Cynxing

Engine off, fully charged: 12.75 Engine running everything off: 14.58 Engine running, hi beams heater fan on: 14.49 After shutting off: 12.86

Unclear on the concept. The new one reads 12.16 with the headlights on.

Ok, so I blew that one. I was so excited to find a battery in this little town that actually would work that I changed it out in the rain without checking the old one first. And I don't know what you mean by "overcharge a battery that's going to be replaced" - Is the alternator going to now do something evil to the new battery????? I gave the old battery to the NAPA place. Is it checkable off the vehicle?

It's pouring rain and dark right now but I'll test voltage at first opportunity. I can't imagine it was boiling when I heard the sputter crackle because I had just turned on the vehicle very briefly. Unless batteries can get hot in the space of a minute or two? And judging from the terminal crud I cleaned up when I bought this in October, has the bad battery been causing some of my grief for months? Obviously not stuff like the radiator and TPS, but the non starting at Quartzsite and...? New battery coming up. I'm sufficiently rattled by the noise I heard today. How long do you think a nice Interstate would last?

Had to order the sensor. Put it in this afternoon with a storm about to start - DRAMA! Just checked the codes and WHOOP WHOOP a staid, calm little single flash. Nothing going on here. Nothing to see here. Move along. But my battery is making clicking hissing noises like a soda bottle with the cap partly unscrewed. Two months ago I cleaned the corrosion off the positive terminal and put vaseline on it. It's already corroded again. Time for a new battery?

So - Sane, slow, repetitive flashes that a person can actually count. 4 and 5. 4 - Open or shorted Water Thermo Sensor (THW) circuit Defective THW Defective ECU 5 - Open or shorted Oxygen Sensor circuit lean or rich indication (with injectors full rich or full lean) Defective 02 sensor defective ECU So I have no idea where the Water Thermo Sensor lives. When the radiator was done they replaced the thermostat sensor. Is that the same thing? If so, that was put on a mere month ago. I put the new O2 sensor in only two months ago. What to do?

Ok I'll try that this afternoon. And they do live in the rubber holder thingies when not posing for photographs. So what's the big yellow doohickey for?

May 86/87 Toyota Dolphin 21' 22RE EFI Hi All, Now that I'm in one (dusty out in the middle of nowhere) place for a while, I can attend to the nagging issues that have attended this journey. The check engine light, quiet up until Tucson, is now flashing in bezerk spasmodic patterns. It is time to hack the computer and get a good reading - NOT while I'm try to drive in high wind conditions. Linda, you mentioned this article http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTricks/TroubleCodes/ I did find that, and I have the two little diagnostic yellow plastic cylinders on the sidewall, but it does not say where you stick the ends of the hair pin. Just randomly one into one side and one into the other? I am hesitant to stick metal into live electric areas with which I am unfamiliar. So here are my little yellow doohickeys. They have specific plug patterns each. Where should I poke 'em?

(insert car talk TA DA horns here) I was able to fill the tank to the tippy top with no incident. There is still a gurgling noise that doesn't seem right, but at least I can feed the beast. BUT still have check engine flash lights. Will work on that when it warms up. At least I reached my middle of nowhere destination for the next couple of months. Plenty of time to DIY tweak and tune. Thanks WME

I just went straight to fussing with trimming the hose this morning. Took about 4.5" off. Now the hose goes on straight but is not pulled tight. Didn't expect there to be fuel in the vapor hose line when I pulled it off. Added more zip ties to pull the intake hose up higher too. Intake hose was full of fuel that could not reach the tank. I am going to disconnect the battery for a bit to restart the codes to see if the flashing check engine light was all about that fuel vapor hose issue. Moment of truth...

Well I guess I couldn't see it on my frontside, eh? And my lil' ol' pigtails would get in the way thata ways. would you call this hose "saggy?" It looks like it could scootch up more on the vent shnozzle (I'm so technical), and then maybe wouldn't have so much slack. Initial try, no go, probably why mechanic didn't do it either. Could try soap or such but it has plenty of grab under the clamp. Second hose photo is with it tucked up higher. I could zip tie it in place if that looks sufficient. Really? Is that all that's preventing the fuel from going in?

