rikinwyoming

my girlfriend got a 1988 4 runner with the v6 in it yesterday. When we were driving around it ran great, and when we stopped a few times for a bit it started right up when we came back to it.

this morning, after it had been sitting about 10 hours, it was harder starting, had to pump it a number of times,,,, seems like we had to build up fuel pressure. Today it ran good, but if it sits for a longer period of time it seems that the fuel pressure does not stay up and we have to pump it and try to start it a few times before it gets fuel...

does this mean a failing fuel pump? Any help is greatly appreciated!

MudHippy

Sounds like your typical 3VZE to me. Mines the same way from late fall to early spring. They just don't like starting real quick below certain temps.

BTW, "pumping" the accelerator pedal on an EFI engine when the engine isn't running does nothing. Except open the throttle valve. It won't make the fuel pump pump fuel(raise fuel pressure)or make the fuel injectors fire. Plainly stated, fuel pressure is definitely not the issue.

One trick that works for me most times is to let the starter crank for a good 15-20 seconds. Then let off, and let it sit 'till you count to 30. Then try again. It will usually start right up afterwards. Or on the third try for sure. A well charged/good condition battery also helps TREMENDOUSLY. Which I believe is atleast half, if not all, of the problem in most cases.

TNRabbit

Interesting, MudHippy. Mine starts in less than 3 seconds not matter WHAT the temp....

OP: Try turning the key to on, let it sit for a few seconds, then hit the starter.

I'm guessing something isn't reading a sensor correctly, or your cold start injector isn't working properly. Have you checked for stored codes?

myyota

Pumping the gas peddle on a fuel injected vehicle does nothing when the engine isn`t running.

rikinwyoming

well I neglected to mention I have a 1989 toy xtra cab 4x4 with same motor, tranny, etc, and mine starts right up every morning...in the same conditions.

I agree, pumping it does nothing when it is off....my bad

I don't have a code reader, so no I haven't checked for codes as of yet,,, I assume my local auto parts place may have a reader I can borrow or that they will test it for me...

As far as the battery, I did go through tonight, replaced the crappy terminal clamps that were on there, made sure my ground is good and that there is no corrosion on the cables and that they are good heavy gauge. We will see tomorrow if it acts any better. I was just wondering if there is some kind of gate or something similar in the fuel pump that would hold fuel in the line going up to the efi, or it all fuel returns to the tank when it is shut down.

TNRabbit

You need to read the FAQ thread sticky'd at the top of this forum section.

A paper clip will let you read the codes, free of charge!

rikinwyoming

agreed!! will do!!

xxxtreme22r

sure it does. It let's even colder air into the motor. J/K.

rikinwyoming

the battery terminal wiring was horrid, fixed all that, and told her to turn the key to the on position and pump it a few times and its starting well now,,,, I think that the battery was low and not throwing much spark,,,,,

now onto the speedo problem, which is the speedo and trip odo don't work, but the regular odometer does,,, thinking a bad gauge, but haven't quite checked that one yet!

MudHippy

Yeah, I didn't word that very well did I. I should have maybe said they don't like to start with a cold/half-charged battery, or with crappy battery terminal connections. I did hint at that though. Cold always makes a battery weaker. But a battery in good shape with a good charge and solid connections should be able to run a starter and give good spark at, or below, 0°F even.

Sounds like I was right about the fuel pressure though.
Yep, if the odometer is working then it ain't the cable. It's something gone wrong in the speedometer gauge assembly. There's no fix for that except to buy a new/used one. And they ain't cheap new, around $135. You can get a used combination meter(all the gauges)on ebay, or at a junkyard, for cheaper than a new speedometer gauge assembly. Then you can either use it as a whole, or take the speedometer assembly out of it and put it in yours.

The speedometer gauge assembly doesn't come apart to make fixing anything in it cheap and easy. And besides, you can't get parts for any of the mechanisms that come with the speedo in there. They're all crammed together in one inseperable unit(speedo/odo/trip odo/VSS).

Here's a pic of the one out of my 88 PU so you can see what I'm talking about.


Have fun!

rikinwyoming

Thanks for the responses and Mudhippy thanks for the pic. I am going to start lookin in the junkyards for a decent replacement, and for now we are hooking up a tomtom one gps,,, it's not the best replacement but will work shorterm.

As far as when she starts the truck,,, it only seems to have the fuel pressure loss when it sits overnight,,, when she uses it during the day it's just fine, and I forwarded along the advice ya'll said about starting it in the morning and it is firing up just fine after she gets the fuel up in the line!