[Camry1999]

Hey everybody,

My uncle called me yesterday b/c his '96 Corolla DX just suddenly died on the highway while he was on the way to the store. luckily, he was just in the middle lane & it wasn't busy so he was able to pull the car over. The car won't start, it cranks but won't start. It has about 210k miles on it. I know we needed to do a timing belt on it, but the belt was still on. I think the distributor cap was loose, but i could really tell. We had it towed home for now. My uncle just wants to get rid of it since it's getting kind of long in the tooth, but if it's something small, then we might just fix it. Does anyone have any ideas, thanks in advanced.

 

[kickfli12]

Can you jump start it?

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[mobiless2]

Check fuel pressure., and ignition.

 

[Mooseman93]

Make sure the rotor in the distributor cap is intact. Being plastic, sometimes they crack and fall apart if they're old. That would cause cranking but not starting for sure. If that's the problem, you're lucky. It's cheap and easy.

 

[Bitter]

Is the distributor rotor turning?

 

[Camry1999]

Make sure the rotor in the distributor cap is intact. Being plastic, sometimes they crack and fall apart if they're old. That would cause cranking but not starting for sure. If that's the problem, you're lucky. It's cheap and easy.

Is the distributor rotor turning?

I am going to try the distributor cap b/c I think it felt like it was loose but I couldn't really tell on the side of the highway. But since we towed it home I'll take a look @ it when I have time. Thanks for all the time.

 

[Suprawillis]

Crank sensor. If you're facing the crank pulley, it would appear to be on the upper left hand side of the pulley. Held in by one 10mm bolt.

 

[CaptainDerpDerp]

When the car died, was it sputtering at all? If so, it could be a fuel delivery issue. To be more specific, your fuel pump could have gone. It's an easy fix - acquire new fuel pump, remove back seat, open cover to the fuel tank, unplug the fuel pump, and plug the new one in. I did this in a McDonald's parking lot in 15 minutes once.

 

[Camry1999]

When the car died, was it sputtering at all? If so, it could be a fuel delivery issue. To be more specific, your fuel pump could have gone. It's an easy fix - acquire new fuel pump, remove back seat, open cover to the fuel tank, unplug the fuel pump, and plug the new one in. I did this in a McDonald's parking lot in 15 minutes once.

Is there any way to check to see if the one in there now is good or not.

 

[kickfli12]

Is there any way to check to see if the one in there now is good or not.

yes

first check to see if the fuel pump even runs. take out the bench and that cover off and try to crank the car. you will hear the pump if its getting power. if you dont hear it, verify that it is getting power with a volt meter. if you have power and you dont hear it running then the pump is shot. if it isnt getting power, test all the electrical components in the system starting at the pump working yourself back to find your issue. if you do hear the pump, make sure you have fuel pressure at the rail. if you have fuel pressure at the rail then that eliminates fuel being your problem unless something is clogged up the injectors but thats very unlikely. if you dont have fuel pressure, work your way down the fuel line back to the tank to find out whats clogged up. hope that helps.

 

[Standing_Still]

Camry1999,

It is possible your ignition coil was dead. Before you do anything else to it, check to see if you're getting spark.

You mentioned it cranks good when you try to start it. After a few attempt, you would smell fresh un-burned fuel from the tail pipe, indicating the engine is getting fuel but no spark to burn the fuel. So, you should be trouble shooting ignition first.

I have a 93 that stalled on the road as well. After replacing the spark plugs, the wires, distributor cap, and rotor, which obviously needed to be replaced anyways, I wasn't able to get the engine running. I pulled the ignition coil, and took it to local auto parts store and compared the resistance, using multimeter, with a new one, and sure enough, the difference was way off. So, I bought the new one and got it installed in the car. And got the car running again. Make sure you have the rotor installed. My first few attempts to start the engine wasn't successful, only to find the rotor staring at me on the strut tower.....

 

[killbox916]

Crack your fuel line slightly where it hooks up to your fuel rail. I think its a 15mm. Turn the car over. You will get a pretty good spray of fuel if it's working correctly.

Throw a rag over it so it doesnt spray everywhere. See if you get fuel out of the line. This check takes 5 min. No fuel mean it could be fuse, relay or pump.