Not cranking and check engine on accel

[NDR008]

Hi guys, fourth Toyota I own, and this one has me puzzled beyond belief.

I've an EE90 with a 4E-FTE (did the engine swap myself)
An 83 old corolla.
An AW11
and now an AE100.

Bought the car, drove home 100miles, and used it the next few days fine. The engine occasionally did not start when I turned the key (clong sound) but usually 2nd turn and off it went.

Then left the car for a week - and it would never start. Noticed the check engine light was not coming on, and cut a long story short, someone took the check engine light out.

Put it in diagnosis mode and get code 52 - Knock Sensor (using an oscilloscope).

Then while mucking about with a spanner on the terminals of the battery - the car started, so I assumed it might be a dogy battery terminal. Took it apart, sanded it clean, etc, put back together, and the car was starting fine. Drove it here and there.

Left it stationary - would not start again - push start it.

Today I put a check engine light in. And push started it to drive it to get the battery checked - and the battery seems fine, but I noticed the check engine light comes on after harsh acceleration.

Now I am wondering, if this intermittent starting with the key, and knock trigger, is some dogy earth. I do not know why, but I feel that these two faults are linked, because they both don't have a fixed regular pattern.

Also the car had a new clutched fitted that same day just before I bought it... and the mechanics - calling them mechanics is an offence to real people of the trade.

So any suggestions?

[Rip The E Brake]

Maybe you should check the wiring to the knock sensor and replace it...

[NDR008]

I'm not about to go out and buy a knock sensor if I do not cure the intermittent starting problem....

[Hook]

Although the knock sensor DOES ground though the block, the two problems may not necessarily be linked though, as u say u only get the hard starts when the car is parked for a while. I'm thinking it could be dirty/gummed up injectors. Clean 'em and let us know the result.

It wouldn't hurt to check and replace all the engine grounds as necessary either. The CEL on hard acceleration may well be the fault of the knock sensor.

[NDR008]

Obviously, they might be related. As I bought this car 2 weeks ago, I am trying to sort it out quick before going back and bringing hell upon them.

However it would not be the injectors either, the issue is the engine won't turn over by key.

[Hook]

So why didn't you check and repair the engine grounds yourself first before asking here, instead of giving ppl attitude when they offer suggestions?

[NDR008]

First off, I had just woken up - slight typo in my previous post - meant to say "Obviously they could NOT be related".

Second, relax, I am not giving anyone attitude, I came here to bounce of ideas, if it was not pissing it down with rain, and my mate would bring back my trolley jack, I would do just that. However, I was hoping someone has beat me to a similar issue and could help me out.

Relax, I appreciate anyone's input.

[dJcHiKo]

you should get a hold of the guy you bought it from, if he told you there were no problems with it im guessing he was lying. unless you bought it with the knowledge that it had mechanical problems

[Hook]

Originally Posted by NDR008

First off, I had just woken up - slight typo in my previous post - meant to say "Obviously they could NOT be related".

Second, relax, I am not giving anyone attitude, I came here to bounce of ideas, if it was not pissing it down with rain, and my mate would bring back my trolley jack, I would do just that. However, I was hoping someone has beat me to a similar issue and could help me out.

Relax, I appreciate anyone's input.

My bad. I might've been a tad touchy yesterday. AAAAANYWAYS, now that we've got our apologies out of the way, we can carry on with the business of being manly *grabs crotch..spits on the sidewalk...then puts calloused hands in pockets* lol

There's not alot u can do from inside the house. U gotta dig up in it since the only thing u have to go by is a knk CEL and a random hard start.

I'd firstly check that the oxygen sensor's not loosened from the block or missing, or disconnected. If it looks fine, I'd then check with a multimeter to ensure the wire's fine. Just to make sure.

I'd then look at the engine grounds and upgrade them while I'm at it. There are tutorials all over the internet as to how much wire and what type/size, how many loop connectors, distribution blocks, battery terminals (blah blah blah) that you'll need. There's nothing to lose, but if u've got a beater and grounding wasn't a big priority in the past, it'll help.

Follow this diagram w.r.t grounding points.


I did it to upgrade my dodgy factory grounds when I first bought the car and everything worked better since; electricals (like headlights, stereo, indicators) no longer made the engine idle lower and throttle response got a bit more crisp. I'm not gonna make all kinds of nonsense claims of better fuel economy or acceleration or increased pu$$Y-pulling power (lol), but there definitely was a marked improvement with replacing old corroded grounds.

Make sure to sand all contact points to bare, clean metal before bolting stuff up and when you're making ur grounding harness, u can still solder your connections after crimping (get urself a big ass 100W soldering iron, 4AWG wire ain't a thrill to solder with those small 25W irons). A touch of dielectric grease on the ground points and battery terminals keeps the corrossion at bay so you only have to do this once.

Hope this helps.

[dJcHiKo]

Originally Posted by Hook

Follow this diagram w.r.t grounding points.

im thinkin i might have to do this when it warms up, check all the grounds and redo them
thanks duuuuuude

[ganda1f]

The starting problem sounds like worn-out contacts inside the starter. Cheap and easy to replace once you get the starter out. The single clong sound is exactly what I heard when my contacts had to be replaced.

[NDR008]

Originally Posted by ganda1f

The starting problem sounds like worn-out contacts inside the starter. Cheap and easy to replace once you get the starter out. The single clong sound is exactly what I heard when my contacts had to be replaced.

You were right (wish I read this before). I think someone tried refurbishing the solenoid before, but for some reason only put a new plunger and 1 new copper contact (or 2 but one of them being the wrong size).
Ended up buying a jack (my mate has had mine for 2 years and never got it back )

Jacked earths and stuff, then took the motor out, started testing it with my bench power supply, and eventually, when I by passed the solenoid - the motor turned, so was clearly the copper contacts.

The only remaining old contact was the wrong size (so it wore out even quicker). Got a kit of (2 contacts and plunger) for £15.

But actually only had to replace 1 contact. I measured the parts up with verniers - they are all dimensionally the same, so no point in replacing the rest.

Put the starter in the car this morning - ace!

Now waiting on a knock sensor to check this other fault, but want to have a careful read of Hook's advice.

This is so annoying - I used to work for DENSO R&D, but am back in uni this year, and in July go back to work for another DENSO department in a different country lol. And I STILL have to scavange scrap yards for parts we made....

Hehe, cheers guys!

[Hook]

Glad u got through sorting out one problem. The knk sensor's not hard to reach with the engine out, so u can check to make sure it's in properly and check the harness easier as it's out.

[NDR008]

Obviously, my engine is not out
Was hoping the KS would arrive today or yesterday, but it didn't, the salvage yard called me 3 times asking me am I sure it has one, where, etc.

I am now expecting to get an oil pressure sensor...

I am starting to think - can it be that wrong heat range plugs causing knock causing the CEL to come on?

[Hook]

Originally Posted by NDR008

Y
Jacked earths and stuff, then took the motor out,

lol MY bad, I misread.

Knock is one thing, and it can get really bad, but it doesn't cause a CEL unless there's a problem with the KS itself.