12 and 14 are for the cam and crank position sensor signals, but both of those are generated in the distributor. Did you crank the engine with the distributor connectors disconnected because that would set those codes?

42 is for speed sensor signal, but I'm not sure that would prevent the engine from starting.

You might want to clear the codes now and see if they come back after cranking.

 

Thanks for responding DrZ. No I haven't cranked them with it disconnected. I'll go try and clear the codes. For confirmation, the plug with the two wires sends power to the distributor right? And the other plug with ~6 wires sends power to the ECM? I ask because I have power on the 2 plug connector and no power to the ~6 plug connectors.

 

Well I reset the codes and read them before attempting to start. Only 24 was present (its disconnected right now). Then I went to start it and all I heard was a click when I turned the key. I'm hoping the started didn't just die out but that wouldn't make sense since that was working with no problems just before that.

 

After repeated attempts the started finally engaged. No start but only code 14 is present.

 

I made a mistake. 12 and 13 are for cam and crank position sensor. Code 14 is related to the igniter signal. The igniter is mounted under the air cleaner box. It's about a 2 by 2 inch square. It could be unplugged or a wire is broken. The igniter relays the spark signal from the computer to the distributor. Some manufacturers call the igniter an ignition control module.

 

But I'm not sure 93-95 had an external igniter. Someone else might know. If it's not external it would be built into the distributor. But it still could be a broken wire in one of the connectors.

The distributor changed from 93-95 to 96-97 when they switched to OBD2. That's why I am not sure of things. Someone with the earlier type might be able to help.

The 93-95 requires the distributor base timing to be set with a timing light, so if you initially installed it rotated too much that could cause it to not start. You could try loosening it and rotating it and trying to start again.

 

DrZ, I figured it out. The new rotor I put in with the new distributor was bad. I threw in the old one and it fired up. Also, the igniter is located inside the distributor for these years. I believe that what was the original problem but it was just easier to get the new distributor. Thanks for taking the time to help. I was chasing my tail on this one.

 

What was wrong with the new rotor?

You should also set the ignition timing, but maybe you already know this.

DIY Ignition Timing check and adjust (OBD-I 93-95)

As with many of my DIYs this one originated from having to do the work and deciding to document it along the way. It appears checking and adjusting timing is knowledge that's slowly fading away as modern cars do not have a need for mechanical adjustments of ignition timing. So I figured let's...

www.toyotanation.com

 

I think the part store gave me the wrong rotor. It looked like it was the same but the exposed end that makes contact to the wires didn't have much copper exposed to the top as the old one but the height looked to be the same overall. I checked power input and it had 12v and made sure the ignition coil had a strong enough arc. This led me to believe it was the rotor that was the problem and sure enough it was.

Thanks for the link. I knew about the timing beforehand and made position marks where I had the old one before removing. I did a quick check with a light and the timing was a little off. I made the adjustments and its close to perfect now.