Tercel 93 gas gage and sometimes harder to start when engine is warm !?

[tercel]

Hi Ericthecarguy, I am having this intermitent problem with the gas gage.

Topic

[johnzcarz]

I’d check the basics when the problem is happening. You need to narrow it down to either a fuel or spark issue so maybe use an inductive timing light and check each cylinder to see if they are firing or not, or spray a quick shot of starter fluid in the intake and see if that smooths it out – that would give you some direction as to where to go next. Also look at the ECT sensor to make sure it’s reporting the correct values, and the fuel pressure when the starting problem happens.

[college man]

I would suggest that your gas gage issue is with the sending unit on the fuel pump. For the starting
issue. I would start with the fuel filter. heres a video on how to change the fuel filter and its location.C8-)
actually your owners manual should explain it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngVxz3aoMgA

[tercel]

Hi guys.
Thanks for your replys. I beleive i did the fuel filter last year, and everything else was done to my car
plugs, cap, rotor, air filter, plug wires(NGK).. timing belt, seals, gas tank, brakes, shocks, coils, alternator
water pump, belts, radiator, battery, muffler, etc etc… its practicaly like a new car, its got no rust.

For the gas gage is this a sign that its going?
and for the other problem i did change the vacuum sensor, got one from the salvage yard.

🙂

[dreamer2355]

I would also look into doing a fuel pressure test with the KOEO and see if the vehicle holds fuel pressure. If it drops, that could be a sign of a faulty fuel pump check valve, leaking fuel injectors or an issue with your fuel pressure regulator.

[EricTheCarGuy]

As for the fuel readings this may be normal, as long as it reads normal after it ‘normals out’ then you should be OK, other than that you may end up spending a bunch of time chasing a condition that really can’t be fixed, it is an old car after all.

Based on your description of your starting issue and the fact that it seemed to run better when you put oil treatment in perhaps do a compression check just for the heck of it, you may have a mechanical issue with the engine.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_tbksFYhl4

Aside from that it’s a matter of checking the basics, if you have a check engine light pull the code and diagnose that first but also see if you can get your hands on a fuel pressure tester and check fuel pressure when the problem occurs, also check your tune up items (plugs, cap, rotor, air filter, fuel filter) to make sure they are in good shape.

[tercel]

Hi Ericthecarguy, when you say compresion test, is this performed when the engine is cold or warm, or hot..
Car pulls great, when i give it some.. I do have a little puff of blue smoke at first start up of the day though..
but yeah it is an older car but it goes great and its very clean with no rust.. I think toyota is good quality.

Ok i seen your video..
I gotta get me a pressure gage though. 🙂

[EricTheCarGuy]

You can do the test cold no problem. As for the quality of the car they are good cars but any engine that gets low or starved for oil is not long for this world as it will increase internal wear dramatically, a compression test or better yet a leak down test will give you a very good picture of the overall heath of the engine.

Leak down video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgrfT0LF … ure=relmfu

[Author]

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