JaredL

1993 Truck 4x4 manual 178,000 miles 22RE Original Owner

A little history--I had a mechanic replace my clutch about 6 months ago with a Marlin kit I bought. The original flywheel was resurfaced professionally by another reputable mechanic. I bring this all up because I get the weird feeling my clutch is going South.

This morning, out of the blue, my truck died at an intersection when going from neutral to first gear. I finally got it going again but it felt like it was just coasting and not going into gear. After about a half mile, it finally went into gear with no other issues--until this evening.

Coming home from work, I drove through town with no issues. As soon as I got on the interstate and shifted into 4th gear, the truck lurched or hesitated before going into gear. After that, on my way home, every gear would do this--even first gear. It feels like it isn't going into gear.

So, is it time to go to the mechanic who installed the clutch 6 months ago and start raising hell or could the issue be with a faulty Marlin clutch? By the way, the tachometer does not dance around when the issue occurs which makes me think (faintly) that this isn't a clutch issue. Any thoughts?



Thanks Toyota gurus for any help,
JARED

wyoming9

iTrader: (1)

Are you fighting to get it in gear lots of grinding and noise??

Just how did it move for the half mile when your thinking it is not in gear??

Where you on a steep hill or enough of a grade to coast that far??

No burning of the Clutch ?? That smell you never forget. That comes from the clutch slipping .

Clutch pedal is still firm when pushed ??

It sure does not sound like a clutch problem but your description is very vague .

I know you described it the best you could.

JaredL

Thank Wyoming9 and sorry for being vague. Let me see if I can clear things up a bit. There was no burning smell from the clutch (I have smelt that before so I know what you are referring to), no funky noises, and the clutch is firm. When I put it in gear, it goes in fine but when I press the gas pedal, the truck lurches and actually decelerates and lurches before finally "kicking in" and accelerating.

I did some searching on possible issues and of course it ranges from clutch to tps to just needing new wires. I have replaced spark plugs in this truck (Toyota parts only when I replace something) so I think I will start with a tuneup as the rotor, cap, and wires are all original. I think I will also try a fuel filter as it is also been many years since being replaced. I'll also clean the throttle body and check TPS. I'll start there and see how that goes. I'll report my findings

wyoming9

iTrader: (1)

With help check that your throttle cable is working like it should.

Look where the throttle cable comes into the cab as well

wyoming9

iTrader: (1)

Find anything interesting??

JaredL

Yes, thanks for the help. here's what I discovered: I checked the throttle cable both in the cab and where it connects to the EFI unit. Everything looks good there. I even still have the little rubber boot at the end of the cable. Just to be on the safe side, I sprayed WD-40 into the cable housing at both ends...just because I am weird like that. The truck was scheduled to get a tuneup so I did that too. I replaced the following parts with genuine Toyota:

Fuel filter
PCV valve
Spark plugs
Rotor
Distributor cap

I then cleaned out the following:

Removed TPS and cleaned throttle body (didn't look too bogged but I did it anyways)
Cleaned out little valve that sits on top of thermostat

Just for the heck of it, I also changed brake fluid and bled brakes...totally unrelated. Anyways, I drove it for 4 days with no problem. I thought I fixed the issue until yesterday. The truck almost left me stranded as it kept cutting out...mainly in lower gears. People behind me probably thought I was drunk. I notice that my idle fluctuates rapidly. After I gave the truck a tuneup, I noticed the idle shot up to around 1700. I adjusted it to 750 and it worked great like this until the next day then the idle barely registered. I then re-adjusted to 750 again by increasing the adjusting screw. I had to do this twice before it seemed like I finally got it right. But yesterday when it was cutting out, the idle went down to about 300 again.

The odd thing is, after these little bouts, the truck runs fine. I filled up with 91 octane gas and put in Seafoam yesterday after the truck had its issue and today it runs like a top. So, I am thinking the issue is either bad gas or a failing fuel pump. Since I was nearly on empty before filling up yesterday and I put in 91 octane, if it continues to cut out, that rules out bad gas. If it is the fuel pump, how much of a pain is it to replace?


Thanks again!

JaredL

So after much frustration and replacing parts (most of which needed replacing anyways as part of a tuneup...see post above), I broke down and took my truck to a mechanic to try and figure out why it was cutting out...especially in lower gears. The mechanic said the tps and fuel pump were fine. He tested the vane air flow meter (VAFM) and said it tested at .2 and it should be at 6. I assume he was referring to electrical reading.

He also said that it appears the oil in my K&N air filter contributed to the demise of the VAFM sensor. According to the mechanic, it is possible the oil used in the filter shorted out the sensor. So, I saw plenty of posts about this part dying and wonder of all the posts, how many are running K&N air filters? I have been running one in this truck for about 18 years.

I called Toyota and just for kicks asked how much this part is. $750 which I understand is a good deal for genuine Toyota...unfortunately I am having a hard time justifying this price. Is anyone running an aftermarket VAFM? I see Cardone, Beck Arnley, and Napa for significantly lower price than Toyota. Just wondering if it will cause issues if I go with an aftermarket and if not, which one should I go with.


Thanks,
JAREDL

JaredL

So, I found a verified used VAFM online and replaced my old one. The problem still exists. I tried cleaning my less than 1 yr Denso O2 sensor as another possibility but that didn't help either. Today my truck died in an intersection and it is starting to become a hazard. I am a at a loss here as is the mechanics. I am taking it in tomorrow to get re-diagnosed as the VAFM obviously wasn't the issue. I am at the point where the list of possible culprits is shorted then the things tried. The things I have remaining are as follows:

TPS - Mechanic said this checked out fine
Fuel pump
Injectors
Mis-grounded engine block - I will look into that one but I doubt that is it as my engine compartment looks new
Fuel Pressure Regulator--I am leaning towards this as being the most viable culprit.

Here's a new symptom that started occurring last night that lends me to believe it may be the fuel pressure regulator; When I shut my truck off, a ticking/tapping sound can be intermittently heard hours after shutting the truck down. I even hear it when the battery is disconnected. It sounds like it is coming from the evap canister. I read that if the fuel pressure regulator is going bad, ticking sounds can be heard from this evap canister. Is that true and if so, why would that be the case?

scope103

Ignition timing? That's so basic, I can't imagine that a mechanic didn't check it, but you never mention it.

JaredL

So I am 99% sure I got this issue figured out. I've seen a lot of posts about this issue with about a dozen different possible fixes. The fix that ended up working for me, however, I never came across in any of the searches online. I hope this information helps others out.

The one dead give away that helped my mechanic figure out was that the bucking, lurching, sputtering, and erratic idle would only occur after my truck reached operating temperature. I only figured this pattern out after trying other things. So, my mechanic discovered a sensor on the engine block...what he calls a coolant temperature sensor. Replaced that with a NAPA one (I wish it was Toyota and I may just buy one later) and the issue went away. Odd that this one sensor would cause so many problems for a vehicle that really isn't all that technological....at least not compared with the vehicles of today.

JAREDL