1993 Ls400 No Spark N No Start

[RandySC400]

My car suddenly stopped running.. Wouldn't do anything.. So the car was parked until I moved back to where the car is... 3 years the car sat. Now with a new battery the car turned over, but nothing. I didn't hear the fuel pump when I turned the key on... So I thought maybe the fuel pump is bad. I bought starter fluid and spayed it into the intake, but nothing. Can anyone give me some advice? The car ran perfect when it was last running, but in the morning it didn't start. I had replaced the plugs, wires and coil packs both top and bottom. Is there a way to check to see if it's either fuel or spark... Could it be a sensor?? Please help I need to get it up and running ASAP. Thank you in advance for the help.

[landar]

It should be easy to pull the main hi-voltage wires on the distributors, hold each close to a ground and crank to see if you get any spark at all. That is where I would start. I would also check to see if you have any codes.

[RandySC400]

Hey thanks for that advice I will pull the wire off of the coil pack and see if there is any spark... Also could the timing belt be bad? I think it was replaced by the previous owner but when I turn the car over it doesn't sound like an engine heavily engaging but then again... My car always started quickly... Is there Anyway to check to see if the timing belt is bad? I'm just trying to brain-storm.

[landar]

Sure, you can check the timing belt. You just need to remove some plastic covers to check. I would not think the timing belt suddenly went bad and I would caution you against such speculations. Keep the thinking simple because, most times, it is a fairly simple issue.

You need to approach this in a logical way. You sprayed starter fluid and got no response from the engine. Now you can check for spark. If no spark, you go down the spark path. If spark, you may have a fuel issue after all, even though you sprayed starter fluid.

So, take it one logical step at a time. You will soon arrive at the root cause.

[RandySC400]

Okay, I will do that tommorow... See if there is any spark, I will post my results. Thank you for the advice.

[RandySC400]

Okay sorry it took long to reply... Just had the car towed to a friends garage tonight... After popping off the cover... The timing belt is snapped in half and shredded! Problem solved... I will buy a belt tommorow and hopefully have it running by Monday. I will be looking up some of the DIY posts tonight.. To see what I'm in for... Any tricks I should know about before I get into it?? Thanks for the advice previously!

[landar]

Okay sorry it took long to reply... Just had the car towed to a friends garage tonight... After popping off the cover... The timing belt is snapped in half and shredded! Problem solved... I will buy a belt tommorow and hopefully have it running by Monday. I will be looking up some of the DIY posts tonight.. To see what I'm in for... Any tricks I should know about before I get into it?? Thanks for the advice previously!

What?! If you put the car away in a running state, then there is no reason for the timing belt to shred except one...a seized water pump. And that is believable if left setting for three years.

[WHOOSH]

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[WHOOSH]

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[WHOOSH]

HI RANDY I GOT A 1991 LS400 IN CT ALSO HERE IS A GOOD WAY TO DO TIMING BELT ATTACHED FILE NO TRICKS STRAIGHT FORWARD JOB. BE CAREFUL AROUND RADIATOR CORE.

I WOULD CHANGE WATER PUMP ALSO

Tools Needed:

• Breaker bar or impact wrench
• Socket wrenches
• Socket extensions
• Angled socket joints
• Torque wrench capable of reading at least 181 ft-lb
• Sockets 8-22mm + 8mm hex socket
• Harmonic balancer pulley remover (this can usually be rented from Autozone or buy one)

Parts Needed:

• Timing belt ~$52
• Water pump ~$155
• No.1 idler pulley ~$98
• No.2 idler pulley ~$62
• Timing belt tensioner ~$40

Optional Parts to Replace:

• Spark plugs
• Spark plug wires
• Thermostat
• Distributors
• Rotors
• Drive belt
• Air filter

1) Drain engine coolant. Follow steps 1-8.

2) Disconnect battery, remove air intake and engine covers. Follow steps 3-15.

3) Remove the 4 nuts to remove the fan.

4) Remove the 4 nuts to remove the fan clutch. Use two wrenches to make removal easier. Put one wrench on a nut to use it for leverage. Use the other wrench on another nut to remove it. Mess around with it and you'll figure it out.

