1990 Camry won't start - have tried EVERYTHING! Please help

[AdamB]

Camry ran great for 15 years, no problems. One night pulled it in the garage and it hasn't started since. No indication of any problems whatsoever before this. It will not fire at all now. Checked:
-timing is perfect
-spark appears fine at each plug (new plugs, wires, cap, and rotor)
-primary and secondary coil speced out, primary resistance too low to check, but got lowest Ohms on multimeter (did not check pick-up coil, igniter, etc. since spark looked ok)
-jumpered and get vibration at filter so assumed fuel
-compression is low and uneven in a few, but should still fire I would think Cylinders 1-4: 145psi, 125psi, 130psi, 175psi
-sprayed ether in plenum and nothing

I am mystified why it won't at least fire a little. Any possible sensor/ignition item that would cause this? Help would be greatly appreciated.
-Adam

[AOE]

starter, alternator, check your fuses and fusable links, i had a blown one and replaced it and started up for me, check the ALT fusable link and see if thats it?

[AdamB]

Thanks for the reply. My alternator is not connected, as I removed it to take the timing cover off. I believe I check all the fuses I was aware of soon after the problem occured. I would think, given spark, fuel, and compression I should get at least some fireing, but nothing.

[nopain00]

You may want to take off the IAC valve and clean it. If you're getting spark, fuel, and compression, air is the only thing left.

[dem2757]

make sure your battery has good amperage, not wattage.

[white90dx]

Have you checked all the fuses?

Have you tried to start it with the fuel pump jumpered on?

Do you get power at the injectors?

Do the injectors make any 'clicking' while you are trying to start it?

Is the cold start injector getting power while cranking?

It sounds like its a fuel or fuse issue from your explaination so far.

-Charlie

[Mike Gerber]

What color is the spark you see; is it an orange spark or a bright blue spark? Orange indicates a weak spark. I know you checked the resistance of the coil, but did you remove the coil itself and inspect it for hairline cracks in the plastic? Cracks in the coil will allow the coil to short itself to ground on any metal inside the distributor and allow only a weak sprak to pass on to the plugs. That's why I asked about the color of the spark you see.

Mike

[AdamB]

Thank you all for the replies. I've spoken to a lot of mechanics including toyota dealership and just can't figure this one out. I'll try to answer all questions posted.
I have check all fuses I'm aware of: under hood, and drivers kick panel
I have jumpered fuel pump and heard it run and felt pressure at filter - have not tried to start with jumpered. If it was a fuel problem I would think it would at least fire when I sprayed a good amount of ether into the plenum
Spark can jump 1/2 inch from plug to chassis - bluish white - I believe
Pulled injector plug and got pulses on test light
Don't know where cold start injector is...how to test?
Have not cleaned IAC, but have had butterfly open wide when trying to start with and without ether.
Battery is new and charged. Engine cranks fine.
Next, I'm going to crank a few times and pull a plug to see if it's wet. Any possibility cold start is flooding cylinders? There has got to be an explaination. Whatever it is, there were no signs at all. Drove 30 feet from driveway to garage, hasn't fired since.
Thanks all.

[dem2757]

check your timing belt just to be sure...these belts like to snap at idle and at the most insane times

[white90dx]

Originally Posted by dem2757

check your timing belt just to be sure...these belts like to snap at idle and at the most insane times

He's getting spark, which means the timing belt is still good.

I'll be interested to see the results of pulling the spark plugs after trying to start the car...

-Charlie

[dem2757]

good point. the thing that prevents a lot of people is the busted starter switch.

can the engine even crank?

[AdamB]

Hello Folks,

I want to let you know that I finally got the engine started. After almost two weeks of messing with everything possible, good spark, fuel, reasonable compression, and perfect timing, what else could it be...well I don't know for certain, but my hunch is water or condensation in the fuel system. I suspected a sensor was bad and sending too much fuel, hence flooding the cylinders. I put my foot to the floor and cranked and cranked. Finally it fired, but very rough. It looked like Mt. St. Helens coming out the tailpipe. My whole garage, even with the door open, was full of white smoke. I was worried about a head gasket, but the car has never overheated or blown any white smoke out the back. The smoke did tone down. I don't know how this happend as the car has sat outside winter after winter. I am guessing water in fuel or some condensate in line. After all the cranking, I'm sure I filled those cylinders with fuel and some oil. I need to put back together and test run. Since I have timing cover off, I'm going to replace the belt. Two more questions: I want to replace with the camshaft seal. How do I torque the camshaft pulley? My passenger cv boot is ripped. I'm guessing I have to disconnect a linkage to get the shaft out of the hub. What is the easiest way to do this? Thank you all. This is a great forum site.

[Doctor J]

For timing belt replacement see the DIY thread;
you may need to fabricate some sort if cam seal installer as there is very little room for using the method outlined in the manual.

[white90dx]

To remove the axle, I've fount is easiest to unbolt the ball joint from the hub. No need for an alignment if you do it that way too.

-Charlie