97 Runner Check Engine Light, Stuttering. 300 Mile trip tommorrow Help!

EToy · 02-26-2004, 05:42 PM

Washed my truck today and my girlfriend drove it around town and called and said it was acting weird. When I got off work I drove it and sure enough when you excellerate it stutters really bad! I didn't wash the engine, but I did try to wash the transmission as I just fixed a small leak in the shift tower and wanted to see if I had stopped the leak completely.

On the way home the check engine light came on and flashed 20 times first and stayed on, and then flashed 16 times and stayed on. Unfortunately I live 30 miles from town and after doing a search it looks like you can't just jumper the diagnostic ports together to pull CEL codes on a third gen. To top it off I'm supposed to go on a long road trip tommorrow!

Anyone have any idea what this might be, does the number of flashes indicate anything?

The only thing I can think of is that I hit an O2 sensor with the power washer when I was washing the truck. I'm going to go check right now. Please help!

Thanks!

E

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runnerboy97 · 02-26-2004, 06:18 PM

autozone will pull codes for free, they did mine when it was doing the same thing you described. Turned out 2 plugs had gone bad.

jjmayne · 02-26-2004, 06:22 PM

I had the same symptoms which was solved by cleaning the mass air flow sensor in the intake with a little brake clean.

lunatic14r · 02-26-2004, 06:30 PM

did you get any plug wires wet i know you said you did not wash the engine but some water could of got on the plug wires and caused a problem which would cause a misfire code to set and the light to flash and a running problem it worth a try to dry the plug wires

EToy · 02-26-2004, 06:33 PM

Well,
I just went out and looked underneath and the O2 sensors looked fine from what I could tell and all of the connections were tight. So much for my possible theory.

I knew I should have picked up a code reader before coming home! Grrr! This would be a lot easier!

I'll take a look at the MAF sensor and the spark plugs just to rule them out. Thanks guys!

E

MTL_4runner · 02-26-2004, 06:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EToy

Well,
I just went out and looked underneath and the O2 sensors looked fine from what I could tell and all of the connections were tight. So much for my possible theory.

I knew I should have picked up a code reader before coming home! Grrr! This would be a lot easier!

I'll take a look at the MAF sensor and the spark plugs just to rule them out. Thanks guys!

E

If it was the O2 sensor, you could not cause it to fail with a pressure washer.
I would clean the MAF, replace the plugs (just to be sure) and give it a clean air filter (better mileage on the trip).
Sadly you will need to have the codes pulled to see what really is going on.
If it is an O2 sensor, then it will be the one in front of the converter that is bad (always goes first).
If you get a code post it and we'll help you out.

EToy · 02-26-2004, 07:40 PM

Alright this might seem like a stupid question, but how many spark plugs does a third gen have? The drivers side has three, but on the other side where I expected the other three to be, it looks like mini ignition coils?

I have a supercharger, are the other three spark plugs underneath the supercharger somewhere? Unfortunately this is the first time I've even thought about the plugs on this thing. The three I pulled looked completely fine. Wires look fine and the engine bay itself is dry.

I looked at the MAF sensor and that seemed clean and dry also. I have some electric connection cleaner spray here, should I put a squirt of that in it just to be sure?

I think I might be stuck until tomorrow. Looks like I'm going to have to go to Auto Zone first thing.

Thanks!

E

Joec500 · 02-26-2004, 08:40 PM

Your 3rd gen should have 6 Spark Plugs if you an SR5 or Limited. My Runner did the same thing, and mine was caused by a Cyclinder Misfire. If you pressure washed your engine, I bet you either moved one of your Sparkplug wires. It's probably an easy fix, but the stuttering sounds like a Mis-Fire, either caused by bad plugs or a dirty fuel injector, I would just make sure all your wires are on nice and snug. And if that doesn't work swap out the plugs. Those are both cheap things to do. And if that still doesn't work you may need to have someone look at it.

Hope that helps.

