I have a problem that started yesterday. I was driving in the rain and turned on the A/C for a little while to clear the windshield. After that the truck started running poorly at idle (even after I turned the A/C off. Sometimes it would even go dead. Assumming I do get the thing going, it is very sluggish up to a point and then it takes off. This is in an 87 4runner with an 85 22re I believe. Any ideas? I did some google searches but cannot find anyone with the same problem that has found a solution.

 

Can you elaborate on "sluggish up to a point"?
Is it carb or injected, there is a sticker on the valve cover that tells you 22r or 22re also.

Make sure the airfilter is still dry. If it's not you'll need to replace it and likely unbolt the housing and dump the water out.

Pull the a/c belt off. The ac clutch maybe malfunctioning, I don't recall off hand if the idle up is in the switch or compressor.

 

looks like a 22RE from what the OP said..

 

It is indeed a 22re. By sluggish I mean that when I press the gas, it has much less power than normal. Then, as the rpm's climb it "clears" and takes off, running normally again. It reminds me of a turbo kicking in when it happens.

The air filter is good. I will try taking the belt off the a/c.

 

A/C belt made no difference...

 

Mine does the same thing. Revs slow until about 2800-3000 then takes off. I've changed the tps, aav, afm, coolant temp sensor, thermo time switch, cold start injector , cleaned/scrubbed throttle body and intakes, adjusted timing, full tune up , etc... Only thing I haven't messed with is timing chain and injectors.

Mine is also an 85 22 re

 

I had the same exact problem. At about 3000 rpm truck took off like a bat out of hell. Ended up being the 02 sensor. Mine was filled with soot type crap. Ordered one off eBay for 29 bucks.

 

Great, I'll check it out. Thanks.

 

Well, that is a bunch of stuff. No improvement?

 

he didnt list an 02 sensor. maybe thats all it was.

 

Assuming you're opening the throttle, around 80-90% (from memory), you are in open-loop mode. The oxygen sensor has no effect here.

It's the cam timing not keeping up. Peak torque is in the 2-3000 range.

 

What you say appears to be true. However, when my truck was doing this, it wasn't under hard throttle. It was about 50% throttle, and with throttle held steady, it would start out very sluggish like the timing was retarded and then take off around 3000 rpm. It reminded me of an old two stroke mx bike when it hit its powerband. Weird part was that it started one day in a heavy rain when I was trying to get my windows defogged.

 

Same exact thing here. It hasn't stopped raining here in Birmingham since the symptoms started, so it could get better when it has a chance to dry out. Does yours run poorly at idle too?

 

It did, but intermittently. Sometimes it would idle all the way down to like 500 or so. When I pulled my codes I had a lean condition code and a rpm sensor code. After I installed my new o2 sensor it hasn't done it again. Plus, I jumped from about 16 mpg to around 20 mpg, so the 29 bucks was money well spent.

I did a bunch of research and narrowed it down to two possible issues. For some, like myself, it seemed to be an o2 sensor problem. From experience, I thought it might be a distributor cap problem.

From what I could tell, the rpm sensor was something between the igniter and the coil and the dizzy, but once I cleared the codes, it hasn't done it again. I'm afraid to touch anything now though since it is running so good and it has no codes at all. If it does do it again, I am going to start by taking off the cap and making sure the rubber o ring is on there.

A long time ago, my dads f250 had an issue where it ran poorly when it rained. We could never figure it out until one night we raised the hood and looked at the cap and you could see the slightest of light through the cap. The cap itself had a hairline crack that was letting moist air in when it rained. We replaced the cap, and the truck ran great from there on out. Hence the suspicion that the issue might be cap related.

I'm in Gadsden, so I have been dealing with this bull˟˟˟˟ rain as much as you have. I'm so ready for it to stop.

 

try disconnecting your tps and run without it real quick and see if it makes a diference.. when i pressure wash my engine bay itll do the same thing if i dont blow everything out.. wet distributor can also cause that as well..

