1997 Camry. Was driving and check engine light came on. Didn’t seem like anything. Then about 20miles it started running rough and when came to a stop the tach went up and down like crazy. By time I got home it was ready to die. Spark plugs? Wires? Throttle body? Im basically gonna try everything. I don’t have a code reader and I don’t dare drive it to a mechanic. Worried I might make it worse.
Drive it to your local auto parts store & have them scan the car for codes.
what would make the rpms go up/down?
Maybe a misfire, vacuum leak. The CEL should’ve thrown a code.
does it have plenty of oil and coolant?
did it feel like the transmission was slipping?
(not a mechanic, have no idea, very interested though)
You really want to know the code your computer set. If I were you, I'd buy a scan tool. You can get a good one like BlueDriver for under $100.
