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Engine shuts off after 15.5 seconds

Tiny
ZORRO9099
  • MEMBER
  • 2001 TOYOTA CAMRY
  • 3.0L
  • 6 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 101,000 MILES
This car LE model V6 sat several years. Fuel tank dried out so I had to put a new fuel pump and tank in. Did that and started up the car with fresh gas. Drove it to a new location a mile a way, total time ran engine was 15 minutes. Now, the car starts, but shuts itself off after exactly 15.5 seconds (give or take.25 seconds.) It only ran longer one other time, I willingly turned it off with the key. It seems scientific since it is always the same time it turns itself off. Is there some kind of "safety" mechanism that is shutting the car off and why? The only thing that I know of is wrong with the car is that I have to use the bypass button to shift gears. What causes the shift button to no longer function? More importantly is getting the engine to stop shutting itself off.
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Wednesday, May 29th, 2019 AT 12:09 AM

37 Replies

Tiny
KEN L
  • MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
  • 47,536 POSTS
Does it stall while driving or just when you let is idle? If it stalls at idle you could have a IAC motor that needs to be serviced. Here is a video to help fix it:

https://youtu.be/XMB16Gg-qNg

Please run down this guide and report back.
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Thursday, May 30th, 2019 AT 1:10 PM
Tiny
ZORRO9099
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Fifteen seconds isn't a lot of time to get it into drive and try to drive away, but I did try that and it did still stall. So, does that change your potential solution? I'll also say the problem can be intermittent, but 60-70% of the time it will stall at the 15.5 second time. I can try to clean the IAC motor since seems no harm to have it clean. Originally, I was thinking colder air temperature had something to do with it shutting off, but now that it has warmed up, it still does it. I also use the term shut down/turn off as opposed to stall, because it happens abruptly, not a sputter out.
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Thursday, May 30th, 2019 AT 11:36 PM
Tiny
KEN L
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Lets run the codes to see what come up. here is a guide to walk you through the steps:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/checking-a-service-engine-soon-or-check-engine-light-on-or-flashing

Please run down this guide and report back.
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Saturday, June 1st, 2019 AT 1:21 PM
Tiny
ZORRO9099
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  • 24 POSTS
On Monday morning, I started the car and it turned off right at the 15.5 seconds time. I started again three more times and it still turned off, right at the exact same time. (One time I quickly put it in Drive and it still turned off.) Then at 10 at night, I started it and it ran until I turned it off with the key: I let it run for 45 seconds (it idled at 1600) until I put in gear after it stayed on past the 15.5 seconds. So this is the kind of things it does, seems unpredictable.

Anyways, the current codes are: P0301, P0305. (Apparent misfires). P1135, P1155, P1411 (displayed as Manufacturer Control per the OBD tool screen.) Is cylinder one the bank near the firewall, and which is cylinder 1, nearest driver's side or passenger? Well, that's the status. I have no idea what manu. Control is.
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Tuesday, June 4th, 2019 AT 12:05 AM
Tiny
KEN L
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Hello,

I think we have found it the P1135 is a oxygen sensor heater which when shorted can cause the engine to stall out. lets unplug the oxygen sensor and restart the engine to see if it stalls. don't worry about the way it runs when the sensor are disconnected. here are the locations and a guide to help change them out:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-replace-an-oxygen-sensor

