Hey there

I'm kind of stressin. My car almost stalled in the middle of 7am traffic the other day. When I take my foot off the gas the RPM's drop its very noticeable. So I tried to get the code from the check engine light and I'm having a hard time reading it. I think it's 21 but I'm lost

My control arm needs to be replaced as well. The nut on the control are got stripped, So I thought okay I'll just cut it off. I've taken a drimle to it and have tried to chip it away. Nothing is working! Is there any tips I can have to get this damn nut off? I'm also worried about the spring. It looks like its in the way. Can I just loosen the spring while the tire is on and slowly lift the car to take the spring off?

I don't have anyone to help me with car problems and never had any guidance on anything. not even to put oil in my car and now i'm having all these problems. Trying to do this yourself not knowing crap is really overwhelming but I want to learn.


Here is the check engine light code



And here is a pic of the nut



Thank you for your time!

 

I am all for learning auto mechanics and doing things yourself, but working on your suspension system as a beginner can be dangerous to your health later on when you are driving the car, and also while you are working on it! - Especially without a friend who has proper tools and who can advise you about what to watch out for!

NO! (I know people who have nearly been killed by a broken strut compressor)

maybe just work on the drivability problem (the stalling problem), it takes more brain power, but is also much safer - take the suspension issue to a pro



the stalling could be many things, including Idle Air Control Valve, the Electronic Coolant Temperature Sensor, the famous trunk hinge wiring issue, or ECU capacitors or many other possibilities - you need that code as a starting point, and you need the real factory service manual from ebay! (don't use the Buy it Now, just put in a bid for the minimum, that should win it)

 

You can probably use a smaller socket and hammer it on . What symptoms of a bad o2 sensor?

 

go to sears, buy a bolt-out, remove the nut.

 

Thanks for the reply guys.

THe stalling is annoying me to all hell. Theres about a million reasons i'm reading about why it would stall and I can't figure it out.

the funny thing is. It stalled two nights ago and I pushed the car and hoped in and it started in neutral. I notice the RPMS drop when i'm driving and I come to the slightest incline.

If I had a bad fuel pump would the car lag at all when I hit the gas? when I get this car going it will go without hesitating. but then BAM hitting the gas does NOTHING and the rpms drop for a second and if I am lucky the accelerator will work after a couple of seconds.

I'm going crazy. this is my only car and I'm to poor to take it anywhere.

 

this is where you sign up for Toyota's online service for 3 days for like $15, and then you download the entire service manual for your car (it's a time consuming process, but if you are poor, it works)

then you do all of the cheap fixes out there for the various possibilities, because many things (like the ECU capacitors) can be done for less than $10 in parts!

do you have basic tools such a fuel pressure gauge?

 

I don't, I can put new caps on the board! I'm a huge into repairing electronics and just now got into auto repair. I'm going to grab the service manual for 15 bucks, This looks like a life saver.

 

just go to Toyota's Technical Information Center

downloading the manual takes a bit of computer savvy, I was able to do it in a few hours, but there isn't just a "download" button!

 

Something else to consider, these engines use plastic clips to locate the wire harnesses. When they get old they may break. I had a simular issue to yours this week. For me the clip that holds the harness for the crank senser broke Causin the wire to rub on the fan belt. Sawed right through it. So pop the hood and take a look at these conections and wires. It might be an easier fix than ya think.