2012 didn’t exactly start on the right foot for me. Just a few days before Chinese New Year, my Celica started acting up—worst part? I only found out the day before I was supposed to drive home for the holidays.
It began with the engine stalling shortly after the first start and rev. Every time I cranked it up, it would idle to around 2000 RPM and then slowly die off. Stepping on the throttle didn’t help either—it felt like no fuel was getting into the engine at all.
After asking around and browsing through forums like NewCelica.org and Celica Club Malaysia, most responses pointed to either a failing fuel pump or a clogged fuel filter. I’m really hoping it’s something as simple and cheap as that.
At this point, there’s no choice but to call a flatbed tow truck and send the Celica to my mechanic for a proper checkup. Sigh…
Lesson learned: never let your car sit idle for too long. If you’re not going to drive it regularly, at least start it once in a while. Ironically, my Satria also gave me similar issues—same story, left parked too long at my hometown porch. Luckily, that one can still be driven (barely).
Stay tuned for the repair updates and fingers crossed it’s nothing major.
