Camry engine start issue

[pezzie]

Hey guys, my dad has a 2002 Camry. Over a year ago he blew the engine because he hadnt had it serviced for 40,000km's then drove it around with a blown water pump. The body was still immaculate at the time so we decided to put a new engine in. The engine is fine when running and warm but it doesnt turn on properly when cold.

If i turn the key to turn the car on it goes rur rur rur and the engine turns on for a split second, then i'd let go of the key and the engine will turn off.

The only way to have the engine running is to rev the car up yourself at around 1.5rpm for around 5/6 minutes. The car will turn on perfectly fine when its warm and has been running.

It seems as though the rpm's are too low to keep the car running. I've told my dad to go to the mechanic but apparently he has and they said nothings wrong with it. <_< because of that i plan to fix it myself

If anyone has any idea how to fix this or had similar issue then please let me know.

thanks tocau! :D

Edited January 4, 2011 by pezzie

[Ozzcaddy]

You haven't told us if it is a 4 or 6, Manual or Auto. Just looking in the Trouble Shooting section of a manual for "Engine hard to start when cold". These are the following possibilities that it mentions:

1. Battery discharged or low.

2. Malfunctioning fuel system.

3. Faulty cold start injector.

4. Injector(s) leaking.

5. Faulty coolant temperature sensor.

[trentmeyer23]

It's odd that it takes 5/6 minutes to run fine and a hard start. Makes me think there may be an underlying internal issue.

[pezzie]

sorry. its an automatic 2.4 litre engine. I forgot what the engine is. i am unsure of what had been changed during the engine change. 5/6 minutes might be an over estimate. But my dad usually drives around with one leg on the accel at all times then braking with the other leg for that long just to be sure it'll keep running.

What i dont get is why it would run fine once its warm. ignition turns fine and the car just runs hassle free.

[Ozzcaddy]

In your original post, you say that your dad already had taken it to a mechanic and they could not find anything wrong.

Was the car left over night with the mechanic to do an actual cold start?

If not, that might be the first thing to do, so they experience the same symptons which would make it easier for them to locate the problem(s).

[Milgram]

Have a look at this video on You Tube:

I'd get your mechanic to perhaps take a look at the Idle Air Control valve and throttle body. I've read about this issue in the past and it seems to be related to these components.

[Ozzcaddy]

That's a very good problem solver video. I've booked marked it for myself, in case of.

[pezzie]

nah, i doubt my dad even got it checked, so i was thinking i should go to the mechanic myself.

Thanks heaps for the video! i'll give this a shot this weekend and see what happens.