Using thicker oil, using different gas and Hard start troubleshooting (1 Viewer)

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I looked around lightly and could not find anyone with a similar issue. If there is on please let me know.

Here is what is happening:

Sometime back on my 1986 FJ60 I noticed some oil leaking in the rear main so after reading up on it and speaking to some folks I decided to try the thickest oil I could get. I used 20w50 synthetic oil. When I did this it started strangely and after a week I dumped the oil and went to a Synthetic 10w30. It drops a little oil but it runs fine. The unpleasant sound from the start up went away and everything ran great (any advice on this would be great too).

Several months later I went to cheap gas station with lower quality gas and almost immediately the FJ60 started having trouble starting. I ran through that tank and went back to good gas (I always use techtron too) plus another oil change and it lightened up the start but it is still a problem on cold starts.

When I start the cruiser I pull the choke and pump twice on gas pedal. If it does not start I then wait 2-3 minutes and it starts right up. If I touch the pedal at all more than twice it prolongs the process. I have gone 5-6 tries before it works.

At this point I can not tell if I am flooding the vehicle or if it isn't getting enough gas. I am confused. Should I stop the techtron? Am I using the wrong oil for a 2F engine? For a while I had this cruiser running tip top and I want to get it back that way and I refuse to go to mechanic if it is something I can do.
 
Does it sound like it has good compression when you crank it over? When you flood them they loose compression and spin faster, more of a free spin instead of a chug-chug-chug, did you notice this at all? Maybe your choke cable is broken or off somehow and not operating? pull the intake off and see if it's closed when pulled. Also check the sight glass to see if your carb has fuel in it, if there is fuel in there it should start one way or the other. Most likely something simple.
 
yep I will try all that in the morning and respond. I went out there today and did a cold start and it failed. I tried several times more and then looked under hood to be sure battery cable was tight. It was really hot and I could smell a plastic smell so I left it alone. I am quite sure this is very simple which is why I posted.
 
yeah, check for full voltage to starter, you could have diminished current....also, get it running and up to temp and stick a vac gauge on it. if there are any vac leaks this could happen. Check for exhaust leaks as well, and time for a compression test(valve lash, then compression test...)
 
You couldn't have hurt your Cruiser by running 20-50w oil in the summer. In really hot climates it's recommended and 30w is too thin.

You may want to change your fuel filter if you had a tank of bad gas.

Every 2F seems to want a slightly different touch for starting. Output's suggestions are a very good place to start. Your description does sound like you may be flooding it slightly. Avoid the choke when it's hot. If it doesn't fire in the first couple revolutions, pump the throttle once. That will squirt a shot of gas directly into the carb and it should fire immediately.
 
These engines should run on crappy gas.
 
These engines should run on crappy gas.

agreed. as a mechanic i've repeatedly stopped fellow techs from throwing out gas they drained out of some old car only to throw it in my cruiser and drive happy for a few cost free miles! Perhaps cost me some life on my fuel filter but no biggie.
 
Okay....I actually wrote down the choke steps above and I went out to my cruiser today and the battery was totally dead. I completely cleaned and tightened the connections to the battery and it still didn't start so I jumped it. After some charging it started strong using the cold start method.

I then shut it off and did the warm start method stated above....worked great.

So I believe a combination of issues was going on here....bad connection to battery...newbie start methods....

I have had this Truck a year and I can not speak more highly of how much I love it. It was a leap of faith and I have slowly reading this forum figured out how to make it a awesome ride.

