88 gts with bad pickups

Tomstone
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88 gts with bad pickups

Postby Tomstone » Mon Mar 13, 2017 8:34 pm

Nube here recently bought 88 GTS Coupe never ran right engine always seem to be binding running rough backfiring smoking bad recently discovered the pickups face is so broke apart fell off so it's just exposed copper. would Fe pickups? I can get a rebuilt distributor $152 any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Tomstone
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Re: 88 gts with bad pickups

Postby Tomstone » Mon Mar 13, 2017 8:37 pm

I please excuse the bad verbiage have a broken arm so voice texting is my only option and it isn't working very good.

aukword1
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Re: 88 gts with bad pickups

Postby aukword1 » Tue Mar 14, 2017 7:36 am

backfiring is usually a timing issue. Try checking the timing to make sure it is correct first. Check spark plugs, dizzy rotor and cap. Get back to us with some more information to properly assess the situation.

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Re: 88 gts with bad pickups

Postby Tomstone » Tue Mar 14, 2017 7:53 pm

I have replaced rotor distributor cap, spark plugs spark plug wires change oil. Replaced fuel filter. Borrow the time light but I couldn't figure out how to use it it's kind of hard to see the mark on the pulley comma I see it now. But the car doesn't start any longer because like an idoit slash stupid written on my forehead when I found that the pickups had no faces on them I found a J-B Weld type compound that said it wasn't electrical conductive and put that over the faces I figured it wouldn't hurt since there was him up pinion at the time no way to repair those. So so now I don't feel The Binding when I go to start the engine but the engine won't start then I would I purchase a compression tester to see if the smoke was piston rings now does me no good I can't get the engine warmed up. So now my question even though the spark plugs
were gapped wrong I had to expose copper on the pickups was off or whitish smoke but it was always on accelerating, especially in first gear is it even worth it to the to $200 for a remanufactured distributor. I like there's a lot of 88 to 90 fe engines of it also in my book when I am at Top Dead Center my rotor is supposed to point towards number one when it can only point chords blow number 2 or at number 3 I've tried both and had no luck I think the J-B Weld killed the pickups, can it work someone if I attempt to do some testing on a cold engine I guess that's my main question to make matters worse when I put it to top dead center today I forgot to take out ratchet so now I'm afraid I might have skipped a tooth so not only am I I'm not a very smart newbie as well. Again any help is very much so appreciate it
And again please excuse the grammar broken right arm prevents typing

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Re: 88 gts with bad pickups

Postby Tomstone » Tue Mar 14, 2017 10:22 pm

Update number 1 cylinder completely dead on cold compression dick when it but I don't think that matters? I understand dropping an fe engine in is not that that difficult what year would I have to get that would fit in 88 GTS once again any help is greatly appreciated any other ideas I'm low on money I'm being 17 years old and only working 20 hours a week doesn't give me a whole lot of cash flow. Get anything special

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Re: 88 gts with bad pickups

Postby SgtRauksauff » Wed Mar 15, 2017 2:14 pm

when you say 'fe' is that your voice-to-text translating you saying EFI as in Electronic Fuel Injection ?

and by pickups, do you mean the contacts inside the distributor cap?

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Re: 88 gts with bad pickups

Postby aukword1 » Wed Mar 15, 2017 4:18 pm

Yeah, I am a bit confused about that as well. Also, use some sort of marker to mark the TDC to make it easier to see.

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Rogue-AE95
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Re: 88 gts with bad pickups

Postby Rogue-AE95 » Wed Mar 15, 2017 5:05 pm

I think he means the 4A-FE engine, being in the same engine family as the 4A-GE, it would bolt up to the GTS trans. But the wiring is completely different, and that would be a lot of work to make a downgraded engine run in the GTS. It would be better to fix this problem, or if going with another engine and possible engine harness modifications, do an upgrade (20v, smallport, etc).
'88 Corolla All-Trac x2 (manual, auto)

Tomstone
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Re: 88 gts with bad pickups

Postby Tomstone » Sat Mar 18, 2017 4:09 pm

Correct I was talking about a 4afe engine the mark I was talking about referring to is when you are at top dead center and take the oil cap off you can see top of the cam? It looked exactly like the picture in the haynes manual. Turns out there was about half of a dime-sized hole right almost dead center in the middle and number one not sure what cause that. However but maybe my luck is changing looks like I could purchase a 1986 MR2 engine fresh head gasket he was going to use as a spare cleaning out the garage look super clean still on stand inspect what should I look for? do a dry compression test and anything else? I believe that would bolt directly onto my transfer case? I large port 88? Will will it make a difference being front-wheel drive and an 86 MR2 is rear will drive?
Last edited by Tomstone on Sat Mar 18, 2017 6:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: 88 gts with bad pickups

