94 camry has spark won't start

[Selador]

94 camry. 4 cylinder. Coil is located on the strut housing along with the ignitor.


I have spent a few days researching this. I haven't found anything that led to the answer, yet. Please bear with me if it seems there is an easy answer that I overlooked.

The car was running, but overheating.

The last time it ran, it overheated badly, but was parked right away. Fans never came on.

The radiator was leaking, so that was replaced. And since the fans hadn't come on, the temp sensor for the fans, in the bottom of the rad was also replaced.

Now it won't start.

It cranks over nicely, and acts like it is missing spark or fuel.

It has spark. Determined by pulling the coil wire from the center of the distributor and checking there.

I used spray starting fluid by pulling the tube from the end of the throttle body and spraying in there. The spray starting fluid should have at least caused a cough or two, if not a short start and run then die... if fuel delivery was the problem.

I have tried it with the temp switch on the manifold connected, and then disconnected. Also tried jumping that connector, so I don't think that temp switch is the problem. (It's the temp switch that has the green connector.)

I am assuming the ignitor and coil are good, otherwise I would not be getting a spark from there.

Any other suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

[Mike Gerber]

First of all I believe the your coil is inside the distributor on this model, unless you have a Calif. emissions model.

That said, what color spark are you seeing when you test for spark? Orange color indicates a weak spark. The spark should be blue in color. The coils for these cars have developed problems, especially as they accumulate lot's of miles or lot's of years. I would remove the coil from inside the distributor and inspect it carefully for cracks in the plastic.

Mike

[Selador]

Originally Posted by Mike Gerber

First of all I believe the your coil is inside the distributor on this model, unless you have a Calif. emissions model.

That said, what color spark are you seeing when you test for spark? Orange color indicates a weak spark. The spark should be blue in color. The coils for these cars have developed problems, especially as they accumulate lot's of miles or lot's of years. I would remove the coil from inside the distributor and inspect it carefully for cracks in the plastic.

Mike

Thank you for the response, Mike. Quoting the very first line of my post:

Originally Posted by Selador

94 camry. 4 cylinder. Coil is located on the strut housing along with the ignitor.

When I pull the coil wire off of the center of the distributor, (which I also described in the first post.), leaving the other end in the coil, then check for spark using that wire, I get a bright white spark.

[Selador]

Ok, I tested the coil again. This time, strangely enough, I am getting ZERO resistance on the primary side. I get ~14 on the secondary side, so that side is within parameters. (9 to 15) But the primary should be between .36 and .55 whereas it is zero. So, even though I have a nice spark, I am going to go ahead and replace the coil and see what happens. I will return and resolve this, if it works. If it doesn't, I'll be back for more ideas. LOL Thanks again.

[Selador]

I exchanged the coil with a new one. No difference.

This is so frustrating!

It cranks really nicely.

There is spark.

And spraying starter fluid in, doesn't even produce so much as a cough. So it's not a fuel problem.

It just refuses to actually start.

[northerncountryboy]

Fuel air spark 3 things needed to make a motor run. You have spark so next check fuel pressure.

[Brian R.]

Check your compression and spark at the spark plugs.

[Selador]

Thanks again for the replies.

Fuel air spark... All three have been covered. Please read again.


Compression and spark at plugs... I will do a compression test.

Testing the sparks at the plugs... Weak yellow spark at every plug. Stays the same whether I use the new coil or the old one.

I cleaned the rotor and contacts in the dist cap. Next will be replacing the cap, rotor, wires and plugs. But the guy is very reluctant to spend ANY more money trying to get this started.


There is enough spark at the plugs, that when starting fluid is introduced, then at the very least a cough should be produced. And there is nothing at all.

It seems like something is suppressing the ignition intentionally.


~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~


In the isuzu section of this forum, I gave some advice.

The problem is that the vehicle would start, but would die a few seconds later. Neither they, nor their mechanic had been able to find the reason. (Kind of like this camry problem.) Frustration all around. Lots of money already spent. Etc.

I happen to know something about isuzus, that easily explains the problem. Something that it seems the vast majority of mechanics out there do not know. But a few enthusiasts have figured it out.

Those vehicles, (not all, but most), use a circuit in the alternator to run the fuel pump after the engine has started. This is so that if the vehicle is in an accident, the fuel pump will not continue to run.

When you turn the ignition on, the fuel pump gets power from the ignition for about 5 seconds. Or just long enough to get the vehicle started. Once started and you let the key off, that circuit loses power, and the alternator circuit takes over.

If that alt circuit is bad, the vehicle will start, but will die again, in a few seconds.

If you happen to know about the problem and you take the alt to any big box to test, it can test out perfectly fine, because they don't have a test for the alt circuit.

But buy a new alt that is made for that vehicle, and your problem disappears.


The point is that it is actually a pretty simple thing. But almost nobody knows about it.

I was hoping that I was up against the same sort of thing here, with this camry, and that by asking camry enthusiasts, I'd find out about that simple but obscure problem.

[Brian R.]

Originally Posted by Selador

When I pull the coil wire off of the center of the distributor, (which I also described in the first post.), leaving the other end in the coil, then check for spark using that wire, I get a bright white spark.
=================================
Testing the sparks at the plugs... Weak yellow spark at every plug. Stays the same whether I use the new coil or the old one.

Forget the compression test. Needs to be done at operating temperature. Won't be meaningful unless one cylinder is 0.

Find the point at which the spark is no longer blue and hot. Probably not the wires. Hard to believe they all went bad. Probably a bad distributor cap or a component in the distributor (rotor?).

Did you visually check the cap and rotor for carbon traces or cracks?

You can check the gap between the stator and impeller.

Make sure the spark plug wires are all tight - installed correctly on the distributor cap. Check the contacts in the distributor cap for corrosion.

You can test the spark plug wires. Resistance should be around 25 kOhms.

[Selador]

Can someone identify this wire/connector, for me?

Looks like the speed sensor #2.

Not sure whether this wire was ever connected or not. I know I didn't disconnect it. LOL

Will this being disconnected, keep the car from starting?

Where would the wire be coming from, for this to connect into?

Thank you.

[Mike Gerber]

I'm not sure what that connector is for, but we do have a factory service manual for your year posted at the top of this forum. Go there and download the 1992-1996 service manual (it's actually a 1994 manual) and you can check there.

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...d.php?t=497839

Mike

[pookie91]

I have a 1994 toyota camry 4 cylinder and my car cut off at a light it turned over but wouldnt start i had to push it home and the next day it started but i am afraid t drive ir because i dont want to have it stop running again it didnt do this until i turned my air conditon on please help

[Brian R.]

First, check to see if it does it again. Just turn on your A/C with the engine running with the transmission in PARK in your driveway or garage. Then do the same thing with the transmission in DRIVE, again, at home. Find a condition(s) under which the problem is repeatable.