# Car died, now it won't start

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-died-now-it-wont-start/77945>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Tags:** toyota, camry\
**Created:** [March 12, 2013, 5:09am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-died-now-it-wont-start/77945 "2013-03-12T05:09:16Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![JLStrickland](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e47c2d/32.png) [@JLStrickland](https://community.cartalk.com/u/JLStrickland)\
**Post date:** [March 12, 2013, 5:09am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-died-now-it-wont-start/77945/1 "2013-03-12T05:09:16Z")

</div>

Hi, I have a 1989 Toyota Camry station wagon. I was driving it tonight on a slow neighborhood street and it just died. When I tried to start it back up, it won’t start. I have power, all lights and things at full strength. When trying to start it it makes a high-pitched whirring screeching sound. I don’t know where the starter is located, but the sound seems to be coming from around the spark plugs or behind/under them. If anyone has any idea where I might start, I would be eternally grateful. I gotta get this fixed as cheaply as possible.

Thanks

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Tester](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/tester/32/15976_2.png) [@Tester](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Tester)\
**Post date:** [March 12, 2013, 5:19am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-died-now-it-wont-start/77945/2 "2013-03-12T05:19:22Z")

</div>

An 89 Toyota? If the timing belt hasn’t been serviced, it might need it now.

Tester

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Caddyman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/caddyman/32/23_2.png) [@Caddyman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Caddyman)\
**Post date:** [March 12, 2013, 5:34am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-died-now-it-wont-start/77945/3 "2013-03-12T05:34:58Z")

</div>

It can be different things, but if it cranks (turns over) but sounds very strange in doing so, a broken timing belt is as good a guess as any…You can go to the Gates Timing Belt Replacement Guide and see if you have an “interference” or Non-interference" engine…Thankfully, most Toyota’s are non-interference engines…Cheap? Not very often. Figure $300 and up before you are back on the road…
