I've got a 1993 Toyota pickup. Its got 193000 miles on it, but only 1,000 miles on a fresh rebuild of the motor. Its a 22re, 4WD, manual transmission. 31" tires

The truck still seems incredibly weak after the rebuild. Every once in awhile, it runs ragged and wants to die, and when you hit the gas it will hardly respond. Most of the time though, the engine seems to rev normally when in neutral. However, when its in gear it has no acceleration. Even if I run it up to 4000rpm, it doesn't feel like the truck will speed up at all.

Is this a gearing issue? What else could it be? I've driven other trucks with 22r and 22re and they will blow this truck out of the water.

Any help would be great. Thanks.

 

I believe I have 4.10 gears

 

First, the obligatory "it's your TPS".

When you reman'ed the engine, what parts did you reuse from prior; ie injectors, distro, etc...

My first thought is fuel starvation. I'd start with the fuel system and go from there.

John

 

The gearing doesn't help with 31" tires.

First things first, check for ECU codes (see FAQs).

No power can be the result of many things, but you need to start with the cheap/easy first. What's the timing set to?

My next guess would be the knock sensor. If it's not functioning properly, the ECU will retard the ignition to the which CAN cause your problem.

If neither of those, suspect bad distributor, plugs or wires. I would assume all but distributor was replaced in the rebuild, but maybe not~

Why was the engine rebuilt?

 

I reused pretty much everything, other than the block and internals. Its got a new fuel pump and new filter.
I've seen lots of references to the TPS and will check it this weekend. Any tips on where else and how to start testing other components ...

 

Its got new plugs and wires, but not a new distrib.

Engine was rebuilt due to having no power, and developed a serious knocking sound. Found a blown head gasket between cylinders, but not out through water jacket. Knocking sound was timing tensioner had loosened.

 

Where is, and how to test The knock sensor?

 

Knock sensor is on the lower passenger side of the block, near the oil filter. It is a single wire sensor. About the only thing you can test on it is continuity between it and the ECM. In the simplest terms, the sensor itself contains an element (mineral) that creates a weak voltage when vibrated at a certian frequency (ECM interprets this vibration as a knock). If you have good continuity, and the sensor has a good ground (clean threads on the sensor and in the block), there's not much more you can do but replace the sensor. They are $$$! As an option, you can go to a pic-a-part or borrow a known good sensor from someone and swap. See if that changes anything.

On a side note, the knock sensor will throw a code, 54 if memory serves...

John

 

It seems to me that whatever was happening with the old engine in this regard was transferred to the new one. Again, I would suspect a fueling issue as opposed to an ignition issue and look at plugged or partly plugged injectors. Based on experience with my own 22RE.

YMMV
John

 

Thanks for all the replies. I will be pulling codes tomorrow. Check engine light is not on.

John
how to you check and see if injectors are partially plugged?

 

Unfortunately, the only difinitive way to tell if they are actually plugged is to pull them out and look at them. You can check for power using a noid light, and/or you can use an automotive stethiscope to listen for a crisp click, but that may not tell the whole story. There is a very fine mesh screen at the inlet of the injector. They tend to get gunked up easily over the years. Best practice would be to pull them and send them out to be cleaned and flow-tested.

I might suggest you pull the injectors and have them professionally reman'ed. I understand witchhunter is good at this. www.witchhunter.com

John

 

My bet is that the timing isn't set up right.

Knock sensor = Code 52

 

Guess my memory doesn't serve.

Can't debate you on whether it's timing or fuel because I don't have the engine in front of me, nor do I know the OP's actual skill level. My premise was that if he can swap engines, he probably can get the timing pretty close. So what else could cause the issue as he described? Fuel...

The PO of my truck did exactly the same thing. Short block at 204k and used all the old stuff off the old motor, then wondered why the truck ran like crap. I've been sorting it all out ever since (in his defense, he's not a mechanic and trusted what I consider a shade tree). To me, it felt like fuel starvation. In fact, the injectors were mostly plugged as I suspected, and reman's fixed the (that) issue...YMMV

John

P.S. Liked your write-up on the knock sensor (outside the bickering...LOL). That's the most mis-understood yet simplest circuit in the array.

 

There is a test for the distributor coil packs. Run the FSM checks with an ohm meter. Costs nothing, and if they are out of spec, then you know.

 

I don't know if this is your problem but I had it once and made my engine run all crazy. The throttle position sensor was not being triggered as it would close to about 1/128th of an inch from actually closing. It needs to close completely to reset the computer. Worth a look. Otherwise, I agree that it sounds like a lean fuel situation. I suspect the fuel injection. Do you think that it could be something involved with the feedback to the fuel injection? Oxygen sensor? I'm not an expert but that is something I'd look into. Good luck!

 

check the cat converter.
when ur motor was bad enough to burn oil.
it could trash ur cat

 

We see this response constantly. For posterity & the benefit of all reading this; CEL does not have to be on for there to be stored codes!

 

Sounds like the timing is a tooth off...

 

Have you checked your fuel pressure? A tired, old fuel pump can cause symptoms similar to this.

 

4.10 on the gears ain't so bad for 31's- I've 31s and 4.10s on my 4runner and other than can't hold hills in 5th, and sometimes even 4th, but somehow they work... and 20+ mpgs is my average.

It'd be nice to see what the TPS tests turned up, particularly the IDL/E2 check.