alchemywizard

Hey guys Iam somewhat of a fresh fish when i comes to working on vecihals
but to the point I just bought this 86 4runner for 500bucks new breaks new tires and was just rebuilt 40,000 miles ago. The person i bought it from is a friend so i got it really cheap, but he dosent know anything about fixing it either. He has taken it in to a shop and they said that the head was warped and needed to be milled. But he didnt trust them and just bought a new truck, and sold the 86 to me. Thy symptoms are that when first started it idles perfect sounds really good, but as soon it warms up it sounds like one of the cylinders is missing and it starts to idle like crap till it shuts off, it will start and i can mess with the idle to keep it running but it dosent really want to stay running.
A friend had looked at it and said that there maybe a intake leak but wasent really sure. It also smells like it is running rich. Since money is a issue Iam going to work on it myself I was wondering if anyone knows where i should start in order to fix this.

algranger

thats what my 86 pickup did when i first got it, do you have the 22r or 22re? i donno anything about the 22re but if you have a 22r i got some ideas

alchemywizard

its a 22re,with IFS

dcg9381

If you're near a major city.. find your local toyota 4wd community and ask for help.
The learning curve on mechanical stuffs is pretty high - and you'll find it frustrating.

Yotatech is great for advice.. Start with diagnostics for vacuum leaks.
There's no way a shop can tell you a head is warped without pulling it... That doesn't mean they are wrong - just means they're guessing.

If it has to be reliable transportation, there may be better options...
If it's secondary transportation, it's a great learning experience!

algranger

o, sorry man, i cant help you much there. i replaced my stock carb. with a weber and it runs like a top. i don't really know anything about efi (electronic fuel injection) but my guess would be maybe dirty injectors? it couldn't hurt to check them for build up... otherwise i donno what to tell ya. also check out this link-it might make you really happy!--https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116...buzzer-122677/

thook

First, it's probably something simple from what I can gather. It may need a tune up, or a new coolant temp sensor, or as said a vacuum leak.
Second, those mechanics were talkin' out there ass if they never pulled the head. My guess is they trying to milk you're friend. The highest probability is that there's nothing wrong at all with the head if it's never overheated. Besides, if it was you'd have a blown headgasket and there would be telltale signs of that. Like low coolant levels, coolant smell in the exhaust, coolant in the oil, or oil in the coolant.
Third, when these motors are running they are very reliable. (Had to differ a bit, there....sorry) They're really not that complicated in my opinion. It's fuel injected, but it's an early model which means it's primitive and not that many parts to it. If you have the time and are willing to learn a little bit, you'll see what I mean. It just takes understanding how it works...the fuel injection, that is.
For example...
The coolant sensor if not working right will send erroneous signals to the computer and the fuel mix will be off. It...the computer...can't adjust the fuel mix correctly according to the coolant temp. More when cold...less when warm. So, it can cause the symptoms you're seeing. A good place to start, if you ask me. Vacuum leak too...even simpler. Spray some starting fluid around the intake area. If there's a leak, the motor should rev a bit. Try that around the vacuum lines, too.
As said, if you do have a 4x4 group nearby (maybe even Toyota) they're a lot less likely to be inclined to rip you off and instead actually try to help. If not, as said, YT is a good place for help.

Personally, depending on your needs and the total shape it's in, you have a vehicle worth fixing.