I just finished replacing the rusted oil pan on my 1989 4wd 22-re 4 cyl pick up (manual). I dropped the diff and everything, oil is not leaking so I think I did ok. Problem is now the truck has a whole set of new issues. Truck was sitting (in New England) for about 4 months before I ordered the jacks and everything to do the oil pan job. When I finished I started it up, I put it into gear and it would not move. I tried first, second, reverse, nothing. Then it started just dying, I adjusted the idle and it wouldn't hold anything. And now it won't turn over. Partner thought it was seized up in the back diff from rust, I added fluid to the rear diff which was lo wto my surprise...don't see any leaks with that...it drank a qt. My question is what should i check first? Clogged fuel injectors? rusted fuel lines? Bad old gasoline? Transmission issue? Any info would be much appreciated. There's a GD mouse in the driver's side area also, and yeah, lots of rust around the wheels.

 

I'm always confused by the statement, "Won't turn over"...does that mean when you engage the starter, nothing happens, or does that mean, A) Engine does not turn over when starter is engaged, or B) Engine turns over via starter but fails to run

I'm thinking you mean B), but I'm not entirely sure. I'd make sure you are getting fuel and spark before I started wondering about bad gas, 4 months doesn't seem all that long to me. One clogged injection probably wouldn't keep it entirely from running. One thing you can do is to jumper Fp to B+ in the diagnostic connector under the hood and then turn the key to ON and you should hear the fuel pump running. If you don't, then might need to do some troubleshooting to figure out why.

If you do hear it, then I'd move on to spark, you can ohm out your coil and your wires and make sure those are within spec.

On your not moving issue, I've never really heard of a rear end rusting so bad it locked up internally, but then again, I don't live in New England. If this is a manual tranny, I'd suspect clutch issue.

 

Trucks that are laid up in damp conditions sometimes rust the rear brake shoes tight.

It can be hard to break them loose.

Even here in Arizona, I have crossed deep water and let the truck stand for a week with the E-brake set, and found the rear brakes stuck tight when I released it and tried to move.

 

Thanks so much for your reply coryc85, apologies for the delay. By "won't turn over' I mean it won't start when I turn the key. It started up at first but wouldn't move (because I think the e-brake is rusted, rear brakes/wheels are very rusty) and then I turned it off, started it again, and it died shortly after. I tried again (adjusted the idle a few times) and it died faster and faster until it wouldn't start at all. This all changed within a 10 minute period. I was getting fuel and spark, it was running. Along with needing to fix the rusted rear brakes, I ordered a new fuel filter as I heard that can cause issue if damp. Napa guys told me not to bother with fuel additive and just dump the tank. Its almost full, I haven't drained it, I'm hesitant to...

 

Yep I think that's (part of) the problem, thank you millball- any advice? Remove the drums and clean/grease it up? Replace the rear brakes? Could that have caused it to stop starting up?

 

You speak of rust. I assume this is external. You'll have to bang on the drums some, at minimum to get them freed.

Really best to remove them and inspect. Grease is definitely not appropriate.

No, your brake issues should not be connected to engine not starting.

 

Sounds like 2 separate projects.

If you ran bad gas thru it, that could have clogged something. What do the plugs look like?

Ive had to grind drums off before from rust. There should be two bolt holes in the middle so if you thread bolts in it forces the drums to seperate from the hub assembly. Problem is they tend to rust around the edge. Solution is power tools. Dont get replacements from autozone.

 

Yep, thanks for the advice I'll most likely have to try that with the brakes. The truck now starts up, doesn't move, then slowly stops idling and dies.

 

I'm concerned the not moving issue is not just the brakes as they seem to have loosened up. I'm worried its the clutch or transmission. Any advice would be very appreciated.

 

More information would be helpful, when you put it into gear and you let out on the clutch does the engine bog down like it's trying to move or does it just act like neutral?
This might seem silly, but if it's a 4wd make sure your transfer case is not in neutral.
I'm sure you have multiple issues going on that are not likely to be related to your oil pan work.
First off, it ran after you replaced the pan, but not for long. That sounds to me like there was water or other contaminants in the gas or your fuel pump failed.
It sounds like you got it started again, but intermittently. I would replace the fuel filter and check for fuel pressure/volume, whichever you can do. Make sure your pump is good and there are no restrictions in the fuel lines.

 

Thanks for your reply and help. When I put it into gear and let out the clutch the engine does bog down like its trying to move, it acts as if the e-brake is engaged. It's definitely (unfortunately) not in 4wd neutral- really good suggestion though, wish it had been that easy.
I've been trying to get the fuel filter out to replace it, very rusted bolts and difficult to access.
Yesterday when I had it running and was trying to get it to move between first, second, and reverse, a brake line went out so now I'm going to look into that repair too.

 

Are you getting it to idle in neutral?

 

Yes it idles in neutral and after about 2 minutes it slows down and stalls out. When I turn it on again it stalls quicker and quicker each time until it won't start up at all. The next day it'll start again and the same thing happens with the progressive stalling out. I replaced the fuel filter just now, no change.

 

The engine starts to shake a bit too before it stalls...

 

At the front of your fuel rail you'll find the fuel pulse damper..



When your engine stalls out does this screw indicate there is no fuel pressure in the rail? (Screw head in as opposed to out)

This is a simple go no-go for fuel pressure. If you are loosing fuel pressure here it indicates and upstream (supply) volume issue like the pump filter (sock) the pump itself or line issues keeping it from maintaining pressure. If you aren't loosing pressure here you could have debris/clogged injectors which means pulling off the upper intake and fuel rail to replace the screens in the injectors and maybe flushing them while you have them out.


..
Once you get the engine running and idling you can tackle the drive line issues. I would start with checking for binding of the drive shaft. With the transfer in two wheel drive you should be able to rotate the prop shaft or either of the axels and the other two spin. Next Jack up the rear end at the differential with the trans in neutral and try spining a rear tire by hand and you should get the same results (opposite tire and prop shaft spin). This eliminated the front diff and axel shafts (which you worked on), and your rear brakes and rear diff. Leaving you with clutch, transmission and transfer as possible causes.

 

Start with the motor issue first.

Im still not sure you have a driveline issue. And if you do, they are seperate issues.

If it wont stall for ever in neutral, then putting a load on it would likely make it stall too, even if its just the normal drive load.

Just my 2 cents, keep troubleshooting.

 

CO_94 has good advice abt fuel delivery.
I cant help ya there

 

This sounds like fuel starvation and very similar to some issues I've run across in the past.
Try running it with your fuel cap removed, if the vent is plugged and/or EVAP issues (if your truck has evaporative emissions) you may be creating a vacuum in the fuel tank that will slowly starve your engine for fuel.
If that doesn't make any difference you could have a clogged pickup in the fuel tank or a plugged fuel line/filter. After it sits enough fuel gets by that you can start it again until it runs out again.
As to the drive train not moving when you let out the clutch you will need to jack up the rear end and try to rotate the rear wheels, does either side move at all?
You may try tapping on the bell crank (lever arm) where the parking brake cable attaches at the backing plate. They often seize up and by tapping them back towards the wheel you will loosen up the parking brake (make sure there is slack in the cable first or that may be your issue).

 

Thank you so much for all the info. I ended up getting a tow to the mechanic. The tow (dragging the truck onto the flatbed) broke loose the seized e-brake. I had lost a brake line a few days before while trying to get things working. I tried many of your suggestions but no luck.
The mechanic took off the bed and it's obvious we need a new fuel pump. Expensive-now on the hunt for these parts.