Hi, I have an issue that is hurting my brain.

This is a 3VZE in a 1991 4runner with 250,000 miles. I changed the head gaskets, cam seals and timing belt. It ran before I started, but poorly due to the head gasket.

After the job, it will not start. It is acting like the timing is off, with an occasional backfire through the intake which stops after a few seconds of cranking.

I am quite sure that the crank and cam timing is right and the distributor is about to fire #1 with #1 at TDC. However, I am pretty sure that the gas fumes are starting to affect my judgement.

I have fuel squirts at each injector and spark at each plug.

What am I missing?

 

Howdy!
It sounds very much like something in the timing is off. Sounds like you've double checked timing but I would look again just to be sure. Just some things to look at, after replacing the cam seals is it possible the left/right cam sprokets were swapped by accident? Check the timing belt install again, after lining everything up and applying tension to the belt, turn crank by hand 2 full revolutions to allow the tensioner to take up any slack in the belt and then recheck the alignment of the components. Other than that, its possible the the distributor is out 180 degrees. I would start there, best of luck! If you have any questions I'll do my best to help.

 

Thanks for the reply. The distributor is probably not 180 out because I had the passenger valve cover off when I installed it, and #1 had both valves closed with the cams and crank on the marks.

But are you serious about the cam sprockets being handed? They seem like the exact same part, but I put the flange in on passenger side and out on drivers side, which seems to be as it was when I took it apart.

 

Well, to be honest I'm not entirely sure about the cam sprockets, although in my experience I have seen quite a few vehicles that have dedicated L/R hand sprockets, mostly the timing marks on the sprocket themselves are in different locations. More than anything just a thought on a potential problem. I'll see if I can dig up a timing diagram to see if there is any indication of cam sprocket orientation. Have you made any other progress?

 

Not sure if this will help any, but it was about the only useful picture I could get at this time of night.