I have a '93 Toyota camry and it won't drive. It has oil and it starts up. But when I push the accelerator it doesn't do anything. You can hear the engine working. I have no idea what is going on so I purchased a new car. But I want to give this car to my son. So does anyone have any idea what is going on?
...or a broken axle, no automatic fluid, burned clutch, seized brakes. Or if the drive train is ok, broken accel. cable, blocked exhaust, bad ignition circuit, bad fuel system. Bad fuel. Just about anything really, maybe a mechanic would be a good idea. Or a car salesman, whoever you choose to believe or spend money on.
Check it. I hadn't realised my 91 had to be checked with the motor running. See if the car rolls easily without power or brakes on. It's possible the gearshift linkage is broken or worn and holds it in 1st gear - does it change? Does the motor rev easily or perhaps it lacks power? You need to isolate the problem to one general area first.
So you never checked your trans fluid and probably never changed it and you never thought it strange to have problems getting to 20 and now you are here asking why it wont run, Go buy a bicycle you dont deserve to own a car.
=========================== Transmission is one possibility - could also be seized brake calipers. That would be like trying to drive the car with the brakes on. Happened on my '94 couple months ago - didn't know if I was going to be able to drive another block to the house. My only warning was a few days earlier the car didn't seem to be rolling back in Neutral as freely as usual. "New" brakes had been installed at the dealer by the prior owner, and pads had apx. 50% remaining material. My best guess is that the mechanics don't lubricate the slide pins properly, so over time they bind, overhead, and cause further problems. When I installed the new calipers I found different colors of grease in the torque plate bores, and those "slide" pins had to be pulled and twisted out with vice grip pliers.
It is a sign of the times... In the older days, our fathers, or uncles, or friends were interested in their cars and learned how to work on them.. They had to...times were harder. We learned from these mentors.
Now, most fathers are as dumb about mechanics as most women are. The cup holder is more important than the mechanical condition.
People dont know, and dont care. They avoid maintenance, in general, and run to the 'dealership' when things get tough (and the dealership waits for them with a 'lean and hungry' look..."Here comes a turkey, and they are famished")
For a long time, our school systems here dropped drivers education and youth had to learn from their parents (what their parents didn't know either.) Drivers Ed seems to be back, and they owe it to the pupils to teach them to drive, to know and obey the laws, and to realize that the cup holder is not the most critical technology in a car.
Many never did have any idea and we specialise more now in our (probably less hands on) day jobs... and we've got more distractions. How many of our dads scratch their heads over new cars, how many of us can't pull software apart or resuscitate someone in a crash? It should be compulsory to at least read the owner's manual, but it's unreasonable to demand every driver be "mechanically minded". It's a bit like the exclusive attitude of drivers who think anyone who is "non-competitive" should get off the road. We make drivers over 80yrs here do a test each year now - most of em only go to the shop and don't cause most of the crashes, but it's a move towards making driving exclusive.
All you can do is see if there is fluid in the transmission, it will be over the line since it is cold. If there is fluid and it wont run I would tow it in, change it and the filter, with alot of luck it will run. Honestly read and follow your maintenance schedule, it has nothing to do with knowing cars, its all in the manual for you to follow.
It might be well to read a manual and find out how to check the fluid. A lot of people don't know how it is done.
If you are espousing leaving everything to the dealerships to fix during the routine maintenance visits, you are a just and due target for abuse.
I don't mean you should know how to tear down an engine and rebuild it, (I did this with each of my three children and their cars. One of them is a young lady.) but if you know at least a little about what it going on, it helps you (1) ride instead of walk, (2) avoid ripoffs and possible damage by dishonest oilmonkeys (whether at the dealership, service station, or quick change station), and (3) avoid overpaying for work that is required.
The ignorant and the unconcerned are fed a lot of bullshit.
MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.