1990 camry no start/stall

[fastmoney]

I have 1 1990 camry 4 cylinder and sometimes it will act like it wants to cut off when im taking off from a light or wheneva i stop and accelerate. but i can usually tap the gas pedal and once i get it going its fine. well today it did this and this time it shut off . and than would not start up i got it to the side and tryed to restart and it did nothin. the dash lights would come on like usuall but it would not crank , no starter engage, just a slight ticking noise. i left came back a couple hours later and it started right up it has done this 2 other times within the past 2 weeks i was reading around and i was thinking maybe cranksensor , or engine coolant temp but i dont know if im going in the right direction thanks

[Mike Gerber]

It sounds more like a weak battery, battery connection problem, or an alternator that is not recharging your battery for whatever reason. As a battery supplies current to run the engine (fire the spark plugs) and other devices, it must be reacharged by the alternator. If it is not being recharged, eventually it will not have enough juice to fire the plugs. The car will then act sluggish and eventually die. The slight ticking noise you are hearing is indicative of a very weak battery or bad connection at the battery posts/terminals. To diagnose the exact problem, start by checking the battery post/terminal connection for tightness and cleanliness. If you find a problem, clean/correct it as necessary. Also check the connections at the starter for the same conditions. If everything checks out OK so far, get hold of a DVM (digital volt/ohmeter) to check the condition of the battery and the charging system. Set the meter to 20 volts DC. With the car off, touch the 2 probes to the battery terminals. You should see a reading of 12 to 12.6 volts for a fully charged battery. If it is less than 12 volts, the battery is not fully charged. Now start the car and let it run. Do the same thing with the probes. If the alternator is working properly, you should see a reading of 14 to 14.6 volts. If it is lower than this, you have a defective alternator or a slipping alternator belt. Don't be surprised if you see just battery voltage during this second test. This is indicative of an alternator that is not charging the battery. If necessary, replacement of the alternator is an easy DIY repair. Just get a manual to walk you through it and always disconnect the negative battery post before you start.

Good luck.

Mike