Engine cranks but does not start?

Tiny
DAVID DAVO ESSIEN
  • MEMBER
  • 2000 TOYOTA AVALON
  • 3.0L
  • V6
  • TURBO
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 138,278 MILES
Recently, a client called me to fix his car listed above with a 1mz engine that cranked but wasn't starting.
From the onset, the car experienced several mechanical, as well as electrical issues. Some of those problems were:-
(1) Engine Oil consumption;
(2) Engine misfire;
(3) Engine rattling;
(4) Intermittent hard starting after shutdown;
(5) Hard to engage in drive, except engine is hot; etc.
Hence, he took the car to a garage inorder to rectify the excessive Engine oil consumption and other car problems highlighted above. Consequently, the car problems exacerbated after engine rebuild by the engineer!
The car owner wasn't satisfied with his repairs because it seems the engineer was deceitful. Although the car started after the rebuild, the problems still persisted. Valves weren't grinded after engine overhaul, engine still misfired at idle and when accelerating, etc.
The engineer whose garage the car is presently being parked, requested for another engine overhaull/ rebuild. After engine rebuild the car started, the oil was mixed with water; the engine was still misfiring, rattling, etc. It was obvious, that he didn't use durable parts to do his work.

Hence, the car owner moved the car to another garage for better repairs. The new garage suggested to the car owner that another engine rebuild is pertinent for optimal engine operation.
During my conversation with this engineer, whose garage the car is presently being parked, he told me that: "when the car was first brought in, he noticed a black smoke ( maybe he was mistaken for blue smoke, at exhaust tail at idle). When accelerating, there's a loss of power, engine bucking, popping, etc. After the rebuild, the car didn't start because the mechanic didn't unlock the car with the remote but proceeded directly to cranking the engine. In addition, the security relay wasn't actuated for starting to take place. Electrician did some wire cutting around that axis which he said was corrected to factory, opened with a remote before the car started.

Fortunately, after everything, the car started again. But there was still an intermittent misfire. What the car owner said was that, 'even when the second mechanic did engine rebuild, the car still misfired. Until he personally bypassed earth from the COP wire to the solenoids very close to the fuel injector often tightened with 10mm knot and depicted with blue and green colors on the picture. Car owner verified that the reasons for the misfire from both mechanics which still prevailed, was due to the solenoid valve that wasn't opening. That's why when accelerating it experienced a loss of power, similar to that experienced by a faulty fuel pump.

After gear oil replacement and test driven by the second mechanic, smoke started emanating from the engine bay. Precisely, from the fan relay that the car owner connected by himself. Within few minutes, the car shutdown by itself as if fuel is finished. As he tried to restart it, the car refused to. Infact, when the ignition switch was turned to Acc/ ignition position, battery and fuel light was not displaying in the dashboard/ instrument cluster. However, during cranking battery light glew faintly and start. But when throttled, it would shutdown. Electrician verified and replaced the alternator diode with a new one. When Ignition switch was turned to Acc/ ignition position, the battery and other lights came out brightly but when cranked to start engine wouldn't start again. Sadly, it still wouldn't start.

I tried to scan for DTC codes, but my scanner wasn't communicating. I checked all fuses, power and ground at obd port, those checked ok. But my scanner isn't compatible to read CAN network. There are only 4 wires intact for the obd2 port.
Furthermore, I added fuel through the intake to the engine, no change at all. I checked for spark and injector pulse. These things weren't present. But there was power to injector with just the key at ignition or ACC and COP had 1 ground and 1 power as usual.
Electrician from that garage, who also worked on the car said that he sniffed burning smell from the ECU, however personally I didn't when I went to start the car. I don't know how certain that was. Hence, I pulled out the ECU to a laptop board engineer to test the components inside. He said: "everything looks ok and test fine, however the IC he doesn't have the right tools to proceed with the test. With the ECU removed battery connected, Engine light would come ON. With ECU connected check light still comes ON.
Before I left, I checked the MAF sensor 5 wires and noticed that 3 wires were earth instead of 2 and 1 power; no ignition current/ power was available for the remaining 2 wires.
Please, what should I do to start the car?
Thursday, June 15th, 2023 AT 5:17 PM

17 Replies

Tiny
DAVID DAVO ESSIEN
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That's the photo and video, I captured.
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Friday, June 16th, 2023 AT 6:08 AM
Tiny
KEN L
  • MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
  • 48,363 POSTS
Here are a few steps you can take to troubleshoot the starting issue

