99 Camry - New Timing Belt, No Start
 

1. Engine [4 cylinder] developed a tapping sound and still was able to crank up and drive.
2. Removed the timing cover, and the belt was loose after 265k miles on the original belt. [oil everywhere from the cam seal, figuring it jumped some teeth]
3. Lined up the crankshaft and cam pullies [the cam gear had to be turned counter-clockwise about 10 teeth to line up after the belt was removed]
4. Installed a new camshaft seal and timing belt. Turned the crank two revolutions, and the cam and crank sprockets were still in alignment, so I went ahead and tightened the tensioner pulley bolt to 31lbs.
5. No start.
6. Installed a new crankshaft sensor since my mother said the engine would stall on her and the timing belt wasn't doing the trick.
7. No start, it just cranks over.

I'm wondering what opinions anyone has on this? I'm about to tear into this thing for the third time. I'm wondering if it is possible this engine kept running after multiple times of belt slippage, like so much that the crankshaft turned an extra revolution and therefor when I had the crank and cam aligned, the #1 cylinder was not TDC? [being it takes two crank revolutions to complete a cam gear sprocket to turn one full revolution]

don't loose hope, it will run... btw, where did you get that??? Did you bought from used car dealers?

My mother bought it brand new from the dealership. I've checked every connection and ground. I'm about to check the spark, which I don't think has anything to do with this because it was running before I tore it apart. If it's the crankshaft in the wrong stroke, I don't understand how it would not start when this thing has been running all out of time.

I also know how I had removed the alternator power without disconnecting the battery and it touched the exhaust manifold, creating a small spark before I removed the wire. I checked the fuses and they were all good. Maybe there's a Camry guru who would know if this would cause any little problem? I'm a Taurus SHO guru, so this vehicle I don't know like the back of my hand but I can tear this engine apart and work on it no problem. lol

Check the basics, ign system spark and fuel getting to the cylinders.

If OK suggest you recheck cam/crank alignment.

Make sure the engine starts and runs OK before buttoning up the timing cover.

Right on, Joey. I checked for spark and it was there, so I dove back in the timing area and it was not TDC when the cam and crankshaft were lined up in their marks. I removed the belt and turned the camshaft clockwise to the correct position, then put the timing belt back on. I hooked up the front ground strap, plugged the rear ground strap back up, connected the alternator plug and wire, and attempted to fire her back up. It's still not starting!

I have a question, when the camshaft sensor fails on these engines, does it cause a no start situation? I know I blasted the oil out of the timing belt area with B12 and am starting to wonder if the spray damaged the sensor? Other than that, I am lost for the moment. I have spark and fuel, and the engine is correctly timed now.

After resetting the cam/crank pulley alignment did you turn the crank 2 times CW and recheck? Have to ask, do have the correct procedure for setting this?

Use an ohm meter to check the resistance of the cam sensor. Should be as follows:

835-1400 ohm cold
1060-1645 ohm hot

Make sure the ohm reading is stable and not increasing or decreasing the longer you run the ohm check test.

If there is spark these is nothing to test for the ign system.

Might check the plugs for condition and signs of fuel. When the plugs are removed crank the engine over and check for signs of gas in the cylinders indicting fuel is being injected.

Check for a hot spark with the plug installed in the ign wire socket.

If these is a good spark on all cylinders and the engine is getting fuel and ran before the belt was replaced would again go back to the cam/crank timing.

It's very possible to line everything up, release the tensioner then after rotating the engine two times find the timing off by one tooth.

Make sure the engine crank pulley is at TDC when the No 1 piston at the top of the compression stroke and the hole in the cam pulley spoke centered with the notch in the top of the cam bearing cap.

Yes, I have the procedure and turned the crankshaft twice and it was in alignment. I even checked again after a few attempts to crank up the engine, and they were still in alignment.

Thank you for this information. I'm going to go out and pick me up an ohm meter and have this checked, as well as the injectors. I'm pretty sure it gets fuel with the strong smell, but that's not a sure indictation by any means.

There's one thing I did notice, there seems to be two independant coil packs and I only tested for spark on the number one cylinder. I will be checking each cylinder once the sun goes down, now that you bring that up. I had the spark plug installed on the wire, sitting on the exhaust manifold when I tested for spark and plan to do the rest like that to make sure the plugs are firing, as well.

I have a question about this notch the cam pulley is suppose to align with. In my manual, it says to align the hole with the indention right behind the cam sprocket hole exactly. It's like an indention that is made with a center punch at the 9 o'clock position from level ground. On the other hand, there is this other groove right above that around the 10-11 o'clock position. I've been lining the cam up with the 9 o'clock indention. If I'm doing this wrong, please let me know.

When the cam pulley is the correct position, the spoke of the cam pulley will be positioned upright. The hole in this spoke will also at its highest point in its arc (high as in the car roof is high and wheels are low) as the pulley rotates around.

Look behind the cam pulley (side facing engine) where the camshaft goes into the first bearing mount of the cyl head. These mounts are what hold the cam in place and provide the required bearing surfaces.

On the upper portion of the cam bearing mount that faces toward the inside of the pulley (pulley side that faces the engine) there should be a notch, grove, etc. This mark would be exactly centered between the camshaft diameter.

Meaning the cam shaft is xx diameter, the notch is centered between this.

When the cam pulley is in correct alignment, the spoke with the hole in the center will up as noted above. You will be able to look through the hole in the cam spoke pulley from the side facing the fender and looking toward the engine, to see the above notch right in center of the hole.

The ign system uses 2 coils. The ign wires are routed such the 1 coil fires 2 plugs. One piston fired is at TDC compression the other is not and this spark is "wasted."

With your ohm meter check the resistance between the two high voltage terminals on a coil. Should be:

9.7-16.7K ohm cold
12.4-19.6K ohm hot

Thank you, Joey.

I have the car running now, I was using the wrong mark for the camshaft timing. I found a picture earlier today on a forum which you posted in there, as well. The guy was having the same question, we were using the wrong mark about 45 degrees CCW from the correct timing mark. I also had to turn my crankshaft once more from the last time I turned it 360 degrees to put it back in the right stroke.

Thanks, once again. I will keep the ohm readings saved for when needed, as I know this car will not be sold. The ohm meter I purchased today was bad from the box, I'm never going to buy electronics from Harbor Freight again.

Great!

Harbor Freight is hit or miss.