1987 Toyota 4x4 5 speed 22R Went for an alignment. It's been cranking and starting fine. While backing off the lift, mainly when I pointed up. I (or it) choked dead and wouldn't start back. The guy sprayed starting fluid and it started for a second. Did this twice. Looked at the glass on the Carb and see no fuel to my eye. I also poured about 1.5 gallons of gas in it just in case the gauge randomly stopped working. Still no start. It is being left at the alignment shop until tomorrow. Obviously this is beyond annoying because I can't do much work on it in the shop lot, like I could if it had happened at Dollar General or almost anywhere else. So, I'm most likely going to have to pay to tow it unless somebody can tell me something simple that might be the issue. I already know of course it could be the fuel pump, fuel filter (no idea when it has been changed as I recently bought the truck), or a solenoid. I guess I'm asking if there is any trick to these trucks that somebody knows that could possibly get it back starting, even if one time? Do you think it would be worth taking a new fuel pump and filter and trying to push it to the side to change it before towing? I know it's fairly simple to change both? I certainly don't want to throw parts at it but would also love to avoid the tow cost. Thank you, of course. Didn't think it would hurt to ask since I have 12 hours to think about it.

 

Update: Went to tow it today. Tried to to start it at the alignment shop. Still no start. Tow it all the way home. Couldn't push it in the building due to the angle. Said, heck I'll try to start it again. It fired immediately. Checked and had fuel in the glass. Changed the old filter. It did look pretty dirty and I busted it open and the cardboard filter part seemed fairly "disintegrate-y". I guess I'll see what happens from here. Also, I could have sworn my temp gauge went a little higher than it normally does, so I'll have to keep a watch on that. I am trying my best to never run it hot. A blown head gasket is no big deal compared to a cracked blocked or warped/cracked head.

 

Sorry you didn't get any suggestions. Thanks for following up. Post up again if you figure out what the problem was.

 

It did it again tonight on Christmas Eve. I have not drove the truck anywhere since the first time this happened, except right near my house. It has started perfect and did perfect all 4 times. I drove it to Dollar General tonight and it ran perfect. Left Dollar General and made it a couple hundred yards doing fine, and then it sputtered, and cut off on the road. Wouldn't start back for nothing. Barely got it off the road at a car shop of all places. Checked the glass bowl and it was no fuel in it again. Poured 4.3 gallons of gas in it just to make 100% sure it was not a fuel/gauge issue (again). Still didn't start.

Can't do anything until the day after Christmas of course. I already have another issue with the truck that will need to be addressed, so this no start/fuel issue is just another set back. I'm guess I'm hoping it's the fuel pump because it should be easy to change to avoid another tow bill.

 

Here's what I would do, tap on the carb near where the needle valve is located for the float to see if you suddenly get fuel in the bowl. (stuck float)
if that doesn't work disconnect the incoming fuel line at the fuel pump and see if fuel comes out. (no fuel may mean clogged/pinched fuel line or the pickup in the tank).
Try to blow through the line (if you can get to it) to see if you hear bubbles in the tank or try to blow in the filler neck to see if fuel comes out of the hose at the pump.
Try connecting a hose there and stick it in a jerry can, truck may run so you can get it moved. You may need a fitting to make this happen, not very familiar with the 4 bangers with carbs.
Another possibility is a rusted out fuel line or pickup tube, it's easier for the fuel pump to pull air in than it is to pull fuel from the tank. Any fuel leaks?
Yet another possibility is a faulty gas cap, a lot of older rigs have a vent built into the gas cap and if it isn't allowing air in the tank it will pull a vacuum and the fuel pump won't be able to pull fuel from the tank. When there's no fuel in the bowl try opening your gas cap and crank the engine to see if you suddenly get fuel.
Plenty of things to check that may prevent buying/replacing the fuel pump and finding that you still have a problem!
If your oil smells like gas it is a good indication that the diaphragm in the fuel pump could be leaking and you do indeed need a pump.
I am betting that when your truck was driven onto the alignment rack the fuel in the tank sloshed around a lot more than in normal driving and you had crud in the bottom of the tank that plugged up the fuel tank pickup tube.
Good luck!

