I have a 2001 Toyota Camry that I have started noticing today of some misfires. After stopping at a stop light it jerks and hesitates but not after slowing down and turning. It’s not consistent, it’s off and on. Other than that it runs great. It’s only occasionally when accelerating after stopping. Would it just be a spark plug? Should I stay off the highways?
What you should do is take the car to a good independent mechanic. Has the check engine light come on at any of these times? If so, the mechanic can scan the code(s) that were stored when the events happened and get a clue as to what went wrong. I believe your Camry has a throttle position sensor and if it’s defective that could account for the problem.
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No check engine light
Dirty throttle body or IAC valve. It’s probably not a misfire.
When you come to a stop it is searching for idle.
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No rough idles. Everything else is normal. The only problem is that it sometimes hesitates after stopping. I have not noticed any unusual idling.
Does the R.P.M. drop when you stop and even want to stall? This will happen and then it will find the right idle when it recovers. These are still symptoms of a dirty throttle body or I.A.C. It’s still my guess because there is no check engine light. If there was a misfire this bad it would generally throw a P030X code. Properly cleaning a throttle body is a cheap easy first step. Especially with a car this old it will not be a waste of time.
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How do I do that?
Inspect the air intake tube between the air cleaner and throttle body for cracks.
When you begin to accelerate, the engine will torque and pull on the air intake tube, any cracks will open up and cause the engine to hesitate or stumble.
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You ask your trusted, independent mechanic to do it.
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Just started getting error codes today. P-0330 Knock Sensor 2 Circuit. What is that?
There is an open circuit or short circuit in the knock sensor circuit for bank # 2 (left bank). That will cause a lack of engine performance.