'85 terc sputters and dies...

[CraZ4Tercels]

i read #6 and it doesn't cover this problem: my '85 tercel starts and runs great in the a.m. going to work, around town, etc. but on the way home it will sputter, chug, and DIE! I've never had a tercel do this, and I've been driving them since '89! We've checked the vacuum lines, replaced the fuel pump, filled it with premium gas... we're at a loss. Very inconvenient to be on a busy street and it just decides to sputter and die. Even had to be towed home a couple of weeks ago. Why in the world would it run perfectly fine for miles... and then all of a sudden start sputtering?
... puzzled, but still love my tercel!

[irowiki]

Did you replace the fuel filter?

[rer233]

Did you check for spark when it's dead? My money's on a distributor problem (I carry a spare and the tools to change it whenever I travel long distances.)

Good luck.

[marlinh]

You need to do a bit of diagnostics when it happens. It is either losing spark or fuel. I would replace the fuel filter anyway if it hasn't been done in a few years.

[Mark]

I would look into the emissions components that are only active when the engine is warm. The one I had problems with years ago was the EGR vacuum modulator. The hoses all looked fine, but the diaphragms were ruptured in their housings causing a vacuum leak only when the engine was warm causing a rough idle and sometimes the engine would die. I would try disconnecting/plugging the EGR vacuum modulator hoses and see if it idles better when warm.

[Mark]

On re-reading your post, it seems like your car dies while you are driving and then won't restart and not just when you are sitting at a light at idle . All the vacuum leaks I've ever had were only noticeable at idle. I agree now that it does sound like a fuel delivery problem to me.

[dlb]

marginal electrical components behave normally when cold but then act up once warm. i would inspect the distributor, spark plug wires, and spark plugs.

i had a similar issue years ago on a VW fox i owned for about a week. one night when it was sputtering and running like crap, i popped the hood in the dark and could see the blue arcs from all over the spark plug wires. looked neat, actually. replaced them and the problem went away.

[Petros]

many times marginal electrical components will operate okay when cold, and than cut out when hot. That would be a good place to look. It might just be a bad connection somewhere, so check all electrical contacts in the ignition system first.

Another problem like this can occur with a partially plugged fuel filter, the material plugging it falls out when it sits overnight, but when driving for a length of time will get sucked back into the filter media, blocking it. This usually will show up at high demand, like going up a long hill, when the partially plugged filter can not deliver enough fuel for the demand, yet will run okay at idle and low speeds.

[xirdneh]

Question
do these cars have a screen or filter of some kind in the fuel tank?
i ask because a friend who had a tercel told me there was such a thing
i wonder about that because he works on and has so many different cars i wonder if he got them mixed up

[marlinh]

Yes there is a screen in the tank.

[CraZ4Tercels]

Hello and thank you for the advice!!! In my first message I forgot to say that George (mechanic hubby) had changed the spark plugs and checked the wires with his nifty ohm meter. He replaced the distributor cap with one from a parts car (I know, we should just get a new one from Napa next time we get to town...)

So our next step will be to replace the fuel filter (which hasn't been done since we bought the car about 7 or 8 years and 80k miles ago). But first I need to find our manual since we've never replaced a filter...

thanks again for all the help! I'll let you all know if that solves the problem...

[dlb]

the fuel filter is really easy to change. it's on the driver side of the engine bay, just below the brake master cylinder. undo the two hose clamps and hoses, pull the old filter out and put the new one in. ta da. just make sure the hoses are in the correct orientation though. there are arrows on top of the filter to show which ports are in and out.

[CraZ4Tercels]

Very much obliged for this reply... George is going to hit that first thing tomorrow a.m. He said he's going to feel very stupid (not exactly his words) if that is the solution... and a very simple fix, at that.
...to be continued!

[CraZ4Tercels]

Hello, and YES! it was the fuel filter (suggested by irowiki. dlb, petros, Mark and others...) or at least after changing out the filter (thanks for instructions dlb!) it is charging up the hills of I-90 at 70 mph where before it was certain to sputter and die. Now I can get the 300k out of "Stealth" that I was aiming for. (It's called Stealth because the college kid that I bought it from had spray painted it flat black, rusty spots and all.)

This is a great service and if you tell me where to make a contribution, I would gladly pitch in.
Thanks again!!