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Okay, I'm chiming in. I have a 1990 Toyota Corolla and until last month, it went everywhere. Until it decided not to start when I turned the key. Plenty of battery, just didn't want to run. Had two little girls with me, and had to call Triple AAA to get towed. Turns out it was a fuse. Yes, a 15 amp. fuse under the hood, that powers the fuel pump. They replaced the fuse and all was fine for about three weeks. Then the same thing happened. Replaced the fuse and it was good for about three days. It is now in the garage at my house and I am looking for a replacement car.
Silly as it may sound, it might be worth checking. Good luck.
Your fuel pump is going and drawing too much power, or corrosion somewhere is causing a short-circuit. That shouldn't be too hard for someone with some experience to diagnose and fix, but since you cart around young'uns, I can't recommend ditching that car soon enough, preferably for something from this millennium. They're just soooo much safer if there's an accident. Please, do it for 'da shorties!
Pull the distributor cap and have someone turn the motor over with the ignition switch while you watch the distributor rotor that is under the distributor cap. If the rotor is turning (or even barely turning) while the motor is cranking over, the timing belt is not broken. If the rotor is NOT turning, there are two possibilities. (1) The timing belt has broken or (2) the pin at the bottom of the distributor shaft that holds the gear to the shaft may have sheared. To check the pin, stop cranking and grab the rotor with your hand and see if you can turn it. If the rotor turns freely with your hand, the distributor will need replacing because the gear pin is likely sheared.
I'm working this distributor problem now on a 2003 Nissan Frontier with a V6. I bought an aftermarket distributor for about $150 to replace my sheared gear pin but I now have a fuel distribution problem as well.
Be aware that my rotor was "slightly" turning when the engine was being cranked even with the sheared gear pin. The gear at the end of the distributor fits snugly on the shaft and, with the cool thick oil, the gear was able to rotate just a little with the shaft as the motor was cranked. However, the gear is not so snug on the shaft that you can't easily turn the rotor by hand if the pin is sheared. In short, if the distributor gear-to-cam gear connection is still intact, you will not be able to turn the rotor with your hand.
BTW, The reason the tire place is saying your engine needs replacing is because, if that is the V6, it is an "interference" engine. When the timing chain breaks, it's possible for the valves stems to be bent when the valves meet the upcoming pistons. Sounds like a big assumptions on the part of the tire shop because it sounds like they are only assuming the timing belt broke and secondly they HAVE to be assuming you have bent valves without taking the engine down. There is not always engine damage when a timing belt breaks in an interference engine.
Last edited by High_Plains_Retired; 09-01-2013 at 04:27 PM..
A timing belt or chain that snaps on cold startup probably does not do any other harm to the engiine, and just needs to be replaced. The engine was not running when it broke. Tell a c ompetent mechanic that at an independent garage, and see what they say. But mention that the engine stalled a couple of times in the days prior to the non-start.
But you never did tell us how many miles on the Altima? That is important to know and did you keep up with regular oil changes?
One last attempt - figured if spark plugs weren't getting power then distributor maybe kaput and replaced it but still engine doesn't crank however I know the starter is fine.
The 4 cylinder Altima has about 220K miles on it and I would take it to a shop religiously to change oil every 3500 miles and over the past several years have changed numerous parts like alternator, oxygen sensor, put in a new battery 2 years ago etc.
I don't think it's the timing belt as I see the belt attached to the alternator turns when I start the ignition.
It can be numerous other things and am at a point where I don't want to put any more money into the Altima.
On another note, I cleaned the spark plugs - should I try to replace 1 or 2 of them to see if the engine will crank up?
Thanks. I didn't make that connection before but only after the starter was replaced.
Anyway, took the car to Tires Plus and the beginning didn't go well.
Initially was told vehicle diagnosis was $14.99 so I figure even with towing it's worthwhile and now they charged me $89.99 saying engine diagnosis is different than vehicle diagnosis.
Short story - the mechanic said the timing chain is broken and we need to replace the engine and gave me a quote for $2500 and am really really reluctant to pay $2500 for a car that's worth $1500...
Question: If it's timing chain then should any belt or pulley turn when I look in the engine compartment?
First of all, get it away from Tires Plus. Those people are NOT who you want to touch your vehicle for anything, ever.
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You folks need to appreciate the knowledge Garagelogic has and shares free of charge with you.I believe he knows more than I do.
