1988 fj62 Might Just Have to Throw in the Towel (1 Viewer)

[Fieldtester96]

Alright so i don't have much hope but you guys may be able to save my parents a drive to pick up my landcruiser.

After coming home from the bar i decided to go an drive through a big puddle, i know stupid but i have driven through worse. After driving through my car died and i thought it just stalled. It would not start just turned over, after checking all the connections and fuses i couldn't see any problems. I eventually was able to get it started but whenever i tapped the gas it would sputter and backfire then go right back to idling. The second i put it in drive it would just lurch forward and die.

After a few tries of this i killed the battery. i was able to get someone to jump me, i thought maybe i got some water in the gas line so i let it run for a bit to work stuff out. Though i was in a neighborhood, and in the middle of the road, so i kept trying to see if i could at least make it home. Sadly every it kept sputtering when i touched the gas and dying when i put it in drive. Finally some nice guy came to help me push it but it was just to heavy so i had my roommate tow it with his little car the 2 blocks back to my house.

Currently i just cant figure out what caused it to die. It wont even crank over half the time which makes me think fuel pump but when it starts running it will idle fine. If you guys have any ideas it would help. I think for now its dead and i will just have to get my parents to bring the trailer to take it back home to rust till i can solve the problem.

Honestly as i write this i am just incredibly upset, its been my daily for 5 years and hasnt given me much in the way of problems. The problems it has given me i was able to fix. Its just sad, like im loosing a best friend.

 

[RockDoc]

First things I'd check are:

Make sure the air filter isn't swamped with water and barely able to pass air.

Check the Throttle Position Sensor (TPS, at throttle body front side) and Air Flow Meter (AFM, on top of the air filter canister) electrical connections to make sure they are dry and solid. Signals from both of these will be important for transitioning between idle and "go". Check the TPS connector first and note how the wire spring that holds the connector on works. The AFM uses the same style wire spring on it's connector, but there are screws on the AFM that many people mistakenly take out to try and disconnect (buggering up the connections inside the AFM as a result).

Not sure any of these will be the issue, but quick and easy places to start.

*edit* Are you getting a check engine light?

 

[klinetime574]

Do as RockDoc says. Also remove your distributor cap and spray the inside with WD-40. Wipe it down. Spray it again. Wouldn’t hurt to shoot some on the rotor/ base either. WD-40 displaces water. I’ve had this happen to me before. Hit a puddle, my distributor cap exploded. Sounds ridiculous, but it did lol.

 

[Fieldtester96]

Do as RockDoc says. Also remove your distributor cap and spray the inside with WD-40. Wipe it down. Spray it again. Wouldn’t hurt to shoot some on the rotor/ base either. WD-40 displaces water. I’ve had this happen to me before. Hit a puddle, my distributor cap exploded. Sounds ridiculous, but it did lol.

That might be it, ive checked all that before when i was having issues that turned out to be my intake hose. The whole sputtering thing but it will idle makes me think that maybe it got water in the fuel line. Right now im running through the FSM to see if i can find any problems but it just seems so odd to me.

 

[Fieldtester96]

That might be it, ive checked all that before when i was having issues that turned out to be my intake hose. The whole sputtering thing but it will idle makes me think that maybe it got water in the fuel line. Right now im running through the FSM to see if i can find any problems but it just seems so odd to me.

Little update i read the fsm and what can cause all my problems is the pcv line so im taking that apart. There is alot of oil in my throttle body so may that caused it.

 

[DirtRoads]

Driving through a puddle is a huge red flag. 90% chance that your distributor has water in it. Pull the cap and clean it out. Cap and rotor while you're in there. 15 minute fix.

 

[Cruzerman]

I would think this was a splash through a puddle more than a fording a river, that it is more likely it is electrical in nature. I'd be thinking ignition, not fuel. Distributor, plug wires, etc.

 

[Fieldtester96]

I would think this was a splash through a puddle more than a fording a river, that it is more likely it is electrical in nature. I'd be thinking ignition, not fuel. Distributor, plug wires, etc.

The problem im having is it will start after some good cranking. And it idles normal at 1500 just dies when i either tap the gas or put it into drive.

 

[Fieldtester96]

Driving through a puddle is a huge red flag. 90% chance that your distributor has water in it. Pull the cap and clean it out. Cap and rotor while you're in there. 15 minute fix.

Would it still run if that was the issue. Cause it can run, just dies when i tap the gas or when i put it in drive.

 

[DirtRoads]

Would it still run if that was the issue. Cause it can run, just dies when i tap the gas or when i put it in drive.

Anything is possible. If it was significant enough for you to mention it in the OP, I'm betting it was significant enough to be a problem. I've seen a regular car wash flood an FJ62 dizzy, they're just in a bad spot.

 

[Fieldtester96]

Anything is possible. If it was significant enough for you to mention it in the OP, I'm betting it was significant enough to be a problem. I've seen a regular car wash flood an FJ62 dizzy, they're just in a bad spot.

Its worth a shot. If that is the problem anyway to water proof it?

 

[Fieldtester96]

Quick question when i was taking off the lines to my distributor there is a hose line thats connected but the other end was free. Where is it supposed to go?

 

[Fieldtester96]

Alright there is some water in the distributor, what do i do to clean it up?

 

[Cruzerman]

Hose goes to air cleaner. That hose is specifically there to make the distributor more waterproof. There is also an o-ring on the cap that may need replacing. There was a great article by Mark Whatley on waterproofing these rigs. See if you can find that.

 

[tmxmotorsports]

Blow it out or vacuum it out that hose is a vent it connects to the fire wall just below the washer fluid tank on the fire wall should see a nipple sticking out

 

[Fieldtester96]

So there are two the one to the fire wall was intact. The smaller one was loose. Also is wd40 okay to use to clean the water out?

 

[SteveH]

WD40 is not magic - you can also just clean and dry the inside of the cap with a soft cloth. Maybe use compressed air (or canned air) to blow out the lower half of the distributor. Leave the cap off for a while, and/or drive the truck to heat up and dry out the distributor. Carefully inspect the inside of the cap for carbon trails caused by high voltage and water. If you see these trails between the posts in the cap, buy a new cap and rotor.

 

[Fieldtester96]

So i did that and cleaned all the points with a brush. Its finnaly running but i snapped the emission line comming off of the manifold when i was cleaning the pcv line. So once i patch that up it should be back to normal. Thank you all for your help

 

[Fieldtester96]

But i still need to figure out where the extra breathe hose goes to

 

[tmxmotorsports]

I'll look at my 62