5) Using a 14mm socket, turn the belt tensioner counter-clockwise with one hand and slip the drive belt off with your other hand.

6) Loosen the clamp and then disconnect the coolant hose from the thermostat housing.

7) Remove the radiator. Disconnect the cooling fan motor connector. Then remove this bolt and the one on the other side, disconnect the 2 ATF hoses at the bottom of the radiator, the other radiator hose, and then remove the radiator. Be prepared for some ATF to drain out of the hoses and radiator.

8) Remove the spark plug wires on the distributor caps. If you're going to be replacing your spark plug wires and spark plugs remove all the wires at this point.

9) Remove the drive belt idler pulley.

10) Disconnect the sensors from the two timing belt covers (the plastic pieces covering half of the distributor caps). Remove the 5 10mm and 12mm bolts to remove the RH timing belt cover. You'll need some extensions to get the bolt by the power steering pump. Disconnect the LH ignition coil connector. Then remove the 2 bolts and remove the LH ignition coil. Disconnect the water by-pass pipe and remove it. Finally, remove the bolts on the LH timing belt cover and remove it.

11) Remove the three 8mm bolts and remove the distributor caps.

12) Remove the two 8mm bolts and remove the distributor rotors.

13) Disconnect the crank position sensors from each distributor housing (the metal housing that the distributors bolt to). Then remove the 3 12mm bolts (locations highlighted) to remove each distributor housing.

14) Disconnect the alternator connector and wire. Then remove the 14mm nuts, engine wire bracket, and alternator.

15) Remove the 2 12mm nuts and the drive belt tensioner. Set the crankshaft pulley mark to the 0 as shown in this pic; make sure the marks on your camshaft pulleys line up as well.

16) Remove the two 12mm bolts and timing belt tensioner.

17) Using a 14mm socket, slightly turn the RH camshaft pulley bolt clockwise to loosen the tension on the timing belt. Then remove the timing belt from the camshaft pulleys.

18) Remove the 22mm crankshaft pulley bolt. You will need a breaker bar or impact wrench because it's torqued on at 181 ft-lb.

19) Use the harmonic balancer pulley remover to remove the crankshaft pulley

20) Remove 4 bolts, 2 nuts, and fan bracket.

21) Remove the 4 10mm bolts, timing belt cover, and gasket.

22) Remove the timing belt cover spacer and gasket.

23) Remove the timing belt guide then remove the timing belt.

24) Remove the 14mm bolt and No.2 idler pulley.

25) Using a 8mm hex socket, remove the bolt and No.1 idler pulley.

26) Remove the three bolts and the RH ignition coil.

27) Remove the two bolts, disconnect the water hose, and remove the water inlet housing. You may need to give the water inlet housing a few gentle taps with a soft-headed hammer to loosen it.

28) Remove the 5 12mm bolts (circled in red), one 12mm nut (green highlight), and 2 bolt studs (red highlights). Use a strong screwdriver or pry bar between the water pump and cylinder block to pry it off, be careful not to damage the block. Clean all the old sealant, grease, coolant, and dirt off the cylinder block.

Here's what it will look like with the water pump removed and everything cleaned up.

*** Removal is now complete ***

29) Replace the O-ring on the water by-pass pipe. Apply a little soapy water to the O-ring. The O-ring comes with the water pump.

30) Apply high temperature sealant to the groove on the new water pump. Within 5 minutes of applying the sealant, install the water pump on the cylinder block using equal pressure. Gradually torque the 5 bolts, nut, and two bolt studs to 13 ft-lb (185 kg-cm, 18 Nm).

31) Replace this O-ring on the water inlet housing. Apply a little soapy water to the O-ring. Apply high temperature sealant to the groove on the water inlet housing. Within 5 minutes of applying the sealant, install the water inlet housing. Torque the 2 bolts to 13 ft-lb (185 kg-cm, 18 Nm). Connect the water hoses to the water inlet housing.

