I have a 79 Toyota SR5 pickup, manual transmission. I am having problems with it. It always took a few trys for the engine to start to turn over. Now it dies right after it starts to turn. I can keep it going if i rev it and keep the rpms high. It always dies when i put it in first and accelerate. even if i do get it going it never goes past 3rd gear. when it is in 4th it dies. it seems like its not getting enough gas. but that is just my guess. Does any body have any idea what this might be?
I am assuming this is a carburated 4 cylinder engine. Have you checked for free operation of the choke i.e. moves easily, closes when cold, vacuum pull off working okey on starting, opens on schedule, etc.
Otherwise, I would measure the fuel pressure and pump volume at the carburator inlet. I assume you have replaced the fuel filter recently.
When was the last time the spark plugs, spark plug wires, distibutor cap, and rotor were replaced? What is the cylinder compression readings?
Look for a vacuum leak, Including overly tight valves… After the complete tune up, that is.
Maybe after 32 years you should consider rebuilding the carb…
Tune up complete and just buy a weber carb system for it. The import carbs have a tendancy to become misshapen after years of service and are prone to vac leaks too.
Ok, thanks for all the input. The fuel filter is still good. I have never owned a vehicle with a carborator. I do work on my cars a decent bit, i try to always fix it myself if i can. Is replacing or rebuilding the carb something i would be able to do myself? or should i take it in somewhere? how would i measure the pump volume on a carb in regards to the first post.