Starting my engine

Tiny
KEMOY28
  • MEMBER
  • 1987 TOYOTA CELICA
  • 2.0L
  • 4 CYL
  • FWD
  • MANUAL
  • 2,000,000 MILES
My car cranks but will not start, it has very strong fuel pressure, brand new fuel pump and fuel filter, has good spark, brand new coil and spark plugs and new air filter, I get pulse at injectors with a test light and still no start. What else can I check?
Monday, August 29th, 2016 AT 4:48 PM

7 Replies

Tiny
WRENCHTECH
  • MECHANIC
  • 20,757 POSTS
You are missing something there.

All "crank, no start" conditions are approached in the same way. Every engine requires certain functions to be able to run. Some of these functions rely on specific components to work and some components are part of more than one function so it is important to see the whole picture to be able to conclude anything about what may have failed. Also, these functions can ONLY be tested during the failure. Any other time and they will simply test good because the problem isn't present at the moment.
If you approach this in any other way, you are merely guessing and that only serves to replace unnecessary parts and wastes money.

Every engine requires spark, fuel and compression to run. That's what we have to look for.

These are the basics that need to be tested and will give us the info required to isolate a cause.

1) Test for spark at the plug end of the wire using a spark tester. If none found, check for power supply on the + terminal of the coil with the key on.

2) Test for injector pulse using a small bulb called a noid light. If none found, check for power supply at one side of the injector with the key on.

3) Use a fuel pressure gauge to test for correct fuel pressure, also noticing if the pressure holds when key is shut off.

4) If all of these things check good, then you would need to do a complete compression test.

Once you have determined which of these functions has dropped out,
you will know which system is having the problem.
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Monday, August 29th, 2016 AT 5:38 PM
Tiny
KEMOY28
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All those info listed above turned out to be fine on this engine, I did used an incorrect sensor from a different engine on the water neck where the temperature sensors are. Could that be the problem? The sensor I used is from a nissan engine and the car did ran with it
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Monday, August 29th, 2016 AT 10:02 PM
Tiny
WRENCHTECH
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If it really passed all those tests, the car would be running. That is a systematic method to isolate the cause of the no start.

If you have doubts about the sensor, then use a scanner to read the temp from the computer and see if it is correct.
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Tuesday, August 30th, 2016 AT 4:28 AM
Tiny
KEMOY28
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Turned out my car was flooded. But now it seems to burn rich. Black/brown smoke comes from the tail pipe when accelerating
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Saturday, September 3rd, 2016 AT 11:34 PM
Tiny
WRENCHTECH
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That's a good reason to verify the temp sensors with a scan tool
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Sunday, September 4th, 2016 AT 4:27 AM
Tiny
KEMOY28
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I've changed the sensor
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Wednesday, September 7th, 2016 AT 8:57 AM
Tiny
KEN L
  • MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
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It sounds like it could be a bad injector causing the system to go full on, here is a guide hat will help you

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-test-a-fuel-injector

Let us know what you find
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Wednesday, September 14th, 2016 AT 5:25 PM

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