Engine turns over, won't fire. please help! -resolved (1 Viewer)

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Hello, I have searched all over here for solutions, but I can't seem to find anything that fits my scenario. I have a 1994 Land Cruiser with 290,000 miles on it that ran fine for the last 6 months that I have owned it until I went snooping around. I was considering changing out the plugs, wires, cap and rotor, but I wanted to see how it was in its current condition. I popped the cap off, cleaned a little scale off the posts and rotor, but it looked pretty good overall, then I put the cap back on in the same orientation that it came off. When I started it, it ran rough for a few seconds the sputtered out. When I checked the cap, the #3 wire had popped off because of a broken plastic piece. I put it back in place, but since then engine turns over but does not fire, and I can smell gasoline after cranking.

I pulled a plug thinking I may have flooded it or something, but it wasn't overly wet. I let it sit overnight, but still nothing this morning. My fusible link looks to have been modified by a previous owner, but I have a parts vehicle that had one that may or may not be good so I put that on with no luck. I have two on their way to me now. I also have all new OEM wires, plugs, cap and rotor coming too since I'm this far into it already.

Where else do I look? I have other parts that I could try swapping out, but I don't know if they are good either. I already switched the efi relay, fuel pump relay, checked the fuses, checked for spark, which it doesn't seem to have, I will probably put all the original parts back since I know they had previously been fine.

Should I swap out the coil and/or igniter with my parts ones? I'm not very good with a multi-meter, but I have one. Volatge at the battery is 12.7-12.8. I appreciate any advice that may be given!
 
Did you unscrew the two screws on each side of the wire harness on the AFM next to the intake filter housing and tug on the wires trying to unplug it? If not, DON'T do it!

Also, when you turn the key to RUN with the engine off and not cranking, do you have a CEL? (Check Engine Light)
 
May as well get fusible links on their way, too.

Welcome! You've officially "fixed it until it's broke!"
 
Did you unscrew the two screws on each side of the wire harness on the AFM next to the intake filter housing and tug on the wires trying to unplug it? If not, DON'T do it!

Also, when you turn the key to RUN with the engine off and not cranking, do you have a CEL? (Check Engine Light)
No, I didn’t disconnect it. Also the cel is on
 
Get a new distributor cap yet?
 
kruiserklan, If it were me, one of the simple things I'd be checking would be my ignition coil, to make sure It's still putting out a spark.
 
@290kmi and no history on the wires...might have broken the main one - inside the shielding - coming from the coil? I noticed on mine that the pair of wires going to the coil had long since lost its retaining clip on the connector at the coil. A bit surprised that hasn't been an issue for me before now...
 
All you did so far is mess with the distributor cap and wires, correct? Seeing how the distributor cap is falling apart in your hands when you were messing with it, start there. Wait on your new spark plug wires, cap and rotor to show up. Replace those, then move on looking for some other cause if it's not working yet.

Start with the most obvious stuff first. Don't go moving/messing around with other parts until you are for sure that the original parts you messed with are good. If you don't, you may produce another problem that is in addition to the first, making your life a living hell.

Have you come across this yet in the FAQ section? Emergency Troubleshooting Procedures - FAQ Item (Recommend Keeping Copy in Truck)

It's a steep learning curve, but with a little patients, and a logical step by step process, you will begin to develop good trouble shooting skills. Figure out how to use the volt/ohm meter off youtube while you're waiting for the new parts.
 
If it worked before you touched it, but doesn't work now that you've touched it. Logic dictates that it's the thing you touched.
Start with basic diagnostics. There are 4 things your engine needs to run.

Air- its probably getting that unless you stuck a rag in the intake or something else, if so, take the rag out :D
Fuel- you say you can smell it, probably means its getting into the combustion chamber
Compression- ran before you fiddled with it right? probably didn't blow a HG overnight
Spark- With a plug removed and holding it against a grounded nut/bolt on the engine, when you crank it, are you getting spark? If not, check it at the coil connection to the distributor cap.

To beat the thoroughbred, recheck what you were messing with and plan on replacing the plugs wires and cap anyway since you have no history on them. Watch a couple of youtube videos to get the theory down (doesn't have to be cruiser specific, just diagnosing/ how distributors work)
 
kruiserklan, If it were me, one of the simple things I'd be checking would be my ignition coil, to make sure It's still putting out a spark.
I put everything back to how it originally was, but still no spark from the coil. I pulled the coil of my parts car and the resistances between the two seemed to by very similar. I installed the other one back on the bracket and hooked everything up and triple checked all connections. I went to start it and it sputtered, which is a lot more than it previously did.
 
All you did so far is mess with the distributor cap and wires, correct? Seeing how the distributor cap is falling apart in your hands when you were messing with it, start there. Wait on your new spark plug wires, cap and rotor to show up. Replace those, then move on looking for some other cause if it's not working yet.

Start with the most obvious stuff first. Don't go moving/messing around with other parts until you are for sure that the original parts you messed with are good. If you don't, you may produce another problem that is in addition to the first, making your life a living hell.

Have you come across this yet in the FAQ section? Emergency Troubleshooting Procedures - FAQ Item (Recommend Keeping Copy in Truck)

It's a steep learning curve, but with a little patients, and a logical step by step process, you will begin to develop good trouble shooting skills. Figure out how to use the volt/ohm meter off youtube while you're waiting for the new parts.
The distributor cap and rotor actually looked to be in decent condition. They were unbranded, and the wires were import direct. It was the plastic retaining clip on the wire that was broke which caused the wire to fall off. I put everything back as it originally was and swapped out the coils from my parts car even though the resistances seemed similar. It sputtered when I tried to start it this time
 
How's it coming?
Did you disconnect the battery when you did this work?
 
How's it coming?
Did you disconnect the battery when you did this work?
I got my new fusible links today, but that didn't make a difference. I have the same voltage at the wire going into the coil as I do at the battery. The resistance on the coil is .9 ohms and 11.34 k ohms, and I don't seem to be getting spark still. I'm still waiting on my plugs, wires, cap, and rotor. I did not disconnect the battery when I took the cap off because I've never had an issue doing the same work on other vehicles. I did disconnect the battery before I started messing with the coil and everything else. It did run after I put it back on but it was rough because the wire was off and it stalled out. since then It hasn't fired
 
I got my new fusible links today, but that didn't make a difference. I have the same voltage at the wire going into the coil as I do at the battery. The resistance on the coil is .9 ohms and 11.34 k ohms, and I don't seem to be getting spark still. I'm still waiting on my plugs, wires, cap, and rotor. I did not disconnect the battery when I took the cap off because I've never had an issue doing the same work on other vehicles. I did disconnect the battery before I started messing with the coil and everything else. It did run after I put it back on but it was rough because the wire was off and it stalled out. since then It hasn't fired
Ok, so it turns over still, but won't run?
Were the wires below the rotor in good shape? I noticed on mine one or two of the wires insulation had severed. Not being confident that those wires *do not* carry high voltage, i dabbed some liquid electric tape on them in the interest of adding some insulation of some sort to keep potential arcing to a minimum. Unintended arcing can cause poopy running conditions.

My dizzy leaks pretty badly, so it's getting replaced soon.
 
When you turn the key on does the cel symbol light?, is this an ob1 truck ( yes I think)
 
Yes the CEL was on and it is obd1.

This morning I took the cap off again and scraped the two posts on the distributor with my knife, put it back together, pleaded with the Lord, and it fired right up. I don't exactly what happened, but I have a much better understanding of the ignition system, and now I have all the extra parts I should have gathered up.

Thank you everyone for the suggestions and direction.
 
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Congrats sir! 👍:steer:
 

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