FJ62 Stalling/Not Starting when engine warm (1 Viewer)

[landcruise]

Hello All,

Happy to join you on these forums.

1988 Land Cruiser, 270,000 miles. Just paid for a bunch of maintenance but nothing to address this issue, which I have heard about on these forums and elsewhere:

Engine starts up fine cold. Recently though, after I drive it long enough, even just 10 minutes or so, and have to stop at a stoplight or park the car and want to start it up again it will crank and crank but not start. Engine light comes on. I can try and try -- mess with throttle, hold down accelerator, and it won't start. The only way it will start is if I let it sit. Sometimes it takes over 10 minutes of waiting. Then it sort of tentatively starts and I have to give it some gas.

The idle is rougher and unsteadier than it's ever been. Settles down usually but sometimes sounds funky.

The napa mechanics I've dealt with have not been especially helpful. They want to check the compression, adjust the valves, etc.

From what I've read here it could be and Fuel Pressure Regulator (FPR) problem: https://forum.ih8mud.com/60-series-wagons/6464-3fe-fuel-supply-problem-i-fixed.html

Or perhaps an Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) problem:
fj62 Stalling at stop. - Pirate4x4.Com Bulletin Board

My muffler and tailpipe assembly are rusted out and I wondered if this could be affecting anything with the EGR etc, but mechanic says not really.

I don't know much about engines but when I open the hood and listen to the engine I do hear a clicking sometimes around the lower right. Like a valve clicking open and shut somewhere, maybe in the EGR? While it's idling it might rev a little bit and the resettle and then the clicking is gone.

And like the other folks who have posted with a similar problem, it runs strong once it really is up and running.

Other things I've noticed over the last few years with this cruiser: runs hotter than it used to. It used to run super cold. Mileage is worse.

I don't want to pay for a ton of diagnostics and random stuff. I don't think the napa place I went to recently (got new drive belts, new water pump, new radiator hoses) can help me much with this so I was thinking of going to the Toyota dealer. They could at least read the ECU and maybe they'll know more about these particular EGR and FPR components? I'm willing with your encouragement to do some tinkering myself too. I just would love to get this running better so I can fill it with all of my belongings and make the 1,200 mile move from Ann Arbor to Denver. I was hoping to do it today but decided it's not in reliable enough shape yet so now I've decided to take as long as I need. I love my FJ62 and have recently put a bunch into it for brakes, new tires, and the maintenance I just listed. I think this last hurdle might not actually be that big. What do you all think? And if there are any good FJ62 mechanics near Ann Arbor, MI that anyone can recommend let me know.

Thanks so much,
Shane

 

[landcruise]

well the clicking might not be in that area, it might be more toward the middle, in what is maybe the EGR? i don't know where all these components are yet. is there a good guide online?

 

[chitown40]

First of all, you don't need to go to the Toyota dealer to read the ECU -- that can be done by jumping two terminals with a paper clip at the Diagnostic Connector in the engine bay. The Toyota dealer will, in most cases with these older trucks, only help lighten your wallet when it comes to diagnosing running issues.

Step one: Buy or secure a Factory Service Manual for these trucks. Not the Haynes or Chilton's manual, but a Toyota FSM for a FJ62. The Chilton's and Haynes are ok for general repairs, but the FSM will help you test individual components and will generally be a more all around complete manual.

As far as your issues are concerned. The "starts well cold, but won't restart hot" is a classic Fuel Pressure Regulator symptom. The engine dying at a stoplight may or may not be related. If your fuel pump was failing, you might get both those symptoms, but otherwise it's probably two separate issues. The truck most likely won't run or won't run well with an EGR valve open at idle. You can test the EGR with a vacuum pump to open and close the valve.

I'm guessing the clicking noise you describe is your air conditioning compressor clutch engaging and disengaging. Your idle will also increase when the clutch is engaged. Check your A/C button.

To summarize, get the FSM and look in the engine and also the fuel system sections. They have troubleshooting guides based upon the symptoms you have. You can then follow the checklists and check all the related components step by step as to not miss anything.

 

[landcruise]

Amazing. Thank you. I'm not especially competent with repairs but I can at the very least follow instructions carefully. Do you think I could safely and pretty easily replace the FPR myself? The dealer will order it for $171 or I could look around for cheaper options.

Right now the cruiser is starting strangely -- revving up loud and then almost dying and then revving up etc for a about 20 seconds before establishing a smoother idle.

 

[chitown40]

Check to make sure that all your throttle cables etc. are free and not binding.

$171 sounds steep for a fuel pressure regulator. Might want to check with Onur or Dan at American Toyota. Check out the Vendors section for their contact info.

