22re still running poorly, running low on ideas

So I have followed the advice you guys, and maybe yotatech, have given me and have verified that my issue is not with the spark end of the motor.

After replacing the fuel filter i learned that i had 0psi of fuel pressure so i just put a pump in this morning and now have 31psi at idle that climbs to 40psi with throttle and even holds steady pressure even when the motor starts to break up.

i moved my fuel pressure tester to the cold start injector and im getting the same 31-40psi at the rail too.

only thing left is injectors? right? i got a good pump, filter, fpr and spark... if it had good fuel injectors it should be running, right?

The only way i was able to "test" my electronics was by unplugging my maf, which killed the car immediately, and holding the tps connector on the tps. i dont have an illuminated check engine light but i do get a cel at prove out so it should light up if it detected a problem.

ive unplugged and capped off the vacuum to the EGR too which i was told fixed somebody elses problems.

It doesnt act like unmetered air because the poor running is intermittent. sometimes it idles poor, sometimes fine. sometimes it revs up fine, sometimes it breaks up

 

Have you gone through all the vacuum lines and verified the routing? All the ground connections tight and on clean metal?

 

O2 Sensor can cause some erroneous engine stuff...and cause your engine light to go off and on...just a thought. I'm the guy who suggested plugging off the EGR valve...my intake when I took it off looked like a cave with stuff growing on top and bottom...a Toyota tech offered to steam my intake over night if I brought it in. Toyota mechanics love 1st gen's and kept discussing and texting me ideas when I had problems years ago...just a thought

 

well my intake was hella gummed up and i got the upper plenum off and cleaned and im gonna get some tooth brushes to clean the lower part of it. I might pull the lower off too because i have a gasket set. well see when i get back to it this weekend

 

I have a 2005 V6 4runner that "acted up" and was running rough. Luckily when I pointed this out to the mechanic he quickly (less than a minute) located a vacuum line on "top" that was disconnected, reconnected it and it ran smooth again (now for 2 years).

I have 150,000 miles on my runner. Take it to a good mechanic and get it checked out before you ruin the engine!

Did this engine run like this prior to the latest "work"? There are a bunch of vacuum hoses on the top of engine going to the injectors. Knock one off, and the engine will struggle to run.

Anyway. It's something to check out.

 

motor has 30k miles and is in no danger

 

Throwing all those parts at it tell me you don't know what you are doing. Take it to a mechanic.

What year? How many miles?

 

its at the mechanics right now, dork. and two other shops said take it to another shop "we cant figure out whats wrong, its time to start throwing parts at it" well the second shop said that. the first shop said "i cant find anything wrong with your motor, it must be bad gas. we cant drain your tank and we cant do a fuel pressure test and we dont want to replace your fuel filter todo a fuel pressure test because it looks new and is hard to get to" The Toyota stealership i sell wholesales for told me "nobody here can work on a car that old. it doesnt have a diagnostic port" I could try a different dealer but i only have a relationship with germain. plus this shop now has a good idea of why its running bad and guess what? it took throwing parts at it.

be more constuctive and less of a dick

 

" plus this shop now has a good idea of why its running bad and guess what? it took throwing parts at it."

So what did they tell you was wrong with the engine?

Dick. What year? How many miles?

My mechanc could get it running right in 15 minutes, without throwing parts at it.

Seen him do it in my driveway. Good mechanics "just know".

True story: I was standing in the driveway. Car hood was up. Car was running rough.

I mentioned it to mechanic standing there, and he went and pushed a vacuum hose back on, and it ran like perfect - instantly. Now the same a few years later. runs like new!

Can't trust those mechanics necessarily.

Sounds to me like you are the "Dork".

Might want to run it on a computer to find the bad cylinder missing?

Pull the spark plug wires one at a time to find the "missing" cylinder?

Then pull the plug for that cylinder and see if it is "wet"?
"wet" could mean no "spark" or bad fuel injector (unlikely).

 

Pretty sure you can't run an 85 22re on a computer....

 

I agree with you Scooter...newer mechanics really depend on computer codes...I've had my 85 4 Runner at a local dealer quite a few times and they really try to avoid my truck because it does take a seasoned mechanic to understand what's wrong. On the other side throwing parts at a car is costly...but it does eliminate variables...at an expense of course. These trucks are like tanks...they can run bad and plow up a 30 degree angle or cross a 3 foot creek without breaking a sweat...but finding out why they run bad is a challenge...OBD-1 diagnostics is almost worthless on the old ones in my opinion...you have to be very methodical.

 

No, you just have to learn to read the CEL light, how to get the code(s) out of the computer, and what each code indicates. The list of each CEL code is in the FSM, and they've been published in any number of forum threads around the various Toyota forums.
The codes CAN help you at least get some idea of where to start looking for a specific problem. On the other hand, they can be very general, and it's up to the trouble shooter to take the starting point the CEL code provides, and carry on from there.
Also, don't get confused by what might be an old code(s) stored in the computer. Before you start, make sure you clear the computer's memory, either by pulling the EFI fuse for a minute or two, or disconnecting the battery's negative lead, again, for a minute or three.
Personally, I find it easiest to just pull the battery's negative lead, but that's me. I have terminals on the battery that allow me to connect and disconnect the cables by simply unscrewing a wing-nut. Makes it a lot easier. Only really hard part is having to crimp ring terminals on every cable going to the battery. I'm an electronics tech, though, so that's not as hard to do as it sounds, for me. Then get the CEL to come on gain, so you know the only code(s) are the one related to the current problem.

Most automotive techs, sadly, don't know how the older vehicle's code system work.. If they can't plug their computer into the vehicle, they're lost. By the same token, these trucks are older than most of the techs working on them in shops, so...

Good luck!
Pat☺

 

Captsolo's post came across as rude and I was just stating essentially what you are... older vehicles can't be hooked up to scan tool to be easily diagnosed like he suggested.

 

Vacuum leaks can cause issues at idle and medium acceleration, but not so much under heavy acceleration. Older lines can get brittle and crack (usually in a spot you can’t see very well). But also, devices (diaphragms) that the vacuum is supposed to be pulling against can also crack and leak. If it will sputter at idle, disconnect a hose from something and plug the line (golf tee works great). If the idle smooths out, whatever the hose was attached to (or beyond) may have a leak. If it doesn’t change, reattach the line and try a different one.

 

I agree with the 4x Old Guy...vacuum is least under full acceleration and most when idling...when I first got my 4 Runner I replaced every hose one at a time to make sure I didn't miss hook it up...it took me quite a bit a time but it was more for piece of mind. I additionally replaced every thing that had 1985 rubber...get a spool of hose and just do it...you'll be glad you did to eliminate that variable...it's a big one. Do all the water hoses too...they will fail under pressure...at the worst possible time too!!!