Problems idling

PAULAZNYOUNGAZ

MEMBER
1982 TOYOTA PICKUP
18,000 MILES

I purchased this 22R truck and it ran okay when I test drove it.
Shortly thereafter it began to have problems idling and kept shutting off.
The previous owner had recently rebuilt the carburetor and said not to mess with one of the screws on the carburetor.
I put a new fuel filter in it for the one in it was very dirty.
After replacing the filter it ran good for a couple days then started shutting off again.
I put in new plugs and wires and it ran fine for a couple days then started shutting off again.
I then put in a new fuel pump.
Nothing changed.
So then I turned the idle screw up and it ran for a day and same thing.
I turned the idle screw a little more.
The same thing happened.
It ran for a day and now it does not idle at all.
There is a missing vacuum line I think that goes on the little round part on the end of the breather but I have not a clue where it would plug into.
Could a missing vacuum cause it to not idle correctly or could it be something else like what I do not know?
The only thing left to replace would be the distributor cap? Thanks!

6 Replies

MHPAUTOS

MECHANIC
31,937 POSTS

The problem here is that we do not know the exact start of the carburetor, vacuum leaks are a big problem for these carburetors, and the settings are exact and fiddling with screws will often just make the problem worse. The float height may be wrong, leaking base gasket, leaking power valve, the list goes on. It really needs a mechanic who knows carburetor trouble is many these days rarely touch a carburetor. So I would call around and ask that question and make sure that the mechanic you use understands what he is doing with this job, and you have to make sure all external vacuum lines are fitted and actually are doing the job required, not something you want to do unless you have some serious understanding about what you are doing.