No-Start and running out of time

How-to's and repair secrets for your 4WD can be found here. Have a question? Ask it in here!
FranklinTheWagon
Newbie
Posts: 18
Joined: Mon Feb 18, 2019 7:34 pm
My tercel:: 1983 Toyota Tercel 4WD Wagon

Re: No-Start and running out of time

Post by FranklinTheWagon »

So it's been a while, sorry. After being told the cat was clogged I cut it and had a pipe welded in its place. The old cat was torn to bits on the inside and the car seemed to run better. I made it about 40 miles out of town before it started bucking and died and I had to be towed back. I drove it a few more times on short drives but it would run for shorter and shorter periods of time before sputtering, dying, and not starting until the next day. After cutting out after half a mile, it got to where it would barely fire up and hold a very low idle with a bit of starter fluid and the gas pedal held to the floor (still only once in a given day); as soon as I let off the gas it would cough and die. Now it wont even do that. It cranks but it wont fire. Any Ideas? I also have an '87 2wd wagon (different carb) I picked up a couple months back that runs like a top, so I can swap parts around as needed to test things.
xirdneh
Highest Ranking Member
Posts: 2121
Joined: Thu Aug 04, 2005 11:38 am
My tercel:: 87 tercel 4x4 wagon w/reringed engine, 83 tercel 4x4 wagon w/salvaged engine and 4.1 Diff's
Location: seabeck, washington, USA

Re: No-Start and running out of time

Post by xirdneh »

I had one tercel that bucked and it was the distributor cap, specifically one of the two graphite plungers inside the cap, the spring behind one plunger was bad.
the other tercel that bucked had carburetor problem, the "G" clip at bottom of accelerator pump had popped out.
Love those Tercell 4x4 wagons but they sure suffer from road noise.
User avatar
Petros
Highest Ranking Member
Posts: 11930
Joined: Sun Jan 28, 2007 6:31 pm
My tercel:: '84 Tercel4wd w/extensive mods
Location: Arlington WA USA

Re: No-Start and running out of time

Post by Petros »

Try to replace your fuel filter, they are cheap. a partly blocked fuel filter will act just like that.
'87 Tercel 4wd SR5 (current engine swap project)
'84 Tercel 4wd (daily driver, with on going mods)
'92 Mazda MPV 4wd (wife's daily driver)
'85 Tercel 4wd DLX auto(daughter's daily driver)
'01 Honda Civic (other daughter's daily driver)
User avatar
dlb
Highest Ranking Member
Posts: 7305
Joined: Mon Jul 06, 2009 9:03 pm
My tercel:: '87 sr5, '83 dlx parts car
Location: bc, canada

Re: No-Start and running out of time

Post by dlb »

Petros wrote: Mon Sep 23, 2019 11:11 pm Try to replace your fuel filter, they are cheap. a partly blocked fuel filter will act just like that.
Ditto. I used to have a Westfalia with a rusty gas tank so it clogged its tiny fuel filters up quite quickly, and when it did the van would buck and lurch so badly that I thought it was about to explode.
FranklinTheWagon
Newbie
Posts: 18
Joined: Mon Feb 18, 2019 7:34 pm
My tercel:: 1983 Toyota Tercel 4WD Wagon

Re: No-Start and running out of time

Post by FranklinTheWagon »

More than just the dizzy cap, I swapped the whole distributor from my other wagon and timed it. It ran for a minute but I had to keep it giving it gas and it smoked like a fireplace (black & gray). Once I let it die I couldn't get it started again even after playing with the timing. I swapped the fuel filter not long's ago and wound up bypassing it entirely in hopes of that being the problem.
User avatar
Petros
Highest Ranking Member
Posts: 11930
Joined: Sun Jan 28, 2007 6:31 pm
My tercel:: '84 Tercel4wd w/extensive mods
Location: Arlington WA USA

