4-runner problems.

Hey, I'm new to this forum as well as automotive mechanics. I have a 95 runner, 2.4 r-e 132,000 miles, that died when I tryed to pass a semi on the freeway last weekend. there was lots of vibrating in the car itself and I could hear somthing making noise, like a chain broke or gears slipping. after the engin cooled, I could start the vehichle after about 2 minuts of cranking the engin. I put a new starter and battery in the vehichle within the last year. I have taken off the valve cover and everything seems to be in order, timing chain has good tension and nothing is visibly brocken. what things should I be looking for? any suggestions on what it could be? anythig would be great. thanks jake.

P.S. my spelling sucks.

About half of the ECU codes stored on the first & second generation EFI Toyotas don't show a constant blinking check engine light therefore you must pull the ECU codes to see if a fault is registered.

To pull the ECU codes:

All 1980-1995 and including 1995 EFI equipped vehicle allow you to find engine and related faults by pulling the ECU (computer) codes without the need for a handheld OBDII diagnosis scanner,the sites listed below have the fault codes needed to pull the codes and the instructions on how to do it:

http://autorepair.about.com/library/ts/obd-i/bl-dtcs-36.htm
http://autorepair.about.com/library/ts/obd-i/bl-dtcs-53.htm
http://autorepair.about.com/library/ts/obd-i/bl-dtcs-71.htm
http://autorepair.about.com/library/ts/obd-i/bl-dtcs-90.htm
http://www.off-road.com/toyota/tech/codes/index.html
http://lcengineering.com/TechNotes/TechNote12.htm
http://lcengineering.com/TechNotes/TechNote13.htm
http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Pit/9975/dataBySubject/Engine.html
http://www.mad-mechanic.com/toyota/toyotaobd.shtml#obtaincode
http://www.freewebs.com/th3duke/22RE-ECU.mht
http://www.troublecodes.net/Toyota/
http://members.igateway.net/~pscott/enginecodes.html
http://www.autobook.co.kr/data_links/toyota_trouble_codes.htm
http://www.autoshop101.com/forms/h27.pdf
http://www.showmesome.info/hilux/info/manuals/1KZ-TE/Page0096.htm
http://www.efisakh.narod.ru/at_toyota.htm
http://www.usatransdoctor.com/foreigntoyota.htm

Pulling the ECU codes is the first thing I do to diagnosis a problem thereafter I reset the ECU to see if the same problems show up and if so I then take voltage measurements both with the engine running and not and compare with the factory service manual,I also close the ignition switch after a cold engine and also after a warm engine and compare them with the factory service manual.This technique will completely isolate your problem without having to do trial and error and it is the technique I use when repairing tv's,vcr's,home/car audio.

Sidney® ™
Repairs tv's,vcr's,home/car audio out of my home
E-mail:sidneybek@yahoo.com
Dartmouth,Nova Scotia
Canada
1985 Toyota 4-Runner,solid front straight axle,factory cruise control,sunroof,22R-E,W56,RN60LV-MSEK,rusted rear step/towing chrome bumper with 246 000 KM

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http://www.iwaynet.net/~nesda/May02/May18.html
http://www.iwaynet.net/~nesda/SonyAudMod.html
http://www.iwaynet.net/~nesda/Oct02/Oct028.html
http://www.iwaynet.net/~nesda/Oct02/Oct029.html
http://www.iwaynet.net/~nesda/Oct04/Oct041.html

Welcome to the AF!

Give us some more information.
What does it do and doesn't do now?
Does it start and die?
Does it run?
How well does it run?
Describe in which way it is not running normal.
How's the oil level?
Does the oil appear normal on the dipstick?
How's the engine temperature and the coolant level? Does the coolant appear normal?
Does the exhaust look normal when it's running?
Does it run better hot than cold?
How's the compression?
Is it missing? If so, on all cylinders? If not on all cylinders, which one is weak? Test by pulling the plug wires (by the boot) off the distributor while it's running and see if any of the wires when pulled have no effect (that's the bad cylinder).
Check the ODBI connecter and see if you have codes in the ECM. See:
http://www.off-road.com/toyota/tech/codes/

As i said before, the truck starts after about two minuts of cranking. when it does start it runs very ruff, the whole car kind of shakes, then it dies after thirty seconds or when i do not give it any gas. the oil level is just under half. and it runs the same cold as it did when it was warm. the exaust is white and there's lots of it after it starts. the coolent has almost normal level its a little low, but i think thats from when i opened the lid to check it.

new update: I put every thing back togeather, i took off the timeing cover (chain tention seem to be fine, nothing visibly broken), changed the oil and coolent. the truck doesn't start it tuns over, but wont start. The truck is also very slow in tuning over, battery?!?

Just guessing, but your slow starting is probably a poorly-charged battery. Get a charger on it and see if that helps.

From the description of the exhaust, it sounds like you may have a blown headgasket. If there is alot of white smoke from the exhaust, it is likely that you are burning coolant.

head gasket ouch thats my guess and im sorry cause i had that problem too not very fun let me tell ya

Head gasket, :crying: definitely.

The "white" smoke is not smoke at all, it's steam, :confused: and the test here is that it vanishes as it evaporates, doesn't take much water to make a lot of steam. Mine was so bad it was shooting out condensed white balls that expanded rapidly into huge clouds of steam really embarrassing in Safeway's parking lot!
Pick up a compression tester take out all the plugs and test each cylinder. Compression should be equal on all cylinders anything more than a ten percent delta between them will cause it to run rough.
It will be cylinder #1 or #6 or both. that is where the bad head design slowly chews away at the gasket.
Sooorry

About half of the ECU codes stored on the first & second generation EFI Toyotas don't show a constant blinking check engine light therefore you must pull the ECU codes to see if a fault is registered.


NOT TRUE You DO have to know how to decode them because they are displayed in a serialy coded string.


To pull the ECU codes:

All 1980-1995 and including 1995 EFI equipped vehicle allow you to find engine and related faults by pulling the ECU (computer) codes without the need for a handheld OBDII diagnosis scanner,the sites listed below have the fault codes needed to pull the codes and the instructions on how to do it:
Pulling the ECU codes is the first thing I do to diagnosis a problem thereafter I reset the ECU to see if the same problems show up and if so I then take voltage measurements both with the engine running and not and compare with the factory service manual,I also close the ignition switch after a cold engine and also after a warm engine and compare them with the factory service manual.This technique will completely isolate your problem without having to do trial and error and it is the technique I use when repairing tv's,vcr's,home/car audio.


Diagnostic Codes, That ECU codes to you, are driven by "best guess" algorithms that assume a fairly functional engine with NO major malfunctions such as a head gasket failure. or massive air leaks or maladjusted sensors or even 1 double fault with input sensors.
These will cause erroneous error codes that will mislead a diagnostician.
4Runners are not TV, VCRs or stereos!! LOL

If you try to measure the resistance of the O2 sensor what will the result be? ………DO NOT ATTEMPT to do this you can measure the resistance of the O2 sensor heater but if you touch the wrong lead you have just destroyed the sensor.

hey sorry I've been too buisy to do any thing about it, its finals week at colledge. I am going to borrow a co-workers compression tester and make 100% shure thats what the problem is. Its still kind of iffy because the engin wont start. Any how I'll post my findings as I get them. Thanks for the help.