Questions and Answers
Toyota Cressida Intermittent Starting
Q. I have a 1983 Toyota Cressida with an intermittent problem starting. Weather conditions do not seem to be a factor, it fails to start in hot or cold conditions. If we shoot some starting ether into the air cleaner, sometimes it starts.
Sometimes there is no spark. We have replaced the spark plug wires and distributor cap and rotor. This motor has approximately 75,000 miles on it. Engine markings says it is EFI which my husband believes to be fuel injected. Any clues??
A. Assuming this is an ignition problem due to the fact that there is no spark, a couple of possibilities come to mind.
With new cap, rotor and wires we can eliminate the secondary side on look at the primary side. The first thing to do is check the connectors for the ignition coil, igniter and distributor. If the connections are clean and tight there is a problem with one of the components I have mentioned.
The problem with testing these components is that they have to be tested when the symptoms are manifesting themselves. Otherwise everything will check out fine and you'll be back where you started. Intermittent problems like this can be very difficult to track down. Sometimes it needs to become a steady problem to locate the cause.
If you put a gun to my head and made me take an educated guess, I would say the igniter is probably the most likely problem.
Additional Information provided courtesy of ALLDATA
