TACOMA CANNOT START THE ENGINE

Hello everyone,

I just bought a not running 98 Tacoma V6 4x4 with Automatic Transmission couple days ago. The body and paint are good and it's lifted to 3 or 4 Inches high. I plan to use it for offroad. The previous owner told me that the problem was the starter. Everytime I tested or turned on the engine, I saw everything inside on the odometer turned normal and I heard a little sound like clik, then nothing else. It's not crank. I trusted him because he used a socket to turn the engine to make sure the Timing Belt is not broken and the engine turned fine too, so I bought it, then I paid a towing to tow it to my driveway.

Yesterday, I bought a used starter (tested and it worked fine before I bought it) at Jundyard to replaced the starter, but I still could not start the engine either. Then I replaced a new battery but it's still not doing anything or not crank either. Everytime I tried to start the engine, I saw and heard everything shows and a sound clik exactly the same as I saw and heard before. It's not crank either. My cousin used his Scanner or Code Reader to scan and it shows P0120 which is the Throttle Position Sensor. I have not do anythign with this code yet.

Here are what I found out now:
1. One of the cables in the Fuse Box Diagram at the front, beside the engine, is cut off.
2. The cables that on the driver's side or under the steering wheel that close to the driver's knee or feet are pulled and messed up.

Do you think the problem is the Throttle Position Sensor which is the code P0120 as I stated above? Please tell me clearly what's wrong with it if you know or have any idea.

 

Probably an aftermarket alarm or remote start system had been ripped out. Usually those are installed shoddily.

Got a multimeter or test light? Are you getting power to the starter?

 

Hate to be the one to ask the simple things but have you checked the battery? If its dead, low or has a lose ground all of those can make the starter fail to engage.

 

Personally, if I was selling a vehicle and it was just the starter, I'd replace the starter... So it ran... But what's said is done.

Like stated above, is the starter getting power? If it's a MT have a buddy pull the throttle cable as you try and crank it? Don't have much info on what's going on here when you turn the key, if anything?

You can always pull a redneck and pull the spark plugs and poor gas in

 

As I said above, I already replaced a new battery, but it does not doing anything either. I know now that the previous owner lied to me. About the starter, I have not test it yet because I don't have the multimeter and I don't know how to test it. I have not pull a redneck and pull the spark plugs and poor gas in yet.

Do you think the ECU would cause that kind of problem too? Do you have any idea about it?

 

Old Toyota trucks can have some weird electrical gremlins.. Guy in the OR club in in is having to sell his '99 SAS'd cause his alternator isn't getting power after replacing EVERYTHING (alternator, battery, ect)..

Interested to see what you find. Does O'Rileys rent out multimeters? That's probably a good place to start.

 

I'll check with O'Riley about the Multimeter. Can you tell me how to test it if you don't mind?

 

Let me mention this in case you miss read my above information. I asked the previous owner to test the Timing Belt to see if the engine still turned and he used a socket to turn the engine and the engine turned fine too before I bought it.

 

The engine turning when someone is turning the harmonic balancer does not prove that the T-Belt is not broken. The only way to tell is turning the engine with the socket and seeing if the valves move, and that requires the valve cover to be off. The only thing that would be turning is the pistons and crank. As for the starter, look for a rusted ground.

 

I don't know much about car and truck but two of my brother in laws who are mechanics told me that as long as the engine and the belts can turned by using a socket, it means the timing belt is still good. So I just talk as I was told only.

Are you talking about the ground cable at the battery or which one? Please more specify because I'm not a mechanic and dump too.

 

Before you rip that motor open to check timing belt, explore the cable you mentioned that is cut. You should be able to determine what that cable is for on the fuse block diagram. Post pics of the cut cable and fuse block for folks to see.

 

I don't know what that cable goes to, but I'll check and track it.

I'll post pictures as soon as I'm home. It'll be about two weeks from now.

 

There are many grounds on a 3.4, sometimes when they are loose and corroded stranger things have happened. Even a corroded ground from the battery can cause weird things. Look at all of them. The other question goes to the mechanics, were they talking about "your" engine specifically? The 3.4 is a non-interference engine, so if the T-Belt breaks when driving, the pistons do not slap the valves.

 

I don't know where the other ground cables are located, but I already replaced the ground cable on the battery and cleaned the battery corrosion cable connections on both the negative and positive ones. About the T-Belt breaking when driving, I never had any problem before so I don't know anything about the pistons and the valves at all.

Can you tell or explain more about what happen to the T-Belt when it breaks while driving or running on the road if you don't mind? Does the ECU have anything to do with that problem?

 

difference between interference and non-interference engine

http://triblive.com/business/headlines/6467576-74/belt-engine-interference

The 3.4 is a non-interference engine. The valve train and cams are driven by the timing belt. The ECU retards or advances the timing according to the signals sent to the ECU.

 

>>Can you tell or explain more about what happen to the T-Belt when it breaks while driving or running on the road if you don't mind? Does the ECU have anything to do with that problem?<<

When the timing belt on a V6 breaks, it will usually roll up somewhere behind the timing belt cover. The crank will slow to a stop and the camshafts will stop turning almost immediately. This does not hurt your engine's pistons or valves because when the valves are wide open there is still clearance between them and the tops of the pistons.

The ECU has nothing to do with the integrity of the timing belt.

 

Thank you so much for providing the Interference and Non-Interference Engine information to me. I really appreciate it.

Again, I'm not a mechanic and I could be wrong, but I think that the problem of my truck is not the T-Belt. It must be the electrical problem somewhere.

 

I understand you well, but please answer my following questions if possible:

1. If the T-Belt breaks, does the engine still turned by using a socket and crank when turning-on with a key?

2. Does the ECU have anything do with the starting of the engine?

3. Where is the ECU located?

 

1. Yes the crankshaft can still be turned using a ratchet wrench or by using the key to start the engine. It'll probably spin a lot faster though.

2. I imagine the ECU has something to do with starting the engine, but it has no effect on the timing belt.

3. In my 1998 the ECU is mounted behind the kick panel on the passenger side of the truck.

 

Ok, I'll check the ECU then.

That means the engine still crank, but all of the belts just don't turn right if the T-Belt is breaking?