Well hello everyone, I'm new to the yotatech boards. I've been a member over at TTORA since 02'. I've owned 3 Tacoma's and a 1982 1st gen pickup(which i miss dearly.)

This past weekend I made my second solid axle purchase - a 1985 Toyota 4x4 2nd gen pickup. She is rough....really rough. I feel like I've rescued her from the grave in fact, but I basically paid nothing for it. Thus far she wont turnover or even attempt to start but she'll crank all day long. I've checked fuel, vacuum, electrical, distributor, timing, and anything else i could think of with no luck.

I'll be trashing the flatbed and welding together something better. I'll also be painting it flat black for now, and hopefully changing out the wheels with some black 15x8 wagon wheels. I have tons of work to do on the interior as well. This will be a resto/mod for expedition type excursions.

Enjoy the pictures below:

 

definitely gonna be a project, got some potential.. and welcome to YT. I like your Tow Rig...

 

Nice Rig !

 

Definitely is an understatement but it's my passion. I wouldn't have it any other way! And thanks for the welcome. It's actually a buddies tow rig, dodge cummins. He helped me get it back to TN from KY.

Thanks bud!

 

Look into the ignition coil & ignitor, if you think you're getting fuel. Ignitor went out on my '83 and it did the same, just cranked & cranked & cranked. Otheriwse check the fuel filter & pump.

Nice truck! 85 is a really good year.

 

fuel spark and air, if you have covered those bases maybe a compression test.

 

Well double checked everything last night and all my plugs spark fairly hot, and the gas a' flows to the carb.

I have fuel getting to the bowl, i have a hot spark on all plugs, definitely have air. Did a compression test last night and it was fine. I'm stumped

 

You forgot to kick the tires.

Welcome to Yotatech.

 

No I did that to the front pass. side and it fell off! Thanks bud

 

I think I might have figured it out. Bad cam-timing.

This will be my first adventure into the deep inner workings of an engine. Is it possible to adjust the cam/cam sprocket without taking the head apart or taking the cam off?

Could I, essentially, bring the cam to TDC and unbolt the cam sprocket and re-align it with 0*.

Secondly, I thought these engines were the type that could not be off or your valves would impact your cylinder. If this is true...it would have to be correct or I'd have a few more problem right?

 

Depends on how far off it is. If you're just off a tooth or two, you should be safe. But yes, if someone put the engine together wrong with the timing chain way off or the timing chain broke, pistons hit valves and that's not good!

 

I dont hear any clanging or broken bits when i try to start it so I think i'm good in that respect.

Would being a tooth or two off cause it to completely not want to start at all - or would it bang around and try to start? Because right now it just sits there and looks at me like I'm stupid when I turn the key.

 

Welcome to YotaTech.

 

Honestly I'm not completely sure. If the timing is off enough, yeah, it wouldn't start. Do you know anything about the history? Did the guy do a bunch of work then it wouldn't start? Or what?

 

Not really sure, the guy said it was recently rebuilt. There was a repair tag in the glove box but no info on it. He said it ran a few months ago. By the looks of the bed, he was using it for hunting last season. Then he said he left it sitting all winter outside and now it wont start.

 

Bad gas? Because it sat for so long? Never experienced it so I don't know how it would act, but maybe the gas just won't light? I dunno.

 

OK! So i tried to time the cam and everything tonight with absolutely no luck. Noticed air was coming OUT of the carb. Fulled the carb....tried to crank it and had a buddy hold his hand over the intake. The engine is literally pushing air out of the intake like it was the exhaust?!?!?

What does that mean? Where do I go from here?

 

Check the fuel cut solenoid on the carb, if its bad your truck wont start, its a round solenoid screwed into the carb with two wires comming from it, when it goes bad it wont allow fuel to get through the carb. I had this same problem on an 85 truck i used to have and once i replaced the solenoid it started right up.

 

nice...sounds like a real fun project...

 

First of all I assume your valves are adjusted right or at least close. Next if the cam is timed correctly I would recheck the firing order on the plug wires, sounds like you may have them 180 out. Pull number one spark plug and put your finger over the hole. Turn the engine over until you feel compresion starting to come out of the plug hole. Now set your crank pulley to 0 on the timing pointer. Pull the dist. cap and make sure the rotor is pointing to #1 on the cap. If not pull the dist. and reinstall in the right place or move the wires around to the right place.Reassemble everything and try it again. Good luck,Pete and have fun with your new project