culthuu
06-11-2008, 10:00 PM
My 2000 ES automatic has been a real pain since I bought it. I’ve had the timing belt changed and a lot of other work done including plugs and a new air filter. It’s been idling high since I bought it but it was throwing no codes. I’ve checked all the vacuum lines I can but it still insists on idling up above 1000RPM. I’ve heard the intake manifolds on these cars sometimes crack so I thought maybe that was it but I haven’t had a chance to check that yet.
Today we took it out thinking most of the problems were fixed. We drove it about 80 miles in 90 degree heat with the air going and it ran OK outside of the high idle. Then, about ten miles from home I was tooling along about 50 MPH and suddenly it had no power. It would try and run if you kept pumping and feathering the throttle so I was able to get if off the road safely. I turned it off and let it sit for about 5 minutes and it started and ran normally for a couple of miles and then did the same thing. I managed to baby it within a mile of my house and then it just died. It would start but the engine would shudder and backfire and it felt like it was running on only a couple of cylinders. If I pumped the throttle I could get it to rev up to about 2000 RPM but when I tried to move it would die. Disgusted I left it there and walked home. I came back about an hour later and it started up and ran fine so I was able to get it back to the house.
The check engine light was on at one point but stupidly I removed the battery cable and lost the code and it didn’t come on again. I just replaced the IAC so I know it’s not that and I’ve replaced any bad vacuum hoses under the hood. The throttle body was taken off and cleaned and there is a brand new Fram air filter just this week. The radiator is brand new as are the hoses and at no time did the car overheat during all of this. Since it runs fine sometimes I’m stumped. Anybody got any ideas?
Today we took it out thinking most of the problems were fixed. We drove it about 80 miles in 90 degree heat with the air going and it ran OK outside of the high idle. Then, about ten miles from home I was tooling along about 50 MPH and suddenly it had no power. It would try and run if you kept pumping and feathering the throttle so I was able to get if off the road safely. I turned it off and let it sit for about 5 minutes and it started and ran normally for a couple of miles and then did the same thing. I managed to baby it within a mile of my house and then it just died. It would start but the engine would shudder and backfire and it felt like it was running on only a couple of cylinders. If I pumped the throttle I could get it to rev up to about 2000 RPM but when I tried to move it would die. Disgusted I left it there and walked home. I came back about an hour later and it started up and ran fine so I was able to get it back to the house.
The check engine light was on at one point but stupidly I removed the battery cable and lost the code and it didn’t come on again. I just replaced the IAC so I know it’s not that and I’ve replaced any bad vacuum hoses under the hood. The throttle body was taken off and cleaned and there is a brand new Fram air filter just this week. The radiator is brand new as are the hoses and at no time did the car overheat during all of this. Since it runs fine sometimes I’m stumped. Anybody got any ideas?