Starting issue

[tidus21]

I just bought a 1987 Toyota MR2, mostly for being a project car. I have gotten the car to run and it drives brilliantly however once the car is shut off after bringing up to temperature the car will not start back up for about an hour or two. Now this has not caused any issues for me thus far but I am curious to see what the issue may be. I am thinking there is a short in the distributor wire but not sure if that could be the correct answer.

[MR2Jedi]

Test the temp sensor.

[tidus21]

I cant even do that now, when I try to start the car it just clicks once. The engine doesnt even turn over so I am not sure whats wrong with the car now.

Also I took a look at the spark plugs at they are coved in gas, so could it be that there might be a fuel pump issue?

Or might it be a fuel injector issue?

[MR2Jedi]

Not the temperature sending unit that sends the signal to the gauge.
The temp sensor that sends the signal to the ECU.
The engine cannot be running when testing the temperature sensor.

[tidus21]

I actually did the test on the Temp sensor, and it does need to be replaced.

But I have the bigger issue of the motor not turning over.

[MR2Jedi]

Gotcha.
Have you tested your battery with the car on and off?

[tidus21]

I did check the battery by taking it to autozone, its practically brand new. I also tried to see if jumping the car may help but nothing happened as well.

Basically I hear a click as if its trying to spark and then nothing. My dad is thinking that it ay be one or a combination of issues. He wants to check the fuel injectors, solenoid, ignition system or the coil. As far as the starting issue he thinks it may be due to bad wiring or the temp sensor.

I am thinking of investing in a brand new motor or swap but this model is not my speciality so I am not sure what swaps or motors would be ideal other than the normal 1.6L engine currently in the car. That and the cost for a new engine and install do worry me as I will only have around 1600 to spend on the repairs.

[MR2Jedi]

If you're getting just a click at the starter and the engine does not turn over, I would have the starter/solenoid tested. And go from there before thinking of a new motor.

[tidus21]

Of course, I did have a mechanic look at the car. From what he could tell the problem could be 1 of 3 things or possibly all 3. It may be the connections to the battery from the solenoid, or it could be the solenoid it self, or it could be the starter motor but cant be specific until its taken into the shop where he has all the equipment to diagnose the issue.

[MR2Jedi]

Starter relay is also a possibility.

[pupoop123]

start with the starter relay> solenoid > starter, all 3 is less than 150 bucks hell of alot cheaper then a new motor..

[Russell D]

What I would do is buy a whole new starter and install it, if your problem goes away good, if not take the starter off and return it, then you can eliminate 2 of the 3 possible problems...

[tidus21]

So I took it to 3 Different Mechanics, my local one, firestone and engine specialist. None of them could figure out exactly what is going on with the car, each one pretty much said the same thing. They tested and replaced my starter, solenoid and relay with no changes. All three said that there is something wrong with the engine block because they can hear some weird internal knocking noises but cannot pinpoint the problem. They put the block through the block test, compression test and another test which I cannot remember the name, it passed all 3 but the mechanics said that with the amount of smoke and how hard its running there is something wrong with it. The Engine specialist that I brought it to, said he would probably have to tear down the engine to get to the root of the problem and figure out whats going on and in the end a Rebuild is the best option for me at the moment.

What is the general Cost for a rebuild on the 4AGE engine? I am a college student so I am pretty tight on money, I have emailed several shops for a quote but havent heard back from them yet.