So, 1994 22re.
While driving home from the local ski hill, motor starts sputtering and idle drops. Doesn't feel like it has a dead hole, have yet to test compression. Is there any instance where this motor would have a "spontaneous" spark/timing issue??

 

Anything can happen. Have you verified spark or lack of??

 

Not directly, replaced plugs & wires not too long ago (within 4months) I will test everything tomorrow afternoon when I get some time

Just swapped fuel filter, thinking it was a fuel issue. no change

 

So, in my endeavor to get my 22re running, I did a compression check, everything was fine. Swapped the fuel filter, thinking maybe it was clogged, should I try new plug wires? Truck just dips in idle and shakes like a cylinder is dead, or is starving for fuel

 

Pull the plug wires one at a time to see which one is missing.

 

I pulled the plug wires, unfortunately two got the innards ripped out of the boots. One set of NGK wires later, still stuck with the same problem. I'm starting to lean toward bad fuel, otherwise, this is getting ridiculous.

 

Does a little propane into the intake bring the idle up? I've been having this issue with my 22re after warm start and it seems like it's starving for fuel.

Also I would recommend the OEM denso ignition over all else. It's pretty cheap if you get it from amazon. The way the wires snap in is so much more secure than the NGK crap from Autozone. I've had that problem with the connector inside the boot of those as well. Cheap

What happens if you hook up a timing gun, does the light flash erratically?

I might check (in no particular order)
- cap
- distributor timing set screw
- plug condition (especially when it's doing its thing) and gap
- timing
- AFM could be gunked
- TPS could be gunked
- water level and refill/burp if low

 

Idk about the wires, I have heard good reviews on them, and I will never shop at Autozone.
I'll take your advice and check the cap and timing tomorrow when I get a chance, thanks

 

No problem

Hey just thought of another good thing to check.. The connectors that go to the ignitor and the dist. If they are gunked, clean them out with some electrical spray cleaner and put some dielectric grease on the terminals before snapping back up. Could just be a shoddy connection!

 

Ooh yeah and alternator harness connector, too. I had this happen to me recently. It's in a pretty harsh spot, good idea to clean it too.

 

A couple words about sparkplug wires and dielectric grease. I've done a heck of a lot of plug checks so I have a bit of a list of things that worked well for me. I think it's best to use dielectric grease sparingly in the ignition system.

Always make sure the boot is free to rotate before you pull on it or you'll likely ruin the wire. Never pull anywhere near the top of the boot. Once the boot is free to rotate you want to grab, twist and pull at slightly lower than the half way point or you're asking for trouble. I know that area is a little hard to get to but it still must be done.

They make spark plug boot pliers for difficult situations. Have a look inside the sparkplug boot and you can identify the optimum area to pull on quite easily. Better yet, cut an old sparkplug boot off the wire. You'll get a complete understanding and it becomes painfully obvious where you don't want to pull.

A little dielectric grease applied to the inside of the plug boot helps keep the boot from sticking on the plug and allows for easier fitment and removal of the boot. If you don't actually hear the click when fitting the wire to the plug there's a good chance there isn't enough grease on the boot to allow it to slide down fast enough to get the audible click the metal ring makes when it's seated. With cheaper wires the boots and their attachment to the wire or plug normally isn't the issue. Their issue is usually the lack of transferring the full spark or an early degradation in performance.

I'll often apply a small dab (a full pea sized dab is too much in my eyes) to the inside of the boot then take a small Phillips head screwdriver and smear it around being sure to coat it up to the plug attachment ring. I make sure to keep it away from the metal. I'll drive it around for a day or two and reapply because a little of it will have dried up from the heat or whatnot.

I make a habit of checking to see if I can still rotate the boot whenever I'm under the hood. If I can't turn the boot fairly easily it gets a little more grease. That might be a little obsessive but what the heck, good wires are expensive.

 

So as it turns out, I was wrong.

All cylinders are firing and distributer is clean. The truck starts and drives around, hesitates when floored. After having a second set of eyes go over the truck, we figured it is either a fuel or coolant problem (or a combination of both).
Engine seems to be starving for fuel, hesitates on hills, and has a very low idle. I keep loosing coolant in the radiator after truck has warmed up, have yet to find a leak.

I really appreciate everyone helping me, any thoughts are welcome!

 

What does the oil look like? A pressure test of the cooling system may help reveal the leak.

 

The oil is perfectly fine. Just changed it to check for metal flakes, no milkshake from mixed coolant. Finally found the safest way to disassemble the AFM, found the spring broken and some metal floating around under the cap. So it's done. I'll look into testing the coolant after I get my hands on a new AFM, or find a way to fix mine.

 

Wow the spring actually broke? Well that will surely do it

That ECU was so confused

When you get it fixed, I would check for coolant leaks around the hoses that connect to the bottom of the TB for the cold idle up. Mine seemed tight, but were not tight enough and under load the coolant was spraying out. Hopefully it's another easy fix for you! Luckily sounds like it's not a head gasket *crosses fingers*

 

I've almost got this thing worked out.

Found myself an AFM off a V6 4runner, and it is a perfect fit
Truck starts and runs perfectly, for about a minute. I know I'm missing something here, but don't know what.

Am I supposed to reset a sensor, or adjust the AFM for the 4 banger?
Truck throws two digit code 31, from what I know it tells me that the computer isn't talking to the new(ish) AFM. What am I missing?