Why Won't She Start

[Damien Adams]

looking for any info possible.

after a MOT failure i have had to do a few thing to my 97 celica and now cannot get her started.

this is a list of whats been replaced

• fitted new fuel tank
• whole new exhaust
• new lambda sensor
• new Battery
• new distributor cap and rotor arm
• new spark plugs, oil, filters.

ive got half a tank of fuel. everything seems connected up and fuels getting to the engine. ive got a spark of all 4 cylinders.

if anyone has any ideas before i call someone out it would be really handy

[crofter]

Hello Damien, welcome to the club

If fuel is reaching the cylinders, you have compression and a spark quite rightly it should run

I am wondering if the spark is coming at the right time in the cycle.

Did you fit the new parts yourself and why a fresh distributor cap and rotor arm as it must have been running for the MOT.

Has the distributor been taken out and replaced 180 degrees out which would cause the spark to be produced at the wrong time i.e. at the end of the exhaust stroke instead of the compression one. Not sure if this can happen on yours though

Maybe also have you been supplied with a incorrect cap as the outside of it may fit on but the contacts placed inside are in different positions, altering the timing

Del

[Damien Adams]

Ithe distributor cap was replaced as I noticed the old one the points had a fair bit of wear After checking if I was getting a spark and noticed 2 cylinders were not. After the replacement all 4 sparking again. The distributor is the exact same one as the old one and only fits one way. The mot was October and had a long list of problems but the only one that was effecting the engine side of things was the fuel tank leaking. So the fuel tank got changed out and been trying to find the fault since by ruling out other options

[crofter]

As i said Damien the engine was running so I am wondering if two of the HT leads were not making contact when you found the plugs that were not working and replacing the cap meant that when you pushed in the leads when replacing cured that.

Cannot understand what you meant by the points were worn as the rotor arm does not touch them as it goes around.

I would be inclined to refit the old cap and try that,you have nothing to lose