My99

Hello all. My 86 4Runner has an issue whenever it's rainy/wet out. It's not like it does this because I've just driven through 4 feet of water. It will do it, for example, if I come out of the office and a rain shower has occurred since the time I parked it (before it was raining). The truck was not even driven in the rain. But when I start it up, it's got the issue. Also, if I'm in the city and there's a very heavy downpour with standing water, etc., it sometimes starts these type episodes.

It's almost like it's missing/running on 3 cyllinders. It idles very low (barely stays running~500rpm) and has poor acceleration. Once you get up close to 4k rpm the power comes back on and it continues pulling strong if you really stay after it through the next gears. However, I usually reserve that sort of driving to the car, and it's not exactly what this truck was built for. After a sustained period (15 min) of highway driving, the issue goes away.

I suspect humidity is getting into something it shouldn't be under the hood, but not sure. I replaced the plugs and wires a couple of months ago thinking perhaps those were the issue. I looked at the rotor and the cap, and it looked to be in normal condition, although I must admit that I haven't had anything with a rotor & cap in 8 or 9 years, so I could have read it incorrectly.

I'd welcome any feedback or advice.

Thanks
Kyle

marty4runner

Try making sure your rotor/cap are in the right place. I would also put a little RTV around the cap. From what I understand (and from experince), 22REs get moisture in the distributers pretty easily. Also try spraying some WD-40 under the cap to keep moisture (if it gets in there) away.

86tuning

When the truck is running normally on a non-rainy day, try misting the underhood area with a spraybottle of water. Mist one area at a time until your misfire occurs. You may actually see sparks when you do this, but it will help you pinpoint the failure item.

Bad plugwires often arc and misfire. I like genuine Toyota parts best

skife

i get the same problem, does your check engine light come on too?

My99

The CE light will occassionally come on, but only for a few seconds, and not necessarily when the truck is experiencing these issues.

TORTIS

iTrader: (1)

i am with you fellas. i replaced the o-ring at the dist. cap nad thought that did it, but one foggy high humid morning after raining a little over night, the problem returned. bad idle. bogs down till you nail the skinny pedal to the floor. runs great till you let off the skinny pedal. i checked my tps yesterday and one out of three checks were bad. will replace it this weekend. i don't think that is the problem. i misted under the hood and could never get the problem to show itself.Hmmmmmmmmmmm

HuskyRunner

I used to have an old Honda that didn't like to run in the rain. It turned out to be a corroded ground wire. I guess a little water got in and caused a bad connection. Might be worth checking out, and it's cheap if it is the problem

TORTIS

iTrader: (1)

oh, i for got. my CE blinks a couple of times, but does not throw a code. my truck started this about 2 years ago. we are getting into the rainy season where i live.

thook

I've run into this before. My problem was with the fuel pump relay switch. Moisture would get into the pass. kick panel via the a-pillar aside the windshield or through the rusty fender (not sure which...probably both) and contaminate the switch. I bought the vehicle like this and found it had apparently been happening for a while. The switch had become very corroded. So, I just bent the tab over so as to make perminant contact and solved the problem....going on six years now.

BTW [Kyle]....Hello neighbor. I'm in Winslow.

TORTIS

iTrader: (1)

dang. i just had that panel off replacing my antenna last weekend. i'll pull that panel and see if that is my prob.

My99

Hey cool! A local resource guy!

What's the switch look like and how do you get to it? Is it up underneath the exterior in the area of the antennae? Or can you access it through the interior kick panel?

It is a bit odd that a faulty fuel pump would cause this specific condition, but I'd try anything to get rid of this annoyance.

thook

....Cheers

The other suggestions offered here are indeed valid and worth checking out, but you could eliminate the OCR (opening circuit relay) switch as part of/the whole of your problem. If it's shorting out from moisture, it won't send a consistent voltage to the fuel pump and cause erratic operation....eventually burning out your fuel pump.

Look behind the pass. kick panel and up and behind the ECU. Take note whether or not there is any moisture and any route for moisture to get in....like the sealant around your windshield. Less likely would be a leak at the vent window trailing down and wetting the floorboard causing moisture build up behind the kickpanel, but don't rule it out. While you're at it, make sure there's no corrosion at the wiring harnesses and terminals at the ECU. That could also cause problems.

Illustration....
Several weeks ago I was hurrying to get to work and went through some fairly deep rut/puddles in my driveway only to stall out at the feedstore I had to stop at on my way in. The CEL flashed five different codes....mostly totally unrelated. I had to get a ride from the owner of the store because the runner would go nowhere. Tried to fire, but most times wouldn't. When it did a couple of times, it wouldn't run for anything. The old codger kept boning me 'cause I had a Toyota....he's an American kinda guy. Laugh all he wants, but NO EFI vehicle would run under the same circumstance. Later that day, I got'er going after everything dried out and cleared the codes....none of which came back.

If all checks out fine with the relay and ECU, then start looking elsewhere. The volume air flow meter is a potential suspect. The sealant around the lid can seep moisture if it's not tight and definitely affect things.

Lest we completely overlook the obvious, though....have you pulled any CEL codes from ECU?

TORTIS

iTrader: (1)

it rained all day yesterday. went out this morning started the truck, and no problems. weird. i know this things don't fix themselves. i do believe in God, and i am sure he would drive a toyota, but i don't think he fixed my problem.

My99

Haha! Same here. WE had a rain a couple of nights ago, and the toyota has been kicked out of the garage. Started up just fine and ran just fine too. I'm not sure if it has to do with the alignment of the stars or what. I will dig into the compartment tomorrow or Thursday to see if that's it. We're expecting another round of rain tomorrow evening.

Thanks for the tips. FWIW, the front windshield is obviously not factory, and appears to be a fairly sloppy install job from the exterior.

thook

Yeah...more rain. Just what I need. My rear window has stopped working (some loose wire) and I haven't finished my roof. BIG HOLES!!!!!!

thook

Update info/suggestion...

Read thoroughly...
http://www.inct.net/~autotips/plugwire.htm

My99

Interesting read. Might try that if this issue continues.

However -

Apparently someone in their infinite wisdom did not bother to re-install the plug in the firewall/kickpanel area when they hooked up an aftermarket antennae (which sucks!). So there indeed was a large (~1 inch) hole through which the aentenna wire fed through. I went to the automotive store and found a rubber grommett and cut a hole in it for the wire to pass through. I then JB-welded it (classy, yes I know) to the body to prevent moisture from passing through. We'll see if this does the trick. Thanks for the help.

stormin94

Maybe bad/wet mass airflow sensor, or water in the coil, or ignition. check all of these things, and have some WD-40 around just in case.

My99

FWIW, it's very rainy here today (arrived to work before the rain) and I've experienced no issues whatsoever. This is very encouraging, as it's very wet out there and I drove through a good amount of standing water.

thook

Yah mon! D'ats what we like to hear! D'at and Mista Marley, mon. Jah...

Yeah....wet....cold...windy...yuck. Nice thing that you aren't stranded in it...no?