Postby Tomstone » Sun Mar 19, 2017 3:11 am

Attached is the engine, asking is 350 obo. I Seems to good to be true has a hundred and eighty some thousand miles. I've seen where someone local to me paid 400 just for a black and red block. I just bought a 86 Camry as a cheap ride to get me by until I get the GTS back up and running. Im picking up in 86 Celica tomorrow I understand that 3sfe and 3s GE could both work in the gts but I believe that'll be well beyond my capabilities.
Lol my mom's gonna flip when she finally finds the cars on the property. I bought the 3 series engine cars to get running good and sell. I have enough cash left to pick up a another car. It's a perfect-looking 88 Camry, that appears to have slipped, skipped time. Im mainly looking to build my skills and pocket a little coin as well. Have an appointment to see the MR 2 engine tomorrow. Looks great in the pics.

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Rogue-AE95
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Re: 88 gts with bad pickups

Postby Rogue-AE95 » Sun Mar 19, 2017 4:22 pm

I'm trying to remember, and I can't... are the 88-89 GTS distributor plugs round and green like the AE86 has? Are all the MR2 dizzy plugs that round & green type? I know the 90-91 smallport distributor has somewhat flatter, smaller, grey colored plugs. And the TPS had two versions, squarish and roundish, but I can't remember when that change came around. Some things to consider when swapping in an engine.
'88 Corolla All-Trac x2 (manual, auto)

Tomstone
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Re: 88 gts with bad pickups

Postby Tomstone » Mon Mar 20, 2017 2:49 pm

my engine has a round red cap his engine is in 87 and yet it appears to be the exact same as mine from the pictures I can see.

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Re: 88 gts with bad pickups

Postby Tomstone » Mon Mar 20, 2017 9:28 pm

HI Rogue, what not able to look at the engine Sunday however while looking for a misplaced tool I found a surprise in my trunk apparently my father found out and bought the engine for my birthday! It's a blue and black top. According to the seller he had their head done but by the look of the new in the boxes gaskets and seals nothing else. According to the seller or and good when he took it out he was just doing up swap. I only have the Haynes manual so I will go ahead and try and purchase or download. Download the Toyota reference mechanics manual? I will also start a journal of each step portion of the job and, make notations of what I think will be very difficult so I will take lots of pictures and videos so reassembly will be easier I'm also going to do this painstakingly slow I've had this car for a long time I don't need to screw it up now and the only time I've driven it really is when I drove it home after purchasing it and that wasn't fun with all the misfiring, smoke etc. I did notice looking at other pictures of 87 MR2 Engines the dizzy is different it's round at the top and square at the bottom. Everything else looked identical. As always thanks for the help. I got to get on my homework so I can start researching. I'm thinking this will probably take me a great deal of time since I've never done anything like this.

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Rogue-AE95
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Re: 88 gts with bad pickups

Postby Rogue-AE95 » Tue Mar 21, 2017 6:42 pm

All of the 16 valve (USA market) distributors should be a round body. But the two plugs coming out of it, there are two kinds.

Definitely take pics of stuff that you remove. It's also a god idea to "bag & tag" your parts. When I dropped my wagon's subframe, I used some plastic trays to hold all the bolts, grouped together by things like RH control arm or LH of subframe. I looked up the torque specs in the FSM and wrote them down on masking tape, which I stuck to the sides of the plastic trays. That helped a lot for the under-car work.

I don't have the Haynes for my Toyota, but sometimes they are good for filling in the blanks that the FSM manual assumes you already know about some things.
'88 Corolla All-Trac x2 (manual, auto)

Tomstone
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Re: 88 gts with bad pickups

Postby Tomstone » Tue Mar 21, 2017 11:28 pm

Great idea I didn't think about the torque specs that will help a lot. Just had a mini panic attack since I haven't ever really driven the car besides the 25 minutes home now I'm a little worried about the clutch it felt fine when I drove it home. Is there anything I should look at while the engines out. I guess I'm worried about nothing I can just do all of the maintenance procedures and if everything goes right It should be fine correct? What do you mean (two plugs different) the cap is different? I'll try to share pic for some reason I'm getting a error too low of memory message switch doesn't make sense since the pictures are already downloaded on my phone not crazy about the new S7. I thanks jr