P1300 Ignitor Circuit Malfunction 97 Toy Avalon

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SO, before I begin,a little background info. I have been chasing this code on and off for the past 3 years. 3 years ago I was getting P1300 and my car would lose electrical power and die. I took it to my mechanic, said it was a bad battery, replaced the battery, a few weeks later the same code reappears. So I replaced the ignitor, within a few days the same code comes on again and car was intermittently dying. I took it to Toyota, who kept the car for 2 weeks and couldn't fix the problem. They thought it was a bad ECU, but I got an ECU from the junkyard to try and the code popped right back up again and the car would die intermittently. FINALLY I put in a new alternator and the problem went away for 2 years only to return a few months ago. So far I have replaced: ECU, ignitor, alternator, sparks plugs, spark plug wires, and the Camshaft Position Sensor, but the code still comes back on intermittently. The code NEVER comes on while driving. The code only comes on when the engine is started and never when it is started ice cold or hot. It almost always comes on if you turn the car on, drive it for about 5 minutes or less, and then try to restart it. On the restart, 9-10 times, the light will come on and will be accompanied by excessive cranking (~3secs or more). If you try to restart it right away to turn the check engine light off, you could start it 20 times, it will not turn off. However, if you drive it for 15-20 minutes or longer, then shut it off and restart, the car restarts with almost no cranking, and the Check Engine Light turns right off on the 1st try. So, I believe that this may be a coil (or coils) whose resistance is out-of-spec at a very specific temperature and throwing the Check Engine Light. I have checked the resistance of the coils HOT and COLD and they are within factory spec. What do you guys think, I think I have replaced most everything EXCEPT the coils in the ignition system. I do not think this problem will fix itself, and will most likely only get worse, so I want to try and tackle this before Winter gets here. Thanks in advance for your help!
 
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Yea, I did already, Toyota did as well, they replaced a few loose connectors and it still did it. The plugs and wires are brand new
 
So, I decided to go all out and replace all 3 coils. The car runs amazingly now. It flat out flies and it hasnt idled this smoothly since the car was new! Best of all, the CEL is not on either. I hope I found the problem, I'll keep you guys posted as to whether the problem comes back. Thanks for the info EricF.
 
Aren't coils listed as the first suspects for P1300 code after ruling out spark plugs and spark plug wires? At least they better be way ahead than ECU replacement.

I recall you have been struggling with this code for a while along with some other codes.

- Vikas
 
The code went on again yesterdy and again today. Car takes a decent amount of cranking to start. Hopefully it doesnt turn into a "no-start" soon. I have no idea whats wrong with it, if you guys have any ideas feel free to share. Even with his $6000 computer, the mechanic has no idea other than "there is a small misfire."
 
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