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Troubleshooting help


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92 Loyale

4x4

Driving down the highway and motor stopped. No rough buckin or spurtin. Just shut down. All electrical was working during the shut down. There is juice to the coil and gas to the throttle body. I can't measure any electrical current at the end of the coil though. Even put my finger on the end of the coil during a crank over. Thought for sure the problem was the coil so installed new one. Didnt help. Still no juice. Have checked all fuses and everything is good. Any ideas??

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pop the disty cap off, and have someone watch it while you crank the engine. If the distributor turns as it should, then your driver side timing belt is still intact.. (distributor is turned by the drivers side camshaft) that doesn't mean it is OK, the belt may may have slipped. the passenger side timing belt may have gone, too.

 

The front covers of the timing belts have inspection holes (at least the passenger does)

 

report back with your findings and we can go from there.

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pop the disty cap off, and have someone watch it while you crank the engine. If the distributor turns as it should, then your driver side timing belt is still intact.. (distributor is turned by the drivers side camshaft) that doesn't mean it is OK, the belt may may have slipped. the passenger side timing belt may have gone, too.

 

The front covers of the timing belts have inspection holes (at least the passenger does)

 

report back with your findings and we can go from there.

 

 

I took off the cover on drivers side and the belt is ok. I have not checked the rotor while cranking and will check that too. Note: when we say the drivers side timing belt, we are really only refering to one side of the same belt correct? The belt in my repair book appears to be one long one that hooks up to each side of the engine.

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There are two timing belts, and the driver's side one turns the distributor so when it breaks the car won't run at all.

 

I would still check the rotor just to be sure, since there is a screw that holds the rotor on that can fall out and cause the same symptoms. If it's working OK you can try starting fluid and/or check for spark at the plugs, and go from there.

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I like to review some things that have been said.

as Runout asks for troubleshooting help.

 

To the Best of My Knowledge (TBMK)

 

Starting with

Runout

"There is juice to the coil and gas to the throttle body. I can't measure any electrical current at the end of the coil though. Even put my finger on the end of the coil during a crank over."

 

TBMK this means there is no high voltage present on the coil during cranking.

Although if he didn't have the coil wire in

he may not get "the juice" as the coil tower is quite tall?

 

dearon

"pop the disty cap off, and have someone watch it while you crank the engine. If the distributor turns as it should, then your driver side timing belt is still intact.."

 

TBMK This is good advice wish he would have done this.

(see below)

 

Revbil

"I would still check the rotor just to be sure, since there is a screw that holds the rotor on that can fall out and cause the same symptoms."

 

No doubt Revbill

meant the "same symptoms" as no running,

not no spark.

Because TBMK the coil would still make spark if the rotor scew fell out.

 

Dave

"Also, the belt can strip some teeth off, so it looks like it's intact, but won't actually work. That's what happened when my belt blew"

 

TBMK even when it looses a few teeth (unless it stops turning completely, which is no doubt what Dave meant),

we still have spark but it is out of time with the valves.

 

Phiz

" Your manual might be getting the EA82 and EJ series engines mixed up. EJ's have 1 belt as far as I am aware of. EA82's have 2."

 

As usaul Phizinza has his beans in a pile, hope Runout is

not using some Children's (Chilton"s) manual.

 

And in finality

Runout

" I took off the cover on drivers side and the belt is ok. "

 

Unless Dave's right or the woodrif key sheared on the

crank pulley.

 

"I have not checked the rotor while cranking and will check that too."

Easier than yanking a cover if you have one of these

remstar.jpg

 

Houston we may have a problem.

 

Ignition amplifiers seldom fail but.....

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Thank you for your time writing this post and everyone else who took the time, and all the others waiting to jump in. As things happen in three's the third vehicle went down today. Will replace parts and then jump over to the Subaru and try the posts repair suggestions. Thanks guys this makes a difference. I like following your thought processes too. I'm trying to practice more trouble shooting skills vs burning time.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Well that didnt go well. Looks like it was the timming belt on drivers side. I still need to figure this out though. Why am I not getting spark at the coil when I crank the engine over? The electrical current to the coil is seperate from the crank, no? The crank turns the rotor but the coil delivers the spark to the rotor? I dont know. Anyway the car has been delivered to the dump. Too bad because I was starting to like it. Just too many things going wrong. CV joints, windsheild, tires, electrical problems etc.. Insurance company would not touch it until all these things fixed. I'll have to look around for a newer model Subaru.

Cheers. Thank for the help.

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the timing belt on the drivers side turns the rotor (and the disty) thereby generating spark.

 

The timing belt is turned by the crank, which is turned by the starter. So, if the drivers side timing belt is broken, it won't run.

 

'tis a shame... I've seen at least car in the junkyard with a stripped belt... probably what caused it to end up there...

 

-Dave

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Just too many things going wrong. CV joints, windsheild, tires, electrical problems etc.. Insurance company would not touch it until all these things fixed. I'll have to look around for a newer model Subaru.

Cheers. Thank for the help.

 

none of that sounds that bad. Bald tire and a broken belt are no reason to throw away a car. And we wonder why our resources are becoming depleated? it's this kind of mindset. Should have at least passed it on to somebody, instead of giving it to a JY. I'd Move to a state where they are not nazi's about inspections. East coast states just want you to pay another big sales tax and registration after THEY destroy you're car with salted roads.:mad: ( iknow he didn't mention rust, but the salt contributes to so much else too)

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bah, the original poster is long gone, probably never to return to the forum.

 

I hate to sound like an A$$ if he should return, but hell's bells, I agree with Gloyale... this is "ending is better than mending" mentality straight out of Brave New World... Our Ford would want things this way, with the old soob going to the scrap heap... grrr..

 

Why bother to START looking for help when you're just gonna disregard it, is what I want to know.

 

Sometimes I am SO, SO ashamed to call myself "American.." More often than not, as of late. Sigh.

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