Toyota pickup won't turn over, just whirring noise

My 92 Toyota pickup won't start. A friend borrowed it for a few days and it quit on him. It wouldn't start, so we towed it home. Now, when I turn the key, it only makes a whirring sound, and it won't turn the engine over. I pulled the starter and installed a new one, same thing. Any ideas? Thanks.

Welcome to the AF!

See if you can locate the whirring noise by having someone turn the key while you listen to various points on the engine.

When you say that the starter won't turn the engine over, do you mean that the engine won't start, but the starter rotates the engine? or do you mean that the starter doesn't rotate the engine at all?

Brian,
The sound seems to be coming from the starter, but I just put a brand new one on. When the key is turned on, the fan turns, etc, but it almost makes a sound like it does when you turn the key while the engine is already running, but not quite that harsh. But it only makes that sound, nothing more. Could it be broken or damaged flywheel teeth or something like that? If so, how do I check it when I pull the starter off?

Rotate the engine clockwise with a socket on the crank bolt. Rotate it 20-90 degrees to get the starter away from any possible bad spot on the flywheel. Then try the starter. It should start the truck normally unless you just happen to hit another bad spot (unlikely).

The $50,000 question is "Why did the engine quit on your friend in the first place?"

Check the battery charge and alternator if the battery is undercharged. Also check the cable connections.

Hey Brian,

Where is the crank bolt? Are you talking about removing the fan shroud, fan, etc and the center bolt right there?

It's on the nose of the crankshaft. Middle of the bottom pulley. You should be able to get to it from the bottom without removing anything.

Thanks, I'll try it first thing in the morning. You said try turning it clockwise; is that clockwise as I'm facing the engine?

Yes.

I crawled up under the front of the toyota, but there is no bolt in the center of the crankshaft coming out. All I see is a threaded hole in the center...am I missing a bolt?

Yes - bolt should be torqued to 116 ft-lbs if 22RE and 181 ft-lbs if 3VZ-E

Buy one

If the crank sprocket for the timing belt/chain has wobble or excessive play from loss of this bolt, your problem may be a broken belt/chain. After you get this bolt, and before you torque it dead tight, turn the crank and see if your cams/distributor turns. If not, you've solved part of your problem. The whirring noise you hear may just be the crank turning without the cams. If it gets to this point, and you have a 22RE, check the timing chain guide - known problem. If no problem is found, don't forget to oil the bolt threads and torque the crank bolt.

IF the belt/chain is broken, make sure you check/replace the crank sprocket for the belt/chain and the woodruff key holding it in place (if there is one).

There is a 1993 pick-up Factory Service Manual in the sticky post at the top of this forum.

http://personal.utulsa.edu/~nathan-buchanan/93fsm/

Thanks Brian,

One more question for now...Do you happen to know what size bolt I need? It is a 92 Toyota pickup 2wd, 22re, 4 cylinder

Don't go by size of the bolt. Buy the exact bolt you need from Toyota or a salvage yard. I think it has a built-in washer. It has to be the right steel and strength also.

I've gotten into changing the timing chain (it was broken). How do I rotate the engine to TDC, aligning the camshaft sprocket and the crankshaft keyway when the chain is broken?

There is a factory service manual availble at the top of this sub-forum. It has instructions and illustrations.

http://personal.utulsa.edu/~nathan-buchanan/93fsm/engine/8timingch.pdf

If you have questions after reading the factory service manual, just ask.

I've gotten into changing the timing chain (it was broken). How do I rotate the engine to TDC, aligning the camshaft sprocket and the crankshaft keyway when the chain is broken?

You rotate the engine with the bolt you purchased for the crank pulley/sprocket. The engine is at TDC when the timing mark on the crank pulley is at 12:00.

Make sure you check all the crank components for wear and excessive play. Refer to the manual on how to test these components. Missing that bolt may have trashed some of these components. Check the accessory belts that run in the crank pulley. If they are frayed on the edges or badly worn, replace them also.

I suggest you buy and install a new crank sprocket. It is probably the reason you broke your timing chain.

You rotate the cam sprockets by turning either the bolts holding on the cam sprockets, or using a strap wrench that fits around the cam sprockets, like an oil filter wrench.

I've gotten down to the timing chain cover. Everything else is removed. One of the timing chain removal articles that was linked in this forum said that you could remove the cover without removing the head. If so, how do I get to that "hidden" bolt that is under the cam sprocket? The article just says remove the bolt, but doesn't mention removing the cam sprocket first. Thanks for your help.

The hidden bolt is for removing the head, not the chain cover. However, you have to remove the cam sprocket to install the timing chain.