12/3    My car has problem starting. It would start but after 1 second
        it would drop down below 1RPM and die. However, after revving
        and warming up the engine, the idle speed is fine (slightly
        below 1RPM) and it would start and run smoothly. So this
        rules out the possibility of having to adjust the idle speed.
        What's going on and what can be done to it? ok thx
        \_ What year, make, and model is it?
        \_ Do you have a ~ 1996 Camry?  This is a common problem with the Idle
           Air Control Valve (or something else with a similar name).
 http://www.talkaboutautos.com/group/alt.autos.toyota.camry/messages/36004.html
           http://tinyurl.com/485ys
           My gf had it fixed twice (second time for free because they felt
           guilty I guess), and it still happens occasionally.  The workaround
           is to have the AC on when starting to get the RPMs up.
           \_ This'll happen with any mid-90's toyota.  Good guess.
        \_ I have an idea. GO TO A DAMN MECHANIC!
                \_ is this the first time you're reading the motd?
                   \_ Must be the same person who didn't like the yermom joke.
                        \_ yer dumb.
                        \_ Not at all.
           \_ Or try one of those fuel injector degunker solutions next time
              you fill your tank.
        \_ It's likely the battery. The same thing happened to my car
           several weeks back. Go to a local mechanic, and they'll
           test it quickly for you; then you buy a battery.
           \_ Wouldn't it be cheaper to just buy a replacement battery
              at costco instead of go to the mechanic?
                \_ Not if you battery isn't dead. I doubt the mechanic
                   would charge you for the battery test; it only takes
                   <5 minutes. Also, go check your battery -- it should
                   have a sticker on it saying when it was installed.
            \_ I doubt it's the battery. Once the engine is on, the amount
               of electricity it takes to keep the engine going would be
               pretty low. Given that the op could restart the engine
               and warm the engine up. It could be a loose vacuum hose,
               a bad engine thermometer, or quite a number of things.
               BTW when my battery was close to death and couldn't turn
               the engine over, I got a push start and drove across town
               to a mechanic. Actually, turned out to be the alternator
               regulator.
                \_ I'd agree, but since I encountered the same situation
                   just a few weeks ago, I just thought I'd bring it up.
                   \_ So the engine would actually engage before dying?
        \_ Thanks guys for the input. After browsing the web and
           calling a few dealers who recommended cleaning the carb
           for $100-$150, I decided to DIY. I looked at the site
           http://www.4x4wire.com/toyota/maintenance/30_V6/throttle_body
           and bought a carb/throttle cleaner ($3.75). I spent about
           30 min to/from Pep Boys and another 30 min cleaning the
           carb, and voila! Everything's fine again! Thanks for all the
           advice, I've learned *a lot* by DIY and saved time (dealers
           said I'd have to leave the car for 1/2 day) and saved
           over $100.
           \_ You're an idiot. You saved $100 and you still aren't sure
              what was wrong. Penny wise and pound foolish.
              \_ The carbs were dirty, which probably restricted gasflow.
                 \_ Maybe. Even you don't know. "Probably". Stupid when
                    your car stalls on you in a week.
                    \_ Don't be annoying.  It's not like he's putting his
                       health on the line--learning how your car works and
                       how to fix common problems is a good thing.  Are you
                       one of the people who religiously avoids "warranty void
                       if removed" stickers too?
                       \_ Also, I would argue that learning stuff has monetary
                          value, so that a more expensive solution where
                          you learn something would still be break-even.
                       \_ No, I learned by watching others that you can
                          screw up more than you fix if you don't know
                          what you are doing. If this is a hobby car then
                          great, but if the guy needs the car working then
                          he's a tool. Our current society makes us all
                          think we are capable of DIYing everything. It's
                          what keeps places like Home Depot going. It's
                          better to learn when to call a pro, like when
                          your car might stall on the freeway and kill you.