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/car-not-running-advanced
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Friday, June 16th, 2023 AT 2:46 PM
Tiny
DAVID DAVO ESSIEN
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  • 147 POSTS
Thank you for the guide! I would do that and give you a feedback on what I find.
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Friday, June 16th, 2023 AT 8:25 PM
Tiny
KEN L
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Sounds good David. Please let us know.
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Saturday, June 17th, 2023 AT 9:47 AM
Tiny
DAVID DAVO ESSIEN
  • MEMBER
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Please sir, can you also share the power distribution of the grounds, ecu wires- showing their routing, fuse box inside and outside, and sensors- especially including MAF sensor?
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Saturday, June 17th, 2023 AT 10:09 AM
Tiny
KEN L
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Sure, here are the engine wiring diagrams and a guide to help you check the connections:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-check-wiring

Check out the images (below). Please let us know what happens.
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Monday, June 19th, 2023 AT 10:26 AM
Tiny
DAVID DAVO ESSIEN
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  • 147 POSTS
Okay. Thank you for the images! Definitely, I'll reach out to you.
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Monday, June 19th, 2023 AT 1:48 PM
Tiny
DAVID DAVO ESSIEN
  • MEMBER
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Once more, thank you for the wiring! Today, I went to check the things you highlighted. However, there was no good battery that was capable to crank the engine it could only be used to perform some test with test light. The client apologized for that. Nevertheless, I did some basic test. I checked the fuses the were all ok. I found the fuse that powered the MAF sensor wire that was supposed to be power instead of ground. When I unplugged the fuses, number 19 of it shutdown the light in test light but put on the light whenever that fuse is reconnected. That's how the fuse for that location looked.
Additionally, I noticed that that particular MAF sensor wire illuminated the test light even with the ECU removed. Using multimeter, I checked and saw that that particular MAF sensor wire goes to one of the ECU connector.
Also checked the 3 front out of 6 fuel injector wire to ECU, they were not shorted. Still good! How can I follow up that particular MAF wiring and what other checks can be done to fix the problem?
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Tuesday, June 20th, 2023 AT 5:05 PM
Tiny
KEN L
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Will it run on starting fluid?
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Wednesday, June 21st, 2023 AT 9:53 AM
Tiny
DAVID DAVO ESSIEN
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Good evening, sir. I went there yesterday to conduct some tests in the car and noticed that no iota of fuel was forth coming from the fuel pump on ignition on and during cranking. Scanner still didn't communicate. No spark no injector pulse still remained.
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Sunday, June 25th, 2023 AT 3:48 PM
Tiny
DAVID DAVO ESSIEN
  • MEMBER
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The first is the no fuel after I loosened the 14mm bolt slightly. Second is the power distribution layout for inside the video, while the last one is the engine room power distribution layout. In addition, I swapped the EFI no change at all. When I tested for power and ground, in one of the relay in the fuse compartment, the a/f relay was actuated. Please what checks should I further embark on, to rectify the issue?
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Sunday, June 25th, 2023 AT 4:01 PM
Tiny
KEN L
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It sounds like you may have a bad ECM, did you check all fuses?

This guide can help:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-check-a-car-fuse

Please go over this guide and get back to us.
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Monday, June 26th, 2023 AT 11:57 AM
Tiny
DAVID DAVO ESSIEN
  • MEMBER
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All fuses were okay. I also checked the ECU and noticed the presence of only one dc current 2 ignition current and several earth. Also, I later did a direct bypass from the ignition current to the fuel pump ground which buzzed the fuel pump to operate. Thus, fuel reached the engine however, there was no spark nor injector pulse as well. Consequently, I pulled out and bench tested the CKP sensor with a multimeter. Setting the meter to 20 ohms reading, I got 2.31. CKP sensor connected back, multimeter set to 200 AC, power to reference wire, engine cranked I got between 0.4 and 0.5. With the key released it dropped to 0.2. Initially, I got 27.5 then 22.8 during cranking, maybe it was an error with multimeter, but I don't know. Please guide me more on what I should do next.
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Tuesday, July 25th, 2023 AT 6:22 PM
Tiny
DAVID DAVO ESSIEN
  • MEMBER
  • 147 POSTS
I noticed from my test light that both wires of CKP sensor had ground no power. Please how do I correct the wiring issue, could CKP sensor itself be faulty?
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Wednesday, July 26th, 2023 AT 1:33 AM
Tiny
KEN L
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Did you check to see if the PCM was getting power to its power inputs? Also, I would check the PCM grounds as well. Check all fuses in the PCM wiring diagrams as well.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-check-wiring

Check out the images (below). Please let us know what you find. Check out the images (Below). Please let us know what you find.

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Thursday, July 27th, 2023 AT 1:54 PM
Tiny
DAVID DAVO ESSIEN
  • MEMBER
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When I got there, the car owner had called someone else already.
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Saturday, July 29th, 2023 AT 1:52 PM
Tiny
KEN L
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Okay.
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Monday, July 31st, 2023 AT 10:20 AM

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