Hello,

I have a 1985 toyota pickup. It is running great, but it always takes me about 3 tries to start it. The first try the engine will just keep turning over but wont start. Same thing on the second try, then third or fourth try it will fire right up and will stay running and will run fine. I am not the most knowledgeable in auto mechanics, but my roommate is pretty good and can help me with any suggestions someone might have to resolve my issue.

 

Is it carbureted?

 

It is not carbureted, it has a 1991 22re put into it, fuel injected.

 

Any advice anyone???

 

cold start injector? weak fuel pump? those are my guesses.

 

Thanks yodafan. I will look into those this weekend...

 

When was the last good tuneup? Plugs, wires,cap,rotor, air and fuel filters. Check for vacuum leaks, all hoses routed correctly, make sure lines coming off of the Plenum are plugged with carbon. Give all your sensors a good scrubbing. Cleaning my Cold Start Injector Timing Switch fixed one of my problems in the winter. Probably not your issue right now, depending on where you live, but it is a good start on what could help.

Copied...
Here are the dirty sensors. Cleaning temp guage one in between #2 and #3 cylinders has helped my temp guage to be more stable then jumping around.(Top Right).


Here they are cleaned. I just use a brass tooth brush and water to get them cleaned. The manual says to wrap the Cold Start Injector Time Switch (Sensor with Brown top)with plumbers tape. I do them all. I haven done it yet but will when I put the motor together.

 

Thanks Terrys87,

I just bought the truck about a month ago, so i don't really know everything about it... I assume it has been a while since a good tune up was done since the guy was selling it...

Was your response meant to have photos in it? I see reference to "top right" and what not, but no photos...

Thanks for all the information. I have the Hanes manual and will look up all of the mentioned items in this thread and work on them this week.

 

I am seeing the photos I posted. I was showing what the sensors look liked before I cleaned them and then the after I cleaned them shots.

 

i can agree with the tune up, vacuum lines would mess with the idle i believe. not starting. spark plugs, wires, a new cap and rotor wouldnt hurt.

 

It seems to me your fuel system is losing pressure when it sits .

Does it always start like this even if you run it for 5 minutes then shut off and restart ??

A good tune up never hurts when needed

 

wyoming9 brought up a good point. The fuel systems in these trucks get bad depending on where you live. Humidity lets alot of moisture into the the tanks and from there it does cause a lot of rust thru out the fuel system.

I have seen several return lines clogged, wont necessarily cause this problem, the fuel pumps and the sock on the pump can get a varnish that coats it, check the regulator on the endo fo the fuel rail by the firewall, and the tanks get in bad shape.

I try to mention in my build threads about just going thru the fuel system in general and giving it a good cleaning. All three of my builds below had bad fuel systems from the tank, to the injectors and back to the tank.

Your AFM works to kick on your fuel pump. I might would check to make sure the flap inside is moving freely as well. It should start befroe the flap moves but it is in the starting system as well. Just a few other things that you can check relative easily.

You will see alot of comments on using the Factory Service Manual, it is good but it does mention it for the more advanced user. It can be found on ebay occasionally for a reasonable price or even downloaded. I suggest getting a Haynes Manual, I literally taught myself mechanics with these manuals. It does real well for beginners. I have both manuals on hand but refer more to the Haynes. In this link >> #1297 https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f199...l#post52094962
show how to test for good fuel flow and page references.

 

Wyoming9 - Yes it still does this after the truck has been started and running for 5 minutes, but it is not as bad. Sometimes if I start it right away after stopping it, it does not have this problem. This issue happens the worst in the morning, and then it is not as bad if I start the truck within an hour of driving it, but it still occurs.

Terrys87 - thanks for the additional information. I do in fact have a Hanes manual and will use it to go through all the suggested items in this thread.

Thanks everyone.

 

Found the issue in case anyone cares.

I had a leak right at the fuel tank from the fuel sender. Had to take the bed off my truck to find it. The leak was actually external, so not only was I losing fuel pressure, I was losing gas.

I sealed it up, so now there is still a small leak, but it leaks back into the tank so at least I don't lose gas.

To resolve the starting issue I just used a jumper cable to bypass the part that tells my fuel pump when to turn on and off (located on the front right corner of truck under the hood). Now when I turn my aux. power on, my fuel pump starts up, I wait a few seconds and my fuel pressure builds, then my truck starts fine first try.

I have read that driving with my fuel pump always on is not going to do any harm to my vehicle, but it will be a risk if I got into a crash and the fuel pump kept pumping. Any other thoughts or commetns to this regard?

Thanks

Thanks for all the help and comments everyone.