'93 Camry no compression

[dahirolla]

I was given a 93 Camry with 199k miles. No compression in 1 and 4, and less than 120 in 2 and 3. I was able to start it twice and ran ragged (Had to manipulate the gas pedal to keep it running) before I put coolant in it, but now it won't start at all.

No evidence of coolant in the oil, or oil in the coolant.

Family sticker says PTV2-2V5FFE4.

I've worked on stuff like alternators and water pumps before, but once it gets inside the engine I'm lost. Can I easily figure out if I have a problem with the head, head gasket, or engine?

The previous owner took good care of the car, so the interior and exterior look great. Only problem is it won't run...lol.

[jdmccright]

A leak-down test will help with where the air being pumped by the pistons is going...hissing out the exhaust means bad exhaust valves, out the intake manifold/TB means intake valves. Bubble sounds means it's coming through the coolant system (head gasket), and hissing out of the oil fill/valve cover means piston blowby. No oil/coolant mixing means that the head gasket should be sound, but never say never. Also check the plugs for wetness or oil fouling.

The 4-cyl isn't a bad engine to learn on, most top end work can be done with the engine in the car. Unlike the transverse 6-cyl where half the engine is butted up against the firewall and away from any line of sight.

A good repair manual is critical in reading up on what is involved as well as what tools and replacement parts you need to gather before you dive in. Hope this helps!

[Mike Gerber]

"A good repair manual is critical in reading up on what is involved as well as what tools and replacement parts you need to gather before you dive in. Hope this helps!

To follow up on what jdmccright said, there are Toyota factory repair manuals stickied at the top of this forum, that are available for free downloading. Download the generation 3 manual.

Mike