22re EFI Dolphin - 1987? It says May 86 in the door panel. Just got new gas tank, sending unit, pump, the works - and now my check engine light is flashing spasmodically, and it takes forever to fill the gas tank. It goes a few dribbles and then shuts off. If I try to continue, it will splash out. Going really slow doesn't work. The weird part is I put 12 gallons in no problem right after picking it up. So now I'm considering that the fuel hose vent may be blocked or not connected right. The mechanic was in a hella hurry to finish by 5 pm and get out of there. I don't know what to call that hose that is parallel to the filler hose so I'm at a loss as to how to look up where it is supposed to come out. There is no exterior venting visible anywhere around the fuel cap area. I'm traveling, and at the moment am at Elephant Butte NM. That just begs for jokes, doesn't it?

Yes, another option for applying the oxalic acid. It comes in a spray bottle. If you spray it through the screen they provide, it foams. Need a photo of the bottle? Got it at Home Depot.

Ok, I think I can bring this thread to a close finally. I'll try to be succinct. Solution to the rough running - low power - not on all cylinders = one of four injectors installed last month turned out to be faulty. Failed atomizer test. Returning for refund. New one installed. Solution to the TPS situation - adjustment - throttle / stop screw gap = The TPS was installed incorrectly and was holding the throttle open so it could not idle without sounding hysterical. Non-intuitive installation. Slots in rotor in TPS look like they should line up with throttle pins. Au contraire. It's possible to either install so that the rotor moves the throttle, or the throttle moves the rotor. The latter is most successful - could not find anything written about that. Last mechanic said he "adjusted to factory specs" but did not elaborate on what that meant. Lined up the paint spots? Noted the absence of the Dash Pot. Will look into replacing this for inspection purposes before spring. Saw the pro and con comments about the DP usefulness. Solution to gunky fuel filter - one month old and already full of rust = fuel tank cleaned. Something I wanted to do from the get go but couldn't find anyone who wanted to tackle that job. My attempt to siphon out a sample from the bottom was thwarted. Could not get my siphon hose down into the tank. Test Results: Compression - 150, 160, 170, 150 respectively FUEL PRESSURE: ( Maineah this for you ) 30, resting at 35 Good to see how that test was done, and hence, what it was for. Photos: Plein Air Auto Repair spot and Inside the TPS Thank you all for your thoughts and comments. I will be trying out the computer jump so I know how to do it properly next time.

The barkeep and Zep combo is excellent. I've been using the foam spray (with gloves). Plus elbow grease. Huge difference. The Zep doesn't make the surface shiny despite the "wet look" promise on the label. It's more of a waxed, protected look. You don't see the shiny fiberglass fibers anymore. It's smooth and sealed and does not collect dust as much because the nooks and crannies have been filled. I have been using an old toothbrush on the caulking. A bonus to the up close up cleaning is that I can discover the places where I need to repair or bolster.

The fault of the TPS is not inside the gizmo, it is the position on the EFI and the connection to the throttle. If someone checked the fuel pressure they did not share with me. What are we looking for with that test?

Wow did I learn a lot today. Becoming a pro on adjusting the position of the TPS, withOUT taking it all apart, thank you very much. Skinny fingers and a dab of sticky Lanacote to position the lower one without dropping it. I don't think the TPS was put back in right when the last mechanic took it out. It was in there loosey goosey and, I think, not actually engaging the throttle. I did manage to get some good numbers out of it (in other words I don't think the TPS itself is faulty). But I am not entirely clear what gap I am measuring. I think I know, but the space I see - the only place where a moving piece of the throttle meets a screw - which I think is the stop screw - has a tiny gap no matter what position the TPS is in. It never gets to 0.00 flush. And it looks very much like you can't adjust the stop screw unless you pull off more bits than I am prepared to do out in the desert. Am I reading this wrong, or do you have to see inside the throttle body when adjusting the screw? "The other item that can affect the TPS adjustment is the Throttle Stop Screw. The stop screw controls the amount of closure for the throttle plate inside the throttle body. It must be set properly BEFORE adjusting the TPS itself. How is this done? The stop screw is set so that the throttle plate is fully closed inside the throttle body, then it is turned in to contact the throttle linkage and then 1/4 turn more before tightening the jam nut to lock it in place. This is done so that the throttle plate is held just barely off fully close to prevent it from sticking inside the throttle body. " Tomorrow's another day.

