87 celica help... please - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

PreddoK · 09-22-2006, 09:31 PM

i recently acquired an 87 toyota celica that won't start. when you turn the engine over there is a slight grinding sound coming from the front of the motor near the crank pulley.
i pulled the front cover to find the timing belt is very loose (no tension) and just riding up and over the cam gears, unable to turn them do to the excess slack.
i can, by hand, turn the cam gears therefore i know they are not locked up.
i haven't pulled the bottom half of the front cover as of yet because:
a. i'm unable to remove the crank pulley becuase the motor just turns over as i try to loosen the nut
b. just simply i ran out of daylight.

during the problem with my turning the motor over trying to loosen the crank pulley nut i could hear the noise as the motor was turning. after hearing the noise from the ground under the car and able to locate right where it was coming from i shined a light down to the crank gear which is still covered by the lower half of the front cover, i noticed the crank gear is ****-eyed which the one side is grinding into the front cover making the noise and chewing up the timing belt.

is this worth going any further to find out what is wrong?? i am guessing the easiest problem would be a broken pulley, but is this common or even possible?? please help if you can

Noobified · 09-22-2006, 11:45 PM

You need to take the slack out, its not going to start unless you put it at top dead center. Sounds like you need to do the timing belt, its about 30 bux for the belt, and I dont know how to explain the rest, since my dad did mine. I just know that you WILL NOT START until you do, because by cranking, without the cams timed, it will throw everything off, luckily, I beleive this engine is a non-interface engine, so no damage should have been caused, but stop cranking until you do the timing belt! Its pointless because the cams are not in synce with the pistons anymore.

Good luck.

fredk · 09-23-2006, 12:00 AM

are you saying that the crank gear is not straight?
grab the crank pulley and try to wobble the end of the crank side to side or up and down and turn it by hand with the spark plugs out to see if you can feel anything hitting

PreddoK · 09-23-2006, 11:42 PM

turned it with plugs out... it feels fine nothing bad feeling or sounding... from what i can see, the crank pulley is fine, but the crank gear inside the front cover is the one that is cocked, and i haven't pulled the lower cover yet to expose the situation because i couldn't get the crank pulley off to get to the bolts.

i won't be able to do anything until friday but seriously thank you for the help!

fredk · 09-24-2006, 12:35 AM

you betcha

machine78 · 09-28-2006, 05:44 AM

Yo, to get the crank off, there are two small holes in the crank pully. place a good hardend phillips head screw driver in one of them, your socket with breaker bar on the pully bolt, and a pry bar between them braced on the ground for leverage. if this does not work, you will need an impact wrench. you can buy an electric one.

Doctor J · 09-28-2006, 10:08 AM

Most likely, the crank sprocket belt guide is bent or damaged.
The best way to remove crank pulley is to use impact wrench. M6 class 10.9 bolts are not strong enough to handle the bend /shear stress produced by breaking loose the pulley bolt. Use 5/16 in dia hardened dowel pin or allen key of same size.
Once bolt is broken loose and removed, apply penetrating oil to the parts inside the bolt hole (keyway).