89 Camery with no spark

[chuckster56]

This car has 110k miles on it. Problem began on fwy. Loss of power and then it wouldn't start. Towed to the shop and was told that the distributor was bad. Got two different refurbed ones and still getting no spark from the wires. Could this be a bad Ignitor module. I can't imagine that two different distributor would be bad. Any help would be great and thanks.

[yotaforce]

put a tester on the main wire coming into your dist but more then two dist. bein bad is unlikely, take your igniton madule out and auto zone will check it for free. If you are looking for the ignitions control module or "ignitor" it is strapped to the coil of your car. The coil is normally bolted to the back fire wall (rear of the engine compartment). Just follow the plug wire back to the distributor, In the the distributor there is a wire in the middle of the cap that looks almost identical to the spark plug wires (It doesn't matter if you have a 6-cylinder or 4-cylinder Camry, they both have coil wires) Follow that wire back to the coil Once you get the coil, the ignitor will be strapped onto it. If you need to replace the ignitor, call a toyota wrecking yard and give them the BIG 2 or 3 digit number off of the ignitor. Your car should take something like a 53. Most wrecking yards can help you out with that information and save you a ton of money from the dealership. You can also call, All Toyo Lex, toll-free and they should be able to supply one for you as well. 877-778-6968 m-f 8-5 sat 8-1 pst. And if the module itself isnt bad you might try the CKP. If your car has a Tacometer on it see if RPM's register if not that sensor is bad or has an open circuit

[chuckster56]

This has an internal coil. There is no middle wire coming off the distributor.

[Mike Gerber]

^ What chuckster56 said. The coil is internal to the distributor on the first 3 generations of Camry. Starting with generation 4 in 1997 there is no distributor; they all use coil packs.

If the new distributors did not come with new distributor caps and rotors and you are using the original ones, inspect them carefully for cracks and evidence of arcing. Make sure you turn the rotor over and check for cracks underneath, where it rests of the distributor shaft.

Mike

[chuckster56]

Wil do.. I am taking the distributor and the ignightor module to autozone for testing when the wife gets home today.. I got to get this fixed man.. driving me nuts

[sayers74]

You need to test the distrubutor components to see why its "bad".

CHECK RESISTANCE OF HIGH–TENSION
CORD (See page IG–6)
Maximum resistance: 25 k per cord

CHECK RESISTANCE OF IGNITION COIL
(See page IG–7)
Resistance (Cold):
Primary 0.38 – 0.46
Secondary 7.7 – 10.4 k


CHECK RESISTANCE OF SIGNAL
GENERATOR (PICKUP COIL) (See page
IG–8) Resistance: 140 – 180

CHECK AIR GAP OF DISTRIBUTOR
(See page IG–7)
Air gap: 0.2 mm (0.008 in.) or more

Chances are w/ the 3 dist. you have you can piece a good one together. teh pick up assembly is not available separately so im going to assume thats your problem. Go to a wrecking yard & scavenge the pick up for a few bucks. Thats what I did. Mine had intermittent no spark.

[scarney1988]

If you are okay with a multimeter, do the above resistance checks. I suspect your coil is done, but hard to say until you do the leg work.

good luck

[chuckster56]

So I do not have a multimeter...but did take the dist. to autozone.. the coil registered about .7 if he was doing it right. .putting the points of the meter on both sides of the coil.. Also getting zero lights on the check engine light. I tried to jump them but still nothing there.. no lights nada.

[sayers74]

you really need to get a meter. Heck heres a coupon for a free one
.

http://a.slickdeals.net/attachment.p...9&d=1290218419


If ya cant use that or theres no harbor freight near you, you can get one pretty cheap at most hardware & aparts stores. (less than $10)

your check eng. light should come on when you jump e1 & t1. If its not blinking than you arent hooked correctly. No spark should set a code. Mine gave me a code (code 12 i think) when my pick up coil went out.You just have to crank it for about 10-15 seconds & it should set a code.

If your check engine light never ever comes on, you might have a bad bulb or fuse, but more than likely its a wiring issue (normally ground wires at ecu)


have you EVER seen the light come on?

It should come on when the ign. sw. is first turned on before starting also known as koeo = key on engine off(oil light , charge light , brake light & check eng. light should all be on)

[Darwin686]

Scrap the leg work and check this.

On these cars you have an ignition coil on the bottom of the dizzy.

Ok so that apparently checks out from your testing

I'm fairly confident that your ignition control module is toast.

If you have a 3SFE engine in the car look left of the battery.

It is there and is held in place by two screws. Its square and kinda outta place its really hard to miss.

Unseat the wire harness on it and plug it back in.

Now the odd test.

Have a friend try to crank the car and tap it with a screw driver lightly like you would a bad starter.

See if it starts.

Go to your local pick and pull and get one and try it.

[chuckster56]

Originally Posted by Darwin686

Scrap the leg work and check this.

On these cars you have an ignition coil on the bottom of the dizzy.

Ok so that apparently checks out from your testing

I'm fairly confident that your ignition control module is toast.

If you have a 3SFE engine in the car look left of the battery.

It is there and is held in place by two screws. Its square and kinda outta place its really hard to miss.

Unseat the wire harness on it and plug it back in.

Now the odd test.

Have a friend try to crank the car and tap it with a screw driver lightly like you would a bad starter.

See if it starts.

Go to your local pick and pull and get one and try it.

I have that module off now & was going to try and have it tested but alas.. no one knew how anywhere. I will put everything back together tomorrow and then try out the tapping on the module.

[Darwin686]

Originally Posted by chuckster56

I have that module off now & was going to try and have it tested but alas.. no one knew how anywhere. I will put everything back together tomorrow and then try out the tapping on the module.

lol its the one part nobody knows how to test. Bud i'm willing to bet the thing is dead.

[sayers74]

I think theres a few tests you can do as far as voltage at the igniter, but I dont think you can test the ignitor itself w/o a special machine. You just test everything else to confirm that they are good & process of elimination leaves the ignitor.