Troubleshooting help (spark plugs)

Troubleshooting help (spark plugs)

My car has been having back firing problems for a while now so today we bought some spark plugs (NGK Pro series($2.99)(?) I told the guy it was for a 99 corolla, so we assumed they were pre-gapped so we put them in and started it up, it turned on and ran really bad so we turned it off, and gapped them to the size the previous spark plugs were (pulstar) and once again the car started but ran really bad, we turned it off and googled the proper gap size and found it to be 0.044 (?) this time the car would not turn on at all, it just hesitated the whole time, so we tried to put back in my old plugs but they were damaged so we put in my buddys old plugs (99 civic) and yet again the car only hesitates to start but does not. My buddy told me hes almost certain its the plug wires because they have never been changed and from moving them around we coulda damaged them, could it be anything else?

Thanks guys, would really like to get my car back its at my friends apartment at the moment, had to roll it into a parking spot. PARALLEL PARK FTW!

might be the wires but if it was then only the broken wires pistons would not be working so like three or two cylinders would still be running.. now i think that it might be the spark plugs or it could be that you broke something while taking them out.. check to make sure that the wires are all connected and try again..

Yeah i think so too, i think it might be a fuse some where, but ill check it out tomorrow.

Hayne's says the gap is .043. If the car isn't turning on maybe it was the starter? Or fuel pump? I thought I was having back firing issues, replaced plugs/wires only to find out I need a new fuel pump. Make sure all the plugs are on there solid, and make sure they aren't cross-threaded.

If the car is cranking over but not starting i would do the following. Check for spark first. If there is no spark, you have a distributor problem (cap, rotor, igniter) Im not sure if these cars still have a distrubutor or not... never worked on non vvt-i. Anyways, If you have spark and its strong move to the next thing, fuel. There are ways at the shop to check fuel pressure but im not really sure how to diagnose it without the right equipment. You could try tapping on the fuel tank (like you would to get a bad starter working) to see if it kicks on the fuel pump if it has no or little pressure. Other than that im not sure. Hope this might help a little bit. Sorry if it dont make sense im extremely tired and on like 4 hours of sleep.

Ignition Coils? Have they ever been replaced? What is/are the CEL code/codes? You should only use iriduim plugs with a 1zz-fe engine, but i am almost certian it's your Ignition coils.

99 corollas dont have ignition coils...

Hey guys thanks for the ideas, but unfortunately things are not looking too good right now. We did some trouble shooting and found out that the spark plugs ARE working at the spark plug end and the ignition coil end, there are sparks coming from the coils and spark plugs.

We also discovered that the fuel pump IS working and turning on.

When we tried to start the car today it kept turning and even back fired but did not start at all, we checked to see if it was a bad battery by hooking up jumper cables to my friends car and the car ALMOST wanted to start but unfortunately did not.

Next we decided to check the starter, we attempted to remove it but the bolts were blocked by the throttle body, or the header? We only got 2 of the bolts out on the left side but then put them back in because we couldent get them out. After that we tried to starting the car (randomly) and the lights in the dash started to dim out and finally it would just not even crank at all, all you can hear is click click click. So is it most likely the starter and or alternator?


Thanks guys

Alternator...I think thats usually what the click click click is (i think if it was a bad starter it would at least crank over a little but not start). Try jump starting the car, even though the battery isn't dead it might act as a defib. My girlfriends car had the same prolems, thought it was a dead battery, jumped it and it worked. Good luck.

We did try jump starting the car, it almost sounded like it was gonna turn on but didnt. thats why we think its the starter, because now it wont even crank it just makes a clicking noise.

Tap the starter with a mallet and see if it will engage the gear. If not, you might could get away with pulling it yourself and replacing the solenoids.
About 3 years ago, my car did the same thing (turn the key and only a "click-click-click"), and I had to replace the starter. Could be it.

Oh ok, well shit man. Is there power going to the dash lights, stereo, and the headlights/dome lights?

You problaby have the wrong spark plug in your car , certian year corolla's non vvti you have to have K16TR11 or 3194 Denso .... You cant put no other plug in that car or else the plugs will foul out , There is no gapping thses plugs ... They have to look like the photo below , If not then good luck bro

thats not true, i've been using bosch plugs for years and nothing has been wrong with the plugs. Even when I worked at the dealership they would give me bosch plugs as "direct replacements" even though the oem are Denso.

What ever bro , I didnt write that to have a debate , You do stuff your way I do it my way , The man asked for help and I gave my two cents , There is always one mr know it all that knows everything and I guess thats you ...LMAO ... And if you read what I post I put IF NOT GOOD LUCK THEN ....

If the battery or alternator were the problem it wouldnt backfire like your explaining. The battery probably died from trying to crank it over so many times. Now that you know the fuel pump is sending fuel and there is spark move on. Does your car burn oil? If so has the converter ever been replaced? The converters in our cars arent very hard to clog up with the oil burning issues and if the conver is clogged it will do exactly as your saying.. want to crank but backfires or makes noise. Try disconnecting where the down pipe meets the converter and cranking it. you will need to charge the battery now from killing it and make sure you dont crank for too long. you could burn up your starter trying too much in a short period of time.

When we tried starting it up the third time the first night after changing the spark plugs, it sounded like a really bad start, almost like something blew or got fried, starter? after that the car would just not turn on at all just crank, could be a relay but im not sure which one. Are NGK pro series okay to use?

Just another update.... things are looking worse now, motor still not turning on, new plugs, new wires, new starter, and nothing has worked, fuel pump is turning on and the ignition coilds, wires, and spark plugs are functioning.

Im starting to think the worst... seized engine... just keeps cranking but no start.

i doubt it seized....do you change your oil frequently with little to no burn off or leaking? i mean, an engine seizing up isn't something that happens over time, usually its just like working then bam. I knew someone who had an IS300, changed his oil and forgot to put the plug back in the oil pan, drove down the block to make sure it wasn't leaking and just died on him. Also, you haven't been storing it in the garage for long periods of time, so i'm sure its still pretty oiled up in there. and if it seized there would be no cranking at all. you would just hear the starter tick on and off (I think).

You made it sound like he was doing it wrong, and he wasn't. This is clearly more than just his spark plugs going bad. If the spark plugs he put in didn't help the car out then another brand/style wouldn't. If his old ones were bad, new ones, regardless of brand/style would yield some sort of result.


you try testing your alternator? auto parts stores will do that for you.

Post a video of trying to crank the car please.

I've bought...

copper
copper V groove
bosch
bosch plat
bosch 4+...

and the copper NGKs with V groove were the best ones...
best mid range power

apart from that top end and low end where basically the same...
except for the ass raping 5$ a plug with the 4+

This is a video i found on youtube, but its the same exact sound, not my car though.
car has been outside sense its stuck at a friends house for a couple nights, the engine oil was low however, put some more in and its were it shold be.

alternator. thats what it sounds like to me honestly.

you sure?

would the car run without an alternator for a few minutes first?

i think after all the shit hummer and me went thru i think it might be electrical.. best bet is to take it to toyota

yeah, we tried jump starting the corolla with my friends car, if it was the alternator the car would turn on but die a little bit later wouldent it?

brand new starter.

Took my dad today to look at the car, the fuel pump is not turning on, looked for the fuel filter but could not find it im assuming its part of the fuel pump it self, also wondering if theres a fuse, or relay that might have blown for the fuel pump.