Toyota 22re stutter

skyhighZJ

skyhighZJ

Gov retirement < needs to live
Joined
May 31, 2012
Location
Aberdeen, NC.
Vehicle: 1989 Toyota p/u
Engine: 22re (loved and babied)
Trans: 5 spd
Issue: intermittent stumble/stutter

First off it’s not constant and I have tried my darndest to replicate it but can’t.

So, every once in a while when I start the truck and head out I’ll get down the road a few miles and there’s a slight hill and the truck likes to stutter in either 4th or 5th. It’s like a fuel issue but the filter and, as of today, the fuel pump are new. 1,2,&3 as I leave the drive are strong and smooth acceleration but it’s like at cruising speed and giving it just a bit of pedal input to maintain speed up a hill it wants to stutter. It’s not horrible and if I let out of it it goes away. I can not “throttle through” the issue either. I have to let out. If I reapply the throttle 99.9% it does it again. Like I said it’s not constant and I’ve had no luck “forcing it” to do it. I’ve tried leaving as soon as I start the truck and I’ve tried letting it warm up in the driveway then leaving. No difference in the randomness of the stutter. Only thing that’s constant is it doesn’t do it on acceleration 1-3. Only does it in 4 or 5 when trying to maintain a speed on a slight incline.

More info about the truck. Unknown early yrs or how it was treated. It does have a slight Headgasket leak and I add a qt of coolant about once a month although it never gets hot I can smell it just a bit in the exhaust when it’s a cold start. Timing set is all new with metal guides. Cap, rotor, wires, plugs have about 20k and all Toyota or premium parts.

Any questions ask.

Any ideas please share!

Thanks.
 
I chased a rough running issue in my truck last year and thought for sure it just needed a tune up. I put plugs, cap, wires and never could get it smoothed out. I eventually sat down one day and read through the FSM section for trouble shooting. The first step was to run the valves before doing anything. I thought that was pretty low on the list, but didnt have anything else to do, so I took the valve cover off and got my feeler gauges out. 3 of the 4 exhaust valves were at 0 lash with the truck hot. Ran the valves and the thing purrs like new. By the book they are supposed to be checked every 20K miles I think.
 
Sounds like it's a combination of RPM and engine load that makes it happen. Like a "high" load, low-ish RPM thing. If you downshift when it does it and raise the RPMs, does it go away?
 
Croatan_Kid said:
Sounds like it's a combination of RPM and engine load that makes it happen. Like a "high" load, low-ish RPM thing. If you downshift when it does it and raise the RPMs, does it go away?
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Just happened on the way home for lunch and downshifting from 5 to 4 made it clear up by getting the RPMs up.
 
thecj3man said:
I chased a rough running issue in my truck last year and thought for sure it just needed a tune up. I put plugs, cap, wires and never could get it smoothed out. I eventually sat down one day and read through the FSM section for trouble shooting. The first step was to run the valves before doing anything. I thought that was pretty low on the list, but didnt have anything else to do, so I took the valve cover off and got my feeler gauges out. 3 of the 4 exhaust valves were at 0 lash with the truck hot. Ran the valves and the thing purrs like new. By the book they are supposed to be checked every 20K miles I think.
Click to expand...
Haven’t done this but I will look at them.
 
What are the plugs gapped at?

I'm leaning towards a low RPM/high load spark issue. Probably caused/made worse by it consuming coolant.
 
Croatan_Kid said:
What are the plugs gapped at?

I'm leaning towards a low RPM/high load spark issue. Probably caused/made worse by it consuming coolant.
Click to expand...
Would it matter that it’s so inconsistent? I can pull the plugs and read them though. Not sure what they are gapped but it would have been whatever the factory spec was when I installed them.
 
I'd at least look at them and see if they look odd.
 
It sounds like it is the right combo of RPM and load that is the problem. If so, then something in plugs of valvetrain seem reasonable. I agree on gapping the plugs to see what you've got. At least that's an easy thing to check.
 
Sounds identical to a coil on plug going bad. It’ll stutter and buck under just the right load. You can accelerate or down shift out of it. I know that 22 re doesn’t have coils, but it seems like a firing issue. I’d start with plugs and work backwards.
 
So! It’s fixed!


Just like Taco Bell I had bad gas!! Ran the tank way low like my wife had driven it and filled it with 93. Added some Sta-BIL and drove it still was doing it but ran that tank and then topped off with another round of 93. Drove up this past weekend, wheeled, drove home and up to today with no issue so I guess it had to have been a slug of water floating around in the tank (which would explain the random times of messing up). As of now it’s good to go.
 
Or...it probably still has some odd sparking issue and the 93 octane masked it a little bit :D
 
Croatan_Kid said:
Or...it probably still has some odd sparking issue and the 93 octane masked it a little bit :D
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Probably but this weekend it comes apart. Had to nurse it through one last ride for the get together (doing things it shouldn’t). It’s getting the head gasket (praying the head is still straight) and a full reseal. Fixing the exhaust (new cat that has always been MIA, hangers, and tailpipe). Fixing the e-brake at the drums. Along with some other small things and it’s headed to Louisiana for my step son’s first wheels. Either way it will also get a full ign tune up and the valves verified once it’s back together. Be good for another Brazilian miles lol.
 
skyhighZJ said:
Probably but this weekend it comes apart. Had to nurse it through one last ride for the get together (doing things it shouldn’t). It’s getting the head gasket (praying the head is still straight) and a full reseal. Fixing the exhaust (new cat that has always been MIA, hangers, and tailpipe). Fixing the e-brake at the drums. Along with some other small things and it’s headed to Louisiana for my step son’s first wheels. Either way it will also get a full ign tune up and the valves verified once it’s back together. Be good for another Brazilian miles lol.
Click to expand...
Check the timing cover to be sure the chain hasn’t done too much damage.
 
Noel said:
Check the timing cover to be sure the chain hasn’t done too much damage.
Click to expand...
It, and the whole front has only got about 30k on it with the upgraded steel backed guides. Also did the double roller upgrade.


Previously:
 
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