 

@akwheeler

I already got it but thank you for the reply. I just so happened to do what you said, but in reverse order. I ordered a Delphi pump on Christmas day to show up at Napa the next day, just in case I needed it. I went to the truck and pulled the hose on the pump that goes to the Carb. Fuel came out perfectly. Not the pump so I took it back.

Took the giant stock air breather off (I plant on changing this at some point). I was going to take the top of the Carb off right there and just spray cleaner, then work the float needle up and down. Every screw came out easy but two, of course. I never could get them out and nearly stripped them. Thought I was going to have to get it towed again. Then I thought maybe if I just tap this Carb a little harder with the handle of this screw driver all over a good 8-10 times it will be enough vibration if it is a stuck needle.

Tried it and it fired up immediately and drove it home. The fuel is less than half in the glass though. I assume it is a sticky float needle and the entire Carb needs to be cleaned as well. While off the truck and apart I also assume the word of advice would be to rebuild it with a kit. I think I am going to order the YotaShop one ($57). Hopefully, it is good quality compared to big bix stores. I know some guys suggest throwing a Weber on it and others suggest you can't beat the Stock Carb. I couldn't afford the Weber swap right now even if it was better.

The truck also has an external leaky head gasket. Runs great at idle/driving. Not running hot at all. No bubbles in radiator. No mixture of oil/coolant. No smoke. But that's still another issue I know I am going to have to fix at some point. I keep my coolant topped/checked for oil and watch my temp gauge like a hawk, and check my oil on a daily basis. If I can ever get through all these issues I am just hoping it will be the reliable trucks these have come to be known.

 

Glad you got it figured out and thanks for following up. May help others down the road.

If you can, it would be worth it to drop the fuel tank and take a look inside. You might be shocked at how bad it is or you may be lucky?? IDK what the carbed trucks have for a pickup but, the EFI trucks have a screen that gets plugged up or disintegrates. While it's off, blow the lines out really well too. Also a good time to clean or replace your fuel level sender if your fuel gauge is not working.

Good luck with your truck!

 

Thank you.

I am already having another issue. Decided to just do a simple carb clean with it still on the truck. Took the top part off only and cleaned the float needle and everything I could reach. Despite how careful I was I guess something went wrong and got messed up. It is idling very badly when first started and will barely stay running when first started now. It also no longer does the normal high idle at cold start. After it starts to warm up it gets better the warmer it gets. So I am thinking something went wrong with the Choke. I'm pretty sure a stuck open choke buttefly will idle and run horribly until warm (when it should be open). I don't know, I just know this truck has been one issue after another back to back, and still have other issues. It's eating money and I'm running out. Very discouraging. I'm going to take the Air filter back off tomorrow, press the gas pedal (truck off), and then check the Choke butterfly to see if it closed (1/8inch open). If not, I will try to figure out why and if I need help I'll come back amd start another thread on the specific topic. I may end up having to do the rebuild kit after all. I also may have to drill the Choke off like some people do. It's held ok with rivets instead of screws. Hopefully I can, or others here who have done it before, will be able to help if I need it.

 

If I may offer some advice, some advice you may already know and are just avoiding. If you truly think your carb is the issue, stop messing w it. Money is tight, at least for me, you will nickel and dime yourself broke simply not just doing the damn thing. Pull the carb, get a rebuild kit, and address the choke, probably electric. Then look at factory setting as far as idle and fuel screws and reinstall. You’re gonna drive yourself crazy with the carb and fuel issues. Address it at once one time. Electric fuel pump at proper psi, rebuild the carb and choke and see where you land, at least then you know if you have more issues it’s not carb choke or fuel service related.

 

Yeah, I was wrong though about my electric choke being riveted on. I looked at it wrong. It was little torque screws, so I guess it's already been drilled/tapped over the years. So I tried adjusting it. Not even sure that is working correctly. If I loosen the screws the only way I can rotate the Choke is with the linkage off but then the linkage will not reach the hole it pops in. I can rotate the choke if I lift the throttle cable with the linkage on. I have tried to loosen and tighten the screws with the Butterfly in the correct position but it doesn't work.

