87 turbo
 

Hey guys. I'm new to the whole forums deal, so be kind. I just bought a 1987 supra turbo and am having some problems. When I got the car it ran fine, but after driving it, it started to cut out. The only way I fixed it was to jump off the fuel pump before I started the car. Now it won't start at all. I tried switching out relays and that didn't work, priming the pump didnt work either. I know it's getting spark because when it did run, it was a smooth run. I don't know what else to do. Any suggestions?:dunno:

87 turbo
 

Hi! You have not said how much fuel there is in the tank ,always best to make sure there are at LEAST 3 gallons in there , Never try and restart with only a gallon .These engines only do about 19 / 20 miles to the gallon around town , so you may be empty . ( one suggestion! ) .

when you say not starting, is the motor at least cranking? how long was the car sitting before you purchased it?

No idea how long it's been sitting. I bought it in Florida and I live in louisiana. There is a little over a quarter of a tank of gas. It will turn over and and over but it won't crank.

Is the gas fresh? If it's been sitting for an extended period of time don't trust the fuel gauge. I suggest you actually test the fuel pressure.

87 turbo
 

Hi! Cranking means the crankshaft will turn when the starter is operated , you mean it cranks but will not start ? , Questions ? : Did you drive it all the way back from where you bought it ? , did it start first time ? did it overheat ?? please give some running info -- did it misfire ? ,how long between starting and shutting down ? , is this a manual or automatic ?.
Near the bottom of this page is a " Forum Jump " , click " Go " , this will open up the Mk111 Supra page , there are many pages ( see bottom of page = 1 -101 / Last ) , this seems to be a common problem -you might find your answer there . Click on the heading you want to read and that will open the thread .

That's what I've been wanting to do but don't know anyone who can test is and don't know how to do it myself

Yes that's what I mean. No I didn't drive it, but it started and I drove it the quarter mile back to my house and it drove just fine. it didn't overheat, but when it got to normal operating temperature, it would steam from a small hole in the radiator. I would run it about 5-10 minutes before it would shut down. It's a 5-spd manual

hmm... i would definitely do a compression check in the cylinders.
chances are the gasket may have warped due to the overheat... maybe.
since you don't know the history of the car, it'll be a little hard to tell.
with what you posted about the radiator hose leak, it may very well be an issue of overheating. damage over time could have warped the head gasket, but doesn't explain how you were able to run it for 5-10 minutes before... unless perhaps those last minutes was when it happened.

in the meantime, i would highly suggest you contact the seller to see if you can get some type of history of it. most sellers would see this as threatening, but make sure you reassure them that the deal's complete, and you understand the car is yours, and that you are merely calling to assist on a current problem you have with the car. maybe say you're desperate or something. ;)

what cre says is very important... which is why i asked if the car has been sitting for awhile. gas sitting in any vehicle have a tendency to "gunk" up. clogging everything. and will also project the symptom you are having.
Edit: btw, they make these starter fluids that you can use to spray into the air filter or spark plugs to help with the ignition.
this might tell you whether or not it is fuel related? honestly, i've never used it on a car, but used it on an old motorcycle i had... helped me distinguish a problem (needed carbs to be cleaned). but then again, maybe you shouldn't use it to avoid harming the car further before you're able to take it somewhere for a more thorough testing.

When pressure testing the fuel pump, where do I connect it to? Also the car was bought from a used car dealership. History of the car is unknown. However, the previous owner kept all records of maintainance back to 1987.

I'd connect the gauge to the port for the cold start injector (near the center of the fuel rail or at the pulsation damper's port at the rear of the fuel rail.

Ok new problem. I just changed the fuel pump and put in a new relay. The car would start but not run long. And now won't start at all
What do I do? Has anyone heard of this problem?

87 turbo
 

Hi! Questions? If the car was bought from a used car dealer , was there a warranty you could call on? , How long is " not long " ? -seconds ? minutes ? ? How does the engine die ? ,slowly ( fuel starvation ) ? Quickly ( spark stop ) ? misfire ? Start and stop ? , the more symptoms info you can supply to give a bigger picture , the quicker the answer can be found . Have you checked the fuel filter ? is the loom connected to the mass air filter ? .

Hey! Unfortunately there is no warranty. I bought it "as is". It would idle for about 2 seconds, drop to about 250 rpm and then bounce back to normal idle, then die. About two start attempts later, it would start and then die about a second later. It dies quickly. It would there is no misfire because it sounds and feels smooth. Now it only cranks, no start

87 turbo
 

Okay , It sounds to me that you may have a poor connection to your mass airflow meter ,this is an engine management problem . This happened to me when I forgot to reconnect it after removing the intake for another problem , The engine " caught " -then died , absolutely essential for a smooth engine , by reconnecting the wiring the curcuit was complete and the engine was fine .OR! you might have a poor earth connection at your coils PLATE ,( straddles the cam covers ) this needs to be connected to the cylinder head ( NOT the cam covers , they're insulated ). There are times when you can have single , double or multiple problems , I suggest you make a list and go through it until you get it started and running properly .Good Earths ? Good connections ? Fuel ? , Sparks ? good fuses ? good relays ? clean spark plugs ? etc,etc.

No diagnostic codes present?

Now that I checked it, the light doesnt come on period!!! I want to say no, but I'm not sure if the light works. Generally speaking, If there is no problem, does the check engine light come on when you turn the battery on? I also have a 1986.5 NA that does. It'll come on for a second then go off. Is it supposed to be like that in a turbo?

See the thread about checking error/diagnostic codes in the MKIII FAQ section.

Yes, when the ignition is turned to the "ON" position but the engine is not running the check engine light is supposed to be on. Once the engine is turned on the light will turn off unless certain critical error conditions (very high level warnings) have been recorded. There are many problems which may cause the light to turn on only once and many others which won't trigger the check engine light at all so you should check for diagnostic codes anytime you have problems and it's a good idea to check them whenever you change the oil or even when you just check the oil while getting gas.

Well that right there is a problem. My CE light wont come on at all.

Might want to start by replacing that bulb and then check for codes.

I changed all the bulbs and the check engine light doesn't come on at all. I think there's something wrong with my dash, maybe? I dont think the contact is good on the circuit for the check engine light

You can clean the contacts with some very fine sand paper. I've found that more often the brass in the bulb holder is corroded. If you have a copy of the '87-'88 ECU pinout I believe pin "W" is the + output for the CEL.

I got it runnin buy replacing the 15A fuse tha wasnent eve plugged in all th waY so I re placed the 15A fuse and replaced it with the correct 7.5A and it started right up. The computer wasn't getting power.

I'm glad to hear you got it sorted out. I'd laugh but I know all too well that little shit like this can be a bigger headache than just throwing a rod through the block. :P

Lol yeah. Well now nothing will go wrong with the ignition circuit , seeing how almost everything was replaced. You and everyone were a HUGE help