94 Maxima - Fuel problem

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- Pogo
  
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posted
15 years ago

Tue, Jun 3, 2008 2:26 AM

Looking for a bit of guidance on what I think is a fuel issue on a 1994 Toyota Maxima. Vehicle is on the side of the street as I type this!

I get spark and engin turn over well, just won't fire. Vehicle is my daughters and I am not versed with all the quarks of this car. She filled up the tank this morning went to work and parked it, now it won't start. I checked for spark...good, distributor..looks good..cleaned it anyway.. When to the gas tank...don't hear the pump kick in on ignition turn on.. Daughter mentions that the security blicky light on the dash is not flashing as it normaly does..

Question..stock alarm systems...does it have a fuel cut off interlock mechanism Is the pump truly in the tank! If so..is there a connector that I can check continuity on bothe the mortor windings and float sender.. I can spot it from under the vehicle.. is it above the tank.....Or am I lucky and the pump is mounted elsewere outside the gas tank

Any insight would be appreciated..

Marc

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posted
15 years ago

Tue, Jun 3, 2008 2:40 AM

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- Ray O
  
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posted
15 years ago

Tue, Jun 3, 2008 6:09 AM

You might have better luck in a Nissan group than a Toyota group, but I'll give it a shot and along the way, explain how the car is probably designed.

Keep in mind that an engine needs 3 things to run: air, fuel, and a source of ignition, all in the appropriate amounts and at the appropriate time.

Toyota security systems disable the starter, most aftermarket systems disable either spark or the fuel pump.

The fuel pump is probably in the tank, and there is probably a connector at the top of the tank where you can check for voltage. You mentioned that you do not hear the fuel pump kick in when the ignition is turned on, but the fuel pump circuit is probably designed so that the fuel pump only operates when the engine is cranking or running so you won't hear anything just by turning the ignition to the on position. There may be an access cover under the rear seat to check the fuel pump connector, but it is probably easier to pull a spark plug, crank the engine, and see if you can smell raw fuel in the spark plug opening.

If you decide to check the fuel pump, check for voltage at the connector while the engine is cranking. Don't bother checking the connector for the float - it is for the gas gauge and doesn't have any effect on the engine.

Before you go through the trouble of pulling spark plugs and back seats, check all of the fuses both in the passenger compartment and in the engine compartment.

Also measure battery voltage. Some systems need over 11 volts for the computer to work.

When you looked at the distributor, does the rotor turn when you crank the engine? If the distributor shaft/rotor does not turn when you crank the engine, the timing belt may be broken.