4A-LC Engine 1988 Corolla Not Advancing

[wikun]

So guys, this is my first post. I have a MINT 1988 Corolla FX. It is in surprisingly good shape and runs just as well. So I bought it on Saturday and said well let's go and get it smogged. Well, it fails and I was dumb founded. I asked why and they said CO2 was high, it ran hot, and timing was advanced to far. So I got it home, checked the timing and what-a-ya-know, it was about 20 deg. adved. So I pull the timing down, and set to 5. Then I pulled the trusty laser tach out and checked the rpm, around 900 pretty steady. I test drive it and no acceleration. = no vacuum advance. Pull the dizzy out and suck on the hose. The dizzy advance works. Now, the whole time I was asking myself why someone would set it so far advanced. Did the balancer pulley jump? Well now it makes sense. I don't want to figure out this vacuum crap out, so I will just advance the crap outta this thing so it will run right. Onto the questions......

Vacuum diagrams, does anyone have them? The hanyes manual is terrible.
Does anyone know how or where the diaphragm on the bottom of the dizzy vacuum line go?
Can anyone tell me what to test next? Or where to go from here?

Thanks in "advance"

[wikun]

No one?

[eberbs1]

Hi,
I think your engine is a 4AFC not a 4ALC.
Here are the best vac diagrams i know of, but your setup maybe slightly different.
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/rep...00c1528006f2b7

[wikun]

Nope 4A-LC

Anyone please.


edit-I specifically need the way the dizzy is vacuum advanced. Most diagrams I have seen have the dizzy left off, or are from the bachttp://i1215.photobucket.com/albums/cc514/wikun/IMG_2084.jpg loohttp://i1215.photobucket.com/albums/cc514/wikun/IMG_2084.jpging forward and are very ambiguous as to how it is plumbed.

[90 GP]

Check to see if the centrifugal advance is working. The springs and weights in bottom of distributor rust and seize in place and/or the springs break. You can verify by removing distributor cap and turning the rotor slightly clockwise by hand a few degrees .It should snap back when you release it. If not the weights are stuck and need freed up. There should be three (if I remember) vac lines for the advance at distributor. Check the miles of vac tubing for leaks and verify if properly connected by under hood diagram. I had same 4ALC engine in an 87 Nova (Corolla). It was a good engine. It also has to have the valve clearance adjusted periodically for good performance. It's an easy job to do.

[wikun]

90 GP - Thank you very much for the reply. Here is what I did. I took the cap off the dizzy, and I tried to move the rotor. Nothing. It might move a 1/16th or 1/8 inch but nothing more than that, and there is no snap back because it doesn't move. So from here where do I go? It is almost like the rotor is stuck and unless the shaft is spinning, it won't move. Hopefully I explained that right.

[90 GP]

It isn't supposed to move much when you turn it but it should definitely spring back. It's been along time since I worked on mine but those weights were right under the plate in the distributor. Can't remember if I accessed them through the top ( by removing the top plate) or by removing the pin in bottom of distributor( near gear) and pulling the shaft out through the housing. Mine were simply rusted in place and once lubed freed up and worked properly. Seems to me that there is an O ring on distributor that was replaced to eliminate leaking. Prior to removing dizzy from engine you need to make your reference marks so the ignition is firing the proper cylinder on the reinstall. I am jealous of the cars that appear on this site from California. Would love to see cars of that vintage/condition here in the rust belt. No finds like that here.

[wikun]

Here is what I am looking at. The pivot weights flop around as I believe they should. The other that I am going to call the floppy weights pull on are stuck. I do see some corrosion there. I am going to spray with electrical cleaner and then spray some dielectric grease in there.

[90 GP]

That spring in the bottom pic is way stretched out. It should be so tight that it has to be stretched slightly to get up and over the post. It shouldn't be so slack on that right side. If the other spring is that way that it would account for the fact you don't get that snap back when you turn the rotor by hand slightly. You could try to bend that tab of the spring back to where it should be with needle nose pliers. Otherwise might want to check into some replacements from a toy dealer. If after you get this fixed you still have trouble passing emission test might want to consider a new cat converter. Have seen others from California post here of troubles passing and that was done to make em pass. Apparently there is a program that helps counter the cost of the repairs to reduce your out of pocket expenses. Not sure of name of program. Maybe someone can chime in and give name and the particulars to qualify.
When you get the centrifugal advance fixed and get your base timing set it should feel a little peppier. You might want to check your valve clearance as that might be a factor in your emissions too.

[wikun]

I'll try to hit everything in order. I got a lot of research done today. I went by a mechanic friend of mine and he said, not the vacuum, the dizzy has to be broken and here is the reason. When I hooked up a timing light to it and reved, the timing actually retarded 10 deg. So we concluded the dizzy advancer plate is broken and the weights are siezed. I went to the junkyard and pulled another dizzy. When you hold the shaft of that one, you get the snap back and if you look in the bottom of the dizzy, you can see the plate move and stretch the spring and then once you let go, it will "snap" back into place. So, the dizzy is broken. Now begins the search for one of them. Next with regards to emissions, I was too high on my CO. That means that I am running rich. So I got it to a shop where they said that the carb is leaking. So I went yesterday and got one of them on order at autozone. 6 days it will take to get that one in. But tuesday, it should be here.


EDIT - - - - By the way, does anyone have an extra Dizzy for a 4A-LC lying around? I would be glad to take it off your hands, heck I'll even pay you for it.

[REN69]

it's a 4ALC because that's an AE82, not 92... the AE82 FX was made right to 1988 even though the AE92s were being made in 88 already.

In some countries, the KE72s were being made right to the 90s I believe, lol.

[wikun]

That is correct, it is a 6th generation corolla fx with the 4a-lc engine. It was one of the last "old school" styles before the big move to EFI. It is an AE82.

[90 GP]

Did you try checking at a Toy parts dealer for ordering replacement parts for your dizzy? Any chance another junkyard might have a dizzy that you could salvage the needed parts from? If not then check out a rebuid from autozone/advance.I had to do the carb replacement on mine as well. Went with the Toy carb which was pricey but fixed the problem. Your carb has a setup with two vacuum bleed solenoids (mounted on right fender) one rich the other lean. The computer gets a signal from oxy sensor and triggers each solenoid based on conditions. I didn't realize it was an AE82. Learn something every day.

[wikun]

All of the replacments are very expensive. So here is what I got that I am thinking about. The junkyard dizzy doesn't work, but I know that it has a good mechanical advance. Mine works but now mech. advance. Can I take parts from one and put them into the other, and if so, can you point me in the right direction with instructions on how to rebuild a 4alc distributor?

[wikun]

Well here is what happened. Last night, I wasn't sure if I hit TDC on number 1, I wasn't sure if the junkyard dizzy worked, I wasn't really sure of anything except that the original was locked out, and the "new one" wasn't. So today I swapped the coil/ignitor, the rotor arm, and one spring in the bottom. I pulled the plug, found TDC by sticking my pinky in the hole, and wrenching the crank over until I felt compression in that hole and then I lined up the timing marks. Changed all of the plugs with Autolite Copper ones. Cheap and the easiest to delivery a spark in a car that already produces a "weak" spark. It is my opinion that the cheap copper ones equal the best burn for the buck. So I did it by the book. Clocked the dizzy as best as I could and installed. Wouldn't you know it, it fired right up. I set the timing to about 5~7 degrees and drove it. The mech advance works. IT HAS BALLS AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!! Not huge balls but big enough ones.

YAAAAAHHHHHH FOR PEDRO......HE LIVES AGAIN!!!!!!!!!