First, a very big thanks to all of you who post so thoroughly and thoughtfully. This is one of the best forums I've ever spent time on. I landed here somewhat by accident as the girlfriend of an FJ62 owner who loves his truck but is not mechanically inclined. I've been wrenching on aging Swedish cars - Volvos and further back pre-GM Saab's for awhile now but most intensively since moving to Texas a few years ago where the luxury of space allows me to take on longer projects.
So the story goes something like this: 1988 FJ62 - he's owned it for ten years but hasn't driven it much for the last three. His mechanic could not seem to get to the bottom of some of the issues it was having and he finally gave up, parked it, and bought a 2014 Tacoma. The main complaint was intermittent loss of power, erratic idle and running rough, but this mechanic had been servicing it since it was new so my bf simply kept taking it there since he'd acquired it from the original owner who was also his friend.
The main thing worth noting about the history is that in 2019, the engine was replaced because apparently, the oil drain plug "just came out" and the engine was finished. (The same mechanic did the oil changes too. And yes, my blood boils over this.) A used 3FE replacement was found, and installed. In the very skimpy shop notes it says that the replacement "engine leaks oil" so they charged him another chunk of change to address that. Per the notes "R&R ENGINE ASSEMBLY. DRILL/TAP/PLUG JJG C/O OIL LEAKS ON REPLACEMENT ENGINE" Not entirely sure what is meant by Drill/Tap/Plug.
I had been eager to dig into it for quite a while and did some basic troubleshooting in his driveway, but work better in my own so we had it towed here a month ago. Here's what has ensued so far:
Car was in a crank no start state. I went through all the prescribed steps in the FSM with additional pointers from you all. Main relay tested bad and the fuel pump was dead. I wired in a new generic relay, and installed a new fuel pump after cutting an access hole instead of dropping the tank. (Thanks for those tips!) After the new fuel pump went in, she started right up but ran rough and would not stay on even if I hit the gas pedal. I figured there was just a lot of cobwebs to burn off so I persisted. The battery was weak and already on the parts list so I was using a jumpbox to assist. After it started five times and quit, on the sixth, I just heard a kind of thunk form the engine then nothing. No crank. I feared the worst but persisted. I walked away and tried an hour later. I got some very sluggish cranking at that point. Charged the feeble battery for what it was worth and got some even better cranking but still far slower than it should be.
Up to that point, I did not check the oil because like a fool, I figured that any car with a full engine rebuild 4000 miles ago would not hemmorage oil. Incorrect. After filling it to proper levels, rough calculations suggested that she had 2 quarts left at the time of the "thunk." Soon after the oil fill, it began to leak pretty vigorously quite clearly from the oil pan gasket. No signs that this was ever addressed in the shop records but running my fingers along the edges, there are bits of gasket crumbling from the sides of the pan.. its clearly fatigued. Tried snugging all the pan bolts. No love there.
In all my eagerness and denial, I replaced the starter without testing the old one. Slightly better but still no start. Replaced the battery, the B+ and all the ground cables. Crank is even more lively now but still not what it should be. The next place I looked was the distributor. Rotor looks particularly worn and the cap isn't so good either. Before replacing them though I decide to check timing - such as that goes on a dead truck. Considered other factors as well but in the interest of keeping this long post less long, I don't see a good reason to detail the various rabbit holes.
Pulled the plugs and tried to turn the engine from the power steering pulley. Seemed far tighter than it should be but got a 46mm socket, wrestled with that miserable fan shroud and went about cranking it the correct way. It moved, but not without a good amount of force - though my insubstantial 16" breaker bar (bigger one was too big) With hopes that it was a seized air pump or alternator, i pulled all the belts and tried to turn it again. Still the same resistance. Last measure was to shoot the cylinders full of oil. That brings me here... for hope... or bad news... or suggestions... anything. My next thought was to check the valves but would be so grateful for some guidance. I've become very attached to this truck and so desperately want to bring it back to the life it should have.
Thanks!
So the story goes something like this: 1988 FJ62 - he's owned it for ten years but hasn't driven it much for the last three. His mechanic could not seem to get to the bottom of some of the issues it was having and he finally gave up, parked it, and bought a 2014 Tacoma. The main complaint was intermittent loss of power, erratic idle and running rough, but this mechanic had been servicing it since it was new so my bf simply kept taking it there since he'd acquired it from the original owner who was also his friend.
The main thing worth noting about the history is that in 2019, the engine was replaced because apparently, the oil drain plug "just came out" and the engine was finished. (The same mechanic did the oil changes too. And yes, my blood boils over this.) A used 3FE replacement was found, and installed. In the very skimpy shop notes it says that the replacement "engine leaks oil" so they charged him another chunk of change to address that. Per the notes "R&R ENGINE ASSEMBLY. DRILL/TAP/PLUG JJG C/O OIL LEAKS ON REPLACEMENT ENGINE" Not entirely sure what is meant by Drill/Tap/Plug.
I had been eager to dig into it for quite a while and did some basic troubleshooting in his driveway, but work better in my own so we had it towed here a month ago. Here's what has ensued so far:
Car was in a crank no start state. I went through all the prescribed steps in the FSM with additional pointers from you all. Main relay tested bad and the fuel pump was dead. I wired in a new generic relay, and installed a new fuel pump after cutting an access hole instead of dropping the tank. (Thanks for those tips!) After the new fuel pump went in, she started right up but ran rough and would not stay on even if I hit the gas pedal. I figured there was just a lot of cobwebs to burn off so I persisted. The battery was weak and already on the parts list so I was using a jumpbox to assist. After it started five times and quit, on the sixth, I just heard a kind of thunk form the engine then nothing. No crank. I feared the worst but persisted. I walked away and tried an hour later. I got some very sluggish cranking at that point. Charged the feeble battery for what it was worth and got some even better cranking but still far slower than it should be.
Up to that point, I did not check the oil because like a fool, I figured that any car with a full engine rebuild 4000 miles ago would not hemmorage oil. Incorrect. After filling it to proper levels, rough calculations suggested that she had 2 quarts left at the time of the "thunk." Soon after the oil fill, it began to leak pretty vigorously quite clearly from the oil pan gasket. No signs that this was ever addressed in the shop records but running my fingers along the edges, there are bits of gasket crumbling from the sides of the pan.. its clearly fatigued. Tried snugging all the pan bolts. No love there.
In all my eagerness and denial, I replaced the starter without testing the old one. Slightly better but still no start. Replaced the battery, the B+ and all the ground cables. Crank is even more lively now but still not what it should be. The next place I looked was the distributor. Rotor looks particularly worn and the cap isn't so good either. Before replacing them though I decide to check timing - such as that goes on a dead truck. Considered other factors as well but in the interest of keeping this long post less long, I don't see a good reason to detail the various rabbit holes.
Pulled the plugs and tried to turn the engine from the power steering pulley. Seemed far tighter than it should be but got a 46mm socket, wrestled with that miserable fan shroud and went about cranking it the correct way. It moved, but not without a good amount of force - though my insubstantial 16" breaker bar (bigger one was too big) With hopes that it was a seized air pump or alternator, i pulled all the belts and tried to turn it again. Still the same resistance. Last measure was to shoot the cylinders full of oil. That brings me here... for hope... or bad news... or suggestions... anything. My next thought was to check the valves but would be so grateful for some guidance. I've become very attached to this truck and so desperately want to bring it back to the life it should have.
Thanks!
