Toyota Camry problem

Fish along · #1 12-09-2018, 11:01 PM

While driving home tonight my Camry started making a rumbling sound like a flat tire ,the engine light was flashing however I didn’t stop but kept on driving not wanting to be stranded on the high way,the rumbling lasted for another few minutes then it quit and ran normally again and the light stopped blinking anyone have any ideas as to what this may be?thanks for any replies.

ssyd · #2 12-09-2018, 11:16 PM

Had a flashing check engine light on my old '08 Chev 3500. Means the engine is misfiring. My truck had a dead cylinder (literally 0 psi) and did it pretty much every time it idled more than 10 minutes. For my truck, it wasn't a huge issue because it wasn't burning oil and just ran a little rough. It made her quite a bit less efficient and powerful too.

On yours it's probably a bigger issue. Misfires can cause excessive wear.

fordtruckin · #3 12-09-2018, 11:45 PM

My 01 F150 used to do that once in a while. Turns out the issue was a misfire caused by bad boots on my coil on plugs. Moisture would get into the boot and short out causing the misfire. I have sense replaced the boots and out some dielectric grease on each plug and haven’t had the issue since... knock on wood! Very disconcerting the first time it happened though!

KegRiver · #4 12-10-2018, 06:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish along

While driving home tonight my Camry started making a rumbling sound like a flat tire ,the engine light was flashing however I didn’t stop but kept on driving not wanting to be stranded on the high way,the rumbling lasted for another few minutes then it quit and ran normally again and the light stopped blinking anyone have any ideas as to what this may be?thanks for any replies.

The wife's Camry has had an intermittent SES light problem for a while now.
Computer diagnostics say it's something to do with the catalytic converter.

No rumbling sounds though.

DRE75 · #5 12-10-2018, 08:14 AM

Get yourself a cheap OBDII tool and when the light comes on, give it a whirl. Even without the engine light on, it will still perform a system scan. Owning 3 Toyotas, including a Camry it has paid for itself within the first month I owned it.

Anvil1010 · #6 12-10-2018, 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DRE75

Get yourself a cheap OBDII tool and when the light comes on, give it a whirl. Even without the engine light on, it will still perform a system scan. Owning 3 Toyotas, including a Camry it has paid for itself within the first month I owned it.

You can get them on Amazon as well now. I have a bluetooth one that connects to an app that I downloaded. It works great.

Fish along · #7 12-10-2018, 12:01 PM

Thank you for your replies I will proceed to acquire one of these tools.

DRE75 · #8 12-10-2018, 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KegRiver

The wife's Camry has had an intermittent SES light problem for a while now.
Computer diagnostics say it's something to do with the catalytic converter.

No rumbling sounds though.

Happened in my 2 Toyota cars too, particularly when slush is involved. Can't say for sure in your case but with mine it was the sensors downstream (shows up on OBD as O2 sensor fault) that get coated in crap and give the engine fault.

Both cars had it show up intermittently and both were solved with a good undercarriage wash. Hopefully that's all it is.

1899b · #9 12-10-2018, 03:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish along

While driving home tonight my Camry started making a rumbling sound like a flat tire ,the engine light was flashing however I didn’t stop but kept on driving not wanting to be stranded on the high way,the rumbling lasted for another few minutes then it quit and ran normally again and the light stopped blinking anyone have any ideas as to what this may be?thanks for any replies.

Means your check engine light is working...

Sooner · #10 12-10-2018, 05:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DRE75

Get yourself a cheap OBDII tool and when the light comes on, give it a whirl. Even without the engine light on, it will still perform a system scan. Owning 3 Toyotas, including a Camry it has paid for itself within the first month I owned it.

Princess Auto has some good ones that go on sale if you watch for them. I tried a CT one but it crapped out pretty quick. PA one is still working.

You should still have a code in the system even if the light went out.

Was your rumbling a wheel full of frozen crud, then it set off a Tire pressure light? Then crud falls out and light goes away?

Fish along · #11 12-11-2018, 12:03 AM

Had it tested at Can tire ,light was a problem with cadiletic convertor,but no answer as to the rumble,was probably due to what was mentioned earlier misfiring.

KegRiver · #12 12-11-2018, 03:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DRE75

Happened in my 2 Toyota cars too, particularly when slush is involved. Can't say for sure in your case but with mine it was the sensors downstream (shows up on OBD as O2 sensor fault) that get coated in crap and give the engine fault.

Both cars had it show up intermittently and both were solved with a good undercarriage wash. Hopefully that's all it is.

Code came back as oxygen sensor but our mechanic says the CC is also in need of replacement. He claims the sensor went because of the CC.
He has never done us wrong in 10 years of dealing with him so we plan to have him do what he recommends.

We do know the catalytic converter has a history of failing on this model.

DRE75 · #13 12-11-2018, 07:59 AM

Sounds like you've got it covered Jim! I was thinking about the OP's situation last night (that's what I do for fun in my own time, apparently) and got wondering about the rumbling, and thought maybe an ABS issue? Anyway, speculation on my part and no real solution offered, just a thought.