1999 Toyota Camry ENGINE RPM GAGE

VINODTHOMAS78

MEMBER
1999 TOYOTA CAMRY
4 CYL
FWD
AUTOMATIC
86,850 MILES

HI,

My 1999 camry LE Engine rpm gage shows 0. Car starts and runs fine, smooth. It is just that the rpm gage shows zero.

but after a while it suddenly springs into life(wakes up) and shows the RPM, all this while the engine is running smoothly as ever, no actual spikes in rpm or anything, its just that the rpm gage sleeps and wakes up whenever it wants. Its been doing this for about 1 day now.

What could be the problem?I hope I do not end up paying high $$$to the dealer as I am not used to working on cars myself

5 Replies

KHLOW2008

MECHANIC
41,814 POSTS

Hi vinodthomas78,

Thank you for the donation.

The problem is most likely a fault with the meter cluster printed circuit board and its connection.

Some soldering work or loosening and retightening of the pcb circuit and screws might get it running correctly again.

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Tuesday, September 1st, 2009 AT 8:48 AM

VINODTHOMAS78

MEMBER
3 POSTS

Hi,

Thanks for your reply. I noticed that this happens mostly when the engine is warm. That is when I have been driving it around for a while, turn it off and then start it back again, the rpm gage is stuck at 0. But suddenly after a minute or so it springs back and reads correctly.

Can I afford to wait untill work is done on this or is it advisable to get it taken care of as soon as possible?

Thanks

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Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009 AT 4:52 AM

KHLOW2008

MECHANIC
41,814 POSTS

Since no performance or other driveability issues are present, we can safely conclude it is the meter cluster or wiring.

You can continure driving without any worries if you can live with it ;)

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Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009 AT 9:35 AM

VINODTHOMAS78

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3 POSTS

Okay!Now my Engine RPM is dialing up and down, and with it I can also feel the engine is reving up and down. Up until now the engine wasnt reacting to the RPMfluctuations. Now it has started to. It felt like the engine wanted to cut off too

Note: This was after I had driven for a while. And then when I started it up it did the above.

I am planning to take it to my local toyota dealer. Could you please help me tell them what exactly is the problem?I do not want them to take me for a high $$$ride me being ignorant

Much appreciate your help so far

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Monday, September 14th, 2009 AT 12:07 PM

KHLOW2008

MECHANIC
41,814 POSTS

The symptom described is commonly known as surging, erratic idling. It could be caused by a dirty throttle body and/or Idle Air Control valve.

It should be a separate issue from the rpm not working. If the rpm issue is related, then you would have power loss and misfiring, That could be a fault with the ignition coil or ignitor unit.