So my rig (78 Toyota Camper/Truck 20r) has been giving me hell these last couple of days. Here we go. I was driving on the highway and all of the sudden I heard a backfire and I lost acceleration power. I could keep it going by pumping the gas. I got a tow and checked on her in the morning and she started right up, purring like a kitten. 40 miles later the same thing happens. I changed out the fuel filter. 10 miles down the road the same thing. I looked at the carb and there is fuel leakage from the diaphragm(?) and my mechanic suspects a bad seal. So I got a rebuild kit, hoping to change out the part and get back on the road. I'm wondering if I'm better off just putting a new carb on her. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

By new, what do you mean? No such thing as a new Aisin carb, but there are a couple places that sell rebuilt units.

Carb rebuilding is a good skill to have if you're going to keep this vehicle for a while. I got scared and bought a rebuilt one for mine...

What diaphragm is leaking?

So...you can buy a rebuilt unit, and install with very little tuning needed. You can rebuild yours, or have yours rebuilt.

Or you can buy a Weber. Many people will push you that way...

 

I agree with 83, carb rebuilding is a good skill to learn and helps you understand carbs better. And a lot of people with tell you to get a Weber 32/36 from LCE and I can't disagree with them. But personally I had fun rebuilding my carb and it was a lot cheaper than a weber.

 

Try rebuilding it yourself first, its a good way to learn. I went that route with limited success, finally got tired of dicking around with it and got a rebuilt Asian from National Carburator for $179. with core return. They are bench tested and set to factory specs, just bolt on and go!.. Never ran better than it does right now.

 

Is that the one in Florida? I just installed my carb from them. But haven't fired up the truck yet. Good to hear you had good results from them.

 

Yes, in Jacksonville, I was so impressed that I ordered one for my 1980, 20r as well, should be here shortly, good luck with yours.

 

Thanks fellas. 250 miles later I got her home, and I'm gonna rebuild the carb.

Good to hear about National though. I was looking at that website and wondering if folks have had a good experience with them.

 

You're going to need to post photos of this rig...

 

This is the only one I got....

 

Nice! Bigger than mine.

Do you know how to tell if you have a true one-tone rear axle?

www.toyotamotorhomes.com is a great site.
http://toyotamotorhome.org/forums/

 

So, I ended up going with a rebuilt stock carb from National Carburetor in Jacksonville. Had it bolted on and tuned up by a good mechanic. The first thing I noticed is that the idle was low on a cold start, but it seemed to get better as it warmed. This continued for a couple of days, I would press the gas peddle down for a little while until it evened out. Next thing I notice is sputtering while driving 25-30 mph. This also seemed to even out, until it died the next day. Same thing hard cold start, sputtering and then it died. It turned, but she wouldn't fire up. I came back two hours later and she started right up. I was able to get it back to my house, sputtering the whole way.
The next morning I went to go check a few things, but none of the previous problems were present at all. The idle was a little rough at first but smoothed out real quick. I let it run for a while. It just purred like a kitten.
It may be worth noting that it's been sitting for three weeks to a month, so condensation in the gas tank could be the culprit, but the problem is reminiscent of what was occurring before I swapped the carb.
Let me know if anyone has any thoughts on diagnosis. These intermittent problems are real tricky to pin down.

 

Oh and Zach, somehow missed that last post. yes I got a one tone rear axle with duelies. I love this camper.... Hope to get her back on the road soon.

 

Have you checked or changed all the vacuum hoses to make sure there is no leak? Also with carb cleaner or a propane torch you can check for vacuum leaks around the intake gaskets between carb and manifold and manifold and head.

 

Yes, I have checked for leaks. The carb seems to be operating just fine. Maybe I should start a new thread for this one.....

 

check choke and choke springs, and the linkages around there. mine has been a bit finicky in that area.