TrueDirtyMike

Hello!

I have a 1987 Pickup 22RE 4x4 with about 186K miles on it. A few days ago while driving I noticed the RPMs started dropping and was having trouble staying consistent. A few hours later when leaving work it had a rough idle and then stalled on me. I was able to start it back up and get home but had trouble keeping it above 650. I had to really hit the gas and it was slow to react and increase the RPMs. I got busy and let it sit for a few days and now it will not start. I turn the key and all the electronics work (including the air), but I can hear the fuel pump whirring. It doesn't even want to try and start. Just to double-check I jumped the fuel pump to the B+ in the diagnostics with a paperclip and heard the same whirring.

Any ideas? Could it be a fuel pump issue? I am a newbie here, so any insights would be helpful!
Thanks.

2ToyGuy

"It won't start..."
It doesn't crank, or it cranks over fine, but won't fire?

You need four things for the engine to run: Fuel, Spark, Air, compression. It sounds like you have fuel, yes?
If it cranks, have you tried pulling a spark plug after it cranks a few times, and seeing if it's wet with fuel?
Have you pulled a plug wire and held it near the engine to see if you have spark? You can even pull a plug, put it on the plug wire and watching while a friend cranks it, touching the plug to metal of the engine and seeing if there's a spark jumping gap. Make sure you use insulated pliers of some sort, or you will get bit pretty good.
Have you checked the timing as well?
Have you done a compression test on all the cylinders? Most auto parts stores have a tool borrowing set up, so you can borrow a compression tester.
Have you checked to ensure the fuel pump keeps running when you open the vane of the VAFM? Have you inspected the tube from the VAFM to the Throttle Body, to ensure there are no leaks, cracks, etc?
Did you pull the idle adjust screw and checked it's o-ring? If it's never been replaced, it's a 30+ year old piece of rubber. Maybe it got brittle, cracked, and is letting in waay too much air? When you first go to check it, screw it down until it stops, counting the turns it requires to get there. Including 1/4, 1/3 etc turns too. Once you know how far out from the bottom it was, then you can take it all the way out, and check the o-ring. The o-ring can be found at most auto parts stores. Then you can put the screw back in, with the new o-ring on it. Screw it all the way in, and back it out to where it was when you began. Hint: a very light rub of Vaseline on the o-ring will help it seal better, and last longer. Then, use a tach, like you can get from Harbour Freight, etc, cheap, to set the idle to 850.

Hope something in all this rambling might be of some help...
Pat☺

TrueDirtyMike

Hi Pat! Thank you for you taking the time out of your day to respond to a newbie like myself.

To answer your first question, no it does not crank. I turn the key all the way and hear one click and the sound of the fuel pump. Also, I have tested the battery (and tried jumping it) and it reads just over 12v. Since it doesn't crank would the "best" first step be to check the idle screw's o-ring? Also, it's possible that the fuel pump can be making that noise but still not operating correctly right?

Appreciate the response.
- Mike

TrueDirtyMike

Just wanted to respond in case anybody comes across this thread later. I figured out the issue, it was the wire that goes to the starter solenoid. I took it out hooked up a wire and ran and touch it to the positive terminal, this causes spark but you can hear the starter engage in the motor run. so I decide I just would give the contacts of the old wire and the contact on the starter solenoid a good cleaning and that did the trick. Thanks Pat for your input and Rad4Runner for the many guides on starting issues.

RAD4Runner

Cool. Now that you got the cranking issue figured out, you just have the idle issue to deal with. One step at a time will help restore a robust truck.