Problem

[sj190]

hallo

not been on a while since i sold my very old toyo, driving something different now ,but toyota's are still in the family

im here tonight to seek some help,grannies car is up the spout and i cant suss it

started to not start or would start then cut out , starts ,drives ,cuts out wont start now it wont start at all . done the obvious , baffled

95 carina 2 litre

all ideas appreciated

sj

[sj190]

just received some more info

the car wont start on the key even with jump leads ,but started on a tow and drove 60 miles and started asit should and drove back . started and drove to town and would not start even on jump leads ,the garage are baffled too

[garethpaul]

when you say not starting - does the engine turn over when you turn the key, but just doesn't fire?

If this, then it could be leads, plugs, distributor cap, rotor arm, fuel pump, etc.

Or does it not turn over at all - maybe you just get a click?

If this, then probably dodgy starter - in particular dirty/worn starter contacts which are a relatively easy and cheap fix if you are handy with a spanner.

p.s. is this car an auto? How did you start it on a tow - didn't think you could do that with an auto.

[sj190]

manual car , started easy on the tow , then its fine to drive stop and it wont start .it is gran s car and women drive it ( like talking to a child,dont know) other times its ok ,

im going over today ,so i,ll see

[sj190]

just ot some more info from te ladies. apparently the car just died garage have plugged it in ,no use. no spark the garage think ecu

also said it may be computer indizzy LOL

it has been playing about ie not liking being restated if operating temp has not been reached (temp sensor ?) also i thought not enough volts to run the engine and ecu if the alternator is not putting out 14 v

i dont think its serious ,just cant get a pointer as to what it may be

[sj190]

well the garage have said there going to replace the distributor ,cant see the point (not my call) no spark means distributor is not getting power

is there a fuse ,relay or ignition amplifier coil pack

we had trouble similar to this on my kids golf .if i removed the wire multi plug from the sender ,it started and was the coil pack shutting down the pump

is it possible i have the same problem

[sj190]

just had a thought ,could it be the immobiliser , and if so would the engine turn over and /or would the dash lights come on

[garethpaul]

if it is intermittent, then it is unlikely to be a fuse unless it has dirty contacts.

If it was me, before changing the distributor I would change the distributor cap and rotor arm and check the ignition leads for proper resistance - why change the one of the most expensive parts first? If you have no record of these being changed before, then it is a good idea to do them.

There is a coil mounted to the distributor which can be checked for proper operation using a multimeter - this is detailed in the Haynes manual. I believe the igniter is also mounted inside the distributor and can be similarly checked with a multimeter.

I'm not at home at the mo, so cannot give specific info, however I guess there will be general info on how to test these on the internet somewhere.

I'm not sure if the 95 carina would have a factory fit immobiliser - I think they generally started to be installed as standard from late 96 onwards.

One way to tell is by the keys - are the heads skinny or fat? If they still have spare keys do they have black and grey ones?

Are you aware if they have an aftermarket one?

Early Toyota factory immobilisers will allow the dash to appear as normal and also the engine to start as normal, but it would only run for a few seconds before cutting out.

[sj190]

many thanks gareth

sj

[sj190]

well thanks for the input people, but i was told to leave well alone the garage would sort it

a while later gran had a wobble and scrapped the car and bought an 04 nissan

so that was me told

[sj190]

well the wife came home from gran tonight , says i can have the car scap price mot included . so if i cant get it running without great expense i may just eBay it for spares , dont know the milage just that until now its never gone wrong

am going to do a multimeter test and check if it has immobilizer and go from there

[sj190]

sorry if this post is repeated

wife came home from grans tonight , i can have the car scrap value inc mot ,will do a multimeter test to see whats what and go from there if i cant get it running at no great expense if not then i may well eBay it for parts . never gone wrong before this and has always been garage maintained

so wish me luck or buy some spares ha!

[petroleum]

has it been parked down your grans driveway for a long time not going any where, cause it could be stale petrol!!?

[sj190]

has gone for recycle