Hey there so i picked up this 95 4 runner limited had leather interior all the bells and whistles. Previous owner rear ended someone and it sat for 5 months, i came along and seen it offered him 1k and he took it. It needed a radaitor, shroud, and distributor cap. I go to start it after getting all those things and it acts like it wants to run then just dies. So i try it again with gas and it will stay running with a slight misfire, cold start injector is good, all vaccume is hooked up (to my knowledge) maybe maf? Iac? Im stumped and frustrated. I bought a new rotor gonna install tomorrow.
Need help with my second gen!! PLEASE HELP
- Thread starter nathan25
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Why did it need a new distributor cap? If it was damaged in the accident, your distributor may also have problems. Maybe experiment with a timing light to see what your spark looks like. If the light is erratic and not consistent, it could be the distributor.
Also, since it had front end damage, do all the belts run smoothly without wobble in the pulleys?
Also, since it had front end damage, do all the belts run smoothly without wobble in the pulleys?
In the accident a tab on the distributor cap was broken off (3) so i got a new cap, maybe when the cap got hit it screwed up the rotor? anyway i got a new rotor now to install, going to hit it with timing light aswell, some people keep saying iac or maf? no really to sure I'm not really a toyota guy, mainly built hondas but i guess I'm gonna start climbing the toyota ladder. thanks for replies any ideas help so i can start eliminating things
fwak1234
New member
Has it thrown any codes from this condition? If it has check them http://www.toyota-4runner.org/classic-t4rs/13471-check-engine-light-came-how-do-i-read-codes.html that is a guide to read the codes. May help you with the diag as to what the problem is. I would look towards the IAC since it doesnt want to keep running but the miss part may make things a little trickier. I fixed a miss on mine while cleaning the TB when I noticed a fuel injector was not plugged in. Hope this helps. If not I will do some thinking tonight and see if anything pops into mind and post if it does.
BigRyan1986
New member
Where are you at in WA? I might know someone in your area who maybe able to help you out
BigRyan1986
New member
Damn dont know anyone over there. I almost went over that way to buy some 350 swap parts from a guy on cl. wish i could help you out bud
fwak1234
New member
Have you checked it with the timing light yet? If timing is good I would say to move to the IAC next. You may be able to do some digging around and find a resistance check for the IAC to let you know if it's the sensor or wiring potentially. Check all the ground terminals. This is a tough one. Sounds like a neon I rigged for a CEL and they never found that I cut, folded, and rewrapped the ground for the IAC. A multimeter may end up being your best friend along with some good research to find appropriate Ohms, Voltage, and what have you. Don't want you to end up just throwing parts at it until it is fixed. And did you try cleaning the IAC yet or just replaced the rotor?
flyinhawaiian01
New member
So did you actually check for codes, or just noting that the check engine light isn't on?
I'm not quite sure what you mean when you say it "acts like it wants to run then just dies", when you try to start it, does it fire then die, or does it just pop once or twice?
Try this if it actually fires for a second then dies. Hold throttle all the way to the floor and start it. Will it actually run normally?
FYI, depressing the throttle to the floor will put the ecu in open loop via tps, and it won't process any data from the flapper door (as well as o2 sensor and probably the iac too, not sure of that one though) is on the afm, this may tell you if its a massive air leak and/or afm issue before the afm that's causing it or not. It will also tell you whether the engine actually runs or not, which should rule out timing.
Also, not sure how you're adding fuel to get it to run, are you dumping it into the afm? That's not a very good thing to do if you are.
Hopefully you don't have the intake tube off the throttle body, it HAS to be connected directly to the afm for the engine to run. There cannot be any openings whatsoever between afm and tb, as that's how the afm measures air flow into the engine.
At this point, I'd just go through all the steps from a to z. Check plugs and see what they tell you. It will also tell you whether you're getting fuel or not. Assuming you've cranked on this engine for quite a bit of time, the plugs will most likely be a bit wet if fuel is flowing properly. This will also be a good time to replace them with new plugs. Next, change teh pcv valve, its just good to have a new one in there anyways.
Since you've already replaced the cap and rotor, skip that step. Next should be physically checking all the wires, make sure nothing was knocked off the engine or shorted out from the accident. I'd start from the battery, grab the first wire you see and quickly check to make sure the other side is plugged into something or running into the cab. There's a lot of wires and peripherals on these engines, its gonna take a little while.
Next would be to check every vacuum hose on the engine. You'll need to make sure nothing is missing a hose or disconnected.
After that, get a multimeter out and check the tps on the throttle body. Follow the manual for the check, and once you know its working properly with the 2 flat gauges inserted at the throttle stop screw as shown in the manual, short your check connector and see if any codes are stored in the ecu. You cannot check for codes if the tps is off, and unless you can confirm you're just getting the quick even flashes, you'll need to set the tps properly for it to work.
Once you've confirmed you have no codes, check the afm again, this time with a multimeter and run through the manual's check directions.
As for the IAC, that should not keep the engine from starting, its job is to kick up/down the throttle, not keep it from running, even if its broken.
Once you go through all of those steps, I'm pretty sure you'll find the issue and once that's fixed, you'll have a 4 runner to drive.
flyinhawaiian01
New member
Oh yeah, one other thing to try before anything else. install a jumper for the fuel pump and see if it starts up. There is a switch inside the afm that turns the fuel pump on once air opens the flapper door. This jumper bypasses that so fuel is running when key is on. You should hear the fuel pump kick on in the fuel tank when you insert the jumper and turn key to on position. If you don't hear it, your pump is dead, fuse is blown or you have some wiring issues to deal with.
Try adjusting the idle? When I picked up my 2nd gen from the shop that rebuilt it a few days later it did something similar. I would start it and it would idle low for a few seconds and then died, all I did was had my dad start it and give it enough throttle to stay running and I turned the idle adjuster to where it idles at about 800rpm and it's been about a year since then and it runs great now. Hope that helps!