 

Did you replace upstream, downstream or both O2 sensors?
My truck a 93 22RE 2WD with Federal emissions

I went ahead and ordered the upstream from Rock Auto. $20


I’ll update this post once it’s installed and tested.

 

Mine is doing the same thing, intermittently. 91 22RE 5 Speed. I've replaced cap, rotor, plugs, TPS, intake boot, exhaust manifold and gasket, and all the vacuum lines. Full rebuild about 25k ago, along with the downstream o2 sensor. If I drive it easy, 0-15% throttle or so, it seems to do fine. Idle is steady and it doesn't miss. Passed smog fine. But if I have to give it 1/2 or more throttle (like getting on the freeway), it falls on it's face. It won't even maintain speed unless the revs are above 3k, and even then it seems to cut in and out with the power, and continues to lack power when off the freeway. It does have a minor exhaust leak on the downtube that I need to fix. Fuel economy sucks too. I'm planning to roll the dice and order the upstream o2 Sensor. I love this thing but it's getting on my last nerve. Maintenance records are:

2/25/2008 214900 Rings, Main & Rod bearings, Belts, Hoses, Air Filter, Oil Filter, Plugs, Wires, Cap, rotor, Head, Valves Springs, Cam, Guides, Keepers, Shims, Gaskets, Water Pump, Oil Pump, Timing Chain & Sprockets, Fuel Filter, Front & Rear Shocks, Timing Case, Clutch, Throwout Bearing, Radiator Cap, Defroster, Drain and Refill Power Steering.
6/2/2008 215450 New Driveshaft, carrier bearing, complete lube except wheel bearings
7/5/2008 215717 Final hot valve adjust
10/16/2008 216500 Break in oil out, 10w30 Havoline, Bigger FRAM PH3600 (NAPA 1516)
1/4/2009 216750 New Raybestos pro rear, ceramic front brakes. New tie rod ends, relay rod, idler, pitman arm, R&R front wheel bearings
2/5/2009 216897 Trailer hitch and wiring w/ logic circuit installed
6/18/2009 218116 Adjust valves again. 1 bottle S.T.P.
10/18/2010 222936 Duralast lifetime starter 16578 $100 Fixed oil pan leak, new rear 02 sensor, Havoline 10240, FRAM 3600, complete lube & check over for winter.
1/14/2011 222943 New Cam, rockers, bearings, oil pump, pistons, valve springs. Removed A/C. John Deere break in oil.
5/20/2011 224000 4.5 qts Valvolene VR1, FRAM PH3600
2/5/2013 228000 Injector rebuild kits & flush
4/26/2013 228750 Tach, voltmeter, oil pressure gauge, 12 volt outlet installed.
5/20/2013 229130 Valve adjust, new valve cover gasket, 195 Thermostat, FRAM 3600, 4.5 Qts Mobile 1 5w30 Full Synthetic
3/25/2013 229140 Chassis lube. Replaced horns.
11/16/2014 233169 Upper & Lower shifter bushings
1/20/2016 235100 Complete lube, rotate tires, 4.5 qts Deco400LE 15w40, FRAM3600, all checks, LED Dome Light, Receiver Hitch.
8/29/2018 237845 Lifetime Autozone Delphi CFE0486 Fuel Pump, AutoZone A17STR strainer, Duralast FF72IDL Fuel Filter. Purolator premium PL20195 oil filter but no oil change. New Lifetime Autozone Starter, Valves adjusted - no change.
9/27/2018 237979 4x new Les Schwab Open Range All Season 235/75R15XL 65,000 mile tires, $790.76
10/1/2018 238327 New exhaust manifold and manifold gasket. New down tube gaskets.
6/15/2019 240238 New cap, rotor, wires, and NGK Plugs. New idle speed screw. New throttle body boot. New silicone vacuum tubes.

 

And, I just realized Joe resurrected a 6 year old thread. Sorry guys.