Starts and runs only on choke.

[IH8Wood]

hmm, i just have one small single wire going from the (+) into a big round connector and that going into another round connector. how do i know if the cable is working?

Its this on an 83 FJ60.

 

[BulletHead]

yea, my 87 should be the same. but how do i know if its working or not?

 

[Wile E Coyote]

Visual check could reveal burned insulation, grabbing it could feel spongy and pulling lightly it could feel stretchy. All this points to a bad FL. Keep in mind I said could, cause it can look normal and still be bad.

Check for battery voltage somewhere along the wire after the FL's, when it's all hooked up. Disconnected from battery; check for continuity between connector end and another spot along the wire.

Edit: Understand that the business part of the fusible link is the short length of wire between the connectors. It's this that burns through during an overcurrent, and this that I've been referring to.

 

[lathrop]

I had the same problem. last spring. MY 85 sat for 3 Months while I was in Italy. My neighbor started it up once a week while I was gone. When I got home, It started right up. Ran fine in the driveway. So I started off for the Grocery store. and It died at the first stop sign. It would start but wouldn't run under 2000 rpm. I tried all sorts of things. carb cleaner directly into the fuel bowl even. The ultimate fix was a rebuilt Carb. I did manage to get it to idle and run with the old carb but It ran shtty. Also the old carb was some nasty. At 185K It was due I guess. I still have to get the idle speed to be consistent at all temps. And Its due for a valve adjust. But over all seems OK.

 

[Creeper]

I had the same problem. I left my lights on one night. Battery was dead in the morning. Jump started the FJ. It would run alright choked but would die whith no choke. I looked at the mentioned wires. There were three, 2 (black maybe green) and 1 red. The red was blown out the side and all burnt. All I did was replace that wire and now she runs great once again.

 

[BulletHead]

ive looked at all the wires, everything looks good. if a wire is blown, it will be clearly visible right? or does the connector needs to be taken apart ?

 

[Wile E Coyote]

ive looked at all the wires, everything looks good. if a wire is blown, it will be clearly visible right? or does the connector needs to be taken apart ?

Read my last post above, follow the tips, and report back if it's still not clear.

 

[cando john]

i don't understand some thing here ,,,,,,,, it will start and run " with choke on" but won't stay running if choke is off ....... what can a fuseable link have to do with it??? we are talking about air/fuel mixture in a carbed engine,,,,,,,,,choke air and it runs ..... release choked air and it stalls h'mmmmm vacume leak or fuel cut off switch ........

 

[BulletHead]

fusable link is not the issue, i bypassed it and it is still running the same. i have no idea where the fuel cut off switch/solenoid is located, anyone have a diagram or picture of one?

 

[BulletHead]

i also checked the 10A engine fuse at the driver's kick panel. it runs the same with or without it (it isnt blown).


also, if i keep my foot on the gas and turn the choke off, it will continue to run, as soon as i release the gas, it turn off.

 

[Marc311]

i don't understand some thing here ,,,,,,,, it will start and run " with choke on" but won't stay running if choke is off ....... what can a fuseable link have to do with it??? we are talking about air/fuel mixture in a carbed engine,,,,,,,,,choke air and it runs ..... release choked air and it stalls h'mmmmm vacume leak or fuel cut off switch ........

x1000000000000

Test the Fuel cutoff solenoid. FCS is on the back/pass side of the carb. It is connected by wires to a green plug at the front of the carb. The reason it sounds like your FCS, is because you said you can keep it running by using the gas. The FCS cuts out fuel to your idle circuit. It does not cut off ALL fuel. So it does not want to idle because it has no gas. But if you give it gas, it is getting fuel from another source in the carb, not the idle circuit. Using the choke also allows it to run.

Remove it and apply 12V to it (I just made to jumpers out of wire and connected to the battery). You should be able to hear it "click" as you apply/remove the voltage. If you can, the solenoid itself is fine. Next, you need to check if there is a problem earlier in the system.