32) Install the No. 1 idler pulley. Using a 10mm hex socket, torque the bolt to 25 ft-lb (350 kg-cm, 34 Nm). Check to make sure it moves smoothly. See step 25 to see how it should look, then press backspace to return here.

33) Install the No. 2 idler pulley. Torque the 14mm bolt to 25 ft-lb (350 kg-cm, 34 Nm). Check to make sure it moves smoothly. See step 24 to see how it should look, then press backspace to return here.

34) Install the timing belt. Align the installation mark on the timing belt (white arrow marked "CR") and crankshaft line up as shown in pic. Run the belt over the No. 1 and No. 2 idler pulleys and under the water pump pulley.

35) Install the timing belt guide; see step 23 to see how it should look, then press backspace to return here.

36) Install the timing belt cover spacer; see step 22 to see how it should look, then press backspace to return here.

36) Install the timing belt cover with the 4 bolts; see step 21 to see how it should look, then press backspace to return here.

37) Install the fan bracket, torque the 12mm bolts to 12 ft-lb (160 kg-cm, 16 Nm), torque the other bolts to 22 ft-lb (310 kg-cm, 30 Nm); see step 20 to see how it should look, then press backspace to return here.

38) Install the crankshaft pulley, torque the pulley bolt to 181 ft-lb (2500 kg-cm, 245 Nm); see step 18 to see how it should look, then press backspace to return here.

39) Check to make sure both camshaft pulley bolts are torqued to 80 ft-lb (1100 kg-cm, 108 Nm).

40) Turn the crankshaft pulley so it is aligned with the "0" mark on the timing belt cover; see step 15 to see how it should look, then press backspace to return here.

41) Check to make sure the timing marks on both camshaft timing pulleys line up with the marks on the engine (white marks), then pull on the belt and install it onto the LH camshaft timing pulley. The "L-CAM" line on the timing belt should run right in between the marks. Do the same for the RH side of the belt. See step 17 to see how it should look, then press backspace to return here.

42) Install the timing belt tensionser. Alternately tighten the two 12mm bolts to 20 ft-lb (270 kg-cm, 26 Nm); see step 16 to see how it should look, then press backspace to return here.

43) Important: Check the valve timing. Turn the crankshaft pulley clockwise two full revolutions using a 22mm socket, from TDC to TDC. See step 15 to see how it should align, then press backspace to return here. The mark on each camshaft timing pulley should align with the mark on the engine. If the marks do not align you messed something up, remove the timing belt and reinstall it.

44) Install the drive belt tensionser, torque the two 12mm bolts to 12 ft-lb (180 kg-cm, 18 Nm); seestep 15 to see how it should look, then press backspace to return here.

45) Install the alternator, torque the 14mm bolts to 26 ft-lb (360 kg-cm, 35 Nm) and torque the nut to 27 ft-lb (380 kg-cm, 37 Nm). Connect the alternator connector and wire; see step 14 to see how it should look, then press backspace to return here.

46) Install the RH and LH distributor housings. Each side has 3 bolts, 2 96mm bolts on the outside and one 38mm bolt in the middle, torque the bolts to 13 ft-lb (185 kg-cm, 18 Nm). Connect the crank position sensors; see step 13 to see how it should look, then press backspace to return here.

47) Install the distributor rotors. Align the protrusion of the rotor with the groove of the camshaft timing pulley. Torque the 2 bolts to 34 in-lb (39 kg-cm, 3.8 Nm); see step 12, then press backspace to return here.

48) Install the distributor caps. Each caps has 3 bolts, torque the bolts to 34 in-lb (39 kg-cm, 3.8 Nm). Connect the crank position sensors; see step 11 to see how it should look, then press backspace to return here.

49) Install everything and reconnect everything in step 10 to see how it should look, then press backspace to return here.

50) Install the drive belt idler pulley and torque it to 27 ft-lb (380 kg-cm, 37 Nm) see step 9 to see how it should look, then press backspace to return here.

