I have a 1996 toyota camry. I was driving it about 2 weeks ago an it shutoff on me so i tried to start it back up and it wouldnt start (it tries to start). So i checked the starter and it was good an the timing belt was changed about 100,000 years ago. please help. thanks

While the timing belt was due for a change 99,997 years ago (give or take a few), my guess is a dead ignition coil. Quite common for this gen Camry.

A few clues to a broken timing belt: ignition rotor under distributor cap (if equipped) doesn't rotate when cranking the engine; rocker arm/camshaft not rotating while cranking the engine as viewed from the oil fill opening on the valve cover; the engine miserably fails a compression test.

The first thing you notice is a higher pitched sound from the engine as you crank it. Why? The engine is rotating much faster because no compression is being produced. The timing belt isn't there to rotate the camshaft and open and close the valves. The engine doesn't have to fight the force of compression so the engine spins much faster.

Oops...I should have asked what engine you have...4- or 6-cylinder. The 4 has a single coil inside the distributor, while the 6 has individual coils on the plugs. What you described sounded like the coil failing on an 4-cyl engine. So if you have the 6-cyl, please disregard.

At least on the 4-cyl, you can peek into the oil fill hole to see if the cams are turning when the engine is turned over. removal of the timing belt cover to check it is a bit arduous since the upper engine mount bolts are a tight squeeze to get in & out.

Hope this helps!