Does not want to start!

Hey guys I'm having some trouble with my truck & I am completely stuck, a 2000 single cab sr5 4.7 4wd. Would really appreciate some help in figuring out what is wrong with her.

Here is how it went;

I had just finished replacing the front end suspension, axles, rack & pinion, oil pan as she had a leak, & the powersteering lines to the rack. Only electric plug I messed with was the one to the front differential that I had to remove to put in the new oil pan, took me a over the span of a few days & when the weekend hit I work 13 hours over night trying to finish it all.

Next day I was leaving my friends house when they told me that my passenger side tail light was out, I had just replaced all the bulbs a few weeks before so I just thought it blew because it had the same bulbs for a while.

Next day I get pulled over because my brake & tail lights on both sides stopped working, just got a warning thank Christ.

The next day is a work day for me & I am running a little behind so I was rushing. I hop into my truck to go to work & I see that the battery symbol is on, I knew that battery as starting to get old so I didn't think much of it & was gonna swing by auto zone after I got off.

I get off & make my way to auto zone & I'm about 2 miles away when someone cuts me off in a turn lane & I am forced to stop very abruptly. At that moment the engne started vibrating very violently & shuts off on me, didn't start up again & I had to get towed home, thank you AAA.

I take the battery to get checked & they tell me its still healthy just dead, they charge it up for me & I put it back in, still will not turn over, the starter can be heard doing its thing but nothing. I checked all the fuses & all are still good, I checked in the engine bay & the ones in the cab.

I take out the alternator & get it tested, it was producing all of 2.1 amps so I get another, tried that with the fully charged old battery, same result as before, the starter can be heard making its noises but thats it.

Next I try a new battery with the new alternator & still nothing. I bought a short detector at harbor freight, frickin' expensive, I put it in the tail light that went out & it says it detects a short, I follow it to the giant mess of cables behind the fuse box, the cables are still wrapped up from the factory so nothing can be visibly be seen as cut, burnt, or frayed.

I'm affraid that the engine locked up when it died but I have no idea how to tell or if it jumped timing. Has anyone had this problem & know of a fix? She was my only car so I had to scrabble to find something that could get me to work, I don't want to give up on her as she is my dream truck, but I have no idea what to do next.

 

Is the ECM still in that parted out access cab in the yard? Pull it and see if the part number matched to what you have in the regular cab. Also, READ THIS THREAD and pay close attention to the water leak section!

 

Sounds like you have the classic problem of corrosion inside your battery cables and/or bad terminals. Both happen often in these trucks.

That's my first culprit at least.

 

When you say "the starter can still be heard doing it's thing" is it turning the engine over? Or does it engage and then come to an abrupt stop? If it's cranking over your engine isn't "locked up". If it's engaging and just doesn't seem to have enough juice, or starts to turn it even slightly but stops, I would check your cables like Shifty said.
One thing that WILL lock these engines up is a broken timing belt though. You can remove a couple fasteners on one of the cam pulley covers and pull it back to take a peak at it. (Take pics post them if you need advise on its condition). If you don't know when it was last replaced you should put that at the top of your next to-do list.
You probably didn't need the new battery just yet if your alternator was only giving up 2.1 amps (and AZ said it tested good) . But you did find at least one issue with the alternator before it stranded you.
The way you describe the way it died after the emergency braking incident could be a clue. Like was it making loud sharp noises, or just shaking like it was losing fuel or ignition? Violently doesn't sound good.
If it were mine I'd do this.
Peak in at the timing belt... if I didn't see it or it's just flopping around in there I wouldn't go any farther. 95% chance it's a boat anchor.
If the timing belt is intact I would check all cables/and clean ALL connections.
After that (if the engine is cranking but not firing) I would see if I was getting fuel to the injector rail.
If I had fuel I would move on to ignition/spark testing.
Just my thoughts, I'm only one coffee deep yet this morning, so take it accordingly
Oh, bookmark this thread (first 2 posts) and give it a read. These kind gentleman have created this incredibly valuable resource for all of us here.
Good luck, and welcome

 

This is actually the 1st thing to check. Too many people fail to understand how critical the timing belt is on the V8s in these trucks.

 

I don't have that black ac I didn't remove the computer like an idiot, I've checked the timing belt before & its looked fine, went out to check it again & this is what I found. What little it has in that spot still has tension, I have a timing belt kit already because I was gonna do it after I finished the front end & she croaked not even two days after I finished the front end. Should I try swapping the timing belt & hope she starts or should I save the belt & find a new engine?

