for vacuum leaks this weekend.
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Thursday, July 11th, 2019 AT 8:07 AM
Tiny
KEN L
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It sounds like you may have an engine coolant temperature sensor that needs to be replaced. When this sensor gets off slightly it will not give a code but it will cause engine run-ability problems. There are two of them I would change them both.
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Thursday, July 11th, 2019 AT 10:43 AM
Tiny
JAY_SANCHEZZ15
  • MEMBER
  • 45 POSTS
Do you happen to have a coolant temperature sensor diagram/location for the 1997 Toyota Camry LE V6 model? The diagram shown is for a CE model. I have replaced one (Duralast from AutoZone) near the radiator cap when I made the original post.
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Thursday, July 11th, 2019 AT 4:14 PM
Tiny
JAY_SANCHEZZ15
  • MEMBER
  • 45 POSTS
No vacuum leaks as far as I know. I followed the article sent. Sprayed good amount of carburetor cleaner to throttle bore, IAC gasket, brake booster, EVAP canister and valves, and intake manifold. I also sprayed as many of the vacuum hoses I could find, along and at the ends. They all look in good shape, with no significant idle increase as I sprayed. I used my phone to record the idle. No change.
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Thursday, July 11th, 2019 AT 4:41 PM
Tiny
KEN L
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The diagrams are the same for LE CE are they not there or? Can you please shoot a quick video with your phone so we can see what's going on, that would be great. You can upload it here with your response.
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Saturday, July 13th, 2019 AT 11:29 AM
Tiny
JAY_SANCHEZZ15
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So the first thing I point to in the video is the one coolant temperature sensor I have changed out. The second thing/area I point to is where the diagram claims two other sensors would be. I find one that looks like the sensor, but I don’t believe it is because it has one wire coming out of it only.
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Sunday, July 14th, 2019 AT 2:57 PM
Tiny
KEN L
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Thanks for the video I checked again and found more information on the sensors here are the location below.
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Monday, July 15th, 2019 AT 11:28 AM
Tiny
JAY_SANCHEZZ15
  • MEMBER
  • 45 POSTS
According to everything I could find, the car only has one engine coolant temperature sensor, that I replaced already. O’Reilly website even claims there is only one (see picture). However, there is a coolant temperature sender that has one wire lead and it’s connected to the thermostat housing.

I do not think that this has anything to do with the high idle issue, but I may be wrong.
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Thursday, July 18th, 2019 AT 7:02 AM
Tiny
KEN L
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Lets change the two wire sensor. The one wire is for the fan.
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Thursday, July 18th, 2019 AT 9:33 AM
Tiny
JAY_SANCHEZZ15
  • MEMBER
  • 45 POSTS
The Engine Coolant Temperature sensor, like the one listed in the O'rielly pic, was replaced less than 2 months ago now. I bought it from Autozone (Duralast limited lifetime).
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Thursday, July 18th, 2019 AT 11:57 AM
Tiny
KEN L
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Yep I would try an OEM sensor, but looking again just cleaning the MAF doesn't work most of the time I would try a new sensor as well. If the sensor is off slightly it wont create a code. Let me know
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Friday, July 19th, 2019 AT 4:58 PM
Tiny
JAY_SANCHEZZ15
  • MEMBER
  • 45 POSTS
So I took it to a mechanic and they could not find anything out of the ordinary. They mentioned that there was metal shavings at the bottom of the pan, which I believe is normal wear. I went ahead an changed the Throttle Position Sensor (TPS) with a new OEM part, and I feel better response when the car is warm. The issue of the transmission not shifting correctly when cold worries me more than the high idle and fast creep. I have also noticed during the cold starts that it uses a lot of gas, like my tank gets noticeably lower when I get to work after cold start.
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Friday, August 2nd, 2019 AT 7:43 AM
Tiny
KEN L
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Did we get the coolant sensors replaced with OEM units? I would start there because it still sounds like the coolant sensor issue. Lets try a CAN scan as well, these are becoming more popular because it does the entire car.

Here is a video:

https://youtu.be/InIlnsjOVFA

Lets clear and run the codes again as well.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/checking-a-service-engine-soon-or-check-engine-light-on-or-flashing

Please run down this guide and report back.

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Friday, August 2nd, 2019 AT 11:54 AM

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