[ninjabong]

update car runs great it was the wire rotor and cap.. dough! they looked good too not that old but cheap stuff from rockauto doesn't last that long I learned my lesson

 

[ninjabong]

Except you can't just run starter-motor by itself. Which was what he did, and it just spins without engaging ring-gear on flywheel. Needs to power solenoid 1st, which pushes starter gear out onto flywheel, then it powers up starter motor. Contacts for power to starter-motor doesn't engage until very end of solenoid plunger's travel after starter's gear has been engaged to flywheel's ring gear.

That's why it's important to not modify system and introduce additional variables that throws things out of whack. Need to do non-interference/non-destructive testing keeping all systems intact in order to test and measure to find actual fault.

What if in this remote-starter "test" it turns out car will start and run! But only with remote-switch? Will he then have to leave remote-switch connected and tie it up somewhere in engine-compartment when he wants to start car?

Without ever testing and measuring to find actual problem, you just add to complexity and jerry-rig system outside of its design. Now with successful spark test, but in non-standard configuration, he'll have to stand next to car and magically connect just one spark-plug wire at time since that's how test worked.

good points I agree with you I have just been pulling my hair out trying to get the car working and watching so many youtube videos this guy scannerdanner is a pretty good diagnostics guy especially with no starts he sometimes uses a remote starter

 

[ninjabong]

Why are you trying to start car remotely? You KNOW the ignition-switch works to spin engine! Follow physician's credo: "Do no harm". Related idea here is "make no changes" to system, otherwise you introduce additional variables and possible errors into system and chase your tail around in circles forever. Non-interference, non-destructive testing and measuring only. Now, when you tried to test for spark, did you ground case of plugs to top of engine? Then have plugs rotated so gap faces driver's seat so you can see spark? You can even use jumper cable on plugs to get confirmed grounding and bring it closer to driver's seat to see. Or use binoculars, telescope or even phone-camera on zoom to get closer look at plugs. You'll want to have tested ignition system beforehand as well.

• what is impedance of crank-position sensor at ECM connector?
• what is impedance of cam-sensor in distributor at ECM connector?

Key ON:

• do you have CEL lit on dash?
• is there power going to ignitor on strut tower?
• is there power going to ignition coil?
• are there grounding pulses from ECM at connector? Test with 'noid light.
• is that signal making it to ignitor?
• is ignitor's signal making it to ignition coil?

Any one of these items being out-of-spec will cause non-starting. With age of these cars, crispy, corroded, broken wiring and connectors is real possibility. Testing and measuring all of them is quicker and cheaper than buying OEM Denso distributor from authorised Toyota dealer. And may even get your car running without buying single part!

Oh yeah I forgot to ground the plugs when I was testing them oops! Lol I'm going to start there and report back but how do I test the igniter? Do I need to back probe the connector?

 

[ninjabong]

You only need to hook a wire to the solenoid connector, the small wire connector that is a simple plastic clip in type. The power wire is already connected to the battery. Don't remove the big wire that is held on by a nut. There is no ground wire!!! The starter itself is grounded to the engine!

Wouldn't it be a lot easier to get a friend or even a passerby to just crank the engine while you look for spark under the hood? If not that, then It would even be easier to just disconnect the ignition switch connector under the steering column and bridge the appropriate terminals to crank the engine.

ahh.. so the one wire I didnt even touch is the one I needed to tap onto. I couldn't see how I could even tap into that thing. I'm over it at this point I was hoping there was another location I could tap into that is more accessible. I'm guessing under the dash would be an option but I'm not going to spend time messing with that I do have an assistant that will be able to crank the engine for me just not available most of the time

good information about the starter though thanks for the reply

 

[ninjabong]

No need to test anything upstream at this point. If you got spark out of distributor, this verifies everything upstream is working:

• battery
• crank/cam sensors
• ecm
• ignitor
• ignition coil
• distributor rotor
• distributor cap

Of course, you realize you didn't actually test spark plugs, hi-ten wires or their firing-order in cap right?

I realize that I have done very few tests I'm just getting the hang of all this testing So the hi-ten wires are just spark plug wires right? I dont understand the whole "high tension" is that because they carry a lot of volts?
I'm just going to get new plugs and possibly a new distributor I did the tests on the primary and secondary coils and it seems the secondary is out of spec unless I tested wrong
check my other thread testing the distributor with multimeter, am I doing this...

 

[ninjabong]

Years ago I bought a spark tester from J.C. Whitney. It has a spark plug harnbess wire conact on one end and a wire with an alligator clip on the other. In between are two sharp points that can be adjusted according to markings for standard and high energy ignition systes as well as those in between those types. You plug a spark plug wire into one end and hook the alligator clip on the vehicle ground,and then note the spark across the sharp points. I don't know where you can buy one but it was cheap and good to have around.

last night I was able to verify spark with a helper. I pulled out the spark plug wire from the distributor cap and held a test light connected to battery ground in front of the distributor I got a tiny spark but I am not sure if it's sufficient. but it is a spark so I'm going to move along the diagnostics and start testing voltages

 

[ninjabong]

oh yeah I answered my own question I have to use higher settings on the ohms scale I'm going to start going through all the tests

 

[ninjabong]

Oh yeah I forgot to ground the plugs when I was testing them oops! Lol I'm going to start there and report back but how do I test the igniter? Do I need to back probe the connector?

well my battery is going to be charging for a while so I have been doing more reading I'm trying to get more familiar with using a multimeter to test resistance. I'm looking in a manual I have for the corolla and it has diagnostic procedures like the ones you are talking about. I'm not really sure If Im using the multimeter right so I'm going to watch some videos on that but what setting do I put the multimeter on when I'm testing coils for resistance. there is 20k ohms 200k ohms etc. and when I do I test I dont know if it's just my multimeter or what but the result shows up on the screen for like one second and then goes back to 1. If you aren't sure what I'm talking about I could post a video like when I test my ignition coil I touch the probes to positive and negative spots I'm testing and then the screen says "300" or whatever for one second and then goes back to 1 or 0 it's weird some times the number changes a little bit too fluctuating for a second then going back to 1 or 0

 

[ninjabong]

You need to find a good place to tap into the trigger wire, but the starter is kind of buried under the intake manifold.

I know I thought I was tapped into the trigger wire. theres only three terminals on the starter. ground power and solenoid. I taped into power and solenoid. starter made a noise but didnt engage engine. I don't know where else I could possibly tap into