[Gordon]

1994 Toyota Tercel
120k
5spd manual
dx

I am having periodic problems starting this vehichle. I turns over fine and the starter is strong, but the engine will not start. Just turns turns turns. Sometimes after a while if i floor the gas it will start but i have to keep the idle high for a bit for it to run well after. This only happens sometimes. Usually it starts up just fine with a flick of the key and runs great. When the car is running, it runs perfectly. Good pickup, smooth runner.

When the car is having a problem starting and i push the gas down, i do smell feul, so i know its getting gas. And it does eventually start, so its getting a spark.

If i could get any assistance on what i can do to fix this, i would greatly appreciate it. And if you have any further questions that would help you help me, please ask.
Thanks

 

[jeffs94]

Sounds like you are having an ignition problem. Have you checked the distributor cap, rotor and checked the resistance of the ignition coil?

 

[Gordon]

looking like the cap and rotor are fine, plugs are good. Havent been able to test the ignition coil yet becuase of the "gremlin effect" Whenever i am around someone with the equiptment to test it, its works just fine. It is getting worse tho. Happening more and more often. And now i am starting to stall while driving. It will run great, and idle fine, and then it will die. After it dies i can start it after cranking it over for 20-30 seconds while flooring the gas. It will then stutter and slowly rev up. When it gets reving high i can release the gas peddle and it will idle, but bogs whenever i hit the gas, and will stall if i dont tap it repeatedly and get the revs up again. Thats where i am at now. Any further advise would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Gordon

 

[Gordon]

Well i put another distributor in there to see if that made a diff... it didnt. So where it stands... we got spark. distributer, cap, and rotor fine. We got fuel... filter and pump are good. gas is getting to carb. Next step is the coil. I called the dealer that i purchased the car from, and gave him the rundown. He suggested the coil too. Lets hope this fixes things. Anyway, im still looking for input from anyone here... Has anyone had the same prob?? Damn this is frustrating. Ive had the car for 2 weeks, and already problems. Thanks for any help.:hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer:

 

[jeffs94]

Check the resistance of the Ign. coil. Here' some specs for ya; the air gap-0.008-0.016". primary coil resistance; (cold)-0.36--0.55 OHMS (HOT)-0.45--0.65 OHMS, secondary coil resistance; (COLD)-9.0--15.4 KOHMS (HOT)-11.4--18.1 KOHMS. Sounds like a intermittent failing coil.

 

[Gordon]

good news so far....and no its not fixed yet. The mechanic that was looking at it so far refunded ALL of my money. all labour and parts, because they couldnt fix it. I then took it to the used car dealer i bought it from and he is putting in a new coil at no cost. I will see where it goes from there

 

[jeffs94]

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :thumbup:

 

[RedHawk]

try the stupid fuel pump
well dont those things are AWFUL!
look @ my pics!

 

[Gordon]

fuel pressure is fine, i always seem to be getting fuel. But that will be the next step if the ignition coil aint it.

 

[Gordon]

well its official. my car is haunted....not the ignition coil or the fuel pump. Problem remains undiagnosed. On monday i take the car back to where i got it and get my money back. too bad too, i liked the car.:disappoin :disappoin :disappoin :disappoin :disappoin

 

[Gordon]

Well the bastart car dealer wont take the car back, says the problem wasnt there when i bought the car. I had the car for just over a week when i first told him about the problem. Update on the issue.
Replaced distributer,
replaced fuelpump,
Replaced cap and rotor,
replaced plugs,
plug cables look great.
This problem is still happening.
The first start of the day the car runs great. Its when the cars sits for a little bit after running it the problem seems to happen. And it doesnt happen all the time. The car will turn over fine, but not fire up. I will then floor the gas and keep cranking and the car will fire very ruff and sloooooowly will rev right up while holding down the gas peddle. When started this way the car will puke out a cloud of black smoke. What else could this be??? Could it be the filter?? Please, any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Just remember, when the car starts and runs it runs great. No problems at all, good accel, does highway great. It seems that i am just getting a gas lock, but its happening on warm and cool days. What can cause this?? Im thinking some sort of sensor.

One more thing, when hooked up to a scope, no problem codes come up at all.
Correction to prev post.... The ignition coil has not been replaced, but could this cause the problem im having??

 

[Gordon]

Im sorry to keep replying to myself but i have another question regarding this issue

Could a dirty or sticky EGR Valve Be the cause of such problems???

 

[adi]

Wow that sucks...

is there like a fuel pump relay of some sort? Maybe that is not working correctly?

What about an Overvoltage Protection Relay (OVP) ? - again not even sure if it has one

replace the fuel filter?

could it be some kind of sensor that prevents it from firing up?

What if you keep cranking and it can't start but instead of trying to keep cranking, what if you let it go and crank it again?

have you done a compression check?

sorry can't be of more help (dont have a Tercel)

 

[Gordon]

no i havent checked some of the items you mentioned, but i have noticed something else. when i get my head under the hood while its running, i hear a little bit of a hiss. could a little vacume leak cause the problems as described

 

[jeffs94]

If the vacuum leak is affecting one of the VSV's then sure....it could.

 

[Gordon]

im having a really hard time to locat the origin of the hiss. Is there a good way to locate a leak, if indeed there is one?? And about the Vacume Switch Valve, does anyone have a pic of what this looks like. And one other thing, does anyone know where the EGR valve is on a 1994 toyota tercel 5spd manual??

 

[Gordon]

im having a really hard time to locat the origin of the hiss. Is there a good way to locate a leak, if indeed there is one?? And about the Vacume Switch Valve, does anyone have a pic of what this looks like. And one other thing, does anyone know where the EGR valve is on a 1994 toyota tercel 5spd manual??

 

[Gordon]

bump

 

[jeffs94]

It may be a good idea to replace ALL the vacuum lines as others maybe cracked or damaged as well. A VSV has an electrical connector and probably 2 vacuum lines connected to it. On the california models, the EGR is located on the right side of the intake manifold (from the drivers seat). I dunno about the emissions requirements for canada's models

 

[art fehr]

hey gordon did u ever find the touble with your tercel .i have a 96 with the similer problems .i would be great if u could get back to me if u found it. thanks .art