Car Not Starting After Headgasket Options

[1994whitecelicag...]

Hi guys! So I've replaced my head gasket on my 5SFE. But after putting my car back together, my car didn't want start. This is how it sounds like (click on the video to watch it).



So I suspected that my timing was off, so I took off the valve cover to check the timing marks on the camshafts. So the timing mark lined up like so



Though I'm not too sure what the two dots mean on the exhaust camshaft since there are not two similar dots on the intake camshaft.



So I'll assume that I have my camshafts lined up properly But how do I know that it is in time with the pistons?

Does anyone have some insight? Could it be the distributor? I am not too sure if I installed it correctly, but I did follow instructions in the Chilton manual.

On the other end, there were two vacuum lines that I'm not sure if I installed correctly. I'm positive that the left two pipes are correct; however, I'm not too sure about the two on the right. This is mounted on the cylinder head.




Keep in mind that I haven't started the car in a little over 2 months. So could something have gone wrong for the time its been sitting outside?


Thanks everyone in advance.

Sincerely,
lost, hopeless amateur

This post has been edited by 1994whitecelicagt: Dec 29, 2013 - 10:51 PM

[Smaay]

you didnt take the cams out right? as long as you didnt remove the cams, they should still be in time with each other.

did you set the cam up with the mark on the belt cover? there is a small hole in the cam gear that you line up with a (what looks like a dent) marker on the metal timing cover behind the gear. then you line up the crankshaft with TDC. once those are set put the belt on and tighten it up.

[1994whitecelicag...]

you didnt take the cams out right? as long as you didnt remove the cams, they should still be in time with each other.

did you set the cam up with the mark on the belt cover? there is a small hole in the cam gear that you line up with a (what looks like a dent) marker on the metal timing cover behind the gear. then you line up the crankshaft with TDC. once those are set put the belt on and tighten it up.

Well the cams came out because I took the cylinder head to a machine shop. So I was hoping I installed the camshafts properly.

[Smaay]

did you put the service bolt through the cam gear to keep it straight? if not, look at both sides of the cam gears and see if the single dot and double dots line up.

[Bitter]

did you put the service bolt through the cam gear to keep it straight? if not, look at both sides of the cam gears and see if the single dot and double dots line up.

If he had, wouldn't we be able to see through this threaded hole?



Also he's asking how to time the cams to the crank so who knows if he even had #1 at TDC?

[1994whitecelicag...]

Hey guys, I did put a bolt in the exhaust cam before i took the cams off. I didn't take the bolt off until I reinstalled the cam. It's just that the photo seems to be at a weird angle.



I'm pretty sure my cams are in time with the crankshaft. But I discovered a couple of days ago that I wasn't getting spark. (I forgot to check just thinking it was my timing) I checked the resistance on the ignition coil and it seems to be fine. Then I took in the ignition control module to a parts store which they also tested to be fine.

So what else could be wrong? The car sat outside for about 3 months without being started. The crankshaft position sensor?

After double checking everything, I noticed that a prong must have broken off on this thing near the a/c. Could this one prong be messing me up?



94 celica gt california

Thanks guys for the input!

This post has been edited by 1994whitecelicagt: Jan 1, 2014 - 10:34 PM

[Smaay]

thats for the AC, it wont prevent the car from running

[1994whitecelicag...]

Does my car come with a crank sensor? If so, where can I find it? The manual says its supposed to be right next to the crank pulley. However, its no where to be found. I spent a good 2 hours trying to find it....

This post has been edited by 1994whitecelicagt: Jan 2, 2014 - 3:00 AM

[Bitter]

94 I'm pretty sure only has a cam position sensor inside the distributor.

[1994whitecelicag...]

94 I'm pretty sure only has a cam position sensor inside the distributor.

So would a bad distributor or bad cam sensor cause a no spark even if I'm using a spark tester between the coil and ground? In other words, does the distributor have feedback to the ignition system? Thanks.

This post has been edited by 1994whitecelicagt: Jan 2, 2014 - 9:40 PM

[Bitter]

The cam sensor is what tells the coil when to spark and the injectors when to squirt, so no cam signal no spark and no fuel. Do you have fuel on the spark plugs after cranking?

[1994whitecelicag...]