 

Woops....that does not look good partner

Jinx

 

https://youtube.com/shorts/FP1zOjsQD8I?si=jAMkXyDjDlO9vSmg

Took a short video of trying to start it, the timing belt is barely holding on to dear life but it still moves.

 

Don't crank it no more....thorough checking is in order. Headed to church, hopefully others will warn about cranking any further

 

Are you trying to ruin your engine? Stop! Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200!
Install your timing belt kit now. Take your time. Follow directions. You may luck out...

 

Holy shit I think this may be the craziest fucking thing I've seen the entire time I've been on this forum.

Dude. Stop cranking the engine. Time to change the timing belt, water pump, etc. It didn't snap yet, but if you keep it up you're gonna FA&FO.

 

I haven't had this this very long & when I did get it it was completely trashed & neglected, I've been trying to get her up to date with all the maintenance & everything else that was wrong with it, I didn't even expect her to last as long as she did. More to come after I get the timing belt & water pump in, pray the engine is still savable.

 

So once you get the timing belt and water pump completed I wouldn't go go balls deep and grab the key to turn it over, I'd do it by hand a couple revolutions just to make sure, but thats just me. More than likely it jumped a few teeth, otherwise it would have fired up and finished braking the belt and grenaded itself before your very eyes. You will know how many it jumped when you get everything off (leave the old belt on) and line up the timing marks. Not sure how the middle of that belt got ripped out, but i would also look for any rouge parts/interference in there that could have done that. Looks like you may have a chance.

 

Well, I aligned the zero on the bottom & its not even close to lining up, I apologize not the best pictures but it got dark.
Suprisingly even though the belt looks inredibly terrible it still has tension so i don't think it destroyed itself.
I know I have two options, realign the cams & see if works plus how long it last after that, or I find a new engine, what would be my best option?
Would it be worth pulling this engine & doing a total rebuild?

 

New belt. But first figure out where all the oil is coming from. That is 1,000% not normal, the insides of the timing covers should be free of oil and coolant. If you don’t figure it out. You’re going to keep shredding belts. Cam seals? Seal on the HB/oil pump? Where is it coming from?

 

How much brake cleaner/degreaser am I allowed to use in here? THe guy I got it from didn't do any type of maintencae to her, I'm thinking its either some sort of grease or belt dressing because she was making al ot of noise when I first bought it. Before I put on the new timing belt I need to remove the heads & readjust the cams, I was planning on replacing the seal while in there.

 

Based on how that belt is shredded I’m assuming you have a pulley on the front that’s seized also, you’ll know when you spin them. That would make the hellacious racket. That doesn’t look like belt dressing sprayed in there to me, does it feel slick to the touch, or sticky?

The good news is, if you get the right Aisin kit, part number ending “-021”, it’ll replace a couple of the pulleys, the belt tensioner, and the water pump. You may want to consider proactively replacing the tensioner pulley assembly also, also using the Aisin brand part (they’re the OEM manufacturer).

I don’t see an issue with engine degreaser in there. And once you have the timing belt off, you can hand-spin each pulley and jiggle them to test for play and crunchiness/dryness, figure out if anything else needs replacement.

This website does a PHENOMENAL job of explaining how to get the timing marks correct: https://www.toyoheadquarters.com/threads/toyota-2uz-fe-timing-belt-marks-4-7l.335/

Holler if you need more info, I think that should be enough to get you going.

Whatever you do, DO NOT buy your auto parts on scAmazon or fleaBay or WallyMart.

 

Would i be able to turn the cams from the exterior or do I have to remove the heads?
I'll have to check the texture again but if I remember correctly its pretty sticky.
Funny enough I already had the aisin parts kit ready to go with all parts, water pump, tensioner, etc.

 

You can rotate cams. If you like moving pictures, maybe check out the Timing Belt Master Sticky Thread for videos.

If texture is sticky, it may very well be belt dressing but that would probably be one of the stupider things I've seen, and I'd really love to know what it is, maybe the previous owner knows, if you can ask. May help fill in some blanks.

 

DO NOT REMOVE THE HEADS!!!

 

DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT REMOVING THE HEADS!

 

Will not be removing the heads got it, & after digging my fingers in there it is infact oil & a lot of it, in big ol' quantities.

 

1. Clean all the oil away
2. Fit the new timing belt. Don't worry about the water pump yet, unless you're an optimist.
3. Rotate the engine BY HAND for several revolutions to preclude damage from the failed belt.
4. If your engine survived, go buy a lottery ticket!
5. Remove the belt, then finish the repair:
- Install Cam seals
- Install Crank seal
- Install Water Pump
- Reinstall timing belt, pulleys, etc