91 tercel problems

[pjm333]

1991 Toyota Tercel, 4 cylinder with 5 speed, 138,454 miles
My problem is sometimes when I first start my tercel I notice there is some sort of problem with the engine, which can happen usually about once every 2 weeks. When I press on the gas while parked I can hear & feel that the car is not running or idling correctly with the clutch in or out. I let the car run for a minute or so then place it in gear and there is no power at all and it seems like it is not getting enough gas or a bad plug or something ? When I start to drive I can have the gas floored but the car has basically no power and it is sputtering and sounds different, when I am driving and I press in the clutch the engine works fine but when I let the clutch up the problem persists. The car eventually starts to run fine after several miles and I can feel the engine start to kick in “run normal”
The car has had a tune up 1 month ago and I put a new fuel filter in and added fuel injector cleaner a couple of times with no improvement. A mechanic has looked at it with no results and this has been happening for over 1 year. Any ideas or suggestions on what may be wrong with my car will be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance.

Patrick

[NickR]

An intermittent problem (it doesn't always do it); and when it does have the problem, it always begins when the engine is first started (cold?), but eventually goes away?

Do you notice that the problem always goes away as soon as the engine reaches normal operating temperature (from the temperature gauge)? Or does it often take longer to go away?

I wonder if it could be a sticking valve? Time for a seafoam treatment?

[pjm333]

NickR,
Yes..it only happens sometimes and only when the engine is cold. The problem does go away after several miles and the engines normal operation temp is at 1/2 way between cold & hot but the problem happens from cold temp to 1/2 way.
"I wonder if it could be a sticking valve? Time for a seafoam treatment?"
Any suggestions on how to check for sticking valve and what is a seafoam treatment.. thanks for your help.

Patrick

[NickR]

So, the problem always goes away as soon as the engine reaches normal operating temperature?

How to test for a sticking valve? Buy, rent, or borrow a compression tester (they cost about $50, if I remember correctly). Then next time you start the engine and you get the symptoms, turn off the engine, remove the spark plugs, screw the compression tester into #1 spark plug hole, put the gas pedal fully down, crank the engine for about 5 seconds, and read the compression. Make a note of it, press the button on the tester to release the pressure, then repeat for the next cylinder. If my theory about the sticking valve is correct, one or two cylinders will show very low, or even zero, compression. (And if you repeat the test when the engine has warmed up, and is running well, all cylinders will show good compression).

If you do a search on "seafoam" on this board, you will come across one or two similar cases. Actually, seafoam is relatively easy to use, and you might just want to give your engine a seafoam treatment without bothering to test the compression, if you don't have easy access to a compression tester.

Edit: here is one "seafoam" thread: http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/t118207.html

But the sticking valve theory is only one theory. It might be something else. Is your check engine light on? It might also be a good idea to check for error codes on your car's computer (ecu). There is a thread here somewhere which gives a good link on how to do that.

Edit: here's the link: http://www.troublecodes.net/Toyota/

[pjm333]

NickR,
Thank you for your reply..I did a search on seafoam and it looks promising and I am going to give that a shot before anything else..there are no check engine lights on either..I also wanted to clarify that I changed the fuel pump not the fuel filter. I am going to do the seafoam on monday and will post back, thanks again.

patrick

[NickR]

Good luck with the seafoam. But I recommend checking the codes in any case, since it will only take 10 minutes, and it's free, and might tell you something.

[pjm333]

NickR,
The auto part store didnt carry seafoam so I will have to look somewhere else..is there anything that I need to do after I use the seafoam? If I put it in my gas tank do i need to change my plugs or something ? thanks again

pat

[NickR]

I have never used seafoam. I think you may have to order it online (or Google on "seafoam", and find out where to buy it). You don't just put it in the gas tank; you start the car and use one of the engine's vacuum hoses to suck it into the intake. I don't think you need to change the plugs afterwards.

As a simpler alternative to seafoam, go to any oil change place, and ask them to do an engine oil flush. Some of them will just add a can of flushing treatment to the engine oil, and let the engine idle for 5 minutes, and then change the oil and filter. Costs about $10 more than a regular oil change. And some oil change place have special machines which do a more complete flush, for about $50 extra, on top of the oil and filter change.

[steveokinevo]

if your still having the problem my car did that and found out wat it was...... i was tighting my alternator belt by sticking a pry bar down by the alternator to do it and accedentaly wedged the pry bar against the fuel regulator and broke it and then started doing wat your car is doing now. so look at the fuel regulator. even if it doesnt look like theres anything wrong with it take it off and look at it, cause thats why i didnt solve the problem for a long time, cause the problem was on the underside of the regulator.

[pjm333]

NickR steveokinevo,
Thanks for your help..I had the car timed and it runs fine but the problem happens not on a regular basis so time will tell..thanks again.

pat