2001 Camry 4cyl- no spark- need some diagnostic help

[Swandogger1]

Thank you for any help in advance.

Symptoms: Car died while driving: The details- Engine light popped on while I was coasting down a hill. I thought "That's wierd." and as I pushed the gas pedal I realized I was getting no throttle response. Suddenly it came back for another 1/8th to 1/4 mile, and now I'm on high alert. Then, just as quickly as it had come back, it was gone again. No response, just a sort of deep wha, wha wha feeling/sound. That lasted for only a moment and the car died completely. Dash lights on. No power to the steering or brakes. Dead as a doornail.
I tugged it in to a side street and had it towed to my house. My initial restart efforts sounded a little funny. Kinda higher pitched and whiny. Since then, its a more typical cranking sound, but just won't turn over.

Some more info to consider:
Battery was still good, although in testing and trying out solutions, it died due to the starter pulling juice and nothing getting put back. This is unfortunate, since I had ordered a code reader while the batter still had juice. Now that I have the code reader, the battery has run out and I have no code to get anymore. (Damn! and yes this does make me feel a little stupid.)

Plugs smell like fuel and you can easily smell fuel when I pulled a plug and tested for spark. I didn't get a spark at the plug (#1) when I tried that. So my initial thought is to try to replace the ignition coil. But I don't want to just buy parts on a hunch.

Since I'm getting fuel, my other impression is that the timing belt may have lost/jumped some teeth and I'm no longer running on time.

I replaced the spark plugs, not because I thought that was the entire problem, but they showed a good amount of wear, so i knew it wouldn't be a bad step to take anyway.

So, my questions are: 1. Can you think of anything else that would cause it to die and not start back up? 2. Is it worth the risk of buying a new ignition coil to swap in since my information is somewhat incomplete? 3. Are the 1,4 & 2,3 ignition coils swappable, so if i bought one, I could try it in either position? 4. Is there a relatively easy way to remove the timing belt cover so I can take a peek at that bad boy?

I do have a downloaded copy of the Manufacturer's Repair Manual, so at least I've got a good guide as to the steps to take when I decide on an action.

Thanks again to those with knowledge and experience who are willing to share that with people like me who have neither.

[BamZipPow]

Um...did you check yer fuses?

[Swandogger1]

yes. Pulled and checked the fuses.

[Swandogger1]

Another thing to consider. I've checked the resistance on the crankshaft position sensor. It's supposed to be 985 to 1600 ohms and I'm getting 2040. Is this a sign of my problem, or would you consider this to fall into an acceptable tolerance.


Any thoughts?

[Swandogger1]

Well, no one chimed in except for the obligatory "Fuses?" comment. Turns out it was the timing belt. It had torn off some teeth, hence the higher pitch/whiney sound upon initial restart. Apparently it hooked back up (but way out of sequence) so that's why it went back to sounding like the normal cranking noise without starting up. Hope this helps someone else out there.

[Mister_Perkins]

Glad u figured the problem out.

[Swandogger1]

Ok... big question. This is a non interference engine. So since the mechanic says that he thinks there's a bent valve, am i justified in telling him he's mistaken and he needs to figure something else out? Is there any conceivable way that a non interference engine can have a timing belt fail and it result in bent pistons or valves?

[BMR]

Nope. Highly unlikely.

[Swandogger1]

I asked him how a non interference engine could have this happen. He replied that 80% of the time that there's no trouble, but that when the belt shreds, occasionally it can happen. He's willing to show me the lack of compression on the #1 valve to reinforce his conclusion. My skeptical nature is crying foul, but I'm not sure what else there is to do.

[71Corolla]

I think the only way you might bend a valve is if the engine is revving really high when the belt breaks, think near or at the redline. Otherwise, no. I did a timing belt job not too long ago for a guy that was told the same thing, engine damage. New belt and the car ran perfectly, I think you being skeptical is justified.

[Swandogger1]

Skeptical issue number 2.... How could he perform a compression check if it's still somewhat pulled apart for the timing belt?

[BMR]

It's possible the compression was low before the T-belt broke. It's not always noticeable when one cylinder's down a bit on compression. So does it run OK now?... or does it misfire a bit?

[BMR]

Originally Posted by Swandogger1

Skeptical issue number 2.... How could he perform a compression check if it's still somewhat pulled apart for the timing belt?

We posted at the same time there.

If he has the new belt installed but everything not quite buttoned up, it's possible to do a compression test. How low is it?

[71Corolla]

Originally Posted by Swandogger1

Skeptical issue number 2.... How could he perform a compression check if it's still somewhat pulled apart for the timing belt?

Funny you should say that. The guy I mentioned told me that the mechanic offered to come out and do a compression check. Now of course the timing belt was broken, so guess what the compression reading would be. And keep in mind, the same mechanic told him the engine was interference. So not only was he going to do a compression check with a non-working engine, but would damage the engine if it was indeed interference like the mechanic claimed.

Those are the types of mechanics that give all auto techs a bad name.

[Swandogger1]

Not running yet. I'm giving him my decision tomorrow. So my question is: if I tell him to just stick with the timing belt and the water pump (of course). What will the fallout be, if the valve is indeed bent? Will it just run badly or do i risk something bigger. (Is there anything bigger?) If it's just going to run badly, I'm willing to take it home and explore my options.