QuestionWifes 95 Camry XLE v6 99k started acting up 5 weeks ago...car seemed to stutter intermittently when on highway..engine light eventually came on/off then stayed on as car drove. WHile waiting for dlr appt. car stopped starting. Would crank but not turn and start. Towed to dlr where it immedly started. Left for svce. ECM code dtc p0304...misfire on cylinder. Chk plugs & coil ok. On reco changed plugs replaced idle control valve also did valve cover gaskets, cleaned throttle body replaced some belts. Car fine for 6 days then stalled while driving on hiway..could not restart. Towed bk to dlr where it started right away...engine cooled?
Dlr went to restart and could not...chk found no spark and injection pulse. When check with scanner for rpm it started and they could not get it to stall again.They felt could be ECM or igniter...waited a day and started and verified engine stall w/out check light coming on. After light came on car stared fine. Did wiggle teston harness at ecom was ok..also chk efi relay pin drag was ok. They reco'd replace EFI relay. Approved, done and test drive ok. I got car took home and it stalled 5 minutes from the dealer then again in my driveway. It then was fine for 4-5 short trips in neighborhood b4 stalling again yesterday. This time it would not start for 2 hours....then started fine.
I noted since I got it the 2nd time...it seems to reve at 2000 rpm when started and idles very high. I can sit in the car with no foot on the gas in D and it will go forward most of the time....eventually idle drops then and the car stalls.
We have only 1 Toyota dealer in Hawaii so its my source for these repairs. They seem to be stumped and have implied this to me...saying it is intermitten problem. I am $1800 into this and wondering what to do next. I have been told this car can easily go 150k...in 11 years we have NEVER had a problem with it so I figure the quality is pretty good BUT I dont want it to become a black hole I pour money into...I know the ECm is big $ and they said the igniter was about the same amount quoted at $1000 each...at this point my wife is afraid of the car and has taken mine. I am trying to figure out if it is fixable...even if only to sell and get my repair money back.
Does any of this sound familiar?
AnswerThe DTC PO403 is an engine misfire code on the #3 cylinder, a single cylinder misfire will not cause a no start condition so there is something else.
This engine has six ignition coil/igniter packs, one for each cylinder but one of them malfunctioning will not cause the no start, the ECM is usually the last component to suspect but can't be ruled out.
Do you know if there were any other codes besides the PO403?
This could be related to a camshaft or crankshaft position sensor problem.
If the computer doesn't get the correct input signal from both of these sensors at start up there will be no spark and the fuel injectors will not operate.
