First time poster. recently purchased a 91 toyota truck 2D 4WD ext. cab from craigslist. i replaced the spark plugs and wires, distributor cap/rotor/wires and it ran fine until yesterday when i installed a new stereo into the car. connected all the wires, started the car up fine and the stereo worked. then i mounted the stereo and put all the dash components back and it wouldnt start up. today i replaced the ignition switch, the ignition cylinder and even a new battery. the car still won't start. Where do I go from here?

 

I assume you checked all the fuses?

 

yup all the fuses are good

 

It ran before you reinstalled everything, so what happens if you take the trim pieces back off? If that doesn't work try taking the radio out again. Will it start now?

 

Might have a bare wire grounding out?

 

i think it might be the timing belt. i was planning on replacing it anyways so i will find out when the parts come in. i've been searching around for possible causes and read that it could possibly be the catalytic converter or the fuel lines?? does anyone know any other possible causes?

 

Let's see. It ran. You replaced the stereo. Now it won't start.

And you're thinking timing belt? Catalytic converter? Fuel line? That is hilarious!

Yes, all those things, and at least 1,000 more, could cause a no-start problem. But it would be a hell of a coincidence to have a timing belt break the very minute you put in a new stereo.

First, what do YOU mean by "won't start"? When you turn the key, do you hear anything? Does anything on the dash light? Does the starter run, turning the engine over? Does the engine turn over, and "fire" like it's trying to start? Does it start running, and then quit? All of these are "won't start," but each has a very different cause.

 

not start as in, no electrical connection and no power??? or it turns over but wont fire??

 

Amen. A problem well-stated is a problem half-solved
Gotta distinguish cranking (starter turning the engine) from combustion (VROOM!).

Were the ignition switch, ignition cylinder and battery broken? If you blindly replace things without verifying first will go broke
Don't be shy; ask first.

 

sorry for my vagueness. when i start the car it turns over like it wants to start but there is no ignition. i checked the center distributor wire and had someone start the engine and saw that it has a spark.

 

You have spark at every sparkplug wire?

 

Still too vague. "Turns over like it wants to start" tells me that you hear it firing, just not enough to keep running. But "there is no ignition" tells me you hear nothing but cranking (no firing).

Remember: your problem is almost certainly related to your stereo. I would concentrate on electrical issues behind the dash (or whereever your hands went).

You could have knocked out the COR circuit. No fuel: sounds like "no ignition." Fortunately, that's trivial to check, by jumping FP to B+.

 

i disconnected my stereo and it still wouldn't start so that's not the issue. when i go to start the car the engine turns over but it doesn't completely start like it normally should