AE91 wont start and is being weird - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

NEEDCRESSIDA · 07-28-2010, 11:54 PM

Ok, so i just bought my first toyota Corolla as a project car and its definitley one heck of a project car......Whenever i go to crank it over it will continue to make a sound like its cranking but nothing moves inside the motor internally. I looked inside the valve cover thru the oil cap hole and when my gf would crank it nothing would move, not even the timing belt would move. Im far from what u could call smart so i apologize if this is a pathetic thread. If the starter is conecting with the flywheel teeth shouldnt it be cranking the entire motor?

I did get the car to start and run once today for a little while, but as soon as i went to shift into drive (its an auto btw) it died. It also has a pretty severe amount of oil on spark plugs 3 and 4; it started after i cleaned the oil off of them, but when i cleaned them off a second time after it had been running it refused to start. Another important piece of information is that when i checked the condition of the timing belt the was at least from what i managed to see a 1.5" section where the teeth of the timing belt were stripped off. Im totally bamboozled by the behavior of this car, so any help what so ever is appreciated. Again im sorry if these are all completely ignorant questions.

***SCT*** · 07-29-2010, 01:46 AM

Replace the timing belt. Same happend to my timing belt. It basically dry rots over time because it's rubber. Teeths crack off, belt splits... Then soon, it could only take one last engine load to snap it.

Is the timing belt snapped?

90 GP · 07-29-2010, 04:17 AM

The timing is probably off due to missing teeth on the belt which accounts for your hard starting. Replacing the belt should take care of that problem. Run a compression test on all cylinders. The oil leakage could be from piston rings, valve seals . If the oil is in the wells where the plugs are located (16 valve engine 4AFE) it could be from leaking seals around plug wells.

NEEDCRESSIDA · 08-01-2010, 11:35 AM

The Timing Belt isnt snapped so im glad for that.

What tools am i gonna need in order to run a compression test? And what do i need to be looking for when i do the compression test? What would be my indicators for certain problems?

Donald · 08-01-2010, 12:40 PM

To do a compression test you should get.
1) A manual, preferably the Toyota Workshop Manual. It costs more ($60+/-) but is worth it's weight in gold if you plan on doing this project car yourself. At the very least, get a Haynes manual ($20)
2) Compression testor and spark plug socket.

To do a compression test, bring the engine up to operating temperature.
Disconnect the low tension connectors at the distributor (not the wires in the cap, the connectors on the side).
Remove all the spark plugs and screw the testor into #1 spark plug hole.

Position the testor gauge so you can see the needle.
With your foot on the gas pedal all the way to the floor (or if you have help, hold the throttle wide open).
Crank the engine until the compression testor needle stops rising.
Read the gauge.

Record the pressure reading.

Repeat the above steps with #2, #3, #4 cylinders.

The first indication of a problem is if one cylinder pressure is much lower than the others, or if the difference between the highest and lowest reading is more than 10%

Normal 191psi
Minimum 142psi

A timing belt with missing teeth might not allow you to do a good compressiopn test.

NEEDCRESSIDA · 08-11-2010, 01:15 AM

ok update on the corolla, Ive noticed when i go to start it after waiting a day it will crank like its gonna start but if i try it again after that it just sounds like its not even rotating the motor, but if i wait 24hrs it will act like its gonna crank. any help is appreciated and i just found out i need to have this car gone in 28 days, so if anyone from NWAR reads this hit me up if u want a project car.

Donald · 08-11-2010, 03:32 PM

So!? Where is NWAR?

eage8 · 08-11-2010, 03:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NEEDCRESSIDA

ok update on the corolla, Ive noticed when i go to start it after waiting a day it will crank like its gonna start but if i try it again after that it just sounds like its not even rotating the motor, but if i wait 24hrs it will act like its gonna crank. any help is appreciated and i just found out i need to have this car gone in 28 days, so if anyone from NWAR reads this hit me up if u want a project car.

I'm guessing north west arkansas...

it also really sounds like the timing belt still to me. how did you rule it out?

get someone to try to start it while you open the oil cap and see if anything moves.

freakinbox · 08-11-2010, 04:12 PM

Ok let's see..

Just for sake of argument, replace the timing belt (good to do on a car you don't know all of the history on anyways). If you have a digital camera with a microphone on it, film what is happening and show us, it'll give sounds for us which will help diagnose the problem. There's just so many variable without hearing or seeing it.

As for the oil on the spark plugs, sorry to say but chances are it's a blown head gasket. Check the Antifreeze for a white creamy substance. Just what oil looks like in antifreeze.

With the waiting to start it, could be an issue with trying to start it and not having it run the battery may not be as good as it used to and is being drained. Given a bit of time it can get enough power again to turn the engine over. Not uncommon with older batteries. Also need to realize without the engine running the battery never gets a charge from the alternator.

NEEDCRESSIDA · 09-13-2010, 02:33 AM

Ok so heres my big question why is the motor not turning when i try to start the car? Is my starter not engaging with the flywheel? what could it be?

ppdmostwanted · 09-13-2010, 07:50 PM

So you just hear a whirring sound? Like an electric motor spinning with no load. Well first, make sure you have a full charged battery. A low charge sometimes will not make the starter "hit." If that doesn't work then it is simple, hit that SOB starter with a big ass hammer and hope yoou shake the starter free. If that doesn't work, then replace the broken ass SOB!!!

ayang951 · 09-16-2010, 09:22 PM

hrm.... so it sounds like your having a battery, starter and maybe a timing belt issue... i once had something like that on a older car i once owned(mitsu eclipse gsx) and the car was doing the same thing, i took the starter and battery into a autozone to get it tested(taking the issues down one at a time.) once i got the clear from the tests it said that battery and starter was bad, so i bought new ones and installed it into my car..... heres the lame part, it still didnt start but it turned a whole lot better and etc... but when i looked at the timing belt, it was just a belt and no teeth... so i replaced the timing belt, seals etc. and it started and ran great, so id check to see if the belt has any teeth left on it also to make the story worst, the harmonic balancer snapped in half and then once i replaced it, the motor took a dump on me when i was driving to work... from then on the moral to my story is check everything, do a diagnostic on the regular stuff like starter, batter, altenator and timing oh yeah dont buy mitsubishi either they make good power but they make a better hole in your wallet, they create sleepless and hopeless nites and scared you everything time you turn it off(dont know if itll turn back on).

NEEDCRESSIDA · 10-29-2010, 02:31 PM

Ok time for another update: Just went out to the corolla and noticed some oil in the throttle body (I took the Intake Hose off to try and have a better view of the starter).

What does it mean when you have oil blowback all the way to the throttle body? I'm sure there is no good news of course