To all:

Great forum! Hope to help and get help more from now on.

I've got a stock '87 4runner that seems to have problems during cold wet starts (it's the worst during or after any rain; or when there is more humidity in the air). The engine will sputter for about 5 seconds, then run fine. Sometimes it will take two tries to get it running smooth. It's got about 170,000 miles and I haven't done anything other than general maintenance. I've got suspicions that one of the timing chain guides is partially broken as I found a small piece in the oil pan; however, it has broken and been fixed once before so i haven't yet verified that the current guide(s) are broken.

Anyone have any ideas?

Thanks

 

Hello, and welcome to the forum.

I suspect bad plug wires, and also check the coil wire.

If you can, start the rig up where it's pitch back at night and pop the hood.
Look for any arching, sparks coming from the plug wires.

Water getting splashed up on them from driving could be doing it.

Unrelated here, but a few years ago I was driving my son home and all of a sudden the rig sputtered and ran like crap.
had to turn around and go back to my place sounding line a 2 cylinder all the way instead of 6.

The next morning in pitch dark I popped the hood and found a plug wire had burned through resting on the EGR valve and was shorting out.
I replaced all the wires that day and it cured it.