OH NO celica won't turn over, advice needed Options

[uberschall]

hey everybody. i'm in a bit of a hurt and i hope somebody can give me some insight.

my 5sfe didn't start today. i've NEVER had a problem with it before. the starter runs but the engine won't turn over. it's damp and rainy today, for what it's worth. it has a full tank of 91 octane, the battery connections are tight, and all the plug wires are connected properly.

with the gracious help of my neighbors, we tried push-starting it several times, but as soon as the clutch pops, the engine makes a horrible diesel-decompression sound and the tires just skid (maybe because of the wet ground)

i'd like to replace the plugs, wires, coil, dizzy, etc. but i'm hoping someone can help narrow it down. i will do my best to provide any additional info if needed.

thanks.

[uberschall]

well, it was the distributor. it had actually melted on top and wasn't consistently tranferring power. i couldn't see it while it was on the car.

i would be ashamed to admit how much money i could have saved by acting on my hunch to replace it from the get-go, but i would prefer to simply pass along the valuable lesson i have learned:

if you have an idea, the best thing to do is act on it...the worst that could happen is that you have to come up with another idea.

it's fixed now, and at least i have that peace of mind. arguably, i've been extremely busy with work and school lately, so as i said before, it's just as well that i got it fixed and it's one less thing to worry about.

i'd still like to thank everyone that pitched in along the way.

rough week!