Hello everyone,

My name is Nelson, and I’m hoping this community can help point me toward the right mechanic or shop for a proper restoration of my 1992 Toyota Pickup.

Truck details:

• 1992 Toyota Pickup, 3VZ-E V6, 5-speed manual, 4x4, Extended cab, Owned for over 20 years
  

This is not a flip or a quick “get it running” project. This truck has a lot of personal value to me, and I am ready and willing to invest money to have it diagnosed correctly and restored the right way.

Background (condensed):

• Head gasket replaced in 2015, Only ~100 miles driven afterward before long-term storage, Cold start issues traced to a broken cold start injector and damaged wiring (now repaired, however it is doing the same thing as before, taking at least 5 minutes to start up, especially in winter. I was previously told one cylinder had low/no compression, but performance has improved with use. I was also told that because it only had less than 100 miles on it after the head gasket repair, that something might not have seated right, and with use, it would get better? I did replace the knock sensor in it as well. Still noticing a raw fuel odor when driving that I want properly diagnosed
  

I’ll be honest — part of my motivation for posting here is frustration. I have had a hard time finding any mechanic in Springfield willing to touch an older Toyota, which led me (perhaps naively) to take it to a local Toyota dealership, thinking there might be a little nostalgia for an old pickup. That decision backfired in a big way, and after a long, long wait, the truck was never even looked at. It sat in their lot, and they never diagnosed anything… Very frustrating.

So now I’m turning to the people who actually know and appreciate these trucks.

What I’m looking for:

• A shop or individual experienced with pre-OBDII Toyotas, Familiarity with the 3VZ-E platform, willing to take on this project and located in or within a few hours of Springfield, Missouri (happy to travel)
  

If anyone here: Has restored a similar pickup, knows a Toyota-specialist or restoration shop in SW Missouri / Southern Missouri / Northern Arkansas and can recommend an experienced old-school mechanic who enjoys this kind of work


…I would sincerely appreciate the guidance.

This truck has been part of my life for decades, and I want to do right by it.

Thank you,
Nelson

 

Raw fuel you say?
like a leaking line somewhere? The symptoms you give are that of a faulty cold start injector. I understand it was replaced, but maybe the reason it failed is still present?

as for the head gasket, so you can have the most information, if I were you, I’d go get a compression check gauge and just get the compression on each cylinder.

the cold start injector being bad can give excess fuel
smell but it can create high carbon symptoms and cost the plugs, also making starts hard and poor driving.

when you replaced the cold start injector did you pay any attention to the thermo switch (ctts). That can make the injector not work or work too much, making the environment rich.

 

Thank you K9Kodi! With my limited knowledge, I tested the cold start injector. I unbolted it and turned the key and it shot fuel out. I did this after I replaced the cold start sensor and fixed the short in the wire........Self admitted, I don't want to dig too deep, I am afraid I will mess something up.