Triple

Just picked up an '89 2WD with 116,xxx miles. Brakes feel good, clutch feels good, and the 23 year-old 4-speed shifts smoother than the 2006 Dodge 6-speed I just sold. It runs well once in motion and on my first tank of gas I averaged 26 mpg. That included sitting three hours in idling traffic and highway speeds with a motorcycle in the bed. Mileage should only get better from here.

Problems:

The truck idles erratically. There is no tach, but it's obvious by sound that sometimes the engine is spinning much faster than it should at a standstill, and other times it's just barely ticking over. I smell gas and see a little dark smoke at stops, like it's running rich. Something to do with the choke? I'm a life-long EFI man; I've never had to deal with an automotive carburetor.

Something in the front end is loose. The steering wheel/column feel tight, but there is a very disconnected feeling from the driver's seat. Anything in particular these trucks are prone to wearing out?

Manuals: is there a better option than the Chilton's repair manual? I haven't had the best of luck with these in the past...

Tune-up: any good kits out there that include everything necessary for a good tune-up? Kits that include OEM (or OEM-quality) parts? I'm not familiar with some of the brands that have been popping up in searches. I see a lot of conflicting opinions on the quality of replacement parts.

Also, any particular items that really need attention at this mileage? When I buy an older vehicle, I always assume the worst in terms of previous upkeep.

Suggestions welcome. I'm using the search function as well, but there is an enormous amount of information to decode.

slow-mo

To check the operation of the Aisan automatic choke: With a cold engine, open up the air filter cover and make a mental note of the left carburetor plate of the two barrels (from standing in front of the engine). Depress the gas pedal a least twice. Look again at the position of the left plate to confirm that it is now closed. The choke plate will close when the gas pedal is pumped a couple times. That motion also injects fuel in the carburetor as well. Start the engine. Vacuum will be routed to the Choke Breaker (CB) to crack open the choke slightly. Your idle speed will be high, somewhere around 2,000+ rpms or more.

DO NOT TOUCH THE GAS PEDAL. Let the choke system do it's thing. Or, at least that is what you want to find out if it will do.

After the coolant reaches somewhere around 160-165F (I'm going off memory on that temperature), the Vacuum Switch Valve (VSV) will switch the vacuum from the Axillary Accelerator Pump (AAP) to the Choke Pull Off. That action will forcibly drop the rpms down to idle as well as fully open the choke plate to the vertical position.

Now the automatic choke will slowly open the plate as the electrical heating element heats up. So if it is working correctly, during the above actions, the choke plate will be opening itself.


OEM all the way.

There's a link on here somewhere regarding electronic (PDF file) OEM service manuals for several different years Toyota trucks.

Or search eBay for a paper version


Since your asking for OEM parts, Denso all the way as they are OEM.

http://www.densoaftermarket.com/catalog/


Oh, I forgot, welcome to Yotatech.

swampfox

The steering box might need adjusted ,if it has a manual box.I have had to adjust mine a couple of times over the years.