The problem I seem to be having is when the truck is cold & off if I press the gas pedal the Choke does not close. If I go under the hood and lift the throttle cable it gives the Choke the ability to open and close. I am assuming this is normal operation. If I close it (1/8" gap) the truck has it's normal cold high idle and then if I let it warm up WITHOUT touching the gas pedal it will idle down in 2-5 minutes perfectly as always. So, I know the choke slowly opens as it warms up. However, if I press the gas pedal, let's say immediately after starting and the truck is still cold, the Choke opens all the way, and does not close back. Is this normal? And even if it is it still doesn't answer why the choke doesn't close with truck off and cold like it should. I hope I explained it all correctly.

I might take a video to get more eyes on it. Maybe someone can compare to their truck to help me. Can't believe I had perfectly idling truck then a simple carb clean caused this. But yeah, I know I'm probably going to have to end up rebuilding it or at least taking the Choke off to see if anything inside looks wrong. I'm assuming when I had the top of the Carb off something/coils got rotated inside the Choke.

Edit: I messed with it again. It might MIGHT be fixed. Will report back after it starts and every does properly, all the way around, including driving, for a few cycles. I will update what I did to help others if it worked. No point in explaining anything yet if it didn't work. If it didn't, of course I'll still be back to explain the changes.

 

How’s that choke work? Is it a spring that heats up and opens?

 

I think I'm on the track and probably have it where I can at least crank and drive it now.

I took two of the electric screws out so I could lean it back and inspect the coil and spring inside. I noticed the bracket on the Carb side was on the Passenger side of the coil tab. I moved it to the other side. The choke butterfly immediately went towards the closed position and closed all the way. I assume this got out of place when the Carb was jumbling around to clean it. I could probably clean it again with out this happening but I guess you learn new things everyday.

I did not know what to do with the other spring in the Choke. Which I think is causing my new issue. Now the choke butterfly is closes all the way when I press the gas pedal. Obviously it doesn't want to crank closed all the way. However, if I press the gas pedal or hold the throttle, the butterfly sits perfectly at about 1/8 inch open. So I can do this to crank it and then it stays 1/8 open. It then slowly opens and then the idle drops. Butterfly is fully open when warm if I let the truck get cold and press the gas pedal the butterfly will simply close all the way, as previously stated. I think that little spring is out of place and I think I know what to do to fix it. Will report back if it works. Sorry if this is worded not the best or I repeat myself, I am typing in a hurry.

I have not completed the Red Part of Picture 2 and I believe that may be my last issue. The Spring is just in there doing nothing. I will take it back off tomorrow and really hope this fixes it. I will report back.


I need to do the red part and see if that fixes the butterfly from just completely closing. I will report back. When i put it back together it was 180 degrees away from the tab.

 

As the spring heats up
it expands. Just keep that in mind

 

Ok. I think I have solved the Choke issue. It did get messed up when taking the top of the Carb off to clean it. It now sits at ⅛-¼ inch when I pull the throttle/press gas pedal when cold. It will no longer fall open. I can also can not push it completely closed by hand.

I got lucky and my choke had already been changed to little torx screws. Your's may be rivets.

I took the top screws out and loosened the bottom sceew. This allowed me the ability to lean the Choke back. The bottom screw sort of acts like a third hand. I then took a pick and rotated the free moving spring counter clockwise all the way until it hit the coil tab. You will see what I mean, if you ever need to do this. The Carb bracket (blue arrow) does NOT go on the driver side of the coil tab as previously thought. The spring does the part to pull the coil. The Carb bracket goes into the spring "hole" on the Passenger side of the coil tab. It goes where my pick is in the picture. I slowly slid the pick out and the bracket in, as I pulled the choke towards the Carb. It is not that difficult. In my readings I came across a guy from years ago who could never figure this out. They just bought another Carb. Hopefully this post will help somebody out. So far the truck is idling correctly, etc. (Now I've just got my other issues to worry about fixing)


I actually did take a video of this but I think the picture and description show it fine. The bracket with the blue arrow goes where the pick is in the spring hole. Make sure the bracket is on the passenger side of the coil tab.

 

Better picture. Bracket goes where the pick is. Spring completely counter clock wise. The 1st picture shows the bracket in place. That's as fas as it can be opened while in place, or the spring will pop off.