87 Camry...wanting to stall out....HELP!

[hazman007]

i recently purchased an 87 camry sedan, 4 cyl. with 71,000 miles on it. seemed to run ok. the car was laying for a while, ( a few years ). someone took it, put a new starter in it and sold it to me for the owner. as i knew the car had been laying, i gave it a full tune up. plugs, wired , cap, rotor, fuel filter etc. put some fuel injector cleaner in the tank, and it seemed to run fine. about 750 miles later, it seemed to hesitate, or more like bucking on the highway, not steady, but sporadic. i have heard of the timing belt being an issue with this car, so had that done along with a new water pump at the same time. when i drove the car out, it started bucking so i brought it back to the mechanic. he checked the timing and it seemed to run really well. 20 miles later, it started bucking again. brought it back and since when revving up it seems smooth he figured the gas filter. although i had replaced that less than a thousand miles ago, at his suggestion i replaced it again. as soon as i took it out on the highway, it still kept bucking and i hadnt driven it more than 1/4 of a mile. doesn't seem to me it would clog up that fast. I'm not sure if old gas could have had an effect on it as i ran it 750 miles first. not sure what to do now. don't wanna keep replacing parts aimlessly. thinking of getting another mechanic to look at it. should i go to a repair chan that has computer diagnostic equipment? does anyone know if this car has a computer in it that would show the problem? thanks for your help

[canadianbiz]

Hello, I have the same car and have a repair book. Looking at trouble shooting it notes for your symtoms:
*spark plugs fouled, *Fuel injection system needs adjustment or repair, *Fuel Filter clogged, *Incorrect timing, *INTAKE MANIFOLD LEAK.
I know you changed a few things already but I had an old car once that ran great until the engine got hot, then stopped. Found out after selling it, it was a head gasket leak or intake manifold leak, cant quite remember.
These repair books are a good investment for older cars like yours and mine. I wouldn't be without one. good luck!

[hazman007]

I thank you so much....went to a diagnostic place....the mass air sensor code came up....reset code to see if it comes up again....i miss the days when a fuel problem meant a trip to the auto parts store...4 bolts, a clip the fuel line and 30 dollars to change the carb in the parking lot

[Joe W]

One thing you could do is clean around the throttle body with carb cleaner as this could have an adverse effect on the MAF sensor,also it wouldn,t be a bad idea to replace the oxygen sensor.(This is a maintenence item anyway).

[ben992]

When a car sits for a long time, varnish can build up in the tank. In turn, it will clog up the screen in the tank and quit running. I have a 1971 Corvette with the problem and my father in law has a 86 Toyota Pickup that had that problem.