The cam sensor is what tells the coil when to spark and the injectors when to squirt, so no cam signal no spark and no fuel. Do you have fuel on the spark plugs after cranking?

So now I'm down to a really weird problem. I already have a new distributor, ignition coil , and ignition control module. I've already checked all the fuses and all the relays click when I test it with a 9v battery. The 2 grounding straps are connected (one on tranny and one on the engine). Still no spark out of the ignition coil. I also used a grounded test light to check the positive terminal going into the coil and it went on. So what am I missing?!??

This post has been edited by 1994whitecelicagt: Jan 4, 2014 - 2:10 AM

[Bitter]

Positive isn't what's switched at the coil, the negative is what's toggled to turn it on/off to create the spark. You need to see the coil ground toggling. Same at the injectors, one wire is power and one wire is toggling ground.

[1994whitecelicag...]

Positive isn't what's switched at the coil, the negative is what's toggled to turn it on/off to create the spark. You need to see the coil ground toggling. Same at the injectors, one wire is power and one wire is toggling ground.

Thanks for the info! I also discovered a really weird issue, there is a check engine light that stays on even after the key is pulled out... So for today, I'm going to take the car back apart see if I missed anything.....

[stephen_lee]

check all grounds, maybe one wasnt connected. what comes to mind if the one behind the intake manifold

[Smaay]

i had a similar thing happen to me in Amys car yesterday, it was running then all of a sudden shut off. when i tried to crank it o got nothing. when i took the key out the CEL came on and the temp gauge went to max hot.

I disconnected the ECU and used my 97 ECU and everything worked fine. drove around on that ECU for an hour, then i plugged her 99 ECU back in, everythign worked just fine.

Try unplugging the ECU for a while, long while. then plug it back in and give it a try

[1994whitecelicag...]

i had a similar thing happen to me in Amys car yesterday, it was running then all of a sudden shut off. when i tried to crank it o got nothing. when i took the key out the CEL came on and the temp gauge went to max hot.

I disconnected the ECU and used my 97 ECU and everything worked fine. drove around on that ECU for an hour, then i plugged her 99 ECU back in, everythign worked just fine.

Try unplugging the ECU for a while, long while. then plug it back in and give it a try

That is exactly what happens to my car! When I take out the key, the CEL comes on and then the temp goes to max and the fan kicks in. I'll try that, thank you very much!

check all grounds, maybe one wasnt connected. what comes to mind if the one behind the intake manifold

Wait.. I thought there were only 2 grounds?! One on the transmission and one near the engine hook..

This post has been edited by 1994whitecelicagt: Jan 6, 2014 - 4:22 PM

[Special_Edy]

I rebuilt the headgasket on my 94 GT when I was new to toyotas, and forgot to connect the ground strap to the back of the intake manifold. It's two little wires that come out of the injector harness and bolt to the back of the intake manifold next to the support bar.The way you can tell you forgot is that the 'Check Engine' light doesnt illuminate with all the other warning lights when the ignition is turned ON position. No power to the ECU so the starter will crank all day without the engine firing.

[1994whitecelicag...]

So I haven't been able to work on my car or check this forum since school started.

Okay, so to update, the car still isn't sparking. I've tried unplugging the ECU for about 5 hours and then plugging it back in , but still no luck.

I was hoping that would fix it since my temp gauge would go to max hot, the radiator fan would kick in, and the CEL would come on after trying to cranking it just like Smaay described.

But my car shows the symptom that Special_Edy is describing. When the ignition is on the ON position, the CEL doess not illuminate. I will be checking for the ground today. I've got my fingers crossed though....

This post has been edited by 1994whitecelicagt: Jan 11, 2014 - 3:58 PM

[1994whitecelicag...]

I rebuilt the headgasket on my 94 GT when I was new to toyotas, and forgot to connect the ground strap to the back of the intake manifold. It's two little wires that come out of the injector harness and bolt to the back of the intake manifold next to the support bar.The way you can tell you forgot is that the 'Check Engine' light doesnt illuminate with all the other warning lights when the ignition is turned ON position. No power to the ECU so the starter will crank all day without the engine firing.

So I still haven't gotten the car to run.... I haven't been able to find that ground wire you guys have been talking about. Is there any chance that you have a picture of the ground that your talking about? Thanks.