83

Boy the search function here really sucks. I thought I entered the exact name of a thread I remember and I can't find it so...
Ever since my rebuild my truck has fired right up. One pump of the gas plus a little as I turn the key and it's running. There've been a few times when I start it and it kind of chugs a bit...like it isn't running great, then the chugs get faster and it eventually evens out & idles fine. Otherwise it fires right up.
I took it out Saturday morning for a hike, came back, did a bunch of crap around the house, went out to start it a few hours later. It fired right up, ran for about 5 seconds, died. Wouldn't start. It turns over, I smell gas if I crank it long enough, but it won't fire. Wouldn't start yesterday, won't start this morning. What do I look for? Do you pull a spark plug, hook it back up to the wire and look for spark? Otherwise...I smell gas so it's getting gas (I think, right?), compression better be there with my new engine...so we've got to check for spark, and...?

Thanks! I can handle taking it to a shop to check everything out, but I'm not going to have it towed to a shop...

yotaboy82

ya i need help to, just put in a 84 22r in my 82 and it wont start, i pour a bunch of gas down the carb and the only way i can kind of get it to sputter and run for a sec is holding my foot to the floor other than that its a no go, i checked all vacume lines and there all there so what could be the problem?, i have zero clue how to check timing and stuff?

HELP

rdlsz24

If you have gas the next thing to check would be spark. You almost have the method down for checking spark. You need to touch the electrode to the head or something metal on the engine to ground it. Have somebody look at while you turn the key. You should see a tiny blue spark. If you gas and have spark, next thing to check is your airbox, etc.

Rob

83

Thanks. By electrode you mean....if I touch part of the plug to metal? What part of the plug? the very end? the bolt part? Threaded part?

Somebody mentioned egr, I know that could make my truck run bad, but not even start? Don't know.

Al's Chop Shop

if you are smelling gas you are flooding the crap out of the motor.

when its hot if i bump the throttle it floods and doesn't want to start.

when its cold just a light tap to set the choke and it always comes to life.

sounds like you keep flooding it... walk away for a while and restart it without touching the gas (choke is already set).

Al

83

Thanks Al. I thought that might be the problem too, but like I said, I've let it sit for almost 24 hours before trying it again and it still won't start. I let it sit for a couple hours and didn't even pump the gas and it wouldn't start. Always, always until this point it's been one pump, and it fires right up. Did the same Saturday but then died. Since then nothing. Could the carb be flooding the engine, not me? I had the carb checked out by a shop and they told me it's fine, but I've been having some issues with that shop lately.

If I can't figure it out soon, I want to just get it to a shop, and I really don't want to pay for towing to get it there. I guess I can have a friend tow it (with rear driveshaft disconnected), but I'd sure rather drive it.

Anyways, I'm done with computer access for the night, so I guess I'll putz around with it a bit and check back to see if anyone's got bright ideas for me to try tomorrow! Good thing it's nice walking weather right now..

83

Ok. It seems like I am getting fuel. When I push (what I think is) the accelerator pump, fuel squirts into the carb, and when someone cranks it and pushes the gas, I see some fuel going in. Depending on whether I'm checking for spark correctly...I didn't see any. If I rest the spark plug against the valve cover does that ground it? I figure since both the head and the valve cover are both aluminum, and the head must be what grounds the plug when it's screwed in...it aught to work.

So if my problem is no spark, what do I check? Does the ignition coil just run spark? I mean if the starter is obviously working, but I'm not getting spark, where does that point me? Would be really nice to be driving it by Friday afternoon and Toyota usually has a 2 day delivery time...

I checked the fuse box in the cab. There's only one fuse that's labled "engine", so I figure that must be ignition? It's fine.

83

Well, between calling a Toyota shop and talking to some people, I'm going to try one more thing, which is to pull the ignition coil wire on the distributer end, hold near something metal and see if there's spark when cranked. If not, I guess I'll replace the ignition coil first....and then hope that does it 'cause the ignitor is a bit more pricey. Toyota said the cheapest they could get it for me is about $302, and I'd be better off going to a parts store. We'll see...Thanks for the help so far.

83

Yotaboy82, maybe you should start a separate thread, but what do you know about the engine? It ran before? Your carb is getting fuel? The distributer is lined up correctly with the cam gear, etc? Without knowing if the engine ran before it went in your truck...who knows. And how did your truck run before the new engine? Ignition etc. was all fine?

georgiayota

When I bought my truck it wasn't getting any spark. The reason was the ignitor wasn't getting a 12v source to tell it to work. We ran a wire from another 12v source and it started right up.

83

So what is the stock 12v source it should be getting info from so I can check? Sorry I'm even more clueless when it comes to electronic stuff at this point.

91Toyota

Are you getting spark? You said you smell gas...dump some gas into to the carb and see if it starts unless you can see gas squirting in (doubt it).

Good luck!

83

Yeah, I'm getting gas. I can see it squirting in when someone pumps the gas.

83

Well, I disconnected the wire from the distributer to the coil at the distributer end, held it up to a bolt, and so no spark when the key was turned. Ordered an ignition coil so we'll see tomorrow hopefully if that's it.

yotaboy82

83, the motor that was factory in the truck blew the head gasket and he just junked the motor and put in a 1985 22r with the square valve cover it did run but i guess he dident hook everything up so i finnished all the vacum lines and tryed it, wouldent start, i did EVERYTHING except changing the plugs, plug wires and distrubiter cap, so i changed the the distrubiter cap and wires/plugs today and bam she fired right up with a puff of black smoke from all the gas i was pouring down the carb

83

Nice!!
I remember the day my '86 wouldn't start. Only time the thing EVER left me stranded or didn't start. Watched it get towed away. Turned out all it needed was cap, plugs, and wires. $150. Thank god I'm beyond those days where I couldn't even do that (although maybe not that far beyond it..)!

I'm very interested to see if mine starts tomorrow with the new coil.

yotaboy82

150?, dang it cost me 60 for the cap, plugs and wires, and i got the good ones, bosch

83

Yeah that's what I mean. A shop did it, and for just what could have been done for $60 and a half hour, I paid $150. Hopefully never again.

yotaboy82

ouch, ya thats not cool, now left on my list is fix the frame

83

Well the ignition coil didn't do it...I'm moving on to the ignitor. If I'm not getting spark from the ignition coil, other than loose wires and the ignitor, can anyone think of anything else it might be?

I really needed to have it running this weekend, which isn't going to happen since the part won't be in until Monday, but I really need it running by Wed next week.