How can you set the timing on a 1997 Toyota Tercel It won't start. It is getting fire but air is blowing out the intake. We have fuel. I think it jumped time and need to know what 2 do. Thanks?

Answer 1

If the timing belt has jumped you will need to replace it. A quick compression test will give you a good idea what's going on. Mark each spark plug wire so that you can get them back where they were. A piece of tape on clean wires or even a wire marker is a good idea. Next, pull all spark plugs and screw a compression gauge into one of the spark plug holes. Have an assistant crank the engine for about 5 seconds, then record the compression. Do that for each cylinder. Compression should be even (within a few PSI) across all cylinders and it should be above 100 PSI. If your compression is well below that and/or is very uneven, you probably have a slipped timing belt. Once the timing belt is replaced, the ignition timing should go back to normal.