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Sudden Engine Failure


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PD10757
New User

Jul 1, 2023, 11:49 AM

Post #1 of 2 (1282 views)
Sudden Engine Failure Sign In

2015 Toyota Corolla LE
1.8 L 4 cylinder
160k miles

I've been handed quite the puzzle. My engine was making strange noises, so I called my neighbor mechanic and asked him to take a look. He looked it over and told me it was an issue with the belt but it was not a mechanical issue. I rolled with it and the problem grew worse until the serpentine belt broke on me one morning. I replaced the serpentine belt and then the water pump which we believed was causing the issue. The new belt had been chewed up a little, and the water pump bearings were incredibly loose. Once we replaced the water pump the engine ran like a charm sitting in the parking lot. However, I went to drive it home and pulled out of the parking lot and onto the access road. As I accelerated on the access road to match speed with traffic, the engine died instantly, the brakes became incredibly firm, and nearly all of my warning lights came on. I had no engine anymore so I coasted to a dirt patch along the road and engaged the E brake there. We assessed the engine there to the degree that we could, checking the fuses and using a reader to evaluate the computer codes. The reader didn't pick up any codes and there didn't appear to be any issues with the fuses. We would turn the ignition on and crank the engine, but the only response we would get sounded like the engine was not offering any resistance. We figured it was an engine compression issue, so I towed the vehicle to my home. Today we popped the hood and ran through the codes again, which flagged nothing. We double-checked the fuses and relays again, which didn't demonstrate any issues. We decided an engine compression test was the best course of action so we removed the spark plugs as well as the fuse for the fuel pump and conducted the test on all four cylinders. All four cylinders came back at 0 PSI. We utilized a snaking camera and inserted it into the actual ignition chamber of each cylinder and inspected the pistons/valves: all of which looked good. We removed the top of the engine block and inspected the cams, camshaft, and timing chain: all of which seem to be intact and function when the engine cranks. At this point, we're at a loss for what to do from here. The air intake has been mentioned as a possible complication but we haven't examined that yet. I would greatly appreciate another, more knowledgeable take on the problem. Perhaps we've missed something simple as it seems everything is working as expected. Anyhow, thanks for the help!


Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Hammer Time profile image

Jul 1, 2023, 12:19 PM

Post #2 of 2 (1278 views)
Re: Sudden Engine Failure Sign In

There's basically only one thing that will cause a sudden loss of all compression and that is a broken or jumped timing chain.



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