My 1999 Toyota Celica with 100,000 miles for the past two summers didn’t start for the first time in the day when the temperature was over 80 degrees. It started but then died. It would only remain running if I held my foot on the accelerator to keep it at or above 1000 rpm. It was ok as soon as I put it in reverse. It would also start after driving and stopping. Now it’s not starting initially even when it’s 60 degrees.
Does anyone know how to correct this problem? Thank you. Cliff in Bellinham,WA
Do you have a Check Engine Light? Have you had the trouble codes read?
sensitivity to hot temperatures is generally an ignition system problem. There are components in the ignition system that can become heat sensitive. Primary candidates are ignition coils and igniters.
But first check for stored fault codes. Autozone will do this for free. Post back with the actual codes.
it’s a celica. Now if it was say a tercel or a carolla you wouldn’t be having this problem. Have the codes read, see if the igniter is putting out a spark when you try to start it. (I take it this beast does crank over, but just wont catch?)
The car starts it just doesn’t stay running unless I depress the accelerator when turning the key in the ignition.
The check engine light has never come on.
The engine light hasn’t come on. BTW, this is an intermittent problem but occurring more and more often. The nearest Autozone is 25 miles away but probably worth the trip. thanks for the recommendation.
you need to determine if this is a fuel air supply problem or an ignition spark problem. I would guess it is fuel/air related, since it runs when you have the peddle down. But, it could be a spark problem if it is timing related, and if it has a vacume advance that is beginning to fail. This can be best tested with a timing light.
A fuel/air mixture problem can have multiple causes, and for that you do need to find the codes, which may exist even though there has been no engine light. You are doing well go travel the 25 miles to find out. I could save you in the long run.
I finally made it to Autozone today. There were no stored fault codes. And, BTW, the problem has been occurring with greater frequency. The tech at Autozone thought the problem could be related to either the idle air control valve or throttle position sensor. He recommended having a mechanic looking at it before purchasing the parts. The idle control valve is in the $60-$100 range. I’ll have to leave the car with the mechanic but that may not be for a month or so as I’m going on vacation in a couple weeks. (The car is not part of the vacation plan.)
I finally made it to Autozone today for the free reading of fault codes. There were no stored fault codes. And, BTW, the problem has been occurring with greater frequency. The tech at Autozone thought the problem could be related to either the idle air control valve or throttle position sensor. He recommended having a mechanic looking at it before purchasing the parts. The idle control valve is in the $60-$100 range. I’ll have to leave the car with the mechanic but that may not be for a month or so as I’m going on vacation in a couple weeks. (The car is not part of the vacation plan.)
I would do a search on how to clean throttlebody and idle control valve, its easy and cheap to do.
Temp and air intake sensors also can affect idle I think.
Do not go throwing parts at it,find a good local shop.
I just had the local Toyota dealer diagnose the problem. The Idle Air Control Valve is the culprit. They want $272 for the part and another $163 for labor to replace it. Upon interrogation, the service adviser agreed that if I’m able to start the car by simply using the accelerator that replacement of the IAC is unnecessary. The car idles fine other than the few times it dies upon initial starting. The two times I’ve started the car since its diagnosis, I’ve noticed it idles at higher RPM - a good sign. Perhaps cleaning is another option rather than a costly replacement.