Car jerks while driving and then dies.

[dallas_clement]

Hello All,

I've got a 99 Camry V6 LE with about 95K miles that has been driving fine for the past month. Last night I started it cold, and had been driving for about 10 minutes, when suddenly the car started jerking as if it were seizing up or something and the motor stopped right in the middle of the road.

It felt like I had run out of oil. I pushed the car to the side of the road and checked the oil, it was full. The radiator fluid was quite low, but I could still see fluid in my reservoir.

I don't think it is the alternator -- Neither my headlights or dashboard lights dimmed during the incident.

After letting the car rest for a few minutes, I successfully attempted to start it again. I managed to drive it back home real slow, so I could avoid a tow charge. On the way home, it jerked back and forth several times
but it did not die.

Does anyone have any idea what the problem could be? Dirty fuel injectors? Bad spark plugs? I have never had any problems like this with this car.

[jdmccright]

My first thought is that you've got water in your fuel tank. It tends to happen when your tank is mostly empty and the air temperature changes drastically, causing condensation inside the tank. It can also come from contaminated fuel.

My second thought is that you may have a malfunctioning camshaft or crankshaft position sensor and/or breaks in their wires. If the ECM is not receiving the correct pulses, it can't deliver the sparks at the right time.

Doesn't sound like a clogged fuel filter. It is rare, especially for a car with your mileage and symptoms are generally slugguish acceleration or hard starting.

If I find more or if you have more info, I'll update this post.

[dallas_clement]

Originally Posted by jdmccright

My first thought is that you've got water in your fuel tank. It tends to happen when your tank is mostly empty and the air temperature changes drastically, causing condensation inside the tank. It can also come from contaminated fuel.

This certainly sounds like the most likely explanation. The tank is nearly full. I usually try to put good gas in it from Chevron. Is there an additive I can put in the tank that will alleviate this sort of problem? It would be nice to rule out fuel, before taking more drastic steps.

[jdmccright]

"Heet" gas drier and antifreeze should work with removing any water in the tank. Used it in Colorado all the time where wild temp swings are common. You can find it or an equivalent just about anywhere gas is sold, though cheaper at auto parts stores and Wal-Mart-type places.

[dallas_clement]

Originally Posted by jdmccright

"Heet" gas drier and antifreeze should work with removing any water in the tank. Used it in Colorado all the time where wild temp swings are common. You can find it or an equivalent just about anywhere gas is sold, though cheaper at auto parts stores and Wal-Mart-type places.

Thank you jdmccright, You were right on! I added some "Heet" today, and drove the car around for 45 minutes with no problems. I guess Chevron gas is not all it's cracked up to be...

[jdmccright]

Condensation can happen in the big underground tanks too, though not common. You may have just happened to fill up when the ground tank was low. Glad you got it resolved, your welcome!