Re: No-Start and running out of time

Post by Petros »

black smoke usually indicates too rich mixture. most common cause is a leaky Auxiliary Acceleration Pump (AAP). it is a diaphragm on the front of the carb operated by vacuum, a vac line from it connects to the TVSV. pull the vac line, if it is full of fuel that is your problem. cap off both ends and it will run normal. you only need the AAP after a cold start, it helps prevent the slight flat spot when the engine is cold when accelerating. it will run fine with it capped off, you just need to watch out for the flat spot when accelerating when it is cold. After it warms up the TVSV is supposed to cut it out of the fuel system. the fix is to replace the diaphragm.

white smoke usually means a bad head gasket, but you need to fix one thing at a time. find out why you are running rich and fix it. Than see if you still have white smoke as well.
'87 Tercel 4wd SR5 (current engine swap project)
'84 Tercel 4wd (daily driver, with on going mods)
'92 Mazda MPV 4wd (wife's daily driver)
'85 Tercel 4wd DLX auto(daughter's daily driver)
'01 Honda Civic (other daughter's daily driver)
FranklinTheWagon
Newbie
Posts: 18
Joined: Mon Feb 18, 2019 7:34 pm
My tercel:: 1983 Toyota Tercel 4WD Wagon

Re: No-Start and running out of time

Post by FranklinTheWagon »

Thank you Petros.
I realize now that last time you mentioned the AAP I was mistaken as to where that was. No I understand. I'll test that later today
FranklinTheWagon
Newbie
Posts: 18
Joined: Mon Feb 18, 2019 7:34 pm
My tercel:: 1983 Toyota Tercel 4WD Wagon

Re: No-Start and running out of time

Post by FranklinTheWagon »

So I swapped in a junk yard carb and dizzy. This distributor seems to spark just a little better (maybe I'm imagining it) but I hadn't looked at it enough and this carb is all gummed up and the motor isn't firing at all. My question is: even if this carb is full of old gas and won't spray fuel at all, should I be able to pour gas/starter fluid into the carb and get a few second of sputtering? Because right now nothing at all gets it to fire even once. I've set timing multiple times and I'm definitely getting strong spark. The AAP was also fine on the old carb by the way
FranklinTheWagon
Newbie
Posts: 18
Joined: Mon Feb 18, 2019 7:34 pm
My tercel:: 1983 Toyota Tercel 4WD Wagon

Re: No-Start and running out of time

Post by FranklinTheWagon »

Also, I've planned on eventually buying a Weber dgev once I have it running again. Should I just make the jump and buy it now? Is it safe to assume that the carb is the problem? I'm convinced it's been running rich and that's why it hasn't been running.
FranklinTheWagon
Newbie
Posts: 18
Joined: Mon Feb 18, 2019 7:34 pm
My tercel:: 1983 Toyota Tercel 4WD Wagon

Re: No-Start and running out of time

Post by FranklinTheWagon »

AHHH! Franklin lives! It took a full can of carb cleaner but I finally coaxed that old carb to life! I think it was a worn out float on the original I was just too scared to open up that old aisin carb and risk never getting it back together.
User avatar
Petros
Highest Ranking Member
Posts: 11930
Joined: Sun Jan 28, 2007 6:31 pm
My tercel:: '84 Tercel4wd w/extensive mods
Location: Arlington WA USA

Re: No-Start and running out of time

Post by Petros »

FYI, usually fuel down the carb, or starting fluid, will make it run briefly. that would indicate no spark, or the spark is at the wrong time. Too much fuel will flood it, and it will not even sputter.

the carb is not difficult to take apart and clean up, just be cautious of the tiny parts. best to have a clean place to dismantle it, a clean table with clean paper spread out on it. take it apart in sequence, carefully laying out the parts in the sequence for reassembly. use the sequence in the FSM, and study the "exploded view" drawings. many of the passages ways has check balls or valves down in them that can be loose. so take it apart by hand (do not use compressed air!), and every time you roll it over do it very carefully just in case something fall out.
'87 Tercel 4wd SR5 (current engine swap project)
'84 Tercel 4wd (daily driver, with on going mods)
'92 Mazda MPV 4wd (wife's daily driver)
'85 Tercel 4wd DLX auto(daughter's daily driver)
'01 Honda Civic (other daughter's daily driver)
Post Reply