1991 FJ80 trouble starting- with a twist! (1 Viewer)

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After going through winter with no issues, I wound up having a really hard start today. The starter and battery work fine, since I was able to crank the engine a fair bit. After keeping at it for perhaps 10-15 turns of the key, the engine eventually started, stumbled a bit and everything was fine. I'm starting the troubleshooting process and am hoping for a bit of insight.
I was about to do some work on it this weekend anyways, but the fact that it had a hard time starting and now starts up with no issues seems odd to me. Something must be about shot, but just good enough that I can get it going.

The history-
Thursday: tightened the belt since it's above 15 Celsius now. Drove about 3 hours
Friday-Sunday: cruiser sits in the driveway. Heavy fog pretty much the entire weekend
Monday: Damp, overcast sorta gross spring weather. Turn the key. It always starts on the first or second catch- not today. Turn the key again. CEL light flickers off, it almost catches, dies. Try this about 10 more times because it's aaaalmost there. Stop. Wait a few seconds, start it again and it stumbles to life. Stumbles a bit as I pull out, and I almost pull over to call it quits. It recovers fine, and I wind up just driving to work.
Try it when I get to work, no issues. Try starting it at lunch, again no issues.

So- where should I start looking for issues?
I think spark is good to go. I have a new distributor rotor I was going to install since it's been about 3 years.
Fuel...maybe not so much. I have a new-ish fuel pump and filter installed 2 years ago. Is there anything in the fuel line after the pump that I should consider prioritizing?
Air- no idea where to start. I'm due to replace the filter this weekend.

The timing is actually pretty convenient, since I was actually going to do most of my yearly/bi-yearly work this weekend anyways.
Your thoughts? I find it super helpful to get insight from you guys before I start up on these fixes.
 
It's just feeling unloved and wants your attention...........















I would check for a vacuum line loose or off. Maybe the oil cap is off or loose. Maybe check a few electrical connections that may have been affected by excessively damp weather.
 
Transmission (but which part?) blew up this evening at a stop light. Took my foot off the brake, heard a *ping* and nothing but grinding, even in low. Sound reminded me of when I broke the pin in the winch in my BJ73. I got it towed to a decent mechanic nearby.
I never thought the transmission is what would kill this cruiser. Does it sound like she's done, or is there still hope?
 
Why would your Cruiser be done if it’s just the transmission? Rebuild it and then drive it.. no big deal honestly.
 
Man...transmission stuff is scary to me. I have no idea what goes on with that black magic. Is an FJ80 transmission rebuild pretty straight forward?
 
For the hard to start issue, when was the last time you gave her a tune up?
It wasn't exactly a ping, more a metallic crunch with the pinging-ish sound of metal breaking. I could shift through gears, just nothing would engage and there was a grinding sound for all drive gears.

I gave her a tune-up almost exactly a year ago. I actually took it into a Toyota dealership because I was feeling spendy. What hasn't had any service are fuel pressure system things and vacuum hoses, which are also a mystery to me.

I'm also going to check all the spark plugs, cables and distributor, just because it's easy to do and seems like good troubleshooting.

O2 sensors are also something I want to check out- not so much because I think it's part of the problem, more because I've personally never done them.
 
It wasn't exactly a ping, more a metallic crunch with the pinging-ish sound of metal breaking. I could shift through gears, just nothing would engage and there was a grinding sound for all drive gears.
Again, sounds more like a driveline issue to me.
Do the drive shaft(s) turn when in gear?
Is the transfer case shifter firmly in either low range or high range?
Does the truck roll when the transmission is in PARK?
 
I gave her a tune-up almost exactly a year ago. I actually took it into a Toyota dealership because I was feeling spendy. What hasn't had any service are fuel pressure system things and vacuum hoses, which are also a mystery to me.

I'm also going to check all the spark plugs, cables and distributor, just because it's easy to do and seems like good troubleshooting.

O2 sensors are also something I want to check out- not so much because I think it's part of the problem, more because I've personally never done them.
Dealer personnel typically have zero knowledge regarding a 28 year old vehicle. The truck is older than the guy working on it.
Here's some things you might want to look at.
http://www.sdsysdesign.com/tlc/images/Strife/3FE TuneUp.pdf
 
Do the drive shaft(s) turn when in gear?
I'm unsure. The drive shafts were turning when it rolled back off the flatbed.

Is the transfer case shifter firmly in either low range or high range?
I didn't check this. Thought about it, then decided that I should just stop before I made anything worse.

Does the truck roll when the transmission is in PARK?
I was on a slight slope and I think it was rolling back, since I put it the park brake on.

I'll check this stuff when I meet up with the mechanic later today. Many thanks!
 
Probably just the drive flanges are stripped on the front. Lock the center diff and drive it and replace the flanges when you get a chance. Birfield splines may also be shot from the worn drive flanges.
Neat! I'll give this a shot later today.
 

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