# My car won't start, please HELP! **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Tags:** toyota, camry\ **Created:** [June 29, 2017, 6:13pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/my-car-wont-start-please-help/105452 "2017-06-29T18:13:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![shirlcastillo21](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dec6dc/32.png) [@shirlcastillo21](https://community.cartalk.com/u/shirlcastillo21)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 6:13pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/my-car-wont-start-please-help/105452/1 "2017-06-29T18:13:27Z")
Hi my car stalled at stop light and is not starting at all. It cranks. I have changed the fuel filter, fuel pump and checked the EFI fuse but still is not starting. ---
**Author:** ![kurtwm1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/13edae/32.png) [@kurtwm1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/kurtwm1)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 6:16pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/my-car-wont-start-please-help/105452/2 "2017-06-29T18:16:06Z")
Engine check light on? Model car, year, mileage? ---
**Author:** ![SteveCBT](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/stevecbt/32/3192_2.png) [@SteveCBT](https://community.cartalk.com/u/SteveCBT)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 7:02pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/my-car-wont-start-please-help/105452/3 "2017-06-29T19:02:28Z")
You need fuel, air and spark to start. If you are cranking one of the 3 is missing/out of whack. Start by checking for spark. Also provide the info that @kurtwm2010 asked for, plus any maintenence history or other symptoms. ---
**Author:** ![shadowfax](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/shadowfax/32/13026_2.png) [@shadowfax](https://community.cartalk.com/u/shadowfax)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 7:11pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/my-car-wont-start-please-help/105452/4 "2017-06-29T19:11:20Z")
Well, we know it’s a Camry, but we don’t know what year. If it’s an older one it may have the 5sfe engine in it, which had a timing belt, and if that breaks, the car will stall and not restart. Of course, it could also be about 350 other things - we’re going to need a lot more information to point you in the right direction. ---
**Author:** ![shirlcastillo21](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dec6dc/32.png) [@shirlcastillo21](https://community.cartalk.com/u/shirlcastillo21)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 9:51pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/my-car-wont-start-please-help/105452/5 "2017-06-29T21:51:27Z")
It’s a 2001Toyota Camery 2.2 L It does have spark. Got the fuel pump, fuel filter, EFI fuse thing changed out. Engine light is on. ---
**Author:** ![kurtwm1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/13edae/32.png) [@kurtwm1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/kurtwm1)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 11:23pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/my-car-wont-start-please-help/105452/6 "2017-06-29T23:23:09Z")
you need to get the code for the engine light. Not knowing what the code is, is not helpful. Since you can’t get the car to an Autozone or Advance Auto Parts store, who would read the code for free, you may have to get an OBDII scanner or extract the code manually. There are instructions on youtube to do this. ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2017, 2:04am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/my-car-wont-start-please-help/105452/7 "2017-06-30T02:04:29Z")
hmm … since you presumably see a good spark at the spark plug, that means the engine computer is seeing the crankshaft rotating during cranking, so that’s a good thing. That means the electronic stuff in the engine is mostly working. I think the next step is a fuel pressure test probably. You might get lucky tho. If you have a conventional fuel pressure regulator on the fuel rail, remove the vacuum line from it. Did any fuel run out? If so the pressure regulator is probably the problem & needs to be replaced. It’s possible the valves aren’t doing their thing. Broken timing belt/timing chain. It might be possible to remove the oil fill cap and peer into that hole with a flashlight and see one of the camshafts. If so, does it turn as you crank the engine? Usually that test is done by hand-cranking the engine at the crankshaft pulley. Be cautious, as oil can pretty forcefully come out the oil fill cap hole during normal cranking when the cap is removed. If the fuel pressure is ok, and the camshafts are turning, next up would be a compression test. As mentioned above, probably the first thing to do is get the diagnostic codes read. I know that CEL is a royal pain sometimes, but it is actually your friend, as the engine diagnostic system something that provides a big clue what is wrong when something like this happens. Taking full advantage of that built in feature – you paid for it after all – can save you gobs of time and money. ---
**Author:** ![oldtimer-11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e79b87/32.png) [@oldtimer-11](https://community.cartalk.com/u/oldtimer-11)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2017, 2:14am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/my-car-wont-start-please-help/105452/8 "2017-06-30T02:14:23Z")
Why are you presuming good spark? I didn’t wee anything about that in the post. Some times people get an idea in their head about what is wrong and just start throwing parts at the problem rather than diagnosing the problem. ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2017, 2:38am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/my-car-wont-start-please-help/105452/9 "2017-06-30T02:38:36Z")
> [@oldtimer-11](#): > > Why are you presuming good spark? The OP said at 2:51 PM it has spark. ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2017, 2:15pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/my-car-wont-start-please-help/105452/10 "2017-06-30T14:15:00Z")
Could be a broken timing belt. ---
**Author:** ![shirlcastillo21](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dec6dc/32.png) [@shirlcastillo21](https://community.cartalk.com/u/shirlcastillo21)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2017, 4:14pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/my-car-wont-start-please-help/105452/11 "2017-06-30T16:14:54Z")
I had my neighbor check the timing belt. Guess what? it did break. 👍 Thank you all so much. ---
**Author:** ![PvtPublic](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/pvtpublic/32/13089_2.png) [@PvtPublic](https://community.cartalk.com/u/PvtPublic)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2017, 11:24am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/my-car-wont-start-please-help/105452/12 "2017-07-01T11:24:04Z")
How do you get spark with a broken timing belt? Never mind I think I get it now. ---
**Author:** ![Cavell](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/cavell/32/43396_2.png) [@Cavell](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Cavell)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2017, 2:30pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/my-car-wont-start-please-help/105452/13 "2017-07-01T14:30:44Z")
There is another person here who has a broken belt on their Camry… Shop wanted 1400 or so to do it and a few other things. What happened to that car?