'92 camry wont start/died - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

Combomambo · 07-17-2010, 12:02 PM

Hi guys, I'm new to posting here but i have used your information a lot over the past year with my car and unfortunately I have hit a wall (not literally).

I have a 1992 camry LE 2.2L That I did an engine swap on to a '93 2.2L. The car has run fine for the last 5 months or so until last night as I pulled up to a stop light, the car just died on me. The battery has enough power to turn over the engine, but its not firing for some reason. I loosened the hollow bolt on the fuel line to check fuel pressure, but it seems to be fine as fuel will squirt out when i try to crank it. I also sprayed starting fluid in the intake to test the spark/timing and it would fire once and then die again. Can anyone help me figure out whats going on with my beloved toyota?

rusty9 · 07-17-2010, 03:58 PM

have you checked all the fuses for the EFI and ECU? i dont know why it will fire up with starting fluid, when you say theres fuel pressure.

Combomambo · 07-17-2010, 04:27 PM

all the fuses looked good but i don't know how to check the relays, maybe there is a problem with one of them? It fires with starting fluid because it still has spark.

Mike Gerber · 07-17-2010, 10:28 PM

"It fires with starting fluid because it still has spark."

Is the timing belt still intact? Have you removed the distributor cap and had someone crank over the engine while you observe the rotor for movement? That is a test to see if the timing belt is still intact.

Is the spark you see a bright blue or is it an orange spark? Bright blue indicates a good spark. Orange indicates a weak spark. I'm thinking the coil inside the distributor possibly went bad. They become problematic when they accumulate lot's of miles on them. How many miles are on the coil you used?

Mike

abew330 · 07-17-2010, 11:45 PM

IF you have spark, and fuel.. and all fuses are ok then i would look at crank / cam sensor, and maf
i would double check fuses again and relays just to be sure.

Combomambo · 07-18-2010, 02:12 AM

spark plugs are 4 months old, same as the distributor cap and rotor. Timing I'm about 90 percent sure is okay (will find out tomorrow) because its an interference engine so it wouldn't turn over at all correct? I do not know how to check the relays or i would. i think it might be the coil aswell because it has close to 260,000 miles on it. I am going to check the distributor tomorrow. I am looking for the obvious things first though. If one of the sensors went bad, how would I be able to tell?

Mike Gerber · 07-18-2010, 01:15 PM

"Timing I'm about 90 percent sure is okay (will find out tomorrow) because its an interference engine so it wouldn't turn over at all correct?"

Incorrect. It's a non-interference engine, so don't worry about any internal engine damage if it is a broken timing belt.

I'm still leaning toward a bad or possibly cracked coil, especially if it's the original coil with 260,000 miles on it. As far as checking the relays, you can download a Toyota factory service manual at the top of the Camry forum, over at AutomotiveForums.com. Download the generation 3 manual. It should have the information to check the relays. It will also have the specs for checking the coil. You will need a digital volt/ohmeter to check the coil specs, but many times you can just remove it and look for evidence of cracking.

Mike