22RE issues

[mikesmith140]

I've been trying to narrow down why my 22RE ('86 4R) starts missing occasionally when it's warmed up. During this time I've upgraded and replaced other items for various reasons, pretty much everything has been replaced or checked: spark plugs, coil, distributor, plug wires, fuel filter.

Also, I just replaced the head gasket, so all the belts, hoses, water pump, thermostat have been replaced. Cylinders checked good at 140, 150, 150, 150, timing is correct, as is the valve adjustment and timing chain. I figured I'd try the fuel injectors, so I purchased and installed a flow matched set of 4. Now it runs worse than before!

It idles great, but once I go above idle it sounds like a cylinder is missing. Before, it would stumble occasionally at idle, and occasionally miss when driving down the road at a steady RPM. Now it's nearly undriveable with the missing once the RPMs are above idle.

I'm frustrated today, tomorrow I'll probably take it apart again and ohm test the new fuel injectors, ... and the old fuel injectors. The old #3 fuel injector had a lot of RTV around it's base, just above where it enters the engine. I was hoping it was the source of my intermittent firing issue.

Any ideas for me??

 

[03hdfatboy]

I had a Mazda that would do that. Turned out to be the thermostat. Sounded silly to me too but that fixed it

 

[Ahlem]

I'd try checking electrical connections, hitting them with contact cleaner and dilectric grease and putting them back on. I heard of someone putting a led in series with the fuel injectors to see if there was any interruption in the signal. They got the part from Radio Shack but now that they are closed...

 

[flyinhawaiian01]

Check the engine ground! Run one leg of a battery jumper cable from the neg side of battery to a clean bolt somewhere on the engine. Try running it up and see if it clears up completely.

Exact same scenario with my '85 supra when I swapped an engine out years ago. Took it for its initial drive, made it about 3 miles, then it started sputtering and driving like crap. Got it back to the house and noticed that I didn't tighten the cluster of brown wires near the throttle body down!

Tightened that bolt down and no more issue after that. I don't recall right now where the ground wires are on the 22re, but running a quick jumper will tell you instantly (and free) if that's part or all of the issue.

 

[Defiance]

My last 22re had a misfire that I couldn't figure out to save my life.
I gave it a normal tune up, and it did nothing.
After a few weeks of driving it, it started idling really rough, sometimes would even stall on the road.
I'm not fully sure what it was that fixed it, could be a combination of everything I did, or just one of the things; but, I replaced my circuit opening relay (Which helped the rough idle), cleaned up all my fuses (used white grease), and connected an engine ground I had overlooked when I put the motor in.

Just look around and see if there's anything that doesn't seem right.
In older trucks it always seems to be grounds, fuses, and wires that are the biggest issues. At least for me.

 

[KidVermicious]

You could try pulling the spark plug wires one at a time and seeing what happens then - if you pull one wire and it doesn't get worse, you know you've found a missing cylinder.

 

[the_dingman]

I had that same issue on mine, and it turned out I had the 3 small vacuum hoses on the throttle body wrong. The diagram on the hood tells you where each goes, I'd check that.

While diagnosing the problem, I though it was a bad EGR valve. If I pulled the vacuum line off the valve and plugged it, it ran great. You might try that as well.

 

[mikesmith140]

Thanks for the suggestions. I have an OHM meter, some contact cleaner, di-electric grease, and a flashlight to peer into the cracks and crannys for any loose ground wires/fuses ... but I can't re-engage until Thursday evening or Friday morning. I'll let you guys know what happens.

I guess it's also possible I somehow got one of the injectors at an angle and it isn't spraying correctly due to a physical impediment. But I was able to rotate all of them after re-installing the spray bar and fuel connections.

Mike

 

[flyinhawaiian01]

I highly doubt its the fuel injectors causing misfires, they all fire at the same time (or is it every other time for every other injector, I don't recall how the 22re is set up, only the 5/6m engines), and the air/fuel mixture is pulled through the manifold to whatever valve is opened. You might get surging, but it wouldn't be a full-on misfire.

And if you're able to rotate the injectors freely in the fuel rail when bolted down (with some resistance from the rubber insulators, of course!), it should be installed correctly. If they weren't in properly, you would probably notice it right off the bat!

You used new rubber insulators with those injectors, right? No raw fuel smell under the hood while running, correct?

 

[mikesmith140]

Yep, new rubber O-rings on the top and bottom of the injectors, and no fuel smell after running it. I also looked closely when it was running and could see no fuel leaking from either connection on the fuel rail. Everyone else says it's probably not the injectors, but I've replaced nearly everything else. I guess it could be a gasket somewhere letting air in, maybe where the air intake mates with the engine? I don't know, and I'm especially confused when it ran soooo rough after installing the new injectors - I figured I must have done something wrong, I just can't figure out what I screwed up. Oh well, I'll dive into it tomorrow evening.

Thanks,
Mike

 

[mikesmith140]

I fixed it Friday, and it runs better than ever now. It is smooth with no misses, hot or cold, and starts right up without ever touching the gas pedal. I'm not sure why it wasn't working the last time I put it together. I couldn't find any grounds that were loose or unattached. I did notice two of the injector plugs didn't seem to connect as tightly as I would have liked. So I jury-rigged them so they'll stay tightly connected, that could have been the issue - who knows. But now it runs soooo smoothly that I'm extremely happy with the new injectors : )