High rpm no speed

[Chhem87]

i drive a 2002 SLE v6 solara. It's properly maintained, i never missed an oil change or tune up ( about 100,000 miles now). Until recently it got cold here where i live and my car goes ape crap on me. it RPM low on me when i start it, and if i didn't give it gas it would die. and once i make my first right turn the car would rpm really high but i get no speed. I'm like flooring it and the car goes no faster than 10-15 mph until i straighten the wheel, but acceleration still feels sluggish.no engine check light. So i take it to my local mechanic, they said its because i have a bad crank sensor, so they replaced it. It does not fixed the car. So they replaced my mass airflow sensors and that doesn't solve the problem either. then they recommend i replaced the fuel filter and have the fuel injectors clean. I okay that job and it still doesn't solve my problem. So now they tell me it might be a computer problem and i might have to reprogram my car and that only a dealership can do that. i don't have a warranty, so the dealership charges me $150 dollars to take a look at the car. they tell me i might need to replace my catalytic converters and that is a $2,500 job. Does anybody have a problem similar to this, am i being ripped off? do you know the solution? please help me!

BTW everyone i had look at it said its not a transmission problem, but i dunno who is right anymore...

[stringbean]

your being ripped off for 2500$ for a catalytic converter, its a 150$ part that you could do in 30 mins MAX!, its under the car in the exhaust. None of this makes sense. If your car is revving high but no speed it shouldn't be a fuel filter, cause if it was that the car wouldn't be revving so high. same with the maf.

are you auto or standard?
sounds like trans to me, but i havnt looked at the car..
the computers in our cars are non programable, their adaptive.

idk what it is man, sorry

[Chhem87]

my car is auto transmission.

[1gSE]

^^^ SLE = auto. Check fluid level. Sounds like the dealership wants to bend you over and not even bother using lube

[stringbean]

^^^ SLE = auto. Check fluid level. Sounds like the dealership wants to bend you over and not even bother using lube

didnt know that. ya no kidding eh, even it being auto i have no other ideas on what the problem is sorry

[Gregtrd]

If you'd lived near fontana ca. I would help you out.

[Toy1mzfe]

02 sensor? Any warning lights?

Smoke out the pipe?

[Chhem87]

02 sensor? Any warning lights?

Smoke out the pipe?

O2 sensor checked out fine, no white smoke.

[DSM_Lara]

Hhmm try testing if it gives you the same issue when you either push the overdrive on the On or off position. I heard that the overdrive clutch could go out but, we are talking about Toyota.

[pwizzle]

For the low idle at startup and then dies out, I'm pretty sure it's the IAC valve. Take the intake off of the throttle body and there'll be a hole underneath the butterfly valve. Just take a can of MAF cleaner and spray liberally into the hole and let it dry for a few minutes and then replace the intake back on. You should be good with that problem afterwards because I went through the same problem a couple of years ago.

[solaraqueen]

could be the throttle positioning sensor, or maybe water in the gas.....

[SolaraMan7890]

I had a similar problem, but for me it turned out being that two of my cylinders misfired. So I swapped all 6 for new Denso ones and my car has never felt better. 130,000+ miles.

Problem also happened when it got REALLY cold here. (10's)

[Chhem87]

okay after a week of testing and eliminating a list of things that could be causing the problem with a friend mechanic, we determined that it was a timing issue. the car is running normal again. i just wanted to thank everyone who tried to help and left a feedback.

[99BlackSandv6]

So what fixed the problem?

[TheGreenDutch]

what was it?