5sfe no spark in 1, 3, 4 cylinders - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

fmmalari2003 · 02-28-2010, 06:35 PM

Hi, Have a 95 Celica GT with a 5sfe 2.2L engine. Have no spark in cylinders 1, 3, & 4. Have a new distributor, new spark plugs, new spark plug wires, ecu was checked, wires between ecu and distributor have been checked. Have spark only on spark plug 2. Would appreciate any help with this one?

mattliston · 02-28-2010, 06:46 PM

cap and rotor should be checked for cleanliness and warpage and pitting.

when I work on igniton, I always recommend plugs, wires, cap, and rotor all at once to prevent problems of pitting and warping form having differnet aged parts.

fmmalari2003 · 02-28-2010, 11:04 PM

new distributor came with new rotor and cap....

mattliston · 02-28-2010, 11:12 PM

then take the cap and rotor OFF and inspect them.

the only way 3 cylinders are not havining spark is from bad plugs, bad wires, or a bad cap and rotor.

teh rotor can be off center, so only one cylinder sees the spark

the cap can be damaged and have 3 bent or damaged tabs inside that dont get within range to spark

I really dont see how much more difficult it can be.

hatchy_gt-s · 02-28-2010, 11:28 PM

Are you positive you have no spark (ie you see the plugs sparking/not sparking)Because mattliston is right with a dissy system you either have spark in all 4 or you have none at all.

Always remember CHECK YOUR TIMING WHEN HAVING A CRANKING PROBLEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

P.S. Im not ragging on you I just see allot of people going out and buying parts without checking to see if that is the problem, you have to find the problem before fixing it.

P.P.S. I need to wright up a crank no start how to cause I see this problem 50 billion times a day.

mattliston · 02-28-2010, 11:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hatchy_gt-s

Are you positive you have no spark (ie you see the plugs sparking/not sparking)Because mattliston is right with a dissy system you either have spark in all 4 or you have none at all.

Always remember CHECK YOUR TIMING WHEN HAVING A CRANKING PROBLEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

P.S. Im not ragging on you I just see allot of people going out and buying parts without checking to see if that is the problem, you have to find the problem before fixing it.

P.P.S. I need to wright up a crank no start how to cause I see this problem 50 billion times a day.

as long as the timing belt is ON, it could be 180 degress of, it would still SPARK

hatchy_gt-s · 03-01-2010, 12:38 AM

^^^ Oh no doubt it would spark, it was just a warning to others/ never hurts to check lol.

mattliston · 03-01-2010, 01:12 AM

very true!! anytime your car is running ackward , its worth a check!

fmmalari2003 · 03-01-2010, 02:50 PM

checked the rotor and cap, they are fine, which was expected since they are new. I understand the "they should all spark and not just one" idea. That is the whole reason why i'm stumped and asking for advice. Keep the ideas coming though. Much appreciated.

Steve0289 · 03-01-2010, 03:08 PM

same problem with mine. did the cap, the rotor, the wires, and the coil
all from toyota, (ouch!) it was running good for 200 miles , then started to
misfire, (but was running) got in the next morning NO START. again.

rotor spins fine, the belt is not that old. the 4 cyl has 125,000 k on it.

I don't want to guess any more. been reading the chiltons manual.
and trying to do one step at a time.
If I had to guess it would be the Igniter? but its close to 400.00 from toyota, unless anyone knows of a GOOD aftermarket one.
but I'm going to troubleshoot a bit more before I shop.

anyone have any "in put?" it cant be the ecu? could it? please say no...

thanks for the help

mattliston · 03-01-2010, 07:49 PM

find someone with the same motor and see if you can swap ignitors or coils

maybe the ecu is screwed and is so bad it doesnt send any error codes.

Dont know what else to say man

good luck

93celicaconv · 03-03-2010, 08:44 AM

fmmalari2003, the ECU sends a signal to the igniter when to spark a plug (how advanced or retarded it will be, a timing signal), but the ECU doesn't know which spark plug to spark. This distributor handles that. Since you are getting one spark plug to spark, I would think the ECU is functioning properly.

That said, the only explanation I can think of that would cause only one spark plug to fire is that the distributor is no longer rotating. If the timing belt is broke, the engine would sound a lot different when you attempt to start it, compared to normal. You would really notice the difference. But a broken timing belt would cause the distributor not to turn. The pin in the distributor shaft (which inserts into the camshaft), if it fell out, would cause the distributor not to turn also. Quite frankly, I've neve heard of a distributor shaft pin falling out, as it is press fit, but I suppose it is possible.

If you have a couple of people around, take the distributor cap off, then try starting the engine with the starter while someone watches the distributor rotor. Does it rotate? If not, check if the timing belt is broken? If that is not broken, and the camshaft is turning as you try starting the engine, you will need to pul the distributor assembly out and see what is going on. If the distributor shaft pin is missing, you will need to remove the valve cover to retrieve the pin before it goes somewhere you don't want it to go. If the distributor shaft pin is intact, then it is also possible your camshaft broke.

But, please check if the rotor turns when trying to start the engine and let us know what you find.