HELP Car won't turn. Options

[CastrolCelica]

Ok, this is an unusual situation. I started my car yesterday to go to a friends house. It started fine, but after I started it I decided to take the Prius instead to save on gas. So the car started just fine.

I tried starting it today, and it won't turn. This isn't like what was happening before. It doesn't sound like a dead battery because it's actually really close to turning over. It doesn't seem like a timing belt because the engine is going a bit as well as the starter engine. I can only assume it's spark or fuel related. The problem is, if I can't turn on the car, I can't take it to a garage. To further complicate things, the car is in my garage which would make getting it out and onto a truck extremely hard because of our steep driveway and narrow turn at the end.

ANYwho, I guess I don't understand how it could start just fine last night... had NO driving to wear it down, and now this. Any help is immensely appreciated.

Btw, when I opened up the hood I smelled a VERY faint burnt toast type of smell. Could have been from trying to start the car 3 or 4 times though...

[delusionz]

If everything is sweet with power to the starter motor, Then the engine should make a good cranking sound (Crank rapidly turning over)

If it sounds like the engine is cranking, then the cranking slows down until nothing happens then you have a low battery.

If its a click click click then you have a wiring/grounding problem.


If the 1st is the case (Cranking fine, but no ignition) then check your spark plugs (If they've never been changed -- Yes I found out I've got the original factory plugs now 160,000 kms old even though the previous owner said he had it serviced regularly),

Then make sure you haven't dislodged any of the distributor/spark plug cables, etc. What you can do is take a plug out, connect it back to the spark plug wire, and hold it to the block to ground it, then get someone to crank the engine and see if you're getting spark.

Once you confirm you're getting spark, then start looking at fuelling issues.

Normally if you have fuelling issues the engine should actually start, but have trouble keeping a steady idle and may even shut off....