dreamer1q

There is no way to install a cap wrong on these. The back of the cap is keyed. How did you put it in the wrong direction?

stephen18

Dang. Is the timing right?

With the crank at 0° the cam gears have a mark (a line on a tooth actually) that match up with a notch behind the gears on the timing cover.

Theres also white lines on the belt it's self that match up with the timing marks on the crank and cam gears. Though it may take quite a few spins of the crank shaft to get them to match up.

Do you have spark AT the plugs? If so it's a timing issue of some sort. Either the rotor is on backwards, or the plug wires are on the distributor in the wrong order. I've done both and it stumped me for several hours.

LiCelsior

iTrader: (32)

oops i meant the rotor, but yea its been done before on the forums where the rotor was flipped 180* off. i noticed with this motor that u have to keep tension on one cam gear to actually get everything aligned. and its happened before where it jumped belt when ur just about to let the belt go.

python

iTrader: (4)

sorry this isn't fixed..and also sorry some are leading u down a dark path.u need to back track ur work..

LScowboyLS

no one is leading anyone down a dark path , we are systematically troubleshooting his car, and getting to the root of his issue - I have never been stumped on diagnosing a starting/running issue on an LS400 in 23 years, and I won't be on this one either!

dreamer1q - are you certain that plugs 1,4,6, 7 are wet and the other 4 are dry? - this is very important, look at the cylinders chart below, and if you are certain that this is indeed the case, then once again, the answer must lie in the items I outlined in post #30 - cars are quite logical, especially Toyotas!

dreamer1q

I'm still trying to figure out how someone can install a rotor backwards.

The rotors are keyed so they only fit into one slot on the cam gear. Did I miss something here? Because that would explain alot.

I am by no means a professional mechanic, but I like to believe I am well above average. That doesnt mean I cant make a mistake. If a rotor was on wrong, that would explain alot. But I have removed and installed them 3 times now. The last time I took special care to make sure that it fell into the keyway when it was tighted, just in case I missed it before.

For reference too, the timing belt was not removed at all. The timing is exactly what it was when the car drove into the garage.

dreamer1q

Yes, the driver side coil plugs were wet the last time I swapped plugs. All plugs on the top coil were black and sooty.

All plugs are brand new double platinum NGK's.

I'm with ya Cowboy, all cars are logical if you follow the steps. Problem is, we have followed all steps here, and still nothing. The ONLY thing I can think of now is the wiring harness. But to only have one side firing like that doesnt lead me to the harness either.

Tonight, I am going to recheck the timing when I get home, and make sure that is correct again. But as I said, nothing was changed in that area during this entire process.

LScowboyLS

yes, if you look at the diagram carefully, you will notice a fair ampunt of wiring is involved, ECU to igniter, igniter to coil, etc. - even a wire from the ignition relay!

I would look at all of the plugs again and double check the wetness, remember, there are plugs on both sides of the engine fired by each coil

dreamer1q

Yes, I know the firing order by heart now in my head. 1,7,4,6 on the driver side coil, 2,8 3, 5 on the top coil.

I can recheck the plugs, but if they are wet it isnt going to change anything. I think we are still looking for something on the left side coil circuit. Problem is there isnt anything left to test besides the wiring harness. correct?

python

iTrader: (4)

u need to take a pic of the plugs..being "wet" is ambiguous at best

Finn

Probably not a valid suggestion at this point but check that all leads are on in correct order just in case?

Finn

Also, might be good to change the wet plugs in case they are toast.

dreamer1q

Python, they are soaking wet. Covered in fuel, damp to the touch, not firing and buring the combustible fuel in the chamber.

Lets settle on the fact that I know what "wet" means on a spark plug, please.

dreamer1q

Verified various times that the wires are correct.

Plugs have been changed 3 times now....this is not a plug issue. Hell it still runs when I start it, just not happily.

Finn

OK, I did suspect the firing order might be just a typo in your earlier post and so it was.