Car stalled out on me

[mrmora]

Hello,

I am not a mechanic by no means, but I've been trying to figure out what's going on with my car. I was driving it the other day, and when I came to a stop the car stalled on me. I put it in park, turned it off and tried to start it, but to no luck. The gauges work and come on when I attempt to start it. It sounds like it wants to run, but it just isn't getting any fuel it seems.

I replaced the fuel filter and fuel pump today. I disconnected the hoses that connect to the top of the fuel pump. I turned the car on, but no fuel was coming out of those lines. Since the car isn't running, I'm not sure if fuel would be able to get through those lines.

I was going to upload a picture of my carburetor, but it's not letting me. So, if you're facing the carb from the front the of the vehicle, and are looking inside the carb, there are two circular lid things. When I pull the throttle, the left lid (facing the front of the car) will open, but the right one won't. When I pull the throttle, the right one looks like it wants to move, but doesn't. Are both supposed to open, or is one supposed to open, and then the second one later on? Like I said, I'm not a mechanic, so I have clue.

My other question is, would a a starter cause problems like this? What about timing belt?

Any advice would be awesome!

[irowiki]

SR5 or DLX?

If SR5, does the tach go up while cranking?

You can take the top two screws out and easily check the timing belt.

[Petros]

If the engine cranks but will not start it is not likely the starter. disconnecting the lines off the top of the fuel pump does nothing, one is the supply line the other is the excess fuel return line. You would pull the outlet line (the one going to the carb) to see if it pumps fuel. I think you are referring to either the choke or the throttle plates in the carb, yes the one on your left (when standing in front of the car) is the primary and will open with the throttle cable, the other is vacuum operated will only open when it is running and when at high load/wide open throttle. this is normal, do not worry about those, that will not prevent it from running anyway.

Two reasons it will not run: no spark (or no spark at the right time), and/or no fuel supply. first thing you always do, presuming it has fuel in the tank, when it stops like this is pull a spark plug wire and hold the end near a metal part of the engine and have someone crank it for about 5 seconds. You should get a strong bluish white spark going "snap, snap, snap!" if it is weak or yellowish, you may need to service the ignition system, if there is no spark it could be timing belt, or something bad in the distributor.

A broken timing belt can cause this, if no spark take the cap off the distributor and have someone crank it briefly to see if the rotor turns. If it does not turn when cranked, it likely the timing belt is broken. if the rotor turns, and you have no spark the problem is somewhere else in the ignition system. If it turns and you have spark it is likely the fuel supply, so put the distributor cap and the wires all back on.

A couple of quick fuel supply check are to clean off and look at the window on the side of the carburetor that faces the front of the car. If you can see a fuel level in this small glass window, than it is getting fuel. if not try pouring a little fuel (like 2 or3 oz) fuel down the carb throat, or spray some starter fluid down the carb (not too much), than crank it. if it starts and runs than dies, it is fuel supply problem.

BTW, it is not a good idea to randomly replace parts to try and solve a problem, you will run out of money this way and may not fix the problem. Always diagnose the problem first, and THAN fix it! we are here to help!

[mrmora]

@Irowiki: it's a DLX.

@Petros: I didn't "randomly" go out and buy parts, I just said I replaced them. I do keep spares if such things break down
I suppose I should have clarified that. I just sprayed starter fluid down the carb throat, but no luck. I'm going to have a go at the plugs when I have someone to assist me.

[mrmora]

Thanks for the replies guys!

I recruited my wife to help me with turning the car on while I check the spark plug wire and the rotor. Well Petros, you are right, no spin of the rotor, nor is there a strong blue spark, let alone a spark at all.

Well the good thing is the timing belt is only 12 bucks at Autozone, the bad thing is that I have no idea how to replace one. I can imagine a mechanic would charge an arm and a leg to replace it (I wouldn't take the Tercel to a mechanic anyway).

I appreciate all of your advice.... now just wish me luck as I try to figure out how to deal with this timing belt.

[Petros]

fortuatnly with the Tercel, a broken timing belt usually does not cause any other damage, and it is not too bad a job to replace it with normal hand tools. It is not too bad a job to do yourself, repair shops lie and charge you way too many hours to do this job.

first verify it was the belt by removing the fan belts and the pulley off the water pump, this allows you to remove all of the 10mm bolts that holds the black plastic front timing cover in place. get it off and inspect the timing belt. if the timing belt is good than it could be a broken distributor drive shaft, though this is pretty rare, likely you have a broken timing belt.

if indeed the belt is broken, you drain and remove the radiator, and than remove the big bolt in the center of the front pulley. this could be a bear to remove since you have to hold the crank from moving while you crank it. I like putting a soft cord down the number one cylinder through the spark plug hole to stop it from turning. I put a big breaker bar on the front nut with a "cheater" pipe over the handle to give me more leverage and break the front bolt loose. do not attempt this with a ratchet wrench, if you do not have a large 1/2" drive breaker bar buy one or rent one from Autozone.

once the front bolt is off you need to break the front pulley free (without damaging it) and slip it off. You can rent a puller for this but I have not found it is necessary in most cases. I use a large soft (rubber) hammer and thump it back and fourth as best as I can swing at it, pulling it off by hand by wiggling it back and forth. do not put a large screw driver behind it and lever it off, you could damage the oil pump right behind the pulley.

once the pulley is off everything else is easy, just follow the directions and get the timing marks lined up. If the front bolt and pulley do not give you any trouble the whole job might take about 2-3 hours.

While the front pulley is off you might consider putting in a new front main seal, they are not costly and it is a simple task to make sure this front seal stays good for a long time to come.

good luck.

[Gottolovem]

One more thing to add when you are checking for spark in the future keep your hands away from the wire and plug. Perhaps this is obvious but if you are unaware of this the strong blue white spark will be snapping between the dental work in your mouth

[Petros]

yes, I never mention that aspect of checking for spark. I figure either they already know about it, or they should get their "initiation" if not. Than they will have a more intimate understanding of their ignition system.

[Gottolovem]

TAHAHAHA