Hey guys,

I finally picked up another 4runner and it's VERY sluggish compared to my last '85 runner. It stumbles at idle and the only way to remedy that is to increase the idle speed at the throttle body. There's hardly any mid to top end as well making merging into traffic almost dangerous.

I jumped the wires (no decrease in RPM) to time it and to my surprise, the previous owner has it timed off the chart. I would say at least 20*. I loosened the distributor and I could only turn it back to 8* until it wouldn't turn any more. Shouldn't I be able to turn it back to 0? I then took it for a test drive and it was even SLOWER and idled worse than before. I loosened the distributor to time it again, but this time I turned it to advance WAY off the indicator (maybe 30-40* and the truck ran better.

I do know that the previous owner had the timing chain done and I suspect that the timing is off by a tooth or it's the TPS sensor. What do you guys think would cause this?

 

set your distributor to TDC? video link here http://www.22reperformance.com/22RE_...ip_Videos.html

 

If you properly used the jumper (did the CEL flash?), it's not the TPS (that's the point of using the jumper). Don't worry that the engine speed didn't change; I think it's temperature dependent as it never changes for me (and others).

One tooth off is about 27.7 degrees, but that usually takes it all the way out of range. What does the sticker say it is supposed to be?

 

My guess was it's off a tooth on the dist gear - Scope, you think it's possible, to start/idle, if the dist is rotated enough to compensate?

When mine was off a tooth I couldn't even get it to idle....

 

I used the jumper and the CEL did indeed flash.

 

It will start/idle with it way off; it just won't run well. I'd be surprised if it would idle at 28 degrees off, but 20? Probably.

 

what was the flash sequence?

http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTricks/TroubleCodes/

after you read the codes, then fix it whatever, you can pull the battery cable, or I believe pull the efi fuse by the drivers side door to reset the codes, then see if it generates codes again.

 

11 flashes.

Short circuit in Check Connector T with A/C switch ON or TPS - IDL point OFF
- Defective A/C switch
- Defective TPS circuit
- Defective TPS
- Defective ECU

 

i'm not sure that those errors will be related to the inability to get the timing right.

your only choice that I can see is to pull the valve cover and, as others have pointed out, confirm that the distributor isn't a notch off.

it'll barely run when it's off a tooth, and it sort of idled for me in that condition.