51) At this point you can work backwards from step 2. Click here for instructions on how to fill the coolant. Also check your ATF level and fill it if necessary. Once you are sure everything is set start the car up and check to make sure it sounds normal. If not.....you'll probably have to redo just about everything....double check everything you do while working!!!

LexLS.com Notes Thanks for the pictures Thuan! Thuan's original tutorial is located here on the Lexus Owners Club (LOC) forum. I added some of my pics and as much information as I could find. This tutorial follows the procedure in the repair manual very closely. If you're going to do this I would still recommend having a repair manual. As you can see, this procedure should only be done by qualified individuals due to the high degree of difficulty. Please do not email me asking for support regarding this tutorial! If you have questions ask on the forum so everyone can benefit.

[RandySC400]

Thank you. Definitely looks easy enough... Got plans to do it this Saturday...

[RandySC400]

Hey guys so I found a "kit" for $255.00 from autozone it comes with:

Timing belt

Timing belt Tentioner

Water pump

No. 1 idler pulley

No. 2 idler pulley

Since I'm on a budget ... I'm going to buy this kit... So my question to you all is what brand should I buy... There is "ASC" or "Dayco"? If anyone has bought one of these kits please, your feedback would greatly be appreciated. Thanks in advance for your comments and suggestions. Randy

[RandySC400]

Okay... So I was reading some older posts before I tackle this timing belt and water pump. I'm reading that I should replace the cam seal and the crank seal...How hard is it to replace these two seals??? Everything will be apart already so I can't imagine it too difficult... Any help would be great... Thanks again guys!

[landar]

Well, difficulty is a subjective thing. For the crank seal, you will need to pull the crank gear off of the crankshaft, then pull the oil seal out and new one in. It helps to have some special tools for this. As for the cam seals, you will need to pull the valve covers and first cam bearing journal, IIRC. None of this is terribly difficult but does take some patience and the proper tools. It is not trivial.

[RandySC400]

Okay... It sounds like more work then I want and can do... I understand it'll be easier to do while it's apart... But I don't think I wanna do it... Thank you for the reply... It really helped me make the choice. Again thank you.

[Jollyczar]

Each of those extra things to do in addition to your timing belt project will domino into additional extra things to do. For example, if you remove the valve covers you will probably want to replace the gaskets, spark plug seals, bolt grommets. Then come replacing various hoses that may crack/ break from age during the removal process... And so on. Not that that may all need to be done anyway but I usually find that I have to restrict myself to one project at a time ( time/ money reasons). I just did my valve cover gaskets and found that my PS pump is leaking. I'm sure that once I pull my PS pump I'll need to pull the alternator also for cleaning.... And so on. My advice is to just do the t belt kit and h2o pump, see if it runs, then maintain the rest as needed.

Just my 2 cents. Good luck!

[RandySC400]

Okay guys it took longer then I thought to get into a garage. I ordered the parts from "Car Part Kings.com". It was a timing belt kit with the belt, water pump, idle pully #1 & #2 and the Tensioner. Anyway the job took me all afternoon and it the morning to get it all buttoned up... My timing marks were on the marks...and still are lined up... I tried to start the car and it wouldn't ever kick over a bit! I checked a the coil packs to see if I'm getting spark and I am... Fuel was the next thing I was going to check... I thought maybe the fuel pump? But the smell of fuel was overwhelming almost smelled like the car was flooded?? A real strong smell of gas...so idk... Do anyon e have an idea of where to go next with the trouble shooting? I'm thinking maybe fouled plugs? I'm also thinking about doing a compression test bc the motor turns over but doesn't sound like it should... I don't know... My car use to always start up with a couple of turns. Anyway my timing belt was destroyed and my idle pully #1 was also destroyed... So the job was needed ... So not a waste of time. So I need some more advice from you guys! Thank you in advance for the advice and support!!

[RandySC400]

Just in case anyone needed it...the timing belt kit I bought was off amazon and it was ordered through "Car Part Kings" the kit itself is "Aisin TKT- 030 Engine Timing Belt Kit w/ Water pump." It came with both Orings for the water pump and the thermostat that I keep reading about that some kits come without...Total cost was $197.25 that was S&H included... Hope this helps!

