Toyota Townace Problems

The reason your van feels like it’s revving hard is because it is. The demands of being potentially loaded up with gear and relatively low-tech 1.8-litre engine to push along a fairly unaerodynamic shape meant that Toyota deliberately geared the vehicle low to make sure the engine could stay within its comfort zone. The fact that you’re only dealing with 60kW of power only made the requirement for short overall gearing even more critical.

That said, the van should pull smoothly in fifth gear, provided you’re not shifting into fifth prematurely and making the engine labour. With electronic fuel-injection and a very simple mechanical layout, this engine shouldn’t throw up too many problems. Perhaps a decent tune-up is all it requires to be singing again. Don’t forget the basics like the fuel filter, spark plugs and the high-tension leads.

SOUNDS as if you've got a problem with timing. Go back to basics of spark and fuel. If you've got both, in the right quantity, and at the right time it should run. Check the ignition timing and make sure its set correctly to specification, then check the ignition points and make sure they are clean and correctly set.