2000rpm

[joi]

hello, i am a 1988 toyota tercel rv special owner for a year now and i have a problem.
when the engine is hot it idles ar 2000rpm. when i start it up cold it idles at about 500rpm. i have tried adjusting the distibutor and it does nothing to the hot idle.
when i shut it off hot it runs for a few seconds probaply becouse of the fast rotation or heat?

i have a few theories like the thermometer is wrong. it never goes above the middle of the gauge.
or the auto choke is engaging

another problem which may be connected to this is it barely kepps itself running when it has just been started. like 20 seconds. or maybe it's just old



have any of you had this problem or have some ideas or tips?

[dlb]

welcome, joi. i'm worried we have a language barrier here.

when the engine is hot it idles ar 2000rpm. when i start it up cold it idles at about 500rpm. i have tried adjusting the distibutor and it does nothing to the hot idle.

do you mean carburetor?

i have a few theories like the thermometer is wrong.

do you mean thermostat?

i'll try to answer a few of your q's anyway. your high idle could be from a few things. i would look for vacuum leaks and make sure all the hoses are routed correctly, then i would check the settings of the idle, fast idle, and throttle positioner. there is good step by step info on how to set each of these in the FSM, which is found here.

https://tercel4wd.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=8103

if you have adjusted the distributor, you need to get a timing light and reset the ignition timing. this is also covered in the FSM.

i have a few theories like the thermometer is wrong. it never goes above the middle of the gauge.

if your temperature gauge never goes above halfway, that's good. it should only go above halfway if you are idling lots, like in stop-and-go traffic. at those times, the radiator fan should come on to bring the temp back down to the halfway point.

another problem which may be connected to this is it barely kepps itself running when it has just been started. like 20 seconds.

this could be due to the idle being set too high, or the timing being too far advanced. the second option is more likely if you have in fact messed with the distributor recently.

or maybe it's just old

age means nothing. the carb may seem odd if you're unfamiliar with it but it's actually a very simple and reliable device once it has been serviced and set correctly. i guarantee you that with a little knowledge, you will be able to get your car running well again.

[Petros]

welcome to the forum,

it is REALLY a bad idea to adjust the distributor to change the idle speed, if that is indeed what you did, please get proper instructions before you do any harm to it. We are all here to help guide you to get it fixed properly, what you describ is actually an easy fix, but we need some more information first.

The temperature sounds fine, and a new thermostat will not affect idle speed.

You mostly likely have a vacuum leak (or leaks), or the carburetor is out of adjustment. the vac leaks have to get fixed first before you do anything else, and than get the spark timing adjusted correctly since it sounds like you may have altered it.

Where are you located?

[joi]

i only slightly adjusted the distibutor, and after it ran better at startup and took fewer combustions after i swithed the electricity off. so i don't think it has to be worried about.

i have done a lot of work on chainsaws but i always get a little scared when i look on the carburaor on this thing, but i will be taking a closer look at it.
the basic principal of vaccum is holes are bad, right? I was once told to blow cigar smoke into the intake and look where the smoke comes out. that sounds like a diagnosis worth checking.

[dlb]

i've never heard that cigar smoke thing. i think the smoke would be difficult at best to see in the carb throat, and impossible if the leak is below the throttle plates. i like to go over the hoses and diaphragms first to make sure everything is connected properly and all the diaphragms are holding vacuum, and if it still acts up i spray carb cleaner around to pin point the areas that are leaking. wherever there is a vacuum leak, it will suck up carb cleaner and cause the RPM to momentarily rise 100-200 rpm.

use the small tip so that you're focusing the carb cleaner on a small area. this will help you be more precise about which areas are leaking.

these carbs look intimidating with all the vacuum stuff but they're surprisingly simple. let us know what you find or if you have any specific questions and someone here will gladly help you figure out.

[joi]

i have taken a look around the intake and i have a suspect. there is a tube before the air filter that leads to the exhoust manifold. that tube is all torn and twisted. i am oblivios of it's function but maybe one of you will inform me of it's function or if it could be the couse of my problem.

if any of you are wondering of my location i am located in Iceland.

[dlb]

iceland, cool. i think we have at least one other forum member there.

can you take a pic of the tube you are talking about? i think what you are referring to is just the heater ducting that directs warm air from the exhaust manifold to the air filter housing when the engine is cold. this improves driveability when the engine is cold. that wouldn't cause your problem though because the intake connection is before the air filter, and the exhaust connection isn't actually a hole (the flange on the exhaust manifold is just to attach the ducting to), so even if the duct is broken or missing it is not a vacuum or exhaust leak. the worst that torn duct can do is not warm the intake air when the engine is cold.

[marlinh]

I agree with dlb, that hose also prevents the carb from icing up under certain conditions.

Welcome to the club. There are a lot of helpful people here on this site. I think you have a problem with the choke. If you take the air cleaner assembly off you can see the butterfly at the top of the carb that is supposed to close when the engine is cold and open as it warms up. You set the choke by opening the throttle, you should be able to do that while watching if it moves. The choke itself, or the linkages on the side may be sticky. You can spray carb clean around the area without harming things. Work the choke and levers until they feel free. Then spray lightly with penetrating oil if you are satisfied with its operation.

Try starting the car and see if it has improved.

[joi]

i have done nothing to the car since i asked the question here but this problem of mine with the car idline dissappeared a week ago.
it idles normally now. i can recreate the problem by engaging the choke by pressing the gas pedal before starting it, but now it disengages when i give it full gas which it didn't do before.
this forum probaply brings alot of good luck.

i'm going to have the distibutor adjusted though.

[Petros]

actually it sounds like the carburator linkage is sticking, just first spary some carb cleaner on all the extrnal linkage, and on the choke butterfly itself (remove the air cleaner housing to do that). than spray some light lubricant on all the linkage, usually works.

[dlb]

i agree, it was probably just the fast idle cam (found on the firewall side of the carb) that was sticking. perhaps driving loosened it up enough to free it. still a good idea to clean and/or lube it to keep it from sticking again.