                          \_  I hate to tell you this, but for the most
                              part, professionals use this same method to
                              fix things.  There's a set of possible
                              problems, try fixing things until one works.
                              Usually, that was the problem.  BTW, I
                              really wonder what kind of car you have that
                              it kills you if you stall on the freeway.
                              Does it explode in anger or something?
                              \_ If you can't see how you might get killed
                                 when your car stalls at 80mph then you
                                 are an idiot - but I already knew that.
                                 \_ What's the problem?  Put in neutral
                                    and pull over.  Stall != instant
                                    screeching halt.  Unless you're a
                                    moron... oh.  I think I see your
                                    problem.
                                    \_ Pull over where? Most freeways don't
                                       have shoulders these days.
                                       \_ "Most freeways don't
                                          have shoulders?" What kinda
                                          bizarro world do you live in?
                                          580, 80, 680, 5, all have
                                          perfectly serviceable shoulders
                                          for > 95% of the freeway.
                                          \_ On the left side.
                                             \_ Pulling over to the left
                                                is illegal in most cases.
                                       \_ You have too much fear and
                                          not enough trust for yourself.
                                          I think it's best if you let
                                          the mechanics do everything.
                                          \_ ignorance is safety!
                          \_ There are a lot of advantages of DIY
                             besides saving money. How do you know you
                             can really trust that shop/mechanics?
                             Granted there are certain things you
                             cannot do yourself because it's too
                             complicated or requires specialized
                             equipment. In general, I find
                             contractors, any kind of contractors,
                             will never be careful about your stuff as
                             your would yourself, unless in rare
                             situations you encounter one that's very
                             responsible. It's interesting human
                             psychology that "not knowing" makes you
                             feel more comfortable. Just like in some
                             restaurants, if you see how they cook,
                             you'll never eat their stuff. But not
                             seeing how they cook, and given that they
                             charge a lot of money, makes you assume
                             that they are professionals. Next time
                             you get your tires replaced at ANY SHOP,
                             check the cold tire pressure afterwards
                             with a few gauges. There will be at least
                             one that's WAY OUT OF SPEC. I've seen
                             this on quite a few cars, with (oh, I
                             just had the tire checked last week,
                             yeah!) In general one should achieve a
                             good balance about what can be done with
                             DIY and what to leave to the
                             professional. Sometimes learning a bit
                             about a field can help a lot, even if
                             only for the sole purpose of verifying
                             what the mechanics is saying. I once had
                             a mechanics claiming he didn't tie the
                             engine oil cap tightly because
                             'a wire is in the way', give me a fucking
                             break, it's leaking oil because he forgot
                             to tighten it. Blindly trusting the
                             mechanics is worst than DIY. Most people
                             who have the skill to post on the motd
                             can probably build a computer by
                             themselves and therefore can fix simple car
                             problems like replacing a battery or
                             check tire pressures. -!ap
                             \_ I think you missed the point here. It's
                                obviously good to try to learn and
                                definitely true that you may be able to do
                                a better job yourself. The catch is the
                                word 'may'. Like I said, I have seen a lot
                                of people very knowledgable about cars
                                mess them up in the learning process. Yes,
                                now they know what not to do but their car
                                is messed up! If you want to make a hobby
                                of it then great, but you can find
                                examples of lawyers, doctors, accountants,
                                and such all making mistakes or doing a
                                bad job. That doesn't mean you should do
                                it yourself. Learn about how an engine
                                works and then TAKE THE CAR TO A MECHANIC.
                                \_ If you spend any time to read any of
                                   the auto newsgroups, most people there
                                   don't seem to trust a minimum wage
                                   mechanic. But then again most people
                                   there are pretty knowledgable.
                                \_ Wow.  I didn't realize Carb Cleaner is
                                   so dangerous!
           \_ It's great that you found the problem, or at least it's
              better. Sometime you might want to try Car Talk on NPR.
              That would be a hoot.