1991 4afe no spark - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

scruples · 12-05-2010, 09:51 PM

Hi, Im banging my head on the wall here.
NO SPARK
I have a manual carolla 4afe, new cap and rotor, new dizzy, checked all fuses with ohmmeter, checked relay operaton((even the one in front ot the ecm in the dash, by taking the caps off and watching them work) what does the one marked HEAD do that is located in engine bay thats the only one that doesnt do anything yet). re checked timing belt and timing alignment. rotor ligns up tdc to #1. got 12v from coil(heres the weird thing, i get 12v from ither + or - to gnd, but accross + and - i get 0, i read its like this on some engine coils)
pulled all plugs and no spark. Pulled ecu, no burnt marks , smells ok.
Help please

90 GP · 12-06-2010, 07:07 AM

Did you check resistance of ignition coil? It could also be a bad ignitor. If it's the ignitor it's cheaper by far to get a rebuilt distributor than by the ignitor by itself. With a rebuilt you are getting all new parts inside. Check Advance for prices. Does distributor rotor turn when cranking?I know you said you checked timing belt but just checking.

90 GP · 12-06-2010, 07:11 AM

Here's a link on repair for distributor check if it will load for you.

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/rep...00c1528006ef7b

90 GP · 12-06-2010, 07:32 AM

Here is link to replacement distributor.

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/web..._1582570260___

scruples · 12-06-2010, 07:51 PM

hey thanks for the post, ive already bought the $165 reman dizzy and still has no fire, how do i check for the igt from the ecu? theres a 6 pin connector (for the cam sense.)and a 2 pin connector.is it the black wire in the 2 pin conn.? the black/ orange wire that goes to the filter has 12v but the solid black has 0v.

scruples · 12-06-2010, 07:58 PM

as well my timing belt was loose(i was able to pull it off withought loosening the tensioner) found tdc on the crank then lined up the cam pully with the notch on the bearing cap, reinstalled belt, rotated a few times and still lines up, ya the rotor turns, i have an old cap with a hole cut into it to triple check tdc lines up with #1 spark.

90 GP · 12-07-2010, 04:50 AM

The ignitor is inside the distributor. If the rebuild doesn't work take back for an exchange. Did you check to be sure that both wiring harness at distributor are tight? DId you check for a good ground between distributor and block? If the belt was that loose makes me wonder if timing is still off. The one cam( that runs off the other with a gear) has to have a preload when reinstalling belt.

90 GP · 12-07-2010, 06:00 AM

Here is link to wiring diagram if you want to do a trace of circuit.

http://opc.mr2oc.com/online_parts_ca...CorollaFWD.pdf

scruples · 12-15-2010, 07:28 PM

a little history first, engine had 230,000 miles on it, it ran rough, misfire under load. bought another 4afe from japan with low miles, put it in the car. replaced cap and rotor, fuel filter. car ran great! burned half tank of gas, on the way to work one morning it started to missfire when changing gears. didnt think a thing about it till i got into it after work and NO SPARK. havent seen spark since
ok im at wits end. and my wife is ready to throw in the towel. bought a rebuilt distributor, returned it for another one. bought a said working computer, with same #'s on it, found #1 tdc aligned crank. made sure rotor pointing at #1.
Still no spark, I have a dwell meter, before i bought the ECM i tested the IGT wire and got nothing, thats why i bought the ECM. Checked fuse block in engine bay and on driver side and driver kick panel. ohmed out every fuse, the coil is getting 12 v to the +ve and -ve side of coil with key switch on.

Please help

ill do anything again. sunk over $1300 into this thing now, this should be a nice car. I even talked to it, sang to it and preyed over it. still no spark.

scruples · 12-15-2010, 08:21 PM

just tested fuses again in kick panel and engine bay, driver side, coil's geting 12v at +ve and -ve side,
igt wire at dizzy,put the dwellmeter on 4cyll and it read 90, turned it over and it went to 78 i dont understand the dwell thing. Im an electronics tech, so this stuff isnt beyond me, just got me stumped. traced pin6 from the ecm to the dizzy, its the blue wire hooked up to the igniter. thats where i tested it at. with the cap off.

90 GP · 12-16-2010, 05:42 AM

Maybe try replacing rotor in distributor the one in there could have failed even thought has been replaced once. Might also check resistance of distributor cap. Some of the cheaper aftermarket ones aren't too reliable. Another thought is the switch on clutch pedal ( you mentioned problem first occured when shifting gears). It could have loosened from mount and is shutting off circuit even though clutch is depressed when starting.. Could try jumpering it to test it in neutral to be safe.

scruples · 12-16-2010, 05:01 PM

ok my wire read from 5400 to 7800 ohms, the rotor to coil reads 14,400 ohms, is this too much?

scruples · 12-16-2010, 05:14 PM

the clutch petal button is in good working order, id like to leave it jumped but my kids drive the car a bit and have a greater chance of running me over. with it rigged, il take back the cap tomorow and test it with one off the shelf.

scruples · 12-16-2010, 07:34 PM

just cut a plug wire and shorted it from coil to gnd, turned it over and got spark. il replace the cap tomorow,

90 GP · 12-17-2010, 06:51 AM

Have you tried removing rubber air intake and spraying a shot of starting fluid directly into throttle body? If it starts and stalls once spray is burned up then concentrate on fuel system ( relay for fuel pump/fuel pump/filter/fuel pressure regulator/ cold start injector ) for fuel delivery /pressure issue.. Sounds like you definitely have ignition. You should have installed a plug into spark plug wire and grounded the threaded area to block with a piece of wire to check for spark. On mine the wires/cap are one assembly(not removable) and pricey.