1998 Toyota Corolla Won't Start -- Spark Plugs? (1 Viewer)

[Marcus1983]

My 1998 Corolla wouldn't start yesterday. It has ~117,000 miles.
- No CEL and no ODBII codes.
- 1/4 tank gas
- Tried jumpstarting -- no help
- Engines sounds like it is turning over

I last drove it on Friday and it was sounding a little rough. I had been having some hesitancy starting a couple of weeks ago. I changed the oil and the problem went away. I am pretty sure I let the oil go too long (~8,000 miles). I was using mobil 1 5w-30 and oem filter. I am commuting ~800 to 1,000 miles per week, so it crept up on me pretty fast.

I am planning to replace the spark plugs tonight. Should I also change the wires and coils while I am at it?
I already have a new drive belt and tensioner that I had been meaning to install -- the old belt looks fine, but was making a little bit of noise. I will probably do that tonight as well.

I posted a clip here:
YouTube - 1998 Toyota Corolla Won't Start

My other thoughts are:
- fuel injectors, pump, etc
- something electrical with the starter?
- timing chaing problem?
- compression problem?

Any advice would be appreciated. I am very much a beginner with automotive stuff. It would be awesome if someone would be able to listen to the clip I posted and say: it sounds like X, Y, Z. I planning to check out the spark plugs, wires etc because it seems like the cheapest thing to tackle and the most likely culprit at this point.

Thanks in advance

 

[Marcus1983]

Well that was a lot easier than I expected.
I replaced the spark plugs and wires and she fired right up.
The spark plugs looked good, but the gap was way out of spec. No indication of fouling as I had feared.

And. . . what I thought was a bad clutch was actually just hesitation at acceleration.

Awesome.

 

[wxm]

 

[fsusteve]

my daughter's tercel was running ok, I went ahead and changed the ORIGINAL 10 YEAR OLD spark plugs, ran like a new car after that.