 

[landcruise]

Diagnostic Code 22 comes up, relating to the Water Temperature Sensor. I plan to replace that unit too.

Sadly I can't get a FSM in time to do these replacements. So any tips on doing this are appreciated. Thanks chitown for the heads up about the throttle cables when swapping the FPR.

I will get a FSM for future reference though. I'm amazed/appalled that I didn't know how to do the ECU diagnostic until now.

 

[landcruise]

Replacing the FPR seems to have worked wonders. I'd still like to swap the water temp sensor but it looks like it might be a little trickier to replace. I'll start a separate thread. Thanks

 

[landcruise]

Guess I spoke too soon about the FPR solving all my problems. The starting issues are back. I started up cold today and let it run, but it let out a lot of white exhaust. Let it idle to see if the RPM's would start rising like they did before and sure enough it slowly went up to 2,000 RPM's but then back down to around 1,000. Still letting it idle I put my foot on the gas a little bit and the white smoke cleared out. I cut the engine. The engine was still pretty cold. A minute or so later I tried to start it up again and I get the engine light and good cranking but no start.

Yesterday morning there was some coolant pooling somewhere under the engine but I think I may have overfilled the radiator a little recently. I don't know if I have a serious coolant leak, and like I said, mechanics who looked at my car said they saw no signs of head gasket damage but I'm not ruling it out.

I've let it sit for about fifteen minutes now and my suspicion is that if I go out now to try to start it will have rested long enough to work.

Sure enough, it starts -- tentatively, but then runs fine once I give it gas and start driving. Just went around the block. Drove fine. Parked it. Starts up fine again every time.

Ideas? Going to take it out for a longer, hotter, 30 minute drive and see how it goes. I want to take this cruiser to Denver, about 1,200 miles away, and I just want to make sure it will get there. Right now this start up problem is intermittent but manageable I suppose, as long as I wait for the engine light to go off and engine to settle so I can start up again. But I'd love to get it running great before I take it back to Colorado.

 

[OldBeachBob]

Hot Soak Start Issue

Do you have a carb fan? I have a 60 and the fuel was boiling in the carb bowl after parking the vehicle hot. Vapor lock issue. Then when I got the carb fan working, helped a lot. When you park a cruiser typically the temp in the head goes way up and will push out a little coolant after you just fill it. But after awhile the overflow tank should stay stable.

 

[landcruise]

Fan working fine. Thanks for the thought though.

Oh boy. Now it's not starting even after a 20 minute rest. I crank it for awhile. I try holding the pedal down. I smell gas. Nothing. Going to let it rest an extended time now. In the meantime I'd love to hear some more ideas. Just had a bunch of tune up work done on this car and think it's in pretty good shape. I really thought the FPR replacement fixed the starting issue. I couldn't replicate it at all for a couple days. After I fooled around trying (and failing -- don't have the right tools) to get my water temp sensor off yesterday -- I took off the radiator hoses and did spill some coolant around there -- the problem is back, but I really don't think it was anything I did. When I started it up after that it did sputter around but calmed down and drove fine, and started fine, up until last night when it showed some signs of the old problem, and now this morning, when it seems worse than ever.

 

[Devils Paw 80]

You could still have a vapor lock situation, caused by clogged fuel tank vent lines.

 

[landcruise]

yeah good call. it could definitely be some sort of vapor lock. weirdly intermittent now. after all that this morning it hasn't done it again. it did sound on the verge of stalling when i had to wait at a stoplight, and then when i TURNED the car. though i can't see why turning would affect it.

i decided to turn around after that though, and when i put it in reverse it seemed strangely overthrottled, sort of like it had been in drive and park when the problem first arrived.

got it home fine. starts up fine again.

 

[landcruise]

when i start it up it gets going, rough and hesitant with some white exhaust, and then idles at 2,000rpm, but only when in park. when i put it into drive or reverse it goes back down near 1000.

my exhaust system is rusted away pretty badly. could that have anything to do with this?

 

[cruiserpants]

White smoke (not bluish) is normal at startup in a cold climate, but you wrote “but it let out a lot of white exhaust”. This sounds more like water/coolant vapor than anything else. My guess is that your 62 has recently overheated .
Does the white smoke/exhaust smell like coolant?
Any drips of water coming from the tailpipe when it smokes?
Open the oil fill cap (on top of the valve cover) and look inside the cap for condensation or grayish fluid.
Head gasket may be the issue.
You, or a qualified mechanic, can also do a common test for the presence of combustion gas in the engine's coolant (with a combustion leak tester).

 

[landcruise]

it was a crap thermostat. case closed, i hope!