Distributor Rotor Not Turning

[jumbalaya]

I have a 1998 Camry 2.0l that died suddenly and won't start - it cranks fine, but no spark. The timing belt and gear are turning properly, but the distributor rotor is not turning on the other side. The rotor seems fine and does not move easily, and the internals seem to be intact; however, I did not remove anything other than the distributor cap to check.

Cheers!

[toyrolla]

Did you pull the distributor out and check it?

There's 3 12mm bolts to remove in order to check...

[jumbalaya]

Yes, as stated - indirectly and directly - in my original post.

[toyrolla]

Originally Posted by jumbalaya

Yes, as stated - indirectly and directly - in my original post.

Sorry, I misunderstood....
You stated that you only removed the cap, where I'm suggesting to removing the whole distributor to inspect

Quote:

Originally Posted by jumbalaya

...however, I did not remove anything other than the distributor cap to check.

If you did that already and the mechanism doesn't look right, it could be seized.

[Doctor J]

take the valve cover off and inspect the distributor drive fork.in case of the drive pin failure, use big magnet to pick up the pieces.
also make sure that the cam sprocket-to cam pin is present

[fabbb]

I would strongly suspect that you have broken a timing belt. No damage to the engine as this is a non-interference engine. The belt is cheap. You might find a shop to do it for around $400-$600. If they want to change the water pump at the same time they are just doing you a favor, not ripping you off. If you are of the mechanical bent, it's not a bad job. SteveB

[marc780]

Broken distributor shaft? I had this happen on my 1988 nissan pickup Z24 engine. The distributor hold bolts were stripped out by some idiots at a smog check shop and i had to retap the holes. the wobbly distributor was breaking the shaft.