My friend, who lives about 90 miles away, reports this problem:
"So when I'm in drive or reverse but have my foot on the brake (it's only happened a few times) it feels like my car almost wants to die then revs as if I'd pressed the gas (but I haven't). It only lasts for a second and it doesn't cause the car to die or not go when I do hit the gas. Any idea what could cause that?"
to which I responded:
"Okay, so you're driving and you apply the brakes. The engine speed drops to the point where it almost dies but then comes back--almost like it's taking a big gulp of air? All of which happens without you touching the gas pedal, right? You can then accelerate with no problem or change from normal performance?"
to which she responded:
"Yes, a big gulp of air is a good description. "
This is a 4 cylinder so I assume it's the 2.2 liter.
Any ideas?
GPz11
Reader
4/9/19 9:16 a.m.
Almost sounds like the brake booster is going bad.
Or the check valve in the line to the booster.
Or the iac is stuck and not responding quickly
Yeah, 5SFE. Change the oil and keep the squirrels out and it will run forever. Check the codes, then block off the line to the booster and see if it still does it.
I also think iac. I dont know of a good way to test it besides just replacing it.
IACs can often be repaired with just cleaning. They get gunked up with the same contaminants as the primary throttle body. Happens frequently on certain low mileage/short trip only cars.
The IAC intake is going to be a hose that connects up to the rest of the intake tract, between the air filter and the throttle body. Squirt some carb cleaner down the hose while it's running. The IAC itself should be on the "back" or intake side of the block, below the head, near the bell housing. Look for a larger "vacuum" hose, like maybe 3/4" or 1" external diameter. It's been a while. Squirrels killed my 5SFE 98 Camry.