Why on earth a lift, indeed. None needed. The lift was for the differential fluid change and leak check, which is a different-ial problem. But several mechanics have rejected even looking at the rig to diagnose the rough running when they heard it was a 10' RV. The story is muddled because the 1) symptoms are not consistent, 2) I am on the move, and 3) I've been changing "doctors." If I can get as far as Mountainair, NM I can stay put for a couple of months. It's only 433 miles away but there's a 5000 ft hike up between here and there and the Dolphin won't make it on 3 cylinders or whatever she's running on now. I've got an appointment at a place called Highway Drive on Wed. at 8 am. A neighbor here at the BLM campsite has a good Toyota mechanic who might stop by before then. It may not be the TPS at all. That's the lead I had back in December. It doesn't seem to help or hurt if it's connected. I saw the inside and it was clean and moved well. I wish I could say that I witnessed the testing the last mechanic did with it with the meter, but I was not hovering at that point. The Dolphin is exhibiting the same behavior as it did before Christmas; loss of power, running choppy. Spark plugs smell of fuel, running rich. This is the site where I found the TPS adjustment instructions: http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTricks/TPS/index.shtml#TPSAdjustment My computer use is limited as I am dependent upon solar power to charge it out here. All this is fine with me, but it must be annoying to the folks in the bleachers. That's all I've got at the moment.

Here's what seems to be a common problem. Small shops that specialize in Toyotas don't always have lifts that can pick up a Toy House. So it went with "Primarily Japanese". The RV repair places don't necessarily have the knowledge base for a 30 year old vehicle. So back to a shout out for a trusted Toy RV mechanic in Tucson. Is there a way to search for this in the forum? sigh.

Just met a guy living FT in a Toy Home who has a composting toilet and he thinks it's the bees knees. Of course, we didn't discuss what he does with the refuse...

More info on this: Still no check engine light. I have a list of the CE codes but do not know how to trigger them. Saw a youtube video using a jumper on the fusebox but mine doesn't look like that. I'm just sitting out here in the desert and could check for codes if I knew how. Will keep googling, but could use help on that. And regarding the radiator, it was just rodded and put back all shiny and painted, so yes, hooked up both ends. And while the radiator was out I checked the AFM vane and it moves well. Current condition: returning back to sluggish behavior as if it's not firing on all 4. First it started hiccuping randomly. Then it didn't want to idle smooth. Tried to siphon some bottom of tank gas out to check for gunk, but couldn't get siphon probe down into tank itself. Wanted to take a look at the spark plugs but genius here got the wrong size spark plug socket. Hoping to borrow one from a Toy Home person nearby. EFI plug still unplugged. 15 amp fuse for EFI is in place and is good. Close enough to town that I could get a tow if needed to a (non dealer) Toyota shop I have identified. But of course my finances dictate that I try to solve it myself (with forum input) first, if possible. Thanks for any thoughts on this.

PS - I have googled a place called "Primarily Japanese" that seems to have good references, particularly about diagnostics. Hopefully, before leaving Tucson, my hiccupy TPS engine issue will be resolved. Will share any solutions found. Cheers.

Hi Tika, Thanks for the chat on the phone last week. I ended up heading south so will not be attending. All best to the Toy Home gang.

Thank you Linda. I have since gone to a spot right outside Tucson. I'm boondocking in a place where I am free to get under the hood and poke around, but am also within towing distance of Tucson, should that need be. The internet is better here. Warm, too. I expect to be here for a week or so in case any members have a favorite mechanic in Tucson they'd like to recommend.

Yes, he did, and I looked at it myself when he opened it up. It snaps back smartly, there is no corrosion, and there is "signal." I'm not sure how to describe it. Perhaps you can give me the words for that? That was just before Christmas. It has been unplugged since then and done well save for the occasional hiccup. I'm a little nervous about plugging it back in because it was a beast to unclip.