1stoyota

First post and of course I have a problem: '87 4x4, 5-speed, 22RE, SR5, 31x10.5s, 215K miles (VIN indicates 8" 4.1 rear end)

This truck is new to me, and I'm finding interesting clues as I try to resolve its one big problem. Yesterday (the first time I tried) at Full Throttle in 2nd gear the truck pulled well up to about 3500RPM, then reluctantly to 4000, then at 4500 it was almost like fuel cut and it would decrease to about 4300RPM. If I accelerated at just less than full throttle it would continue to about 4800RPM but very sluggishly.

Last night I replaced Plugs, Wires, Dist. Cap and Rotor, Coil, and Fuel Filter (the PCV valve I bought was bad out of the box, so I didn't bother).

Today at full throttle the truck pulls up to 4500 and again acts like it's hitting fuel cut. It does seem to have a fatter tourque curve, but tapers off above 4000RPM. I can get above 4500 and up to about 5500 if I lift off of the throttle about 1/2 inch. It however cannot maintain 70MPH with the A/C and any slight uphill grade. Even without the A/C it can't maintain 70MPH in 4th uphill.

Here are some things I've learned:

TPS- appears to read correct resistance while closed and fully open, but I don't have the right feeler gauges to check the other two positions.
Fuel FILTER- Was obviously fairly new. The bolts holding it on were not tight, and the banjo washers were missing.
Cold Start Injector- has been hacked into to allow a momentary switch in the cab to activate the injector. The ECU plug does not function
Cold Start switch- passed a hot test, but it's been so warm that I can't conduct a cold test (temp must be below 84F)
Temperature sender- appears to work fine. The resistance is correct at ~85F and ~175F.

Truck Idles high (1100-1200RPM)- there are various potential vacuum leaks like the PCV valve, dip stick, intake elbow that is torn, a couple of vacuum hoses that are dubius, etc.
A/C does not cause truck idle to increase, but rather to drop to about 800RPM.

I appreciate any thoughts, especially if anyone else has had a similar problem.

Thanks,
Eric

Mr_Martinez1982

Welcome to YT!
first an foremost im pretty drunk , and mines a v6, so i may not be much help, but why are you taking it up so high? Torque curves are curves for a reason, Id search for the powerband of your vehicle. as for the AC, itll only raise your rpm if your at idle, but since your not, it drops because of the added "load".

'884Runner

4500 RPM should be around the top end of your torque curve anyway. Around 5500, you're getting ready to start floating the valves. Bear in mind that these aren't race car engines, they come from the factory with around 110 HP stock. But you should at least be able to pull hills. First, what kind of tires are you running. Going above 31's is going to seriously throw off your gear ratios. If you're still running stock or close to stock tires, it very well could be a vacuum leak like you mentioned. The part about it idling high sounded like something that could be caused by that. Good luck with your problem and seriously consider your gear ratios, that is often the biggest factor on these engines.
BTW, Just noticed you mentioned you have 31's, which will throw it off some, but you shouldn't be having that many problems. I drive mine on some really hilly roads with 31's and normally can pull any in 4th gear. But these things are like lead weights with go-cart motors in them. Your best power range should be between around 3000 and 4000 RPM though.

neoworm0

Reeeaallly!


Just curious, what did you drive before you bought this truck?

abecedarian

you mention a tear in the intake duct. I'd suggest getting that fixed asap.
the ecu uses a combination of the TPS, AFM, coolant and O2 sensors to decide how much fuel to inject. a leak in the duct between the AFM and throttle body will result in air bypassing the AFM and thus not being considered for fuel ratio calculations. this will be obvious at full throttle since the ecu ignores the O2 sensor, but closing the throttle sufficiently will allow the ecu to start using the O2 and detect the lean condition (caused by unmetered air entering the intake) and get the correct mixture.
additionally, the knock sensor may be retarding the timing due to pre-ignition caused by the lean mix (caused by any vacuum leaks) and this will reduce the power of the engine as well.

the engine should be willing to rev up to nearly 6000 rpm in any of the lower gears on flat ground.

eightnine

Lol thats normal man after 4000 RPM my 22re is powerless. These are not honda motors, they have all the power at low rpms.

abecedarian

I'd have to disagree with that being normal. Even though torque and horsepower are falling off above 4000-4500 rpm's, there is still usable power up there- that's what the gears are for.
If anyone is familiar with I-5 / "The Grapevine" between Los Angeles and Bakersfield, you'd know it's a 6%+ grade for several miles (on either side of Tejon Pass). My 88 has no problem spinning at 5000-5500 in 3rd, to maintain 60 miles per hour with 500+ pounds of tools and things in the back, on that highway. My 91 automatic bounces between 2nd and 3rd (drive) and maintains 60 on the same stretches of road and is spinning 4500-5500 (depending on gear) with a similar load.

algranger

thats classic 22re performance, just takes some getting used to just be glad you dont have a 22r like me im lucky to hit 70 with the wind behind me dont push the little motor too hard and it will treat you the same

eightnine

I've had my 22re up to 95mph so it can go fast it just takes a while. And yes there is some power above 4000 rpm but it does loose a considerable amount of power once you get to the higher rpms.

algranger

yeah i guess i shouldnt talk too much ive got a stock 22r with stock gearing and 32's ive never driven an re but i didnt imagine there was that big a difference

algranger

my 20r will do 90 but its a 2wd with one seat

a4runnerfreak

0-95mph, downhill for a 22re_____45min and 32 1/2 seconds

algranger

...depends on the grade may be able to get it under 30 mins

eightnine

Well actually that was on flatISH land, on a straight downhill i got it to almost 100mph but that just got scary so I slowed down. And yes it did take a couple minutes to get there haha, but keep in mind I have an auto 22re but its been rebuilt. I cant imagine your 3.slow auto being that much faster haha

abecedarian

I nunno... push it off the edge of the grand canyon and I'd bet it'd hit 100 within a few seconds, or the ground within 30.

eightnine

haha that is too funny lmao

algranger

makes me feel just like a race car driver having striped interior.. with one seat

algranger

now it just needs a spoiler

eightnine

the sad thing is people actually put spoilers on their trucks, and I dont just mean 2wd either.

a4runnerfreak

Hey, I hit 103 just 1 time....took me all of 39min .......lol with 4 chinamen and the wind pushin me