Toyota Repair: 95 4runner 3vze, air flow meter, airflow meter

Question
hi ted, about a week ago i started my runner for work and noticed a smell like two holley 750s on a tunnel ram!! obviously the idle was very rough and while looking for the fire breathing street rod with all that gas stink, i noticed a huge plume of smoke frome my truck.i stuck my face in the cloud to check for oil smell but none. i do have service manuals w/specs but i currently show no trouble codes. the smoke lets up and seems to run decent at about2500rpm but hardly idles and still smells rich.i used to be a mechanic and am fairly adept but being a union carpenter and father of four my time has become terribly limited so i'm digging for ideas. i have so far checked for codes and put a meter on the ect sensor but all looks ok. if this was a head gasket,would'nt i find coolant in oil? i've built some great cars but feel lost with "later" model vehicles. thanks for any ideas. BRYAN

Answer
The cold start injector may be staying open, it's located on the right side on the intake plenum, try removing it and block the opening in the plenum so there won't be an air leak, there should be no fuel from the injector when the engine is running, another probable cause may be the air flow meter, pull the upper part of the air filter housing off and see if the air flow meter moveable door is closing and not stuck open, a bad air flow meter will not turn the check engine light on, the least likely cause is the computer or it's wiring, but it is a possible reason for it to run excessively rich, there are plenty of used parts for these in the salvage yards so if the injector is not the problem I would try an airflow meter and another computer if necessary. You could also access the computer and remove the connectors and check for any signs of corrosion and loose ground connectors under the left and right side kick panels.One question I have for you is, when did this start happening and was anything done to the engine before this started?