1991 Toyota Camry Intermittent hesitation accelerating and

Tiny
THOMEDON
  • MEMBER
  • 1991 TOYOTA CAMRY
  • 6 CYL
  • FWD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 120,000 MILES
Intermittent hesitation when accelerating and decelerating while driving but always only after the engine has had time to warm. Not a problem when engine cold. When engine warm the idle at stop lights is sometimes rough but, interestingly, if car then shifted from Drive into Park or Neutral or Reverse the engine idle significantly improves and becomes almost normal. Shifting back to Drive results in immediate return of rough idle. If I accelerate fast enough from stop I can usually overcome hesitation and once at highway speed it isn’t usually an issue until I have to significantly brake for slower traffic.
Thursday, February 18th, 2010 AT 10:41 PM

3 Replies

Tiny
2CARPRO JACK
  • MECHANIC
  • 11,533 POSTS
I take it the tune up is in good order (Fuel Filter?). The rough idle may be due to a misfire, but theway you describe it, it may just be a bad motor mount, when in D theengine loads differently than in R, so it may feel like the roughness goes away, but it is just loading against a good mount so you dont feel it. If you rev the engine in P does it rev up without hesitation or is it slow til about 3000 then revs up normal? Had any work been done prior to this issue?
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Sunday, February 21st, 2010 AT 7:35 AM
Tiny
THOMEDON
  • MEMBER
  • 5 POSTS
Friday morning things got interesting. As usual engine ran Ok cold. I got on freeway and a few miles down road hesistation problem became severe and car was unable to accelerate. Got off the freeway and engine abruptly died. Unsuccessfully tried to restart it but, while doing so, noticed white puffs coming from under hood. Opened hood and observed coolant had been spraying out from under radiator cap. Cap is new 13 psi cap. Checked radiator hose and felt that it was firm and was hot but not unusually so. Car temp gauge read mid-way which is typical after a few miles. Now starter cranks engine but it will not start. I now suspect hesistation was coolant misting into cylinders. I now suspect blown head gasket. What do you think?
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Sunday, February 21st, 2010 AT 1:14 PM
Tiny
2CARPRO JACK
  • MECHANIC
  • 11,533 POSTS
That will do it. If there isnt enough coolant for the sender to read it, the gauge may never show that it is overheating.
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Sunday, February 21st, 2010 AT 3:44 PM

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