I would still like to know...what is the best oil to block up the leak but still ride well?

my FJ60.jpg
 
I do not believe in stop leak oil...the high mileage oil is supposed to swell seals, but that just speeds up the clock on the seals AFAIC. best way is to find the leak and fix it.....check you side cove gasket, valve cover gasket and believe it or not, your dipstick oring and tube for leaks...the rear main and cam galley plug are the hardest to swap out and they should be done at the same time as each other as well as at the same time as the clutch, pilot bearing, flywheel and TO bearing...HTH
 
Funny, the owners manual (maybe service manual, read it somewhere in the toyo books i have) states 10 pedal pumps for a cold start together with the choke. After i rebuilt my carb, and replaced all vacuum lines etc, the darn thing always started per manual. 10 pedal pumps plus choke started her right up. When hot, keep pedal down, no pumping, started right up every time. Of course, I now have a diesel so no more of that for me. But keep in mind and try the 10 pedal pumps when cold plus full choke. I will try to see if I can find the info as I read it.
 
Funny, the owners manual (maybe service manual, read it somewhere in the toyo books i have) states 10 pedal pumps for a cold start together with the choke. After i rebuilt my carb, and replaced all vacuum lines etc, the darn thing always started per manual. 10 pedal pumps plus choke started her right up. When hot, keep pedal down, no pumping, started right up every time. Of course, I now have a diesel so no more of that for me. But keep in mind and try the 10 pedal pumps when cold plus full choke. I will try to see if I can find the info as I read it.

I believe this is correct, but depending on temperature, cold start when it's 70-100 degrees outside doesn't require more than a couple pumps on my truck. Atleast if it has been driven within the past couple days. Now when it gets down into freezing temps 10 pumps becomes more necessary. So I guess it all comes down to what "cold" is.
 
The warm start issue is completely resolved and works great. The cold start is still an issue. I will try the 10 pumps. Right now I have been trying the 2 pumps and it churns. I then shut the choke off and wait 3-5 minutes and it starts right up like a warm start. It is painful if you are in a rush to go anywhere. Regardless, I need to ship this vehicle soon and hope I can get some solid instructions for delivery folks.

I will follow up with results. Thank you all for your help. I do not have a manual or anything for for this truck yet.
 
My 60 required 10 pumps or more when cold (below 30F) and far less when hot. My accelerator pump worked fine - the engine just seemed to need a ton of gas pumped into it. I later put a block heater on it, and figured the 25 cents of electricity per night was offset by the tons of gas I didn't have to dump into the engine to start it.
 
Oen of the reasons it starts easier on the second try, after waiting a minute or two after a failed first attempt, is because the wet fuel sitting in the bottom if the intake manifold was given time to vaporize a bit as it sat there.

On a cold start, I always giver a couple of pumps and then wait 30 seconds or more ( depending on how cold it is) to allow some of the wet fuel to vaporize. It can help a lot.

Might be worth trying.
 
Oen of the reasons it starts easier on the second try, after waiting a minute or two after a failed first attempt, is because the wet fuel sitting in the bottom if the intake manifold was given time to vaporize a bit as it sat there.

On a cold start, I always giver a couple of pumps and then wait 30 seconds or more ( depending on how cold it is) to allow some of the wet fuel to vaporize. It can help a lot.

Might be worth trying.

That's a good point.

Maybe install a secondary fuel vaporizer! :rimshot:
 
alright...so without books or manuals to study on my own...I was having the gas vapor issue with my tank. If I filled it up sometimes it would spit gas out of the tank and smell up the car etc. After reading on this site I switched the tubes some time ago on the charcoal filter(?) and it stopped kicking gas out. However when this whole issue started I do believe that at the very next fill up it spit gas out again. I am guessing this may be related? It consistently starts after a 5 minute wait after a failed start...no choke...no peddle... I tried the 10 pump method tonight and it failed.
 
10 pumps is alot...spark plugs don't like to be wet...less is more? the charcoal can may be getting plugged up...you can blow compressed air thru the canister at low pressures to help clear out the clog...some have even opened them and replaced the carbon. there is a thread about this- use search to find it...there is a vapor recovery system incorporated into the fuel system on these rigs. maybe the inlet to the vapor expansion can is plugged- again, low pressure compressed air can help determine these things/clean them out...
 
I think it is getting flooded on first try too. I wonder if the startron additive would cause this?

I switched tubes back to see if it would start better...still churns. I am going to pull a plug and check it.
 

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