Car wont start sometimes - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

Elizle · 02-23-2011, 04:13 PM

My 88 Corolla will run just fine and start every day for weeks at a time and then it just wont start. It always seems to happen when I am not home so I always get stuck somewhere. What it does is, it will turn over but it won't fire. Then, it will sit in a parking lot for a few days and start right up. Then I took it to my mechanic and it sat there for a month and he started it up every day. Since he couldnt replicate the problem he had no idea what it could be so he guessed and replaced the master relay. I was hoping that it was fixed but it just did it again and I had to have my mom come and pick me up. Does anybody have any ideas? It has a brand new fuel pump so that isn't it.

90 GP · 02-23-2011, 04:23 PM

Ever try giving it a shot of starting fluid when it acts up? If it started you could eliminate the ignition as a cause.

***REN69*** · 02-25-2011, 07:59 PM

probably a dying fuel pump.

Elizle · 02-26-2011, 03:30 AM

Fuel pump is brand new and the carb is definitely getting fuel so I am guessing I have a lose wire somewhere in the ignition because it just happens after I have been driving it. Since I have the ksports it is really bumpy so I am guessing something comes loose occasionally. Any ideas of what to check?

toyota dan · 03-05-2011, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elizle

My 88 Corolla will run just fine and start every day for weeks at a time and then it just wont start. It always seems to happen when I am not home so I always get stuck somewhere. What it does is, it will turn over but it won't fire. Then, it will sit in a parking lot for a few days and start right up. Then I took it to my mechanic and it sat there for a month and he started it up every day. Since he couldnt replicate the problem he had no idea what it could be so he guessed and replaced the master relay. I was hoping that it was fixed but it just did it again and I had to have my mom come and pick me up. Does anybody have any ideas? It has a brand new fuel pump so that isn't it.

toyota dan · 03-05-2011, 01:31 PM

try pulling out your spark plug wires from valve cover and see if they are dry the 1.6 is nitorius for the seals in the valve cover going bad and filling spark plug tube with oil and fouling plugs

Elizle · 03-05-2011, 04:52 PM

I have replaced my spark plugs, wires, and cap several times and I know that they go bad very quickly, but what doesn't make sense is, when it is running it runs great, but sometimes it won't start. It doesn't miss or anything. It runs great but once every few weeks it won't start and if it sits for a few days it starts right up. It is very aggravating because I can't get it fixed if it is just sitting in a parking lot and I don't want to pay someone $100 to tow it when it might be a $50 fix and I can't pull it because my mechanic lives about 20 miles from where I go to school and it always seems to not start when my car is over at school.

Elizle · 07-09-2011, 11:56 AM

So, I have narrowed the problem down to a couple of things. Either my distributor is dying, or a wire going to my distributor is bad. If I jiggle the wires around the distributor enough sometimes I can get it to start. Does anyone want to help me figure out which wire it probably is?

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90 GP · 07-09-2011, 03:13 PM

Here is wiring diagram. Fig 2 shows distributor ,etc. Can disconnect wiring connector at distributor and opposite end where it terminates, disconnect battery and check wires for continuity with ohmmeter while wiggling them to see which one is intermittent.

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

MrRolla · 07-09-2011, 08:33 PM

Idk...maybe moisture is getting into your distributor cap somehow. Sounds similar to a prob I had with an old Ford I had once.

Elizle · 10-26-2011, 05:39 PM

I just figured I would update this in case it was happening to anyone else. It was the distributor. It has been running fine for a couple of months and now the plug wires are bad. It seems like it never ends, I have 206,000 miles one it so things are starting to break. It seems like I have replaced the plug wires at least 3 maybe 4 times since I've owned it.

PartyintheKorea · 10-28-2011, 06:08 AM

my gt-s did the same thing for a while then it would shut off automatically as if the fuel pump was faulty and a mechanic was ready to replace the whole assembly but they luckily found out it was a wiring/electrical issue. so relieved.