1993 Corolla Starting issues

[91shelby]

Alright well i have my friends 1993 Corolla 1.8L and in order for it to start i have to sit with it turning over for about 15 secs before it actually catches and when its running the exhaust smells like its running lean.... Im thinking O2 sensor, is there anyway to pull codes? once it starts though it seems fine. at some point in the past the o2 had some water get on it,before the head gasket was redone, could this cause it?

[Yodadex]

I would start with checking the ignition, fuel, and air system: check the wires, distributor, plugs, fuel lines, injectors, blah blah. There is a diag output in the engine bay, but you need the tool to read the codes.

[Kiwi-Corolla]

Originally Posted by Yodadex

I would start with checking the ignition, fuel, and air system: check the wires, distributor, plugs, fuel lines, injectors, blah blah. There is a diag output in the engine bay, but you need the tool to read the codes.

No tools necessary, just a paper-clip or piece of wire

Originally Posted by 91shelby

Alright well i have my friends 1993 Corolla 1.8L and in order for it to start i have to sit with it turning over for about 15 secs before it actually catches and when its running the exhaust smells like its running lean.... Im thinking O2 sensor, is there anyway to pull codes? once it starts though it seems fine. at some point in the past the o2 had some water get on it,before the head gasket was redone, could this cause it?

Since your friend's car is a 1993 with OBD-I, look in the engine bay and you'll see a small black box next to the driver's side strut tower that says 'Diagnosis' on it. Get a paper-clip or a small piece of wire and put one end into the port labelled TE1 and the other end into the port labelled E1 (the labels are found on the underside of the diagnosis box cover, much like a fuse-box).

Turn the key to the 'ON' position, but don't start the engine. If your connections are correct then the check engine light should start flashing. Keep note of how many times it flashes as this is the code it is giving you. For example, if the code was 35 it would flash 3-times, have a short pause, then flash 5 more times, then have a long pause. If it repeats the same code after the long pause then that means it's the only fault detected, but if it flashes for a different period of time then that means there is more than one fault. If it flashes continuously with no pauses in between then that means there is no fault detected at all.

If you do happen to get a code, then you can go to this website to find out what it means:
http://www.troublecodes.net/Toyota/

[Yodadex]

really, just a paper clip? where do the codes show up?

[Kiwi-Corolla]

Originally Posted by Yodadex

really, just a paper clip? where do the codes show up?

Yep, a paper clip is all you need. Just stretch it out so that you can put each end into the two terminals (TE1 and E1). The code is displayed by the number of times that the check engine light flashes on your instrument cluster (speedometer) inside the car. For example: Code 24 would flash two times, pause, and then flash four times.

[91shelby]

is there a list somewhere of codes?

[Kiwi-Corolla]

Originally Posted by 91shelby

is there a list somewhere of codes?

Yep. I just noticed the link no longer works anymore in my first post. Use this one instead. The codes you want are for OBD-I:

http://www.troublecodes.net/Toyota/

[91shelby]

well its not throwing any codes, and i will start up somewhat quickly when its cold, and sometimes when its warm but usually when its at temp its a pain to start, and i dont hear the fuel pump prime, specially when its warm.

When its warm 90% of the time it will start but after turning it over for 20-30 seconds, after the fuel pump had been pumping slowly, it seems to me the pump is failing because when it runs it runs great! its not the FPR i checked

[91shelby]

BTW thanks for the helpful posts already

[91shelby]

anyone have any other ides? or does this sound like a failing fuel pump due to the symptoms?

thanks,