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Sorry, let me clarify that. Toyota ECU’s don’t fail. Mindful that you’re the guy who modifies carbie jets with an angle grinder as I recall.... Stupid app won’t let me put an emoji in, but I’m a bit old for all that anyway.

say whaaat. ive had 2 cracked ecu boards in my time hahah. nissan pulsar 1990ish and mazda 323 astina BJ series 2000sumthing.

I was playing with one recently that was sluggish. I found the cat was blocked and the igniton timing was retarded. I would also check that the tvis valves are shut under 4000ish rpm and opening after wards On a car of this age, I would flush the fuel injectors, change the fuel filter and clean out the throttle body (carby cleaner). This is more updating the maintenance than fixing issues. It's common there will be gunk between the throttle butterfly and the housing, reducing air flow at idle.

what sort of distributor has this thing got? is there any centrifugal advance on it or is it all electric? I ask because it kinda sounds like its simply lacking any timing. thats how my 4k ran when i ziptied the mechanical advance together for testing.

Well there are mechanics, and then there are mechanics. I would do a compression check, make sure the cam timing is right, ignition timing is right & replace the fuel filter. Then I would go here http://www.aeu86.org/technical/ae86-manuals/ and download the 4AGE Diagnostics manual. It looks complicated, but really it isn't. Make sure the throttle position sensor is set properly and follow the various diagnostic charts. You will need a multimeter but they aren't expensive. These engines are pretty foolproof, as long as the sensors are set correctly and the basics like compression and timing are correct. ECU's don't fail, neither do coil / igniters. Keep it simple and work through methodically and it will run great.