1003 corolla I washed the engine and now it wont start

Asked by Airth1 Aug 20, 2015 at 02:10 PM about the 1993 Toyota Corolla Base

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I just bought the car that afternoon and took it home 3 miles maybe and engine was very dirty . so I used dish soap in a spray bottle and sprayed the whole bottle on the engine and then used a hose and rinsed it off I did not cover any thong I was just carefull and did not spray directly on alt or distrubuter but I am sure they got a little wet . bout an hour after I washed it I started it and drove it 1 mile or so but not far and it would not start and when it did it was running real rough and puttering am
nd was un able to drive home so I left it in a parking lot and came back the next day and now it wont start at all just turns over

3 Answers

Starting fluid works also to dry inside distributor cap. But Jim's advice you can take to the bank, good as gold. But don't drain your battery attempting to start it. It either will start or not, extended cranking will damage your starter and battery. I have a feeling that in a day or two it's going to fire right up.

2 people found this helpful.
23,430

I show a set of individual coil on plug for that year, if you mean 2003. There is info to read and learn for the system used in the YMM of your car thru google. you can see what it uses and how it triggers, as well as discussion by those in need of help. There are threads having issues leading the reader to believe they are sensitive even when water is not the issue. A manual for the system can be found free at a public library for testing and specs if you cannot access online where the car is parked. There are many other ideas to help if you cannot have it taken to your place or a shop. feel free to update as you go and we'll see what you have for testing results.

2 people found this helpful.
23,430

If you mean 1993, and jim has you goin, now, then it's just steam from the wash job. Some of those plug wires can be repaired and reused at the plug end with some finesse. random missfire and misfire under load would be the symptom after it starts. The cap and wires are best purchased from a nippondenso source or beck arnley in my experience. They actually use metal cables covered with silicone. Like the OEM were. The wrecking yards are full of these cars and you see brightly colored red orange blue parts everywhere on them as a last attempt. NOT recommended.

2 people found this helpful.

Your Answer:

Corolla

Looking for a Used Corolla in your area?

CarGurus has 24,175 nationwide Corolla listings starting at $995.

ZIP:

Own this car?

Share your experience with others.

1993 Toyota Corolla

Review another car

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    Jeff Polhemus
    Reputation
    3,350
  • #2
    Gene Arnett
    Reputation
    3,270
  • #3
    hashimmir
    Reputation
    2,500
View All

Know more, shop wisely

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Toyota Camry
1,986 Great Deals out of 40,108 listings starting at $1,550
Used Honda Civic
1,196 Great Deals out of 32,466 listings starting at $1,495
Used Honda Accord
1,365 Great Deals out of 29,244 listings starting at $1,075
Used Hyundai Elantra
871 Great Deals out of 24,776 listings starting at $1,350
Used Nissan Sentra
852 Great Deals out of 40,169 listings starting at $602
Used Toyota 4Runner
1,003 Great Deals out of 20,301 listings starting at $1,950

Used Cars for Sale

2024 Toyota Corolla For Sale
48 Great Deals out of 6,400 listings starting at $18,770
2023 Toyota Corolla For Sale
214 Great Deals out of 2,441 listings starting at $15,275
2022 Toyota Corolla For Sale
184 Great Deals out of 2,268 listings starting at $14,300
2021 Toyota Corolla For Sale
283 Great Deals out of 3,964 listings starting at $9,990
2020 Toyota Corolla For Sale
179 Great Deals out of 1,857 listings starting at $8,997

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.