Questions and Answers

Toyota Restart Problem

Q. I have a question about my 1989 Toyota pickup, Automatic, 2wd, 3.0 V6, EFI, 163,000 miles, No AC, No ABS. Every so often when I start the engine, the temperature needle will go all the way to the red zone and the engine will cut off. This happens when I have driven for a while then I will stop, then shut off the engine. When I start the truck again I will run into this problem and the truck will also vibrate a little before it cuts off. Thanks.

A. What I would think is the most likely problem here is the engine temp sensor. If it pegs the needle it's telling the computer to lean the fuel mixture way down, so lean that it will not have enough fuel to keep running. I would try replacing the temp sensor and see if that takes care of the problem. It's cheap and easy to do.