Hi - my 2000 Toyota Camry V6 died while driving the other day. At the shop they were able to start it but said it was misfiring but it didn’t cut off when they were driving it. They recommended a tune-up to replace spark plugs and “wires” for around $400 but admitted they weren’t sure what the problem was. I haven’t had a tune-up in awhile, actually not sure when the last time I had one was (if ever!). Would this cause it to die while driving? Should I invest in a tune-up even if it doesn’t fix the problem?
The battery is about 3 months old. The master and slave cylinder were recently replaced (about 6 months ago), timing belt and water pump and hoses were replaced a couple of years ago.
I have high miles, about 260,000 and love this car and have needed very little work and has been a very reliable car. Would love to continue driving it!! Thanks for any input!
Keep the car if you have taken good care of the maintenance and enjoy driving the car. If the engine is solid and doesn’t use oil, signs are good for that part. The cost of the quoted repairs is the same or less than ONE new car payment.
Misfiring is usually caused by ignition of fuel delivery. It sounds like the shop has determined it to be ignition related in your case. Also check the ignition coil, among other parts. I don’t know if this is coil on plug of not but if one cylinder is constantly giving you problems, you should look into that. If this uses a mechanical distributor, be sure to replace the cap and rotor. Be sure to really check the ignition coil. I have seen many cases where faulty but not completely bad coils have led to all kinds of odd running problems.
If you got this many miles without a tuneup, you are due for servicing!
Conor
Thanks! I should have mentioned that when the car died everything shut off, radio pre-sets were gone, no lights or clicking when trying to re-start. The mechanic said the battery and alternator and connections were all good. So is this still a spark plug issue? Or ignition coil problems?
Neither! What you describe IS NOT related to the ignition system. It sounds like a loose connection or bad ground/short somewhere.
The ignition system does not control power to your radio presents, etc. Whatever this was interrupted power to the entire car!
Conor
I believe your car has a 100 amp fuse that acts as the fusible link for the whole car, it is located in the fuse/relay panel next to the battery. It is possible that the fuse has developed a crack in the element. Sometimes when this happens, the crack will weld itself back in place and you wont have any trouble with it for a while, but I would just replace it.
You still may need new spark plugs but I doubt you need new ignition wires. The wires today are very durable, but a lot of people don’t trust them past a certain age because of their reputation back when they weren’t so durable.