The way the solenoid works is that there is 12V applied to it when the ignition is on, but it is switched by the emissions computer (ECC) by opening and closing the ground (allowing the current to fly). With the engine turned off, but the ignition in the run position, you should see 12V at the plug (harness side, not the solenoid side). When you're driving, when the ECC senses a deceleration, it opens the ground so the fuel cuts off.

Rather than testing everything, some people just directly ground the ground wire of the FCS. That way, it is always allowing fuel to flow. This sin't necessarily right - but it seems to work.

The vaccuum switch by your ABV is another likely culprit to having FCS problems. That vacuum switch is one of the things the ECC uses as an input to control when it triggers. But since you have the symptom all the time (and not through a specific RPM range), your problem likely lies in the FCS or a bad ground.

 

[BulletHead]

is it easy to replace? i was going to buy a replacement carb. maybe i can buy a new FCS, is it expensive new?

btw, is an idle solenoid the same as the FCS?

 

[RredFJ40]

Have your compression checked or do it yourself.

A blown head gasket (usually at the narrow point between adjacent cylinders) will cause you to lose vacuum and cause it to run lean. i.e. always need choke or gas.

My bet is a blown HG. If there is no water/antifreeze in the oil, you've probably blown it between cylinders. if that is the case, 2 adjacent cylinders will have low compression compared to the rest.

 

[Wile E Coyote]

Is there any fuel when you look throught the window in the carb? You may have a stuck float.

If not, when it's running on choke, tap the cab with a screw driver. It may unseat or unstick the float.

Dan called it waaay back... I'm stickin w/ old Beagle-boy, just as I had before.
Somewhere the carb is varnished due to the at least 6 mo. old go juice.

 

[RredFJ40]

Any updates?

 

[roundrocktom]

Dan called it waaay back... I'm stickin w/ old Beagle-boy, just as I had before.
Somewhere the carb is varnished due to the at least 6 mo. old go juice.

Yep.

Another thing about 'old gas' is it is very difficult to start an engine bad gas. Once you manage to keep it running long enough to warm up the engine, it will be able to run. But you start with a choke and keeps on needing choke for longer than expected.

30 years back it seemed like gas would last almost a year. Put away the loan mower, come next spring it still started up fine. These days it seems like gas has a 2 month shelf life. The additives are expensive, so just cheaper to leave them or reduce the quantity.

Anyone in Austin want 'free gas?" If you mix is 10:1 or better yet 20:1 it will run fine in a low compression cruiser. Too much of a pain to deal with, but at current prices... No, I'm not 'dumping it on fire ant mounds either!" (We have a well, so I'm really touching about ground water issues)

Tom

 

[IH8Wood]

Darn, I wanted to be right so bad.

 

[BulletHead]

had some time and checked the fcs, its definitely clicking, so i dont think its the fcs. it seems to run at over 1500 rpm with the choke on the 1,2 setting, sputters with the choke off and dies. im thinking the carb needs a rebuild.
whats an ABV?

one thing i overlooked is the old gas, its almost empty too... ill fill it with 5 gallons of new petrol and see if that helps.

 

[roundrocktom]

had some time and checked the fcs, its definitely clicking, so i dont think its the fcs. it seems to run at over 1500 rpm with the choke on the 1,2 setting, sputters with the choke off and dies. im thinking the carb needs a rebuild.
whats an ABV?

one thing i overlooked is the old gas, its almost empty too... ill fill it with 5 gallons of new petrol and see if that helps.

Most likely carb is varnished up. What little gas is there is now a year old.

I finally got around to dropping my fuel tank (Cruiser was running fine with a 2 gallon can strapped to the front bumper... not a good solution, but boy ran nicely to confirm it was a fuel delivery issue). The metal inlet line from the fuel tank was clogged up badly.

ABV = ant-backfire valve. Basically allows a big "gulp" of air into the intake manifold when you let you foot off the gas. Without it you'll get a series of back fires (pop - pop - pop) in the exhaust. Catch is when the air injection pump goes bad, little vanes of carbon can get wedged into the ABV causing a lean condition.

Tom

 

[BulletHead]

so i should clean out the carb once i replenish the tank with new gas?

ill check out ABV too. where is that located?