Hey y'all,
I'm new here so I ask for apologies in advance if I am asking questions that have been beat to death already or if I am posting this in the wrong place. I've searched some threads but have not found the answers I am looking for.
Backstory:
I have a 94 80s series. When I would first crank it, it would idle a little rough and I would have some loss of power down the hwy. After running a little down the hwy, it seemed to straighten itself out. I assumed it was a vacuum leak. The only leak that I could find was the #2 pvc valve. I replace it and had no change. The distributor O-ring was leaking and needed to be done, so I decided to change the button, cap, plugs, and wires while I was at it. I hoped that new plugs and wires would help solve my problems. The plugs really needed changing. They were pretty corroded and fouled. I marked everything to try to get the timing back correct and installed the new parts. Now, the engine runs much worse. It has substantial loss of power and wont even idle without shutting off. When I rev up to a steady 2500 rpms it seems to run smooth until I give it more throttle. I have several questions and a few ideas.
1) My feelings is that there is a good chance that I exasperated a problem and messed something up when I worked on the distributor, plugs and wires. I will start there and work on to something else.
a) spark plugs are NGK. the gap could be wrong. They looked right but I will recheck those tonight.
b) How are the cylinders numbered? I assume #1 is closest to the front of the vehicle, #2 is next and so on. Am I wrong? I am pretty sure I went back with the wires just like they came off but I could have made a mistake.
c) the wires could be bad. I have the CARQUEST wires with a lifetime warranty. I know I should have gotten OEM wires but I was taking a chance and anxious to get this done. I live an hour away from the nearest Toyota dealer. I may go back with the old wires to see if that changes anything. Should I order OEM wires? I know that a bad set of new wires can ruin your day.
d) the timing could be off. Would it run this badly bc of timing? I have read to put the #1 cylinder at tdc and line up the distributor like that. Do I have to take the valve cover off to do this? or take the plug out and shine a flashlight down to see?
2) There could be a unrelated problem to the whole distributor deal and it has coincidently decided to act up during this time bc of me rummaging around the intake.
a) I have taken the throttle body off and it is dirty. I plan on cleaning it. Could it be the MAF sensor causing my trouble?
b) I have found no obvious problems with any vacuum hoses but I am thinking of replacing them all. A tedious job but one I am willing to do if it gets me up and running. What else do I need to check?
Any suggestions are welcome and I am open to constructive criticism. Please understand I am not a mechanic and my mechanical knowledge is enough to get me in trouble but I am all about saving money. Remember, it was running a little rough before I started in on this venture but it has gotten much worse since I have worked on it which leads to more questions than answers for me. Thanks guys!
I'm new here so I ask for apologies in advance if I am asking questions that have been beat to death already or if I am posting this in the wrong place. I've searched some threads but have not found the answers I am looking for.
Backstory:
I have a 94 80s series. When I would first crank it, it would idle a little rough and I would have some loss of power down the hwy. After running a little down the hwy, it seemed to straighten itself out. I assumed it was a vacuum leak. The only leak that I could find was the #2 pvc valve. I replace it and had no change. The distributor O-ring was leaking and needed to be done, so I decided to change the button, cap, plugs, and wires while I was at it. I hoped that new plugs and wires would help solve my problems. The plugs really needed changing. They were pretty corroded and fouled. I marked everything to try to get the timing back correct and installed the new parts. Now, the engine runs much worse. It has substantial loss of power and wont even idle without shutting off. When I rev up to a steady 2500 rpms it seems to run smooth until I give it more throttle. I have several questions and a few ideas.
1) My feelings is that there is a good chance that I exasperated a problem and messed something up when I worked on the distributor, plugs and wires. I will start there and work on to something else.
a) spark plugs are NGK. the gap could be wrong. They looked right but I will recheck those tonight.
b) How are the cylinders numbered? I assume #1 is closest to the front of the vehicle, #2 is next and so on. Am I wrong? I am pretty sure I went back with the wires just like they came off but I could have made a mistake.
c) the wires could be bad. I have the CARQUEST wires with a lifetime warranty. I know I should have gotten OEM wires but I was taking a chance and anxious to get this done. I live an hour away from the nearest Toyota dealer. I may go back with the old wires to see if that changes anything. Should I order OEM wires? I know that a bad set of new wires can ruin your day.
d) the timing could be off. Would it run this badly bc of timing? I have read to put the #1 cylinder at tdc and line up the distributor like that. Do I have to take the valve cover off to do this? or take the plug out and shine a flashlight down to see?
2) There could be a unrelated problem to the whole distributor deal and it has coincidently decided to act up during this time bc of me rummaging around the intake.
a) I have taken the throttle body off and it is dirty. I plan on cleaning it. Could it be the MAF sensor causing my trouble?
b) I have found no obvious problems with any vacuum hoses but I am thinking of replacing them all. A tedious job but one I am willing to do if it gets me up and running. What else do I need to check?
Any suggestions are welcome and I am open to constructive criticism. Please understand I am not a mechanic and my mechanical knowledge is enough to get me in trouble but I am all about saving money. Remember, it was running a little rough before I started in on this venture but it has gotten much worse since I have worked on it which leads to more questions than answers for me. Thanks guys!