my 1994 5sfe engine dilemma

[danohdan]

My mechanic has replaced my 5sfe 1994 Camry engine and now can't get it to start. Any suggestions as to what suggestions I could give him?

It is a direct fit replacement engine, it does have spark, & is getting fuel. Now he says he's not getting compression, 25psi in #1 (he didn’t say anything about 2,3, & 4) & says maybe the rings haven't been seated yet (he's going to try and put oil in the top of the cylinders to see if that helps…?). I ask if the timing belt was set properly & he says he thinks so, that he put it on before setting the engine in the car.

My questions are……

Could the timing belt be far enough off to cause little compression and therefore no start...........?

If this is the reason why engine won’t start, would it cause any damage to try and crank it to start it or would everything be OK & one would just reset the belt?

Any suggestions…………… I want my sweet car back……….. a list for him to check, some kind words, anything….

Thanks,
Dan

[atobe]

could be the timing but who knows...is the engine used or new?

[Mike Gerber]

"Could the timing belt be far enough off to cause little compression and therefore no start...........? "

Yes

"If this is the reason why engine won’t start, would it cause any damage to try and crank it to start it or would everything be OK & one would just reset the belt?"

Yes it could be the reason. The 5SFE is a non-interference engine, so it should be OK if he just resets the timing belt. That is, assuming the timing belt is not set properly and it is causing this low compression and no start condition. You need to get the comprssion numbers from the other 3 cylinders. If all are low I would suspect the timing belt. If only the number 1 cylinder is low, then it's not the timing belt.

Good luck.

Mike

[danohdan]

Thanks for the input, it is a reman engine & has a 12/12 warranty but does not cover mechanic work......... I'll give my mechanic your info & see what he has to say

Dan

[toyomoho]

Was this purchased as a complete engine or just the block with your mechanic putting on the cylinder head?

If a rebuild and 25psi compression something is very wrong.

Get the cam/crank timing belt checked and valve clearance. Both can cause low compression.

[danohdan]

Thanks..... yes it was a long block buy with the head, I'll pass on the info, anything else you can think of let me know.

dan