Finally got a new used car (found it from carsdirect.com; bought it
from a dealership). Will have the engine thoroughly inspected by a
mechanic tomorrow.

When the engine is cold, it revs up to 2000 rpm, then falls down to say
1300 rpm, then 10 seconds later, revs up to a little less than 2000 rpm
(1800 rpm, say) then falls down to a little less than 1300 rpm (1200
rpm, say). Kept doing this until the "low" rpm reading was about 1000
rpm, but only kept the engine on for about a minute - we were waiting
for a friend. (The heater was on full blast, by the way.)

Is this normal? I never noticed this on my '96 camry, or on my
parents' 2001 camry.

same thing happenes to me too. but i have noticed that if the engine is
warm and then you turn on the car it stay below 1000rpm and doesnt rev
up like it does when turned on cold. i dont know why it happens but
would love to know if someone has an explaination.
by the way i also have 99 camry.

No. It's not normal for any car. Did you ever get this problem solved?
Or did it resolve itself through normal idle learning? It may be a
sticky idle air control (IAC) valve if it's still doing this. Do a
search on how to clean the IAC.


onehappymadman@yahoo.com wrote:

johngdole@hotmail.com wrote:
Ok, I removed the air intake hose leading to the throttle body, turned
on the engine, squirted about 4 squirts of Toyota throttle body cleaner
into the IAC intake hole on the throttle body, then about 4 more
squirts of teflon into the same little hole.

Also cleaned the throttle plate (with the engine off) with a toothbrush
while I was there.

I didn't de-activate or short out any electronics before doing this.
Was this a bad idea?

Shut off the engine, put back the hose, and I noticed that the fans
still turned on every 30 seconds or so. (The engine was still warm
from a trip around town, prior to my cleaning the IAC.) Is this bad?

Mike

I think it's resolved... whether through normal idle learning or
through my use of solvents. At least it doesn't go up and down
anymore.

But, my cold idle RPMs are about 1800. Is this normal? My '96 camry
has a cold idle of about 1200 rpm.


johngdole@hotmail.com wrote:

Ok, then that does it. however, in the cleaning process it's very easy
to clog the EGR ports in the throttle body. This may be a possible
cause of the high NOx you are experiencing.

The ports should pull full engine vacuum when throttle plate is opened
past them. Again, a free loaner of MityVac from Autozone can help here.

onehappymadman@yahoo.com wrote:

If you just purchased the car at a Dealership, I'm uncertain why you would
be messing with repairs at this point. Usually there's some kind of
guarantee on the vehicle. In alot of cases, they purchase these cars from
auction and the quality control inspector on driveability is YOU. Return it
to them and let them change out the IAC, it's a $400 repair, get a new one
under warranty (if you can).
<onehappymadman@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1141196385.487701.210470@t39g2000cwt.googlegr oups.com...

psommerhalder@sbcglobal.net wrote:
Why... I purchased it used from a dealership, "As-Is", and I didn't opt
for the extended warranty (it was about $1,600 for 12 months).

Car seems to work fine now. Just has a high idle, ~1800 rpm, but I
guess that's ok. Per Daniel's great information on how to clean the
IAC, all seems fine now.

Madman Mike

onehappymadman@yahoo.com wrote:

That reminds me...

Schwarzenegger Signs Used Car Buyer Bill of Rights

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news0..._used_car.html

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed a bill giving used
car buyers new rights and protections. The California "Car Buyers Bill
of Rights" allows buyers a two-day cooling off period to return a used
vehicle.

The law also allows dealers to charge a fee for the return option. The
cancellation option can cost as much as $250 but permits a buyer to
return a used vehicle priced at less than $40,000 to a dealership
within two days of the sale, for any reason.

Doesn't take effect until July 1, 2006 though.

onehappymadman@yahoo.com wrote:
snip
In Indiana we have a 3-day period but, I always thought it was a federal law
that required a seller to give the buyer a 3-day cooling off period for a
major purchase. Maybe an auto doesn't qualify or maybe there's a dollar
amount in the federal law and our cooling off period is a state law.
davidj92

davidj92 wrote:

This came up after a quick google search:
http://www.californialemonlaw.com/ncoprule.htm

I bought the '99 Camry on a Sunday, and of course most major mechanic
shops were closed. At least the dealer gave me 24 hours to have a
mechanic inspect the vehicle, and gave me a written Due Bill stating I
could return the vehicle if a mechanic found problems.

After the Pep Boys opened the valve cover for me, and we found no
sludge, I relaxed a lot. I really liked the car - that's one reason
why I went ahead and bought it on a Sunday, of all times. Sure it's
got a few issues - a bolt missing here, strange squeaking sounds there,
cigarette scorch marks on some door upholstery (but no cigarette
smell), a missing cigarette lighter (I guess the guy was trying to quit
smoking). But for half the price of new... hey!

onehappymadman@yahoo.com wrote:
snip
Glad you found a car that's a good buy for you. Sometimes it's worth it when
you find a car that needs a few minor fixes.
I read the article so, it's a good thing for Californians to have the
cooling-off period law signed in. Sometimes car salesmen can pressure you
into making a purchase you really didn't want or afford.
I'm still reading the article someone posted the link to on the life of a
car salesmen. Really eye-opening.
davidj92

davidj92 wrote:

Glad you like the article. I found it after a friend said I should
have gone to edmunds.com instead of kbb.com to get my used car
estimates. As they say, hindsight is 20-20.

I was wondering why the used car salesman took 2 hours to process my
paperwork. The article explains it. I just thought my salesman was
very inefficient. I used the time to chat on my cellphone, and to use
its calculator feature to make sure the taxes, etc. were calculated
properly.