turborich

Mine is leaking so I have a few questions. What exactly does it do? can it be bypassed & removed all together? Where can I buy a new one for under $160 as that what the dealer wants for it. Money is very tight right now & I'm looking to do this for as little as possible.

Thanks, Rich

904_runner

Let me rewrite this, since i sounded like a drunk hillbilly the first time.


What part of the fuel pulsation dampener is it leaking from? The lip or where that screw is in the middle of it?

I have one i could sell you, well actually 3. one of them leaked and im not sure which so i could send them all.

When mine leaked it caused a fuel fire which wasn't a fun cleanup.

turborich

I'm not sure as I don't have the intake off yet. I can get my fingers under the intake & there is fuel all over the dampener. I will know where it's leaking for sure once I get the intake off (the screw or the lip) I just don't want to do all that work & then have it leak again.

Also can it be removed & bypassed? what the heck is it for anyways?

904_runner

I don't think it can be bypassed or removed. It screws into the back of the fuel rail, for what purpose i do not know.

turborich

thank you for the pics of it. Well I will take it apart tomorrow night & see what part it is leaking from. What a great spot to put it in, You would think it would be easier to access. Oh well.

904_runner

Yea.. you would think

sb5walker

First of all, Rich. Dude.

Hate to say I told you so but,
http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/sh...16#post2832216



The pulsation damper is like a shock absorber for fuel pressure. As injectors open and close, they cause variations in fuel pressure in the fuel rails. Those could make fuel metering inaccurate, so Toyota added the damper that smooths out fluctuations that are too rapid for the pressure regulator to cope with.

sb5walker

Rock Auto has a Standard Motor Products damper for $88. I've heard their parts aren't bad, but I've never tried them. I would avoid the Airtex parts.

http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/x,ca...,parttype,6120

EDIT: Oops, this and other aftermarket pulsation dampers DO NOT FIT. As others have said, go with the Toyota part.

turborich

sb5walker, I really thought it was just a vapor leak/smell at that point. You were 100% right though!

moonbase1

Get the dampener from toyota!! I know it's more expensive, but it is worth it!! You won't hear me say that very often :-)

The quiality between the two is night and day.

moonbase1

Also, while you're in there, you may want to run some tests on your injectors. Jump the + and – from the battery to each injector, and listen carefully for an audible “click” if one or two give a weak click, it may be bad.

I had a fuel leak for over a year, and it ended up being the fuel dampener AND an injector!

PM me if you have any specific fuel-leak-related questions.

turborich

Well I got that dumb pulsation dampener replaced. Talk about a lousy design, not just the dampener but the entire efi set up. I have never seen so many darn vacuum hoses before. Anyways, no more fuel leaks so that's a good thing. I also changed out the PCV valve & grommet as it was hard as a rock & a couple of the small coolant lines that didn't look too good. The local Toyota dealer sold me the dampener for wholesale $137 bucks.

BTW, the original dampener didn't have the screw in it. The screw was gone & the plastic cover was off & laying on the manifold. Toyota should have recalled this IMO.

Booosted Supra

I work for Toyota and I do agree it should have been a campaign, I have personally fixed about 8 3VZE with the same exact leak, in most cases the plastic cover stays on though and the little bolt backs out and lays in the hat. This just happened to MY 4runner last week too lol

KauaiRunner11

I just finished my head gasket, got everything back together, and when I tried to start it it started leaking fuel out of the dampener. I took it out and pulled the plastic cap off and the little screw was out. I put the little screw back in and reassembled everything, and same thing again when I tried to start it. It wasn't broken before the head gasket job so I think its a little strange. Any feed back would be much appreciated.

sb5walker

It's toast. Many of them are at this point. World Toyota/Scion of Atlanta is the cheapest source I've found for dealer parts - they're cheaper than 1sttoyotaparts. I see the pulsation damper (called the pulse dampner in their catalog) doesn't have a price listed online for a pickup or 4runner, but they do list it for a 93-94 T100 which I'm pretty sure is the same exact part - dealer list price is $142.73 and World's price is $94.39. Call to make sure it's the right part - there is a name and phone number at the bottom of the main page:
http://www.trademotion.com/partlocat...?siteid=214140

Don't forget to get a couple of the copper or aluminum crush gaskets if they don't come with the damper.

EDIT: World Toyota completely changed their prices such that they offer a much worse deal than many other online toyota dealer parts sites. This post has a list of links of the best ones I know of:
http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/sh...5&postcount=30

yotaman85

man I do that all the time..

KauaiRunner11

thanks sb5walker!

compuboks

Just had one fail on my '94 Pickup (3ZVE). My symptoms cropped up all in one day, including a strong fuel smell in and around the vehicle, trouble starting the engine the longer it sat (losing prime in the fuel line, I assume?), and a noticeable dripping/evap sound under the hood near the back of the engine while off. I got it to the nearest shop the same day (fire extinguisher at hand - I've seen enough things go up in flame to fully respect the power of gasoline). They found the replacement part for $125, seems fair considering what Ive read here.

It does surprise me that given the number of owners who've seen the issue, plus the fact that this thread happens to be #1 on the Google result for "Fuel Pulsation Dampener", and the possibility of catastrophic failure - such as 904_runner's - That this hasn't become a Toyota recall campaign.

Sorry to revive an older thread, but I felt the need to add my experience. Maybe a few more owners who've seen this could come forward. I know this engine has had its problems over the years, but it'd be nice to see Toyota acknowledge this fairly dangerous one.

sb5walker

I completely agree. If ever there was an issue that demanded a recall, this would be it. Come on, Toyota. These are failing left and right, creating very dangerous situations and mucho liability.

73pinto

exactly what i did . i got my old 94 4runner (rip) due to the damper going out . although i redid the wiring and hoses and lasted me another 10,000 till i was side swiped by a tour bus . the engine lasted another 10,000 till it developed a knock . now i used the damper on on my fresh rebuilt. i spent 189 for my new damper but now i dont have 1 worry of fire