Need help with 2001 Toyota Camry!

my Toyota misfires when I hit 2200 rpm. There’s no engine lights on except for my airbag light has been blinking about a week before the misfiring started. I checked for codes and there is none. I really can’t afford to take it to a shop right now so figured I’ll try my luck here…

Did the problem start suddenly? If it was a clogged fuel filter I think it would get worse gradually.

Is there a difference if it is under load or in neutral? I would start with a fuel pressure test if the problem is worse under load.

In this kind of car that has rather weak seat belt load limiters, it’s rather important that the airbag works. If a 200 pound man crashed in to a wall at 35 MPH, he may not survive with the seat belt alone. For a 120 pound person it’s not as big of an issue.

Are you sure the check engine light works? It and most other instrument panel lights should come on when you put the key in and turn it to Run (not all the way to Start.)

If someone unplugged it to disguise a problem, it will not light up for any reason. If there’s a misfire, that will generally be detected and cause the CEL to come on. You can have the codes read at many auto stores. Possibly there’s a tentative code stored but the misfire hasn’t happened often enough to light up the CEL yet.

Yes my car was fine one moment then next time I drive it it’s like this as soon as I hit 2200rpm. It doesn’t feel like it gets worse as I drive. Do I have to take it to a shop to test the fuel pressure? The seatbelt issue I’m not really worried about but I’m wondering if it has something to do with it maybe since that happened just a week before this misfiring started.

Should I let the car run for a bit and then try the code reader again? Yes the engine light works. I can’t afford to take it anywhere at the moment but hoping if I find out what’s wrong I can find someone to help me fix it

And if a frog had wings it wouldn’t bump its ass hopping everywhere.
What does a 200 lb man running into a wall have to do with an engine that’s not running properly?

2 Likes

Well the OP did mention,

And with @TheWonderful90s it’s always about seat bealts and airbags !

1 Like

Plugs, coil, distributor if it has one would be where I would start depending on last service. You can borrow a fuel pressure tester but are you gonna rev it up to 2200 in your driveway?

2001 Camry is most reliable car around.

A misfire usually will throw a code. being you say there are no codes I am thinking this might be fuel related. maybe you are feeling a studder rather than a misfire.
When was the last time the fuel filter was changed?

2001 Toyota Camry Fuel Filter Replacement - YouTube

1 Like

Something else to check- a neighbor chased a similar problem for several days. Engine would stumble and no power above 2500 rpm or thereabouts. No MIL/CEL or pending codes. Tried all the usual suspects including disconnecting the exhaust pipe. So ruled out a plugged cat. Or so he thought. Came all the way back around and actually removed the cat. Problem went away. The pipe was disconnected but apparently the gap was not enough at those engine speeds to eliminate the back pressure caused by the clogged cat.

I believe it was done when I got the car about a year and a half ago but no 100% sure.

Well unless I’m actually driving it doesn’t do it. We tried in park going above 2200 and it didn’t stutter or misfire at all, only when I’m on the road.

Does this just happen at 2200rpms or 2200rpms and above?

2200 and above. Didn’t wanna push it so I haven’t gone past 3000

So it’s a miss under load? Ignition, crank sensor again would be where I would start.

OP, ask your shop to check if there are any pending misfire codes. Usually a misfire that repeats from one drive to the next will turn on the CEL and set a diagnostic code. It’s considered a serious problem b/c each time it misfires it may be throwing a bolus of raw gasoline into the cat, which will eventually damage it. Expensive to replace. But it may take several drive cycles of minor misfiring to go from pending to active and turn on the CEL.

Speculations on the cause of the rpm related misfire? First guess, some problem w/ the crank position sensor function. Many other possibilits. I like the plugged cat idea too. Many years ago on the radio program, caller’s car would stall at the same spot in the road every time they took the car on that particular route. Ran fine everywhere else. Turned out it was a long uphill drive, and that spot was when the car reached a certain altitude. The drivetrain software knows the altitude, and switches to a different algorithm , something associated with that algorithm switch was causing the engine to stall.

1 Like

I notice too when I go up a hill it gets worse.

When my Corolla misfires, noticed only when going up long hills, usually the spark plug gap has grown too large.

Lets start with the basics. How many miles are on this vehicle? This is important because the plugs are supposed to be replaced at 100k miles. Do you know if they have been changed. BTW, if this vehicle was dealer maintained, then any Toyota dealer should be able to tell you when it was last done.

Also the air filter needs to be changed every 30k, so do you know when it was last changed? Some parts stores will even assist you with installing an air filter if you buy it there. About $20 ish.

Also, is this the 4 cylinder or V-6. IIRC the 4 has a timing chain, the v-6 uses a timing belt which must be changed on scheduled. That is usually every 7 years so you vehicle would be coming due for its third belt change. The belt would not cause the misfire but if it breaks, it will cause much greater problems.