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hard start, won't ldle, bucks and stutters.

5K views 30 replies 8 participants last post by  Haloruler64 
#1 ·
OK here goes...New to the forum as a poster, but have been lurking and searching for some time now. A few months ago I bought an old 97 corolla DX with the 1.8 and 189,000 miles. This is a spare car for my two boys that will be driving soon. I've been driving it to work just to shake out any problems. So the car has been running great since the purchase. All I've done is replace the battery and installed a new radio and speakers.

The other day, I'm on the freeway headed home from work. All is well, 75 mph on cruise control, radio blasting, smooth as glass... Then, BAM, the motor starts cutting out, missing badly and no acceleration. I pull over and stop as the motor sputters and coughs then dies like it ran out of gas. It won't start. I call a buddy who drags me home.

So far I've ruled out the fuel pump, and the catalytic converter. I have spark on all cylinders, injectors pass the resistance test, there is fuel to the rail. I cleaned the MAF, have found no vacuum leaks or seal leaks. The motor did not over heat and did not throw a code. I have plugs and wires on the way, but I think this is something else that broke due to the sudden onset of the problem. So, any ideas? Thanks in advance for any help.
 
#3 ·
By "no codes," do you mean that you scanned it, or that the check engine light didn't illuminate?
I think they can sometimes make a spark, but still not be able run the engine.
 
#6 ·
How did you check the catalytic converter? I know that if it is clogged, your vacuum will be lower, because of the excessive backpressure.
 
#8 ·
First I pulled the O2 sensor from the manifold and got it started, ran the same. Then I actually pulled the converter, got it started and it ran the same. A visual inspection on the cat showed that the guts were not melted, it looked fine. I went ahead and soaked the converter in a bucket of water and dawn dish soap, rinsed it thoroughly and put it back on. I do not have a fuel pressure gage, so I'm not able to get the PSI on that. Also, I haven't found a schrader valve or anything to check it if I did have a gage. I'm running out of ideas, so once I get the new sparkplugs and plug wires on and if it still won't run, I'm gonna tow it to my mechanic.
 
#26 ·
Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!! Replaced the distributor with an rebuilt one from a local parts house ($187.00) along with the other things I had already done: plugs, plug wires, cap, and rotor....About $300 later, she runs like a champ. Thanks to all for the input and suggestions. I learned a lot.
 
#11 ·
thanks, I guess it was not the MAF, It was the part between the airbox and the intake manifold that has the butterfly and the electrical connector. I did pull the cover off the distributor and did a visual, didn't see any cracks or corrosion on the contacts and the rotor looked fine. I guess I can replace that if it doesn't cost to much. Hate to throw parts at it tho. Any way to check the distributor to confirm its bad?
 
#15 ·
We don't have any sort of shrader valve or access port to test fuel pressure. You'll need to rent/buy a fuel pressure test kit that comes with adapters made for various makes. You can hook it up to the fuel rail. Here's a video if you want to check. But fuel pressure isn't really suspect at the moment.

 
#16 ·
I wanna take a moment to mention the dizzy too. You can visually inspect it for copper threads wrapped around the shaft. Just break it down one step further than the cap and rotor. Last time I had a "no-start" condition, it turned out to be the distributor. I pulled off the cap and it looked ok, a little wear on the rotor but nothing that alarmed me. I unbolted it an broke it down further and found this:



The ignition coil was cracked too. The car would crank and crank and crank but wouldn't start. New dizzy and she started right up!
 
#17 · (Edited)
Does the car run normally after it's had time to cool off?

Check intake-manifold vacuum at idle, cold and warmed up.
Check vacuum hoses to MAP sensor and FPR.
Check all wiring connectors, especially if they were removed recently, such as the TPS connector at the throttle-body.
Check timing-belt alignment, jumping just one tooth can cause issues. The cams must be in proper alignment with the crankshaft. The cams being off will also mess with the distributor's ignition timing.

Don't just swap parts. Measure them and confirm as bad before replacing.
For example:

1. what is the MAP-sensor voltage with key ON, but car not running
2. What is MAP-sensor voltage with car idling on cold engine?
3. What is MAP-sensor voltage with car idling on warmed-up engine?
4. What is MAP-sensor voltage with engine @ 3000rpm in neutral/park with warmed-up engine?
 
#20 ·
Well, I gave up. I replaced the spark plugs, plug wires, rotor and distributor cap. the car starts right up now, but still doesn't run very good a low rpm. When I manage to get going it runs good at higher rpm. Not safe to drive. I had a window of time yesterday when a friend's car hauler was available, so I went ahead and dropped it off at my mechanic. Hopefully he can figure it out and it won't be too expensive. (I only paid $800 for the car and have put another $150 in it to this point.) Thanks to all who have given ideas. I'll update once the verdict is in!
 
#21 ·
I wouldn't trust a mechanic to find an issue, when mechanics deal with dozens of cars a day and don't know the intricacies of these specific models. I trust us more. A friend of mine with a 95 went to a mechanic because his car was acting weird then suddenly died on the road. They took forever to finally find out it was a distributor, and they installed an aftermarket unit. For months, his car was lacking power and bucking and the mechanic couldn't figure out why. I told him to just try a used OEM distributor. He's had no issues for months now.
 
#22 ·
#23 ·
Thanks for the advise guys...my mechanic is a good guy. He's happy to let me know what the problem is and will have no issue with me wanting to do the actual repair myself. After more research, I'm leaning heavily toward a bad coil. We shall see.
 
#29 ·
I get that, but keep in mind, I only paid $800 for this car. If it fails again, I'll rob one from a salvage yard and sell the car. She's running good for now though.

I do have a slight crack in the top of the radiator. There is a Denso one on amazon for $68. Any thoughts on that as a replacement?
 
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