Hey, I've noticed a (I think) new quirk in the Celica. This one doesn't seem so innocent, but I hope it won't be too hard to fix. In neutral, I can easily rev the engine to 6k RPM and it sounds fine. In gear (with the clutch fully engaged, ie: not touching the pedal), when I hit 4k RPM it stutters a bit and refuses to accellerate more, I have to upshift to go faster. I think I broke past 4k RPM only in first gear, but it was very hesitant. Could this be related to T-VIS trying to engage at 4,200 RPM? It could very well actually be around 4,200 RPM that it is hesitant, but I'm not sure. I'm quite sure that this is a new thing and that I was able to hit 5.5k-6k RPM in gear before; I've been doing a lot more highway driving lately if it helps. Any suggestions or ideas? I've yet to look under the hood lately, so I will probably do that today. Thanks, Teran EDIT: I should have mentioned that this is an '86 GT-S, with a stock 3S-GE engine. Fuel injectors were replaced a few thousand miles ago, but not under my ownership.
Yeah, sounds like a t-vis issue. Maybe just the butterfly is not opening all the way? Clean the TB and see what happens. Here's more on tvis, it's a good read: "EVERYTHING ABOUT TVIS!!!" :mrgreen: viewtopic.php?f=51&t=764 -K
Get under the car, reach around to the back of your intake manifold and pull the hose to the T-VIS actuator, this will release the pressure and as such should open the valves, now take her for a spin, she'll feel different at low RPM but if you can rev past 4000RPM then you found the culprit. If your not sure where I'm talking about pulling the hose from it's here
Thanks for the timely replies. I haven't been able to try any of those just yet, but I do have some more observations. I looked under the hood and noticed that the air intake to filter connection wasn't the best, it was easy to pull the rubber hose out partially. Not sure if that could affect anything or if it would be worth looking into (seemed like a good spot for ducttape). My dad suggested checking the air filter, so I took it out and ran a blower on it. It wasn't particulary dirty, but it is at least a year old and looks to be a little on the cheap side (no brand listed, etc.). I used the blower on the filter housing, too. Afterwards, I drove with my parents to volleyball so I could see if that helped, if not I could show my dad the symptoms. It was the same as before, but seemed to bog out around 3,500 RPM with the additional weight; it did get a little higher occasionally. My dad suggested trying to accellerate slowly rather than gun it. Before when it was bogging out at 4k RPM, the pedal was on the floor. I gently accellerated and it eased past 4k RPM with no problems. I would like to try putting the pedal down fully after gently accellerating past 4k RPM, but I'd have to try tomorow. Unless you have some new insights, I think I will try cleaning out the throttle body first and if that doesn't fix it, go for the T-VIS actuator (many thanks to Jester for even taking a picture). Thanks, Teran
If you didn't read "all about TVIS", do it several times I've reread it 10x and still forget things Jester has better advice, test as he described. This will narrow things down a bit quickly. It's not uncommon for people to replace an old actuator and/or the VSV to get TVIS back. -K
Should I not bother with disconnecting the T-VIS actuator? I put Seafoam in the oil crank case and the fuel tank; maybe some gunk got dislodged and is stuck in the fuel filter? I guess the spark plugs are another possibility. Anything else I can test for, or should I scan the ECU? Thanks, Teran
Thanks for the feedback, I finally got around to scanning it. Scanning on the Celica is very nice, do other manufacturers implement anything similar? I got error code 21, (oxygen sensor) which makes sense to me for the symptoms and suggestions. I reset the ECU by disconnecting the fuse and fidled with the oxygen sensor's connection. It's a one-wire sensor, which I guess is standard in USDM 1st generation 3S-GE's? I started it up, rev'ed it, turned it off, and scanned it again. No errors, so I figured that it may not have picked up on the oxygen sensor, or maybe I somehow fixed it by fidling with the wire. I went for a quick drive and the symptoms were definitely still there. After the drive I scanned it, but still no error. Maybe the oxygen sensor is another issue or I need to take it on a longer drive? Should I still go with the spark plugs and fuel filter, or try something else? If it is likely the oxygen sensor I'd appreciate advice as to where to get a new one. Thanks, Teran
the o2 sensor is useless until the car hits closed loop, in open loop the car runs on predetermined settings in the ecu, fire it up, let it reach ot, then scan it...
Thanks for the reply, but I didn't understand that at all. How would I make the ECU enter the closed loop? What do the terms mean exactly for cars? Thanks, Teran
open loop, car runs on predetermined settings stored in the ecu, a/f ratio, spark adv. ect.. during start up, untill the car hits ot (operating temp) o2 is not active. closed loop, car is warmed up and reading off of all its sensors. o2 is active and sending. so let your car warm up to closed loop then scan it..
Yeah I've just been reading your post again and been trying to get a more detailed view of what's really going on, pull the plugs and have a look at their condition, spark plugs give a great indication as to how an engine is running. Mafix seems to be on the ball, if you can steadily increase your revs but not gun it then it definately sounds like you've got some issue's with fuel delivery or spark, but i think fuel is more your problem, when i had my JDM installed it wouldn't run past about 2grand, and the mechanics couldn't figure it out, turned out that one of the copper washers that go around your fuel damper was put on the wrong side and was forced up into the damper restricting the fuel flow, so as this sounds similar i would be looking at blockages, replacing your filter is a good place to start if you've not done it already because most of them are OEM and 20years old. If that has no effect look, pull the fuel rail and check the damper, fuel regulator and injectors. Around here you can get injectors cleaned and tested for about $60 (set of 4) but I'm in Oz. Summary: Check Spark Plugs Replace the Fuel Filter. If that doesn't work check the fuel rail and all attached components.
I replaced the oxygen sensor, which I think is unrelated. As presumed, it still had the same issue. It did seem to idle a bit lower and more nicely though. I took it into the Toyota dealer this morning. It was their first time ordering a fuel filter for a 4th generation Celica, but they replaced it. Old one was aftermarket and didn't fit quite fit. Only one bolt held it, and the cables had to be rerouted a bit apparently. They had a bit of a tough job replacing it, but I've got my Celica back :-D. After having the engine roar and not stutter, I'm a bit more hesitant to the thought of selling it. So glad to have it reasonably driveable now. I'll have to get used to the comparatively huge torque range now. Thanks for all of the help, Teran
it threw an o2 sensor code because your running too rich. you should have tested the sensor before replacing it.
Glad to hear everything worked out! Thanks for the follow-up too, it may help others resolve similar issues -K
