Engine performance is suddenly terrible

[smpowellttu]

OK, I need some help. 1999 V6 SE 5spd, stock all the way around. I've had the car for about a month. I know all the people who have owned it before me, and it's been very well taken care of, and I have so far followed the maintanance schedule to a T.

This morning, the engine's performance was horrendous. It's symptoms include:

1) Very low acceleration. I mean, maybe 1mph increase per second.
2) When I try and accelerate, it will do the "bucking bronco" thing and I look like some moron that doesn't know how to drive a standard. So I get mad at it's performance, then I get mad cause someone next to me is laughing.
3) Engine idles lower, and is inconsistent.

So those are the symptoms. Now, I went looking around online to see what possible things it might be, and was having some difficulty finding a match. But one that scares me a little is on Automotive News (http://www.autonews.com/article.cms?articleId=38921), the "sludge problem." Is this what I have? I will admit, I drive the car hard.

The car has been fantastic, up until now. So, any ideas? Anyone have these problems before?

[bkp_duke]

Take it in and have it looked at. Could be a lot of things.

Among them:
Clogged fuel line.
Cylinder misfiring due to bad plug or wire.
Something in the air intake.

LOTS more that I can't think of.

Most are expensive and require a good tech to figure it out.

[nkx1]

That sucks about your engine problem, especially people laughing at the Solara. I'm not a car expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I read some symptoms of oil gelling can be the Check Engine Light on, blue smoke from the tailpipe, and excessive oil consumption. I know you said you do regular maintenance, so hopefully you've changed the oil every 3k to 4k. If this is the case, then sludge may not be that likely. The owners manual says to change the oil every 7.5k, but I think that is way too long. But if it does turn out to be sludge, you're covered by Toyota for 8 years from the date of original purchase. You just have to provide receipts for oil changes.

[Mole]

do you have the service records from the previous owner?


that sludge problem should not have anything to deal with the sluggish performance.

[smpowellttu]

I know all the previous owners personally, and they all took good care of it. They might still have their receipts. I'm not sure.

I haven't had it that long, but I follow the oil-change @3k miles, check the air filter, all the fluid levels, etc. I took it to a mechanic about three weeks ago and said, "anything that needs work, anything that needs preventative maintanance, do it" and he said it was in fantastic shape and just changed the fuel filter. So...dang, I hope I still have receipts sitting around somewhere for my oil changes...

It's just weird. I'll take it in tomorrow and have them figure out what it is. It just came on all of a sudden. There weren't any warning signs that anything was wrong, no hick-ups in the performance, etc. It just doesn't make sense.

Has anyone even heard of problems like this? I don't even really know how to put it into search criteria for Google or anything to get meaningful results.

[indiglosolara]

You mentioned that you just changed the fuel filter.. Did he use OEM or Aftermarket.. You might have just found your problem. Bring it back and get it checked.. it might be clogged or a defect....

[smpowellttu]

Sorry, I'm not too savvy with parts selections, etc. What should be in there, OEM or aftermarket? Any personal recommendations on fuel filters?

[Mole]

i dont know of any aftermarket fuel filters...

are you able to rev in neutral ? or does it sputter?

[smpowellttu]

I can tell it affects it in neutral. It'll rev, but not as powerfully. It's most noticable when the gear is fully engaged.

And, just having looked at other posts on the site about synthetic oil, I've been using Mobil synthetic and filter. Should I change it, use a different grade (or on that note, what do you guys recommend?), etc.?

Sorry, this is new stuff to me. I've been brought up on a 91 Chevy longbed 1500 that was great in terms of reliability (yeah, a Chevy, believe it or not), but way too big and thirsty to be manageable for a college student. All I had to do was put oil in, and it ran.

[ChrYstiE]

Could it be something with your clutch? How many miles are on it?

[smpowellttu]

58K. I wouldn't think it was the clutch. The problem is sporatic bursts of acceleration that amount to crappy acceleration overall. I would think a clutch problem would be more consistent.

[indiglosolara]

I can tell it affects it in neutral. It'll rev, but not as powerfully. It's most noticable when the gear is fully engaged.

And, just having looked at other posts on the site about synthetic oil, I've been using Mobil synthetic and filter. Should I change it, use a different grade (or on that note, what do you guys recommend?), etc.?

Sorry, this is new stuff to me. I've been brought up on a 91 Chevy longbed 1500 that was great in terms of reliability (yeah, a Chevy, believe it or not), but way too big and thirsty to be manageable for a college student. All I had to do was put oil in, and it ran.

so what your saying sounds like your having a fuel delivery problem... Or it can be a vaccum line not correctly connected.

Since you said you had the fuel filter changed im shooting for that...
But go get it checked.. get a fuel pressure test by a mechanic..

[SolaraT]

Sorry, I'm not too savvy with parts selections, etc. What should be in there, OEM or aftermarket? Any personal recommendations on fuel filters?

Yes Fuel Filters Galor!!
Get in the Zone! AutoZone!

For a 99 v6 Solara:

Brand: Deutsch Part#: FF642 Price: $22.99

Brand: Beck/Arnley Part#: 043-1020 Price: $30.31

http://www1.autozone.com/servlet/UiBrok ... UEL+FILTER

I would take it in though cause you seem to have serious issues.

[smpowellttu]

Took it in, got it checked, and it was a link with the mass air flow unit, which is something I don't know about so don't ask too many questions. They ran the test ($60), fixed it for free, and it works like a beauty now.

[onefiend]

Took it in, got it checked, and it was a link with the mass air flow unit, which is something I don't know about so don't ask too many questions. They ran the test ($60), fixed it for free, and it works like a beauty now.

Hey thats great, glad to hear your Solara is running well again.