I Have A Brand New Used Truck! Options

[LT1RUNNER]

Hey there fellas!! I just got a 1990 toyota truck and it's going to be used as a daily driver and on occasion haul stuff. Now I own a car with a V8 and the gas prices have gotten out of hand which promted the buy for a small, reliable, gas saving truck. The truck has 295K on it but hearing about how good toyota's are I went ahead and took the chance and bought the truck. The truck runs good but I did notice some hesitation when I was crusing. Not on acceleration just while I was crusing. I poped the hood and found a couple of small vacume leaks and repaired them and then I advanced the timimg a tad and took it for a spin and the truck drove and accelerated better. I still noticed the hesitation at crusing speed (40-50mph) but no where near what it was when I first bought the truck. So here is my problem! Now that I have advanced the timeing a bit my idle rpm, of course, went up and I don't know how to bring it back down and now when I sit at a light it sounds like I have my foot on the gas pedal. I found what I thought was an idler screw but I guess that was not it. Need your help guys!! If you have pics of what I should be looking for then that would be even better!! Thanks for your help!!

[LotOMiles]

First off, get the factory service manuals. They will save you money in the short and long run.

Now, that said, first put your timing back to stock (according to the service manual, it may be in the wrong place before). Messing with it is just asking for problems. Then set your idle speed after everything is warmed up.

That truck has a lot of miles, and if you are going to keep it on the road, you need to do a bunch of PM right now.

1) Compression check. How do the cylinders look?
2) Change spark plugs and inspect wires.
3) Check coolant hoses. Including heater hoses. It would be a good idea to replace them. Flush system. I would replace the water pump and thermostat, and cap to be on the safe side.
4) Replace the rubber fuel line. Even if it looks good, just do it. It's old and if it fails, fire.
5) Check/Replace the belts. Check every pulley for smooth operation. If anything grinds or has slop, replace it.
6) Replace all fluids. Engine oil, tranny oil, transfer case, diffs, clutch and brake fluids. This is a must.
7) Repack wheel bearings and grease everything according to the manual.
8) The O2 sensors only last about 100k. Keep an eye on it.
9) No matter what crap you dump in the tank, your fuel injectors will still get clogged over time. A place like RC Engineering can clean them up for about $25 bucks each.

All of the above is addition to the normal air filter, fuel filter, brakes, and normal tuneup stuff. A truck of this millage needs more TLC then something brand new. But, if you are good with the tools, all the above can be done yourself with the help of the FSM.

It's been my experience that factory Toyota parts are of superior quality then the rebuilt crap you get from most auto part stores. After all, it lasted about 300k so far, why replace it with something that will only last 50k just to save a few bucks?

I bet after you get all the above done, your hesitation will be gone.

[LT1RUNNER]

The truck looks and drives like it's been well mantained other than the slight hesitation. I've checked all the coolant hoses and they look and feel fine. The truck just got a tune up so the plugs and wires are new. Belts need to be replaced though. I'll take a look at the wheel bearings this weekend and I'll check the fuel line like you suggested. I'll go ahead and replace the o2 censor. I don't know the last time that was replaced and I'll reset the timeing also. The truck is carbed also not FI. Maybe I should have stated that in the first thread. Thanks for your help and I'll let you know how things go.

[LotOMiles]

Toyota stopped making carbed trucks in 1985. The 3.0L V6 is EFI. Another good reason to get the service manual. Carbs don't use O2 sensors.

My truck has 388k on it right now. A lot of things have failed in the 250-350 range that should have been taken care of by the dealer, but they didn't. Don't assume because it's been well matainted, that things have gotten the attention they need. Most shops don't see trucks over 250k, so they don't know what to do next to the basic spark plug and oil change. At this high of mileage, things age and wear out. Rubber hoses crack, oil brakes down, etc. Catch the issues now before they leave you stuck on the side of the road.

The list above is based on years of wrenching on my own truck. If you do/check all of the above, you should have many miles of reliable service. If you don't then you will be taking care of nagging issues every weekend.

I forgot to put on the list is the timing belt. They should be replaced every 100k. Do the water pump at the same time since it's easy to get at. Check the timing belt pulleys too. If they are in question, replace them.

After you order the service manual, make up a parts list. Then spend a week or a few weekend ripping it apart and replacing things.

[LT1RUNNER]

Stopped making carbed engines in 1985?!?! The title says 1990 so if that's the case then the motor was swapped out!! This engine is carbed!! I'm going to start working on the truck little by little. This is just supposed to be a work truck. Something that I can beat around but if it's going to cost an arm and a leg then I'll just have to go with something else.

[LotOMiles]

My bad. I didn't notice you said you had the R20/R22 inline 4. The last year for the carb is 1984. In 1985 Toyota went with EFI. No way you can get anything with a carb past the feds now days.

So, the engine might not have 300k on it. It might be newer. Since whoever did the swap did not bother to reconnect up the EFI to the new motor, then it might have had a V6 to I4 swap.

http://www.answers.com/topic/toyota-vin-codes
This should help you figure out what you should have based on the VIN.

[bigd]

Just a heads up I have a 1987 toyota pickup and it is carbed, I bought it new in 1987 (I am 100% sure it is original). I also have a 1990 toyota pickup that is fuel injected. 1987 has the 22r motor and the 1990 has the 22re (fuel injected
john macneil bigd