It's -23C right now (about 5F) and dark, so I'm suspending testing for the night...last week the truck (86 pickup, 22re, auto, 4x4) started (with a warm battery to help) in -37 weather when the GF's 99 cavalier would not, so of course I was stunned when after a mild -15 night it won't do anything but crank. Odd thing was that there was no engine light when the key moved to the ON position. I should mention here that I can pull the key out when I'm not supposed to, but have had this before with other vehicles, including the 86 'runner I have with 340k on it waiting for spring to finish my 7m swap.

Had purchased fuel the night before so I thought that maybe it was watered up and frozen. Tried the ecu from the 5-spd runner, knowing that the auto wouldn't work right but hoping it would start and identify the ECU as the problem, but to no avail. Dribbled fuel into a spark plug hole and it would sputter. Wrapped it in a tarp skirt and used a heater and halogen light, but couldn't get the heat up far enough with sub-minus 25 temps. Got it into a warm garage yesterday and after about 5 hours, it fired up with a CEL. I poured about a quart of Methyl Hydrate down it thinking that all would be well and then fueled it up and took it home (maybe 5 miles). This morning, same thing. Frustrated, I start thinking about the lack of engine light and started looking here.

I tried using the jumper I made to check ecu codes on the fuel pump check connector that I read about several times, but with the seat belt buzzer, I couldn't really confirm that the pump was working. Then I saw the post about using a voltmeter on the plug. Hoping for 12 volts or so, I flipped the meter on and checked... 0.12 volts. A bit less than expected.

I have a spare AFM from the runner, along with the relays that I can borrow, at least for a while until I know whether I will be using them in my 7m swap...should I just start swapping them in and out until I have exhausted the combinations, or should I be cutting an "access hole" in the bed (the box would likely fold in half if I were to actually try to unbolt it...).

I'm thinking that the ECU has decided that 160000 kilometers is too long to live and has bailed on me, but the FSM doesn't detail a test for the ecu specifically unless it's further in the section...any ideas would be welcome...

Thanks

 

oops read again and aswered what I thought.....

 

uhhhm...battery? do you have any kind of aux. heaters for the winter? ie, block, battery, oil pan, transmission.

 

Flash, how's your diesel swap running? That's the way I'm leaning with this (with a manual, of course) for later on if I end up having to track down an ecu for it...

 

Had a warm battery I use for my CPAP machine when camping hooked up and no CEL with the key in the ON position. Funny you should mention heaters...have a heater for the oil pan coming in the next few days. Battery voltage read 12.xx before I jumped the fuel pump check connector.

 

The only thing I could think it maybe is the fuel pump? Try to spray engin start in the intake, I had to do that and hook up jumpers to my buddies chevy, before it would start. good luck

 

I have no check engine light when I turn the key...no codes to check. Buzzer is on for a few seconds when the key moves to the acc position. I'll try to pull th e buzzer tonight, but I don't think I can check codes unless the light comes on with the key like it's supposed to...

 

Was warmer out over the last few days and had rescheduled a date with my buddy's heated garage...researched a few more threads and pages on how to test the COR and EFI relays and decided I'd check things again before going the garage route.

Checked voltage with the key at each of the 3 fuses in the cabin, checked the fuses themselves (read it in a thread and you never know)...nothing amiss. Having spare relays and a maf, I decided to start off by replacing the MAF with one from my 300+k 4runner...put it in, noticing the junkyard yellow letters on it, and then turned on the key...lo and behold, I had a check engine light on the dash again! twisted the key further and, much to me relief, it fired right up. It did throw two codes, 21 and 52, but it was alive. Replaced the O2 sensor with the old one from the Runner (had been done about 40k ago) and fixed code 52. Now have to dig up my old head to pull the knock sensor (code 21) and replace that, and things should be back to normal. Was very worried that my ECU might be pooched, and I don't have an auto one to put in it's place.

Thanks to all who had problems and had good ideas thrown at them to try...they helped.

 

Well, it was nice yesterday and I got the truck running as desribed earlier...imagine my surprise when it did the same thing as before I swapped the MAFs...

It's about -20 or so plus another 10 degrees of wind chill, and I started changing more stuff...fortunately my parts supra has the same relays. Changed the Circuit Opening Relay to the one from the Supra, and no joy; after that I have the EFI Relay, the key, and the ECU and the only thing I have left in stock to try is the relay. Pulled the one from the Supra, yanked out the one in the truck and noticed some corrosion on one of the copper blades in the relay; put the supra one in and the truck fired no problem in the cold. Will leave it the rest of the day and try it again. I'm going to test the relay according to the pages that were posted in another thread, but right now I'm thinking that the corrosion would be just enough to mess up the connection when it's really cold out. I'll post the results in this thread later. If it passes, people might want to pull their relays and check/clean the connectors before going through what I have. Seems like the best way to work on the truck is to wait for the coldest days possible and then I know that my repair is good...

Thanks