Engine stalls - what to check?
 

My '92 22RE pickup seems to stall somewhat randomly. It starts up and runs fine but after 5 or so minutes it starts to feel sluggish and then eventually stalls.
What can potentially cause this? I have not done a fuel pump pressure test or an engine compression test, two things I should probably do. Anywhere else to look? Could it be the EFI? I have replaced plugs/wires/distribuor cap/fuel filter. Coolant level is good. Any thoughts?

cold start injector / cold start injector time switch
coolant temp sensor
idle air valve
vacuum leaks

based on the '5 minutes' thing, id suspect fuel filter. the crud collects inside the pipe, it runs, slowly getting more and more crud built up on the filter, till finnaly it is completely clogged. If this is the case, you should be able to wait 30 seconds, and have it start right back up, and run fine for a little bit and repeat.

Fuel filter is 10 bucks, I found its super simple to replace this way:

Turn wheels all the way to the right, crawl under tire well.

Use a ratcheting wrench for the top bolt, and 2.5 feet of extensions on a rachet for the bottom bolt.

pull the whole fuel filter out as much as you can, then do the work. then put it back in.





Since its cheap, and your problably due for it anyway... id try that first, if the problem still persists, id suspect the cold start injector, as abecedarian said.

When I first got my 92 it would stall frequently when I would push in the clutch and come to stop. It was as though I turned it off. It would re-start just fine. It would also occasionally stall out as though the switch was turned off when traveling down the road. I searched for the problem for weeks. One day while chasing all vacuum and electric I lifted the wiring harness off the fuel rail (harness that runs under intake and lays on fuel rail) I noticed a black spot on the rail under harness. When I looked closer I saw that it was arcing to the rail from the harness. I stripped the harness out, opened it up and saw where the vibration had worn through and exposed a wire. I repaired the wire and harness then encased it in a loom. The truck has run fine since. Might be worth a look.

turned out the idle was set too low. oops! cranked it up and problem solved. i guess it would run well for the first few minutes till the engine warmed up, at which time it would idle down but because it was set so low it cut the engine out totally.

:think:
cool.

/me slaps self... I try to say to get it running good warm, then deal with the cold issues. guess I missed this one right off the top.

Ha! like the avatar pic abecedarian