94 Toyota Troubles..help!!

[Melyssa]

the Engine idles funny, steering wheel andbasically the whole car shakes when i come to a red light.

brother in law told me i need to replace the exhaust manifold, distributor cap and wires and get a gas filter. also my spark plugs are buring white and not black.

Tried to start my car this morning and it wouldnt turn all the way over,

any tips? ideas, suggestions? I just want to get it over to the mechanics to get it fixed...wondering how much they would probably charge me for it.

If you have any ideas please let me know..Im open to pretty much anything.

Mel

[Air4ceOne]

Looking through the ol' maintenance manual, it could be one (or a combination) of many things. Fautly ignition (incorrect timing, bad spark plugs), incorrect valve clearance, leaky EGR valve, leaky intake and exhaust valves, leaky cylinder, vacuum leak, or a really dirty air filter.
I'm no mechanic, but I'd start with the easy and look thoroughly under the hood for any hoses that have become loose, disconnected, cracked, etc. Another culprit that I had years ago was bad spark plug wires. Wait till it's dark outside and then try to start it. Hopefully it'll start long enough for you to look under the hood at the wires and see if there are any sparks coming from any of the wires. If it doesn't start for you to check that out, remove one spark plug at a time, reconnect it to the spark plug wire, try to start the car and have a friend watch the gap of the spark plug to see if it's firing. Again, these are the simple things that I'd check first. Good luck!