I Need Help! - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

playmategirl · 03-22-2008, 09:05 PM

Ok, so heres the thing.... and dont laugh at me, plz....

I bought a new camry today becuase mine is gone to shit.....this one is a 1995 le 4 banger, but the guy said it was running fine, then it just cut off on them. He said that he has replaced the timing belt and fuel pump....and now the car will turn over and over, but will not crank...he told us that if you unplug the battery for 24 hrs (I dont think it really takes quite THAT long...) then hook it back up then the car will crank and run fine....until you turn it off, then it wont start back. I have tried pulling the main fuse, left it out for like 5 minutes, and replaced it, same thing....turned over and over and wouldnt crank. So we checked all the fuses....none of which were bad. We then noticed that the distributor cap was missing its bolts, so it was kinda loose, so we put bolts in it to tighten it, and the thing STILL wont crank. We tried jumping it off with our other car, but no luck there either. We are kinda at a loss for ideas, and the reason I bought it was becuase I thought I could have it running in notime, so I really need some help. Thx in advance guys......

*Candyce*

spencer750 · 03-22-2008, 09:36 PM

turn over and cranks mean the same thing, What I think your asking is...my engine turns and turns and will not fire (start) Sounds to me like the timing is off from the belt replacement, I would have a certified toyota tech check it out. Disconnecting the battery will do nothing for your problem. Not sure on your specific model but it may have a fuel pump cut out switch that may need reset. I would seek a competant toyota tech asap.

Good luck,
Spence

playmategirl · 03-22-2008, 09:55 PM

A NOTE FROM THE HUSBAND...HE MAKES MORE SENSE THAN ME...LOL

let me put it this way... when you try to start it it will turn over and hit once but not start.. when you un hook the battery cable its to reset the ecu and the guy we bought it from said it would start then but when you turned it off it wouldnt start back unless you unhooked the battery or reset the ecu.. does that make sense??? i think the timing may be off too.im going to check the timing out tomorrow but wanted to see if there were other possibilities.. thx josh

anti-seize · 03-22-2008, 10:10 PM

On my old gen 2 camry, I did the timing belt. Putting the whole thing back together, it would crank over really fast but not catch.

long story short, the belt was installed wrong. There were two marks, and I lined the hole up with the one at about 10 o'clock. The other one was at 12 o'clock

Does that sound like the problem? If I understand correctly, you have not actually seen the car run, right? If it spins really fast it's because there's never both valves closed on the compression stroke

In other news, the fuel pump is in the fuel tank in the back. Fuel pumps, if I understand correctly are very reliable. I'll go out on a limb and say he meant the fuel filter.

anti-seize · 03-22-2008, 10:12 PM

Oh, and for future reference, it's usually better to put in a more descriptive title than "I Need Help!"

bigbird · 03-22-2008, 10:22 PM

you guys are so cute with all the color cordination

are there any codes that pop up? how does it drive/idle when you do get it started?

playmategirl · 03-22-2008, 10:51 PM

well so far we havent even heard the car run sooo.... and i believe it was the fuel pump because the back seat is still loose where it was removed. im going to check the timing setup tomorrow and im thinking thats what it is but i just figured i would ask. were also going to get a new dist. cap and rotor button and plugs. so we'll see what happens. thanks
josh

anti-seize · 03-22-2008, 11:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by playmategirl

.... and i believe it was the fuel pump because the back seat is still loose where it was removed.

Yea, that sounds like the fuel pump.

The quick check to see if the car is getting fuel is something called "starter fluid". It comes in a spray can at the auto parts store. While one person is cranking over the engine, spray starting fluid up the air intake (open the air filter compartment). Careful, a little dab will do ya (short 2 second spray while cranking).

If it catches for a moment on the starter fluid, then you can be pretty sure that the issue is somehow a fuel problem (clogged fuel filter, no juice to the fuel pump, injectors not opening (never seen this), etc. If that doesn't work, let us know.

Also: you can not just check with the timing light if the problem is a wrongly installed timing belt. A compression check, if you have the tool, might show this problem.

playmategirl · 03-22-2008, 11:34 PM

yeah im gonna check the compression and timing setup tomorrow and i may give the starter fluid a try as well before i get it apart. thx
josh

spencer750 · 03-23-2008, 10:16 AM

before you go puttin parts on that arent necc try opening the fuel door, remove the fuel cap, have someone turn the key to the run position and listen for the pump to activate, if you cant hear it then it could very well be the pump. I suspect its the timing issue, I would ck that pronto.

Thenethiel · 03-23-2008, 10:46 AM

First thing I would do (and did, cause my car had what sounds like the same problem) is take one of the spark plugs out, crank it a couple times and see if you can smell gas in the open spark plug hole, if you can, then you got fuel flow. During said cranking, hold the plug right next to, but not in contact with the engine block and see if it sparks. If there's no spark, I'd bet you got a bad ignition coil, which is about $40 at NAPA and not real terrifying to replace.

Mike Gerber · 03-23-2008, 12:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anti-seize

Yea, that sounds like the fuel pump.

The quick check to see if the car is getting fuel is something called "starter fluid". It comes in a spray can at the auto parts store. While one person is cranking over the engine, spray starting fluid up the air intake (open the air filter compartment). Careful, a little dab will do ya (short 2 second spray while cranking).

If it catches for a moment on the starter fluid, then you can be pretty sure that the issue is somehow a fuel problem (clogged fuel filter, no juice to the fuel pump, injectors not opening (never seen this), etc. If that doesn't work, let us know.

Also: you can not just check with the timing light if the problem is a wrongly installed timing belt. A compression check, if you have the tool, might show this problem.

I agree with anti-seize on theory to check the fuel system, but I wouldn't use starting fluid to do this. It's just too volatile for my taste. I have seen cars backfire when using starting fluid (especially on old carburetor equiped cars). Use spray O2 safe carb cleaner for this test. It probably won't start, but it will sputter if it is a fuel delivery problem. Also, add a possibly bad fuel pump relay to his suggested thoughts, if it turns out it sputters on the carb cleaner.

However, I also feel you are on the right track with the timing issue.

If it's not these 2 issues, then check for spark. If there is no spark, then check the coil as Thenethiel suggested. They are a common problem area on the first 3 generation Camrys. You will need a digital volt/ohmeter and the specs from any manual for this test.

Mike

samarai912 · 03-23-2008, 02:37 PM

Yup, its the fuel.

playmategirl · 03-23-2008, 06:03 PM

OK...here is what we have done...ALL DAY LONG!!! lol....

*We checked the timing, of course the notch wasnt set to zero as it should be...so we fixed all that. Still not starting.

*We replaced the distributor cap and rotor button. Didnt fix the prob.

*Checked to see if the pump was working as directed, no sound. So we replaced the fuel pump....then checked it, still no sound.
*Every fuse on all the panels have been checked, and there are NO bad fuses either.
*OH,and we checked 4 spark...YES we have fire!!!! the only damn thing Ive got so far...lol!

So we just dont get it...evrything has been checked and we keep getting back 2 fuel...why wouldnt the pump be working?? All the wiring is in place, and we even checked to see if the plug that plugs into the fuel pump was getting power, and it IS!! It dont make sense.

Any other ideas guys? Im at a loss...Im supposed 2 have this car running 2 nite. thx
*Candyce*

playmategirl · 03-23-2008, 06:10 PM

OK, so here is a real shocker.....
my hubby got mad at the car, right....and he goes and pours gas straight in the throttle body, and then started up and ran like brand new...until it ran out of the gas, then it cut off.....

WTF!!!

*Candyce*