Help!! I'm Ready to get Rid of this 92 Celica GT

[roadman5]

I need help from the TN Community on this one. Approximately a month ago, I traded for a 1992 Toyota Celica GT (5-Speed Manual) with the 2.2 L engine. It has 136,000 miles which I thought was just getting broke in for a Toyota. Here's the scoop. When I got it I put in new plugs, air filter, cap & rotor just as preventive maintenance. The car had been running "great" until last Friday on my way home from work. I was cruising along at about 60 m.p.h. when the engine began stalling and losing power. I pressed the accelerator and downshifted in an effort to raise rpm's it did not respond. The rpm's just dropped to nothing and the car died. After I sat for about an hour, I attempted to start it again. It ran for about 2 minutes and then died and would not turn over. After $100.00 tow bill and $130.00 in diagnostic work at a local reputable shop, they could not find the problem. They deadheaded the fuel pump and it was flowing about 80 psi. The guy I got the car from claimed to have put a new fuel pump in the car when he had similar problems. The gas gauge has not worked at all since I got the car. Stupidly, after the shop could'nt find anything, I decided to drive it to work again on Tuesday morning. I made it about ten miles and the same thing happened. Engine stalled while cruising along at full speed. RPM's dropped with no throttle response, and it would not start again. The shop said they could not I.D. the problem because when they start the car and let it "idle", it idles fine and will not die. This Celica has an ugly body on it because most of the paint and clear coat have came off. I wanted it to be a reliable, gas-saving work car. Too many more expenses and I am going to have to give up on this thing. Other info that might be helpful. I have checked all fuses and they are good. None of the "idiot lights" have came on during any of the dying episodes. The cruise control light comes on in the gauge panel but will not engage or operate in any way. The shop said it "might" be the distributor but that would be approx. a $300.00 guess. Please, any ideas would be helpful. Thanks

[Rick89GTS]

It could be a lot of different things. You need to go through it in a methodical manner in a process of elimination. Otherwise, you're just taking shots in the dark.

Having said that, if they think it's a distributor issue that would mean would mean a spark problem. Are you getting consistent spark?

The other main thing is fuel, are you getting fuel?

I'm not that familiar with the 5SFE, but I know many of us have had erratic running problems due to bad connections or unscrewing the AFM/MAF.

Now I'm taking shots in the dark......

[Greaper_ca]

Have you checked the fuel filter? When was the last time it was replaced? You might be getting dirt in the filter from the tank.

[roadman5]

Here's the latest. The shop finally got the car to reproduce the dying episode. After checking the distributor for spark. They found "None, No Spark". So, Monday morning they will be putting in a new distributor ($$$ Yikes), and hopefully that will take care of it. Another question though, since this car has some other electrical issues, Does anyone know if any of my "idiot lights" should have been coming on during the dying episodes. Throughout this whole issue, none of my dash lights have ever came on. However, they do come on when I start the car up. Just wondering if there is some type of issue with the OBD system that failed to alert me to the impending problem in the distributor. The car supposedly had a new fuel filter put on by the previous owner a couple of months ago. However, I will put on a new one when it gets done at the shop. I will also check all of the connections on the ECM. Thanks.

[KooL]

I might be interested if u can get it fixed =)

[Rick89GTS]

Well, I hope they checked the ignitor, coil and wires too. Another option is to get a used distributor to verify.

No OBD, but there is a method to get the diagnostics box that may tell you if the system has detected any errors. IIRC, you just bridge T1 and TE terminals with a short jumper wire or paper clip and the dash lights will blink a certain number of times telling you the code. Ie: 5 short blinks = fuel system or whatever it may be.

[roadman5]

Here's the latest. The shop has tried putting in a new distributor, a new ignitor, and a new ignition coil. They also found some connections were loose under the fuse box. "None" of these were found to be the problem. Now, they have ordered a new "computer" for it. Luckily, they have not charged me for any of the parts that have turned out to not be the problem. If it is not the computer, then I don't know if they will give up on it or what. I will update when I have more information. Once again, I would be thankful for any additional ideas on this thing. Thanks.

[Doctor J]

Coolant thermosensor???? [code 22].
The MANDATORY THING ABOUT OBD 1 car: if thing like this happens, PULL OUT THE CODES FIRST.
Remove and inspect THE INSIDE CONDITION OF TERMINALS on all accessible electrical connectors in engine bay on the sensors /afm/ distributor.

In my 87 Camry the pushed in terminal inside cold start switch connector resulted in long cranking time; this let me get a price break for the car when I bought it.
If these $#@ "experts" will be not able figure the cause out, you may try to short B+ to Fp terminals in the diagnostic box. If the car will run fine after that suspect the fuel pump CONTROL circuit. [afm connector, ground connector for circuit opening relay

[Luja]

this may sound simple, but have they checked the alternator? I have had what sounds like the same problem before and it turned out to be the alternator. My 93 Celica also died out on me once due to a faulty ignition coil, but it sounds like they already replaced that. Right now I am having an issue when mine gets fully heated up that she surges. They are definitely fun and can be frustrating. I will continue to mull over the issues I have had and try to come up with the answer for you. Good luck.

[Doctor J]

Deceleration surge on older camries and older celicas were due to improper fuel cut action; I was able to 'band-aid' it by cutting wire between engine ECU and speedometer speed sensor[I cut it next to engine ecu not near the speedometer, so tranny's ECU is not affected by this operation]

[roadman5]

I forwarded a copy of the posts in this thread to the shop where my Celica is still sitting inoperable. They tried putting in a new "computer" on Friday, but found out they had received the wrong part. I have also asked them to investigate why my fuel guage has never worked on this vehicle. I suspect the sending unit is bad, but who knows at this point. I will update when they try the right computer and see if that is the problem or not.

[Daviddp331]

I'm just curious, what did you trade for this Celica?

[roadman5]

Daviddp, you had to bring that up did'nt you. I traded this J/O a 1992 Ext. Cab Ford Ranger XLT 3.0 L V-6. It had a few more miles on it but it was in good overall condition and a daily driver. I had put many new parts on it over the year and a half I owned it. I drive 70 miles round trip everyday to work and I thought I could save myself some money by trading for this Celica GT. What I have quickly discovered, however, is that it is much harder to get parts for a Toyota than a domestic vehicle. I live in rural southern Illinois and there are no Toyota dealerships or salvage yards close. Every part order is like pulling teeth. Even when I go to the local NAPA Autoparts to get parts for this thing, they have to order them in with a minimum of a day or two waiting period for them to be shipped in. The latest on the car is that it is still sitting at the shop on mothballs waiting for an "engine computer". The first computer the shop ordered was not an exact part # match and turned out to be for an automatic transmission. Mine is a 5-speed. This saga has now went on for three weeks, and it will probably be another week before it is running if it is the computer. I'll update when I know the answer to this great mystery. Later.

[Rick89GTS]

Originally Posted by Rick89GTS

...
No OBD, but there is a method to get the diagnostics box that may tell you if the system has detected any errors. IIRC, you just bridge T1 and TE terminals with a short jumper wire or paper clip and the dash lights will blink a certain number of times telling you the code. Ie: 5 short blinks = fuel system or whatever it may be.

[92-gt]

I had this same exact problem. Check the connections on the distributor. Especially the 2 wire connector. If that isn't plugged in completely that would cause this problem. Also, check the wires that go through the fire wall. Sometimes they can get chaffed.