Engine Running poorly on cold start w/fuel smell,wht smoke.

[DOBERDEWD]

Greetings fellow enthusiasts .... I just picked up a fairly solid (as solid as anything can be in the CHEEZE STATE .... ) 1987 Tercel SR5 4x4 ... Just rebuilt the ft end and that went well .... BUT .. Now I have a strange thing going on when I start it cold or after sitting for a while .... It runs like crap ... almost like it has a miss and there is white smoke out the t pipe for the first 30 seconds or so accompanied with a smell of raw gas ...
I popped the hood to take a peek .. No obvious signs of anything major. Looked like the upper gasket on the carb may have been leaking a bit but there was no puddling of fuel anywhere. I even had a friend start it cold while I was under the hood with the air cleaner removed and vac lines plugged .... Still didn't see anything .... I also tried spraying with brake clean, wd40 and carb cleaner around the carb with no changes .....
I read some of the stickys on float adjustments but I really dont think this is my problem as the vehicle runs awesome after she is warmed up with no hesitation bog or lagging at all ... There are no service eng lights on the dash at all .. not even sure if there is one to start with .... I was gonna check it for codes anyway but havent yet. Not sure if my scanner can do it or not ..... Guess I could try...
Im not really familiar with these vehicles at all ... I just needed some cheap transportation in todays economy ... so if anyone could point me in the right direction on this I would greatly appreciate it ...

ps .. Im not really familiar with all the terms or abbreviations for all the emissions components on this thing so please explain what they are, where they are, and what they do if you respond with those related details .
.
Thanks,
The DOBERDEWD

[tercel4wdrules]

First off, welcome to our forum! It's great to have new people...

Someone else will be able to shed light on your problem, but I can say you can put your scanner away because the only computer in this car is the ECU for the electronic feedback that controls the EBCV (electronic bleed control valve) that regulates the air/fuel mixture in conjunction with the O2 sensor.

[DOBERDEWD]

Thanks for getting back to me on the computer issue. I sure hope someone gets back to me on further diag .... I want to make this problem go away. My girlfriend drives this thing every once in a while and she .... well lets just say she FREEKS OUT at the littlest thing ... which of course .... is always my fault ......
You know, if this thing wasn't so rusty everywhere else, I'd go ahead and fix her up real good .... the whole back end @ the bumper supports is almost gone .... surprised the bumper is still there actually .... We'll keep her goin till something major falls out ...

[Petros]

Welcome to the list,

It sounds like something in the cold start circuit is malfunctioning. What kind of fuel economy do you get? You have to go through the FSM (click on the on-line manual at the top of the page on this site), and under carburator it will outline how the cold start system operates, and how to test it for function. Because it sounds like after it is warmed up it runs normal, so something in the cold start system is making it run too rich. There are several fuel cut-off solenoids on the carb that could be stuck open, or perhaps one of the internal diaphrames in the carb are failed. Usually these things are easy fix, finding the problem can take longer than fixing it.

There is nothing to "scan" on the simple computer on these cars, they are way older than those kind of systems.

Good luck.

[ARCHINSTL]

There is also a sticky in the Repair Guides Forum covering the Federal vac systems - color-coded.
Tom M.

[DOBERDEWD]

I hit it with some more carb cleaner around the outside tonight. Wants to die when I spray at rear of carb. Any more ideas ? I tightened every nut,bolt and screw I could find with no change. Warped carb base or throttle plate perhaps.?

[Highlander]

Worn throttle shaft sucking air?

[DOBERDEWD]

How would I proceed with further diag ?

[Petros]

follow the procedure in the FSM for trouble shooting carb issues. I have never heard of a warped carb, could be a failed gasket but unlikely (it is fairly easy to remove the carb to check). Worn throttle shafts can do this, but I have not known this to be a problem on Toyota carbs, I have seen it on US made carbs. I would Pull each of the vac lines in the area where you get it to change when you spray the carb cleaner on it, visually inspect each one carefully. Also there is a diaphame there (on the same side as the throttle cable) that can leak fuel, check that for leaks as well. See if you can isolate the area where the carb spray affects the engine speed by using a straw or tube to spray the cleaner into a smaller area.

[Highlander]

Grasp the throttle arm and see if it wiggles side to side or up and down. If it moves, then start the engine and whilst holding the throttle shaft, spray carb cleaner at the joint, move throttle shaft into and out of the play (if it moves) to see if it closes up the air gap. The SUs on Sprites have this problem occur due to brass shafts wearing on aluminum housings. I don't know if anyone makes rebush kits for these, I rather doubt it, never seen one do it.
Did you check if the electrovalve is tight on that side of the carb? they have o-rings underneath at the contact to the carb body.

[swifty]

White smoke out of tail pipe on start is an indication of a leaking headgasket ...any mix of oil and coolant..or sulpher smell in the coolant overflow can be headgasket problem. Just a sugg that I hope helps. Even if you do have to change it...pretty simple and cheap job on the 3A.