Topic: Car Questions
Cutiepieforyou's photo
Sat 02/05/11 11:42 AM
The passed two mornings, my 1998 Toyota Corolla has given me trouble starting.

I turn on the car and when I put it into gear it just shuts off.
After, when it finally starts to go, it sputters. I recently had my fuel injectors cleaned and not sure if this even has anything to do with it.

Any help would be appreciated!

AllenAqua's photo
Sat 02/05/11 11:57 AM
hmmm... Sounds like an electronic control issue. It could be a number of things relating to that, or possibly as simple as a clogged pcv (positive crankcase ventilation) valve, which is a super easy fix.

Maybe someone else can help you more but my advice is to try and get it to someone trusted that will hook it up to a computer diagnostic machine. This could pinpoint the problem. Some auto parts stores will do it for free or a minimal charge.

If it was me though, I'd disconnect that pcv valve to eliminate that possibility. Disconnecting it temporarily won't hurt anything and if the car stops sputtering instantly, problem found... Easy to replace and relatively very cheap.

Good luck !


no photo
Sat 02/05/11 12:37 PM


..i once had a truck thet did this ..i found that if i would put a little gas in the carb it would run for a little bit,figuring it wasnt getting the gas it needed to run,i traced it back to the inline fuel filter..just a few dollars at auto zone..worth a check..smokin

Randy350R's photo
Sat 02/05/11 01:40 PM
Check the transmission fluid for proper level. I'm less familiar with computerized cars. I won't drive anything newer than 89.

no photo
Sat 02/05/11 02:29 PM

The passed two mornings, my 1998 Toyota Corolla has given me trouble starting.

I turn on the car and when I put it into gear it just shuts off.
After, when it finally starts to go, it sputters. I recently had my fuel injectors cleaned and not sure if this even has anything to do with it.

Any help would be appreciated!
when was the last time you have your fuel filter changed?

Tessa02's photo
Sat 02/05/11 07:45 PM
Do you always get your gas at the same place? I used to until I started gettin water in the gas causing it to not want to start & sputter just like yours. Started getting gas at diffeent locations & it stopped. First used a fuel injecter cleaner to mix with the existing gas.

GravelRidgeBoy's photo
Sat 02/05/11 08:54 PM

The passed two mornings, my 1998 Toyota Corolla has given me trouble starting.

I turn on the car and when I put it into gear it just shuts off.
After, when it finally starts to go, it sputters. I recently had my fuel injectors cleaned and not sure if this even has anything to do with it.

Any help would be appreciated!
Bad fuel, Clogged filter, and PCV have already been brought up, but it sounds like it could be a vacuum leak also. Without having the car it is hard to tell online.

Once it is started, can you rev it up to a higher RPM and keep it running?

Also is the Check Engine light on? If so then go to an auto parts place and have them read what code number is there...

How long ago were the injectors cleaned? I am assuming that it ran fine for a while after that?

Has anything else been done under the hood between the time it was running fine and the way it is acting now?

The more information the better...

Cutiepieforyou's photo
Fri 02/11/11 06:56 AM
Thanks everybody for your input. I went to Autozone and they hooked it up to their diagnostic machine. It's misfiring. I have not had a tune up in ages. I am bringing it in to my mechanic.