[landar]

I would check carefully for spark. You say coil packs have spark but did you check at the actual spark plug end? Maybe you inadvertently left the rotors out of the distributors? Go back and verify spark on both sides down to the plugs.

If you have spark at the plugs, check the timing with a strobe light. See if you get a spark at approx. TDC +/- on cylinder #1. Or pull the distributor cap to verify that the rotor is pointed to spark plug #1 on TDC.

If that checks out ok, spray some starter fluid into the throttle body and crank. If that makes the engine sputter then you have a fuel delivery issue.

And finally(or maybe first), go over the timing belt marks with a fine tooth comb and make sure that is all correct. Pull a valve cover and verify that cylinder #1 valves open and close at the right times (all 4 cycles...intake, compression, power, exhaust) as you manually rotate the crankshaft by hand.

BTW, that is a very good price for an Aisin. Almost wonder if it is a Chinese knockoff.

[RandySC400]

Thanks for the advice... I will check tommorow for spark at the plugs... After 15 hours wrenching on it and it not starting... I needed to take a break! Today it snowed so couldn't make it over to the car... As for spraying starter fluid in the intake I tryed that and got absolutely nothing, not even a rubble of hope... I also double checked the timing marks, They're on... But will shoot a timing light after I check the plugs. As for reassembly I had put the distributor rotors in... They only side in one way, so they can't be in upside down...can they? Hmm, I think there is a key that makes it so it can only be put in one way... I'm really thinking that the plugs are shot... If they are fouled then there'd be no combustion... And that would be excess fuel in the cylinder... Hence the strong smell of gas... Not being burned... I will post back tommorow and let you know how I made out... Again thank you for the advice... Hopefully it won't be too much longer until it's running again!! I have some pics that I will download of the belt n idle pully #1.

[RandySC400]

[landar]

Well, Randy, I really do not think you are going to find that the sparks plugs are the culprit. All of them fouled at once..not likely. Verify your ignition and valve timing as mentioned above.

Holy smokes...from those pictures it looks like a squirrel or chipmunk set up house and chewed thru your timing belt? Are all the sensor wires intact? What a mess that was!

[RandySC400]

Landar... I'm finally able to get back over to my car to see what I can do to trouble shoot it... I read above that you said that the rotor is suppose to be pointing up at clyinder #1... At TDC... Since there are two rotors where should the other one be pointing at? I may have installed them 180 degrees out... I will flip the rotors to see if that is it... Please let me know... I just put em on when I reassembled the engine... Thinking there is only 1way to install them...may 1 is 180 out or maybe both are... Please get back to me. Thank you in advance! Randy

[landar]

The protrusion of the rotor is the brass tab and there is a groove on the camshaft pulley. Align the protrusion of the rotor with the groove of the camshaft timing pulley.

At TDC, the LH rotor should be pointing to cylinder #1 which is the front-most, drivers side. The firing order is 1-8-4-3-6-5-7-2 so right after 1 fires, number 8 is up next, which is in the far back on the passenger side. The RH rotor should be pointing to 8 with another quarter CW revolution (45 degree) of the crankshaft. Remember that the crankshaft has to rotate two times for every revolution of the camshafts.

This thread has a diagram which might help -> http://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls400/354217-93-ls400-firing-order.html

[RandySC400]

Ok so I was able to get to the garage yesterday I found that I am getting spark at the end of the plugs... They were wet with gas... But had good spark... So I took off the caps... The rotors only go in one way.. So I lined up the timing belt marks with the marks on the block... Something that confused me was that the lines on the belt... The arrow pointed out away from the block... I will add photos beneath for you to look at. The left cam and right cam I do beleive is right...meaning that the left cam is the drivers side and the right cam is the passenger side... On the crank there were two marks to align so that is almost fool proof... So I'm stuck here... I was told that I can't use a timing gun on my car to shoot the timing?? So how do I know if it's on? Also, when I'm cranking the motor I am not getting even a bit of sputter to start... Just the motor spinning! Any advice would be appreciated... Thank you in advance...