Old car trouble- any ideas?

(2012-01-17 15:20:21)

1. S. Says: So....
1988 toyota corolla. i know nothing of cars.
really tries to start, but just cant seem to work (makes the out-of-gas noise, its not)
half a tank of gas, full oil/brake fluid/all else,
had a friend who knows what they're doing put in brand new spark plugs,
tried cleaning the corrosion off the distributor cap,
jumping the car (its cold outside and my car doesnt like that to begin with)
starter fluid did nothing....
i could replace the distributor cap,
but at this point im not sure that would do much of anything, my car is old, though fairly well taken care of (250k miles)
my actual question is:
does anyone have any ideas on any other easy to check problems or just something im missing before i end up having to tow it to a place to be looked at?

2. Bill Says: S,

It sounds like you have tried all of the "easy" things. Probably is going to need more involved testing to find the problem.

By the way, be very careful using starter fluid. It is very easy to ruin an engine with it if it is overdone.

Sorry I cant be of any more help than that.

3. Tony d:-) Says: If you already tried starting fluid, it sounds like you have a spark problem. You replaced the spark plugs, but pull one out, hold it against the engine and see if you get spark when it turns over. If you don't, the problem is most likely with the distributor. Besides the distributor cap, there are other parts that could have a short.

4. Daniel B Says: A new distributor cap wouldn't hurt and maybe a set of plug wires to finish the tuneup. Has the fuel pump ever been replaced? If not, you've gotten more than your money's worth out of the old one.

5. easygoing157 Says: starter fluid did nothing....
so Im guessing its not fuel...check it actually has spark??...

you could do a quick check to see if the engine is still timed correctly... if its not.. cam chain problems... & probably bent valves..