Timing marks lined up-won'T start - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

irishdad · 01-29-2012, 09:02 PM

Hi all and thanks for everyone's help in the past. Anyway, short story is we were driving home our 1996 Camry LE (2.2l, 4 cyl) a few weeks ago and the car just died & would not restart. After towing home we took the distributor cap off & cranked--the rotor didn't turn so we knew it was the timing belt. Got the timing belt kit(with new water pump, and also the cam seal, oil pump seal, and a new crank seal) changed everything out(the timing belt had lost 1/3 of its teeth.) and then had the fun job of getting the marks all aligned after putting the new belt on. Took awhile, but we now have it where the mark looking through the cam pulley hole is there when the crank pulley is at "0". Turned the crank pulley twice around & double checked the hole in the cam pulley & the mark is there. Put the negative cable back on the battery & after making sure we didn't leave anything in the way, we turned the key. It cranks over great, but will not start. It was getting dark & it takes a few minutes to put everything away so we had to stop for the night. However, we double checked our marks and then turned the crank pulley 720 degrees (2 revolutions) and then looked through the hole in the cam pulley--the mark behind the cam pulley is right there, so we know we have the marks set correctly on the belt/engine. As we were putting things away for the night my son asked if there was any kind of fuel stop, or kill switch that could have been triggered by the breakdown. I don't know of any, but it also got me thinking that perhaps a fuse could have blown. Not really sure where to start looking. Car has gas, was running perfect before the timing belt broke. Any suggestions? I'll check for spark tomorrow, but I don't think that is the issue. Anyone have any ideas?? Thanks in advance for everyone's assistance!

Yuko · 01-29-2012, 10:06 PM

I mistaken a cased dot for the "0" marking before when I changed my timing belt and as you described, my Camry turned over but didn't run. Took me a while to fine the actual "0" and it was fine. You can see the casting dot circle in red and the "0" mark circled in green.

pic from dz63

irishdad · 01-29-2012, 11:22 PM

Thanks for the quick reply, it's nice to know I'm not the only one who has faced this problem. In checking previous posts, along with some of my own, I was aware of that some Camry's had that "Casting Dot circle" or"O"mark that is NOT the timing mark. In our case we have the "V" notch and it is clearly seen through the hole in the cam pulley when the crankshaft pulley is at zero. WE have turned the crank pulley the 720 degrees/2 revolutions and set it back to "0". Then when we check the hole in the cam pulley-we can see the "V" notch lined up perfectly. So, anything is possible but I think it the timing is OK as far as the marks go. I'm going to check for spark tomorrow but I am also wondering if there is a fuel pump kill switch that some cars have for accidents (to stop the fuel so there is no fire). Also wondering about any fuse that might have blown. Anyone have any ideas?

Yuko · 01-30-2012, 12:47 AM

Then it seem that the timing belt is all fine. I don't recall can fuel cutoff switch in the Gen 3 the Camry. I would check spark first as you suggested.

irishdad · 01-30-2012, 11:25 AM

Taking tomorrow off to get the Camry running once & for all! I will check for spark but I don't think that's the problem. In reviewing some other threads for cars that would not start; people have mentioned a "Disconnected MAF sensor or missing EFI fuse" Where would these be so that I can check. I had to move & remove some hoses to get the distributor cap off to see if the rotor turned (that's how we confirmed the timing belt had broken). We put everything back the way we remembered so I suppose it's possibel that we missed something, or hooked something up in the wrong spot. Does anyone have a good/detailed picture or illustration of all the hoses & tubes on this 5SFE engine, & where they are SUPPOSED to go? That would be helpful. Also, where are the 3 grounds that I have read about? I imagine the ground cable off the battery is one, where are the other two?? I didn't change the plugs so I know the reason it is not starting has nothing to do with plug gap (it ran great before the timing belt broke). The timing marks on the cam & crank are spot-on. Engine just cranks and won't catch at all. (has a fulll gas tank). Where do I go from here (after checking spark). And just to confirm, is the #1 cylinder/spark plug closest to the timing belt end, or the distributor end of the engine? Everyone's help is appreciated! Thanks in Advance!

irishdad · 02-22-2012, 04:05 PM

THANKS ALL!!! Goth the job done. Kept having trouble with the belt jumping a tooth after tightening the tensioner. My son did a variation of moving the cam a hair off of the mark and then then tightening the tensioner. Runs like a champ now. Thanks again everyone!