hey guys

1994 4runner 3vze m/t 250k mi

i just got done fixing a water leak where my timing belt idler pulley meets my lower intake manifold. it involved removing the timing belt and the #1idler pulley. after i fixed the leak i put everything back together. i put the crank to 0 degrees tdc, lined the cams up with their timing marks, and made sure the #1 cyl was at tdc by using a small rod and watching it reach the highest point in the cylinder while i turned the crank by hand. so everything should have been fine. after i put everything together i got the engine running. it seemed ok until it got warmed up. then the exhaust started making popping sounds. and there is no power. the engine vibrates a lot too. and i redid the timing with a timing light. still no cure

 

How positive are you that the cylinder was at TDC *COMPRESSION*? There's TDC overlap, and TDC compression. The valves will be closed when it's at TDC compression (TDCC).

 

im positive it was at tdc..

 

Sounds like the firing order might be messed up. Did you pull the distributor? or the plug wires while working on it?