Check out the diagrams (below). Please let us know what happens.
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Tuesday, June 4th, 2019 AT 11:20 AM
Tiny
ZORRO9099
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Are you suggesting the engine shouldn't turn off with the O2 sensors disconnected? How will I know the difference since sometimes the engine does run and does not shut off?
The codes seem to say both upstream sensors are bad. Is that likely? What is the P1411 code or is that related to the O2 codes? Also, is this one of those vehicle that requires OE branded O2 sensors in order to clear the codes in the ECU and/or turn off the check engine light? (I've come across stories where people claim a certain brand is required.)
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Tuesday, June 4th, 2019 AT 11:34 PM
Tiny
KEN L
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Yes, use OEM sensor you can run the car without the sensors connected it will run from the base program. This is to see if one of the sensor heaters is causing the engine to stall which is probable.
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Wednesday, June 5th, 2019 AT 4:19 PM
Tiny
ZORRO9099
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Okay, I started the car this morning with both upstream O2 sensors unplugged. On first run, it ran and at 1 minute 45 seconds I put in reverse (kept brake on) and then at about 2 minutes 15 seconds it turned off. I restarted and it turned off again at the 15.5 second time, did restarts and turned off two more times at 15.5 seconds. The new codes are: P0301, P0302, P0304, P0305. P0100: Mass or Volume Air Flow A circuit. P0110: Intake Air Temp. Sensor 1 circuit. P1135, P1155, P 1141 (all Manu. Control.) A couple new codes. Does this tell you anything affirmatively?
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Thursday, June 6th, 2019 AT 10:42 AM
Tiny
KEN L
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Good job, lets disconnect the MAF sensor now and do the test again, you can reconnect the O2 sensors
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Thursday, June 6th, 2019 AT 2:12 PM
Tiny
ZORRO9099
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  • 24 POSTS
Okay, O2s back on, MAF disconnected the car ran terribly, stalled at three seconds, restarted, gave it gas, got it to run to the 15.5 seconds and it cut off, all while I was pressing gas pedal about 1/3 to 1/2. Just two codes now: P0100: Mass or Volume Air Flow A Circuit, and Intake Air Temperature Sensor 1 circuit.
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Friday, June 7th, 2019 AT 9:09 AM
Tiny
KEN L
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Plug the MAF back in and clear all codes, then shut the key off and then start the car and shut it off. Then run the codes to see what comes up, it sounds like the coolant sensor or computer is bad.
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Saturday, June 8th, 2019 AT 1:31 PM
Tiny
ZORRO9099
  • MEMBER
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Cleared all codes. Ran car first time, it shut itself off at 15.5 seconds, Read codes and said 0 codes. So I restarted and it shut itself off again. I did that five more times (one time I even revved RPM's to 2,400, shut off even running at 2,400). It never ran past the 15.5 seconds. The check engine light never flashed on either, previously it would around ten seconds. Wouldn't you say a bad coolant sensor would not be significant enough to cause the engine to do this? If you are still thinking the computer, is there some other way to isolate that without the expense of a new one first?
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Sunday, June 9th, 2019 AT 9:38 AM
Tiny
KEN L
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Disconnect the engine coolant sensor and try it again but it sounds more like the PCM. With a problem like this the only way to see if the computer is the problem is to replace it. You can try a used/rebuilt unit here is the location. Check out the diagrams (below). Please let us know what happens.
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Monday, June 10th, 2019 AT 1:46 PM
Tiny
ZORRO9099
  • MEMBER
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I did the disconnect on the temperature sensor, started car, and it ran rough at only 600 RPM, check engine light came on right at start up, car then turned off again at 15.5 seconds. Read code and got P0115, Temp. Sensor circuit. Does this imply the PCM is good, at least for certain things? I'll look for a replacement PCM. While I wait for that, I'll ask this, do you think this problem is related at all to the fuel pump? The reason I ask is while I put a brand new one in, it was a very inexpensive less known brand. Should I check fuel pressure, what should it be? Would pump issues correlate at all to my symptom?
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Tuesday, June 11th, 2019 AT 10:11 AM
Tiny
KEN L
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When the engine stalls do you hear the pump working in the tank?
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Tuesday, June 11th, 2019 AT 10:29 AM
Tiny
ZORRO9099
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I can't say I hear it when it stalls, since everything just turns off engine wise. As I understand it, Camry fuel pump doesn't turn on until turning the key to crank. I do know one time the battery was low, not enough to crank starter, but apparently enough to engage fuel pump as when I turned key I could hear pump going then. Normally I don't hear the pump because the starter noise drowns it out. It seems to me the pump functions, since the car always starts or restarts after it stalls itself. What I was thinking is maybe it just isn't putting enough pressure consistently. Just a thought. Like I said at the beginning, the cars turns off as if I did turn it off with the key, not a sputter out. Would a fuel pump problem sputter?
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Tuesday, June 11th, 2019 AT 1:53 PM
Tiny
KEN L
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The only way to be sure is when it stalls use starting fluid to see if it will run, but to me it sounds like the ECM is bad which will not have a code. Also when it stalls, turn the key off and then back on again without cranking the engine you should hear the pump prime for 5 seconds.
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Wednesday, June 12th, 2019 AT 11:43 AM
Tiny
ZORRO9099
  • MEMBER
  • 24 POSTS
When you say use starting fluid, do you mean I should have the throttle body area ready/open to spray in the fluid around the 15 second mark and see if the engine keeps running? Is getting to the ECM as easy as popping off the glove box door as the diagram shows?
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Wednesday, June 12th, 2019 AT 11:20 PM
Tiny
KEN L
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Yes and yes, you may need to remove some additional parts to get the ECM out. Check the electrical connectors for corrosion as well.
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Friday, June 14th, 2019 AT 11:29 AM
Tiny
ZORRO9099
  • MEMBER
  • 24 POSTS
I got my hands on another fuel pump, and the car still turned off at 15.5 seconds, and also, I did not hear the pump continue to run for 5 more seconds. So I guess we can rule out the fuel pump.
As for removing the glove box, are there any screws or just squeeze real hard the sides?
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Monday, June 17th, 2019 AT 8:55 AM

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