[mdj21]

Hi guys,

i've got an 85 SR5 pickup with the 22RE engine and EFI.

for the past couple of months it has been giving me a hard time to get it started. when it eventually starts and runs, it runs just fine, although i do think my gas mileage is down a little from what it should be. this is not a slowly progressing problem. one day is just started giving me trouble.

anybody had this trouble before? any ideas where i should look to try to fix it? need more information?

any help is appreciated.

thanks,

Mike.

 

[benwill1]

Is it just when cold or all of the time??

 

[mdj21]

Is it just when cold or all of the time??

actually, it starts easer when the engine is cold. after it wrams up then sits for a little while,it takes a few more cranks to get it going than when it is stone cold.

 

[benwill1]

Nothing in particular for these trucks. Just start with a basic tune-up, plugs,wires,rotor,cap, air filter. Don't forget the fuel filter under the intake and the pcv valve on the valve cover. Use some spray fuel injection cleaner on it.

 

[yota22re]

Nothing in particular for these trucks. Just start with a basic tune-up, plugs,wires,rotor,cap, air filter. Don't forget the fuel filter under the intake and the pcv valve on the valve cover. Use some spray fuel injection cleaner on it.

My truck has been doing that also lately. Mine is the starter...try that

 

[mdj21]

Nothing in particular for these trucks. Just start with a basic tune-up, plugs,wires,rotor,cap, air filter. Don't forget the fuel filter under the intake and the pcv valve on the valve cover. Use some spray fuel injection cleaner on it.

i did replace the plugs not too long ago and cleaned up the rotor and cap. maybe i'll go ahead and replace the rotor, cap, ect... that stuff is pretty cheap.

i don't think it's the starter. it seems to spin the motor the motor up just fine. she just dosen't fire off as quick as she should.

i have the FSM now. does anybody know which of the two plugs on the drivers side which are stuck into little rubber holders is the diagnostic plug and which terminals are T and E1?

 

[yota22re]

i did replace the plugs not too long ago and cleaned up the rotor and cap. maybe i'll go ahead and replace the rotor, cap, ect... that stuff is pretty cheap.

i don't think it's the starter. it seems to spin the motor the motor up just fine. she just dosen't fire off as quick as she should.

i have the FSM now. does anybody know which of the two plugs on the drivers side which are stuck into little rubber holders is the diagnostic plug and which terminals are T and E1?

well...I thought that it was ticking everytime you rn the key. I have an 87 and its been doing that lately and i have been told it was the starter

 

[mdj21]

well...I thought that it was ticking everytime you rn the key. I have an 87 and its been doing that lately and i have been told it was the starter

nope, no ticking..... the engine spins every time, it just dosent fire up as quick as it should.

changed the spark plug wires, distributer cap and rotor, the plugs are only about a month old, PCV valve, and O2 sensor. autoxone didn't have a coil handy, so i didn't do that yet.

no change. still has the same problem.

i think i'm going to go ahead and change the battery as well. i left my lights on all day about two months ago. i got a jump and the battery seemed to charge up and work right, but maybe now it's starting to behave funny.

i've been looking for vacuume leaks and so far have found none. i've eliminated the EGR system as a suspect.

any body have any other ideas of things to try.

 

[qsd-dan]

It may be either the fuel pump relay (Toyota calls it a circuit opening relay) or the EFI relay becoming intermittent.

You can jump the fuel pump test connector, which will cause the fuel pump to continuously run when the ignition is in the "RUN" position. If the problem disappears, then the relay just needs to be replaced.

http://4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTricks/index.shtml#FuelPump

You can ohm out the EFI relay to see if it specs out. Ohm it out when the truck acts up only. You'll most likely get a false reading when everything is working properly.

 

[mdj21]

It may be either the fuel pump relay (Toyota calls it a circuit opening relay) or the EFI relay becoming intermittent.

You can jump the fuel pump test connector, which will cause the fuel pump to continuously run when the ignition is in the "RUN" position. If the problem disappears, then the relay just needs to be replaced.

http://4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTricks/index.shtml#FuelPump

You can ohm out the EFI relay to see if it specs out. Ohm it out when the truck acts up only. You'll most likely get a false reading when everything is working properly.

that's some good information, thanks. the problem that guy describes in the link you added sounds exactly like what mine is doing.

i'll give that a try if changing the fuel filter dosent do the trick.

