92 Camry - died at a light, looks electrical

[JPaganel]

So, two days ago I am headed home and stop at a red light. The car makes like it's out of gas, which is impossible, because I put gas in that morning. Then stalls.

This is a 92 with an I4 and a 5-speed manual.

So, I think this is the fuel pump. I do the pump test, like the book sez, by jumping the B+ and the Fp terminals of the diag connector. No sound from the pump, so I pull it to have as a reference to get a new one. For shits and giggles, I throw test leads from pump to battery, pump runs.

I check the B+ terminal in diag connector - no voltage on the B+. I check the voltage at the gas tank plug - nada. I jump the Fp terminal direct to battery - voila, 12V at the tank plug.

For shits and giggles, I check spark (plug in wire held to the block) - no spark.

Engine turns over fine, lights work. I checked the two ECM fuses inside and the one underhood - all are good.

So, where to look next? Relay?

[Mike Gerber]

Relay would be my next check. Try substituting the fuel pump relay with another identical relay from a non-essential item in the car. If it now starts and runs, go buy a new relay. If the relay checks out good, I would have to move on to the wiring.

Mike

[JPaganel]

Originally Posted by Mike Gerber

Relay would be my next check. Try substituting the fuel pump relay with another identical relay from a non-essential item in the car. If it now starts and runs, go buy a new relay. If the relay checks out good, I would have to move on to the wiring.

Mike

I didn't see another relay that would be like the FP relay.

What I did was I pulled the relay and connected a continuity tester across the load terminals and put 12V to the coil. It closed the circuit just fine.

I tested the relay socket with the key in RUN and there is no power there.

Assuming all fuses are OK (and I checked) what's left in that circuit?

[raylaaly]

It sounds like you may have to troubleshoot a little more to determine if your problem is ignition or fuel supply related. A friends '94 stalled in exatly the same manner that you described. I checked > no spark. The service manual troubleshooting tree is excellent and led me directly to the individual failed coil in the distributor. Swapped the distributor (since I had a spare), reset the ignition timing and the car is working great.

Pull a plug wire, stick a spark plug into the wire, make sure plug is grounded and crank the engine over while a friend checks for spark > if you have spark continue on your fuel pump troubleshooting.

Good Luck, Camray

[JPaganel]

Ok, here's what I got. I have restored fuel flow. The culprit was the blown 30A fuse in the underhood box marked AM2. I was only checking EFI/ECM fuses. Now, the FP relay clicks and there is 12V at the diag connector and the hose from the fuel filter is hard. (before I could pinch it by hand)

It still does not start. There is no spark.

[raylaaly]

Good work getting the fuel back on > wonder what caused the 30A fuse to blow ?

Not sure if you already have a service manual, if not this link http://camry.**********s.com/ takes you to PDF's of the various sections of the '94 Toyota Camry service manual. You can download the Ignition System section and with a multimeter you can perform the tests to find out why you don't have spark.

Keep us posted !

[JPaganel]

Comparing the circuit diagrams from the EFI and the ignition sections, I see that the AM2 30A fuse supplies power both to the FP circuit and the ignition coil. It sits between battery and ignition switch.

Next step would be to check the coil, I think.

Anybody know if a bad coil can blow a fuse?

[JPaganel]

Son of a bitch!

I think I found it.

I went to check for power at coil, and when I was unplugging the coil connector, I noticed the socket was loose. That made me suspicious. So I take off the distributor cap, and I am greeted by the lovely aroma of burnt vinyl. I pull off the rotor and the plastic shield, and I see that the lead from the connector to the coil is broken. Looks like it was touching the shaft, and the shaft rubbed through it.

This would explain the blown fuse and the lack of spark...