Hi all
I have a 1985 Camry that runs great....except occaisionally on hot summer days. This is usually on days about 80+. Sometimes it will just die while sitting at a light. Sometimes I will turn off the engine, come back and try and start it after it sitting for 5 minutes and it won't start. During any of these times, all I have to do is wait about 5-10 minutes and it will start again untill the next time, which can happen anytime again during the hot weather. During the winter, this car runs just as good as any other, it loves the cold!

Anyone know what to check for? This car has a new thermostat. This problem can also happen with the AC on or off, doesn't matter. The car has just under 167,000 miles.

Thanks for any advice!

Hi all
I have a 1985 Camry that runs great....except occaisionally on hot summer days. This is usually on days about 80+. Sometimes it will just die while sitting at a light. Sometimes I will turn off the engine, come back and try and start it after it sitting for 5 minutes and it won't start. During any of these times, all I have to do is wait about 5-10 minutes and it will start again untill the next time, which can happen anytime again during the hot weather. During the winter, this car runs just as good as any other, it loves the cold!

Anyone know what to check for? This car has a new thermostat. This problem can also happen with the AC on or off, doesn't matter. The car has just under 167,000 miles.

Thanks for any advice!
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Ignition coil under the distributor cap is a known problem on these.
See if you can heat it with a hair dryer and duplicate the problem under test conditions.

More information is needed here to make an intelligent guess at what the problem is. "It wont start" is too vague of a statement. What is actually happening? Do you turn the key and get no sound? Do you hear 1 click and then nothing? Do you hear a series of rapid clicks? Does the starter crank over the engine? People need to know these things before offering any help. You have done a good job of giving the circumstances under which you get this no start condition, but have not given any information as to what is actually occurring during this no start condition.

Mike

More information is needed here to make an intelligent guess at what the problem is. "It wont start" is too vague of a statement. What is actually happening? Do you turn the key and get no sound? Do you hear 1 click and then nothing? Does the starter crank over the engine? People need to know these things before offering any help.

Mike
Hi Mike, the engine will simply turn but won't start. If I wait that magical 5-10 minutes it will start with no problems. Again, only on hot days.

Checking the coil as has been suggested above by Daniel would be a good place to start. It may be shorting to ground when it get's hot. To do this you will need a DVM (digital volt/ohmeter) and the specs from any manual. Daniel's test with a hair dryer is another good one to try. I would also test the cold start time switch and the engine coolant temperature sensor. Either of them may be faulty and sending a reading that the car is cold when it is actually warm. This would result in too rich of a mixture to start a warm engine. They are located to the right of the block when you are standing in front of the car on a water outlet pipe. The one under the brown plastic connector is the cold start time switch and the one under the green connector is the engine coolant temperature sensor. Again you will need the DVM and the specs from a manual to check these items.

Good luck.

Mike

One thing I haven't heard happen lately is vapor lock. I'm thinking that may have become a thing of the past with fuel injection but, maybe not. Vapor lock occurs when fuel in a fuel line is overheated and "boils" creating air bubbles that stops the flow of fuel. Look for a fuel line that may have inadvertently gotton pushed close to the exhaust or the engine block. If so reposition it away from the heat source.