 

[mdj21]

found it!!!!

found the problem.....

turned out to be the gas cap. i can't believe it was something so simple. thanks to Jowdba for suggesting i try that. (thanks, Joey, i would have never thought of the gas cap.)

i can't believe how much time i spent testing and studying that car over this problem and it turns out to be a gas cap....

on the bright side, my truck has a good tune up and i now know a lot more about my engine.

thanks to everyone for your ideas and suggestions. this is a great forum.

Mike.

 

[jowdba]

Super! :clap:

And thanks for posting the fix. It's always good to hear what did the truck. Very helpful for others searching for an answer. :thumbup:

I never got beyond Troubleshooting 101. So I start with the easiest and cheapest and work towards the hardest most expensive.

Thanks for posting.

 

[mdj21]

i know what you mean.

i spend a lot more time over on corvette forum. it drives me nuts when somebody posts a question, gets some help, and then never replys back one way or the other.

i try not to do that myself....

what is this troubleshooting 101 you keep mentioning?

 

[jowdba]

"i spend a lot more time over on corvette forum. it drives me nuts when somebody posts a question, gets some help, and then never replys back one way or the other."

Yeah, me too. On Ford F150 forums. Bad ettiquete by not posting back with results, IMO.

Troubleshooting 101........the most basic class. Sorta like college stuff. Freshman year classes. English 101, Science 101, History 101, etc............ I never made it past the most basic stuff. I know a little about alot, not alot about a little. :lol:

Joey

 

[mdj21]

Troubleshooting 101........the most basic class. Sorta like college stuff. Freshman year classes. English 101, Science 101, History 101, etc............ I never made it past the most basic stuff. I know a little about alot, not alot about a little. :lol:

Joey

oh.... i thought maybe it was a book or something. don't recall any service manual ever saying to check the gas cap. (atleast not that i have seen.) i would never had thought of that....

 

[85str8]

that's awsome, since we had the exact symptoms, and iv'e changed plugs, wires, cap, rotor, fuel filter, vacumm lines, pcv valve.
did your old cap make a noise when you opened it at the gas station, you know that all famous ppppsshhhhhhhhh. cause mine does, so i did'nt think it was the cap. good for you, i'll wait for your answer before i go buy a gas cap. thanks mikey.

 

[mdj21]

yes, but it was barely audible. had to stick my ear within a foot of the cap to hear it. haven't checked that on the new one yet.

if your cap says "Jeq" on the front of it in small letters, it is probably original. replace that thing! a replacement can be had for around $6. (or $12 if you want a locking cap like i picked up for mine.)

i think that my gas mileage has improved as well after the cap change. won't know for sure untill i fill up this weekend, but the needle seems to be falling slower.

 

[pcmentor]

i have the FSM now. does anybody know which of the two plugs on the drivers side which are stuck into little rubber holders is the diagnostic plug and which terminals are T and E1?

On my 85 22re it's the smaller one

 

[Scary]

I have an 85 fuel injected 4x4 and I have this same hard start problem now and the jumper on the test plug allows mine to start right up now. But, I also smell fuel every once in a while from under the hood. I've looked and looked and don't see any obvious leaks. It does smell stronger on the passenger side though. Where should I start as far as switching things out to find the leak. I'm guessing fuel filter, is there anything else I should look for or be aware of.

Thanks in Advance
Larry

 

[qsd-dan]

It does smell stronger on the passenger side though. Where should I start as far as switching things out to find the leak. I'm guessing fuel filter, is there anything else I should look for or be aware of.

Yeah, check the fuel pressure regulator. With the engine running, remove the vacuum line to the regulator and see if any fuel comes out the nipple.

Another possible leak is from the fuel pulsation damper. It's located near the front of the engine, under the intake manifold. Usually the adjustment screw vibrates out and fuel comes out the screw hole. The internal diaphragm can go bad as well.

Check charcoal canister operation per FSM. Sometimes they get clogged and fuel pours out the bottom vent.