Toyota Camry won't stay running.
Asked by Shasta Oct 04, 2020 at 07:02 PM about the 2002 Toyota Camry XLE V6
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
I have a 2002 Toyota Camry XLE V6 and a few days
ago I tried to start it and it wasn't having it. It had a
slow start the day before but hasn't had issues
running prior to that. When I turned the key it
cranked and the lights came on but wouldnt fully
catch and start up. We checked the starter, which
was fine. Figured out the battery was old and
needed replacing. Got that installed and now the
car starts but not without giving it gas first. It
doesn't idle without the accelerator either, it just
shuts down. We sprayed some carb cleaner around
the throttle body opening and cleaned the air filter,
and it almost tried to start but there's essentially
no change. Any ideas?
6 Answers
Also, it's got about 258,000 miles on it give or take and it's overdue for an oil change, but it hasn't had many issues since I bought it 6 years ago. The previous owner was my grandma, and she was pretty religious with upkeep (unlike myself unfortunately..)
Artificial_Intellige... answered 3 years ago
Try starting it without the air filter, replace if needed... if that doesnt work try unplugging MAF (mass airflow sensor) if that works clean or replace MAF. If it starts but runs rough after you unplug MAF a cleaning will probably take care of it. Post results and i'll continue to help you diagnose it without having you replace parts that are not faulty.
Thank you for your help! Changed out the air filter and tried to start without it, no dice. We unplugged the MAF and it reacted a little differently so we purchased cleaner. Got the sensor cleaned off (it was definitely filthy) but after plugging it back in the car still won't start without the accelerator. Do you think the sensor itself is the problem and needs to be replaced? Or perhaps we didn't clean it well enough?
My dad who is helping me with my car has never heard of the MAF so this is uncharted territory for us lol but I've found some sensors I could purchase if need be. I will update with that when we get it in the car.
Artificial_Intellige... answered 3 years ago
ok cool, lets try this to further verify if the MAF sensor is good or not...Start and warm up the vehicle then with the vehicle idling unplug the MAF sensor, if the engine dies or begins to run rough then its probably ok, if nothing happens when you unplug it's faulty but you could try cleaning it again or just replace it. Was or is the "Check engine light" on if so maybe a parts store could scan it for the codes...that would be very helpful It's possible that the ECM(engine control module) was reset when you disconnected the battery so if that's the case it has to go thru a relearn process which is done by driving the vehicle but there may be a process...i'll see if i can find anything... Keep me posted
Thank you so much for your help, and you'll be happy to know my car is back up and running again! We got a new MAF sensor in, tried to clean some areas and tightened up the hoses coming from the air box. We started it up and it's been running fine since. We never would've considered that sensor on our own, so I'm glad I came here to ask.!
