Bill Edgar

Well I bought a 94 Toyota after weeks of looking and I thought I got a good deal.
I drove 3 hours up to get it. When I got there I was shocked at how clean it was. He had a laundry list of new parts. New battery, new alternator, new radiator, new front end parts, rebuilt motor, new tires. I looked around the truck and the new parts looked legit. I drove it and it ran good and drove straight, no smoke, ice cold AC. What's not to love? Well that was 4 days ago. I drove it 250 miles home and it cruised beautifully with the AC blasting but I did notice the battery light and brake light on. I thought maybe it's a ground somewhere. No biggie.
Well the next day I jump in it and turn the key, nothing, hit it again, nothing, hit it again starts right up.
Later on that day I jump in it and flip on the AC and nothing but warm air.
The next day I hear a loud pop as I back up with the wheels cranked. Then on the way home it's starts cutting out a bit at about 65.
Then this morning I jump in it and when I start it up it blows blue smoke.
So my question is, how did this guy hide all these issues? Or did he? Could it just be a stroke of bad luck all these issues popped up in the first week I own it?
I was dilligent in my examination of the truck before I bought it. I checked the oil, watched the tailpipe for smoke, looked underneath, drove it for an hour.
I can fix the issues and still have a clean Toyota but the real issue is that my feelings are hurt that this guy possible pulled one over on me.
I'm also worried now thinking about all the new parts he put on the truck. Could it be a money pit(lemon)? I had a Mustang like that a few years back. Fix one thing something else goes wrong. I don't want to deal with another one of those headaches. Could the guy who worked on it have been a lousy mechanic, therefore I should question the engine rebuild?
What do y'all think?

RJR

Well, don't panic just yet. Sounds like you have a bad connection in the electrical system somewhere. I've seen posts on this forum concerning a battery light and brake light both on - has something to do with an alternator connection, I think. The AC not engaging could be related. Electrical problems can be hard to diagnose, but generally inexpensive to fix once you find them. Time to do some internet searching and then get out the multimeter.

The blue smoke may or may not be a big issue. Could be a slightly leaking valve guide that allows oil into the combustion chamber while stopped, and has to burn off. If he had run the engine recently before you got there you wouldn't have seen that. Monitor for actual oil consumption to see whether it's something that needs to be fixed.

The suspension pop could be one of two things.
- The steering stops make horrible noises when you crank the wheels hard. They're supposed to have rubber/plastic caps on them to keep 'em quiet, but almost no vehicles that old still have them. Perfectly harmless, just annoying. Put a little grease on the stops and see if the noise goes away.
- Or, it could be a worn suspension bushing. I have one of those somewhere, with similar symptoms, but I can't for the life of me figure out which one it is, so I've just been living with it.

mags

Battery and brake light, i had this issue with my truck a few weeks ago. Replaced the alternator and fixed the problem. Cutting out could be from your truck running off of the battery for so long. This could also affect the wiring to your ac. You could get away with replacing the alternator brush which would cost you about $10 at autozone. Worth a shot!

osv

depending on where you live, if the body is clean and rust-free, it's worth a lot.

starter relay, bad ignition switch, bad starter??

check to see if the clutch on the a/c compressor is engaging.

jackasses who sell cars will claim that a valve cover gasket replacement is a rebuilt motor.

blue smoke at startup is a sign that something is worn out, you should run the usual tests... compression, maybe leak down, etc.

Bill Edgar

The guy I bought it off of sounded like an idiot but he said that they had a rebuilt motor. He told me that his brother-in-law rebuilt the motor and onto shop in town. And that his brother in law owned the pick up for about 15 years. I asked if I could call his brother in law and I got the number. So I called the brother-in-law and he sounded like he knew what he was talking about. He said that about a few years after he owned the truck it lost oil pressure so he towed it to his shop and rebuilt the motor. He said the rebuilt motor has about 40,000 miles on it. After talking to the brother-in-law I thought it was worth taking a look at. He seemed to know what he was doing.
I showed up and talked to the guy and he was an idiot but the truck was super-clean. But the brother in law made me feel comfortable about it even if the guy selling it didn't know much. So I'm not sure if I was taken or not but I guess that's the way it goes with used cars.

wyoming9

iTrader: (1)

Could be a little of just plain bad timing might also be that they were just clueless .

A engine rebuilt (alleged ) 40,000 miles ago you have no idea how it was treated or what might have been done .

It could have been just the head done called rebuilt maybe just the bottom end no way to know.

These trucks are a labor of love once all the bugs are worked out just regular maintenance they go pretty long in most cases

Charchee

If the blue smoke stops after a few minutes, as mentioned above, you probably just have a leaking valve seal. Mine smokes every morning and after a few minutes it's gone and runs just fine. I don't even have to add oil between changes.

For the starting issue, check your cables on the starter after you verify your battery is good. Mine had that problem too and it turned out to be a bad connection at the starter. Had similar symptoms again a year or so later. That turned out to be a loose connection at the clutch switch that keeps you from starting it in gear with the clutch out.

You can check the AC out pretty easily. First see if the compressor clutch is engaging when the AC is on. If not, you may be low on freon. I have an AC gauge set but you can get one of the AC tuneup cans with the little gauge and hose from the parts store and hook it up to your low side valve. With the truck running and AC on, if it reads 0 psi. then you may have been fooled by the seller on that issue. The compressor clutch won't engage with very low freon. Adding some will usually make it kick on. I know the AC system on mine is not in good shape but if I put a can of freon in it, it will work like a charm for a couple days. At least long enough to sell it. Not that I would do that to someone.

Keep your head up. Tinkering with these old trucks is what makes having one fun. There are lots of good folks here that would be glad to help your work out the bugs. Mine are both running too good and I'm getting bored. Let me know if I can help.

Bill Edgar

Well I've been driving the truck for about a month now. My start up smoke has not gone away. It consumes about a quart every two weeks. So much for having a fresh engine! I haven't messed with the AC. The starting issue has gotten worse, now I have to usually hit the key 3 or 4 times before it turns over. It starts hard first thing in the morning, I'm guessing because of the oil seeping past the valves all night.
Yesterday on my way home it started cutting out. It only did it between 65 and 75 on the interstate. It run fine on the back roads at slower speeds and pulling hills. I'm thinking maybe a fuel filter. Looks like a pain to change. I guess when you buy a lemon you have to make lemonade!