Joe

Mossback74 · 02-27-2004, 02:29 AM

To Change your plugs

That should help locating and replacing

Runner4 · 02-27-2004, 04:01 AM

I had the exact situation as you are describing happen to me last summer. I went on a 500 mile round trip and two days later the truck started to feel like it hesitated under acceleration. The third day the truck started up and started shaking pretty badly as it felt like it was miss-firing. The check engine light flickered and then stayed on. When I tried to drive it, I could barely get it up to 30 miles per hour. It took it to the stealer and it turned out that the #3 Coil Pack went bad. Stupid me I had them change it and paid about $200 for parts and labor. I didn't realize how easy it would have been to change myself. If you can pull the codes and narrow it down to a coil pack, change it yourself and save $$$.

Runner4

MTL_4runner · 02-27-2004, 06:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Runner4

I had the exact situation as you are describing happen to me last summer. I went on a 500 mile round trip and two days later the truck started to feel like it hesitated under acceleration. The third day the truck started up and started shaking pretty badly as it felt like it was miss-firing. The check engine light flickered and then stayed on. When I tried to drive it, I could barely get it up to 30 miles per hour. It took it to the stealer and it turned out that the #3 Coil Pack went bad. Stupid me I had them change it and paid about $200 for parts and labor. I didn't realize how easy it would have been to change myself. If you can pull the codes and narrow it down to a coil pack, change it yourself and save $$$.

Runner4

I would agree that it does sounds electrical since it happened right after pressure washing.
Could be either a coil pack, wires, a loose ground, etc.....codes will tell for sure.

EToy · 02-27-2004, 06:48 AM

Well after reading some more posts late last night I figured out that the passenger side spark plugs are located underneath the coil packs. So I got up early this morning and pulled all of the passenger side plugs and again everything looked fine. I disconnected and cleaned the coil plugs and put everything back together. I also sprayed some carb cleaner into the throttle body and wiped it down, although it wasn't really dirty.

Sure enough when I fired it up, it purred like a kitten! Drove 30 miles into work and it ran just fine. Weird. Don't know if a connection was loose or what but it seems fine. I still have to go to AutoZone to have the codes pulled and see exactly which cylinder wasn't firing, but at least I can still make my trip to 30" of fresh powder later today! Whoo Hoo!

Thanks for everyone's help!

E

MTL_4runner · 02-27-2004, 06:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EToy

Well after reading some more posts late last night I figured out that the passenger side spark plugs are located underneath the coil packs. So I got up early this morning and pulled all of the passenger side plugs and again everything looked fine. I disconnected and cleaned the coil plugs and put everything back together. I also sprayed some carb cleaner into the throttle body and wiped it down, although it wasn't really dirty.

Sure enough when I fired it up, it purred like a kitten! Drove 30 miles into work and it ran just fine. Weird. Don't know if a connection was loose or what but it seems fine. I still have to go to AutoZone to have the codes pulled and see exactly which cylinder wasn't firing, but at least I can still make my trip to 30" of fresh powder later today! Whoo Hoo!

Thanks for everyone's help!

E

Like I said, sounds like an electrical problem so be careful in the rain.
It was obvious the pressure washer aggrivated whatever was there.

PirateFins · 02-27-2004, 07:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjmayne

I had the same symptoms which was solved by cleaning the mass air flow sensor in the intake with a little brake clean.

Does anyone else find that disturbing. I don't think Brake Clean is sensor safe, and would not recomend using it any place other than cleaning non-sensor related parts. Use a "Sensor Safe" cleaner.

MTL_4runner · 02-27-2004, 08:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PirateFins

Does anyone else find that disturbing. I don't think Brake Clean is sensor safe, and would not recomend using it any place other than cleaning non-sensor related parts. Use a "Sensor Safe" cleaner.

Ordinarily I would say yes, but I believe that the MAF uses a hotwire system for checking airflow.
So in this rare case, as long as there is no residue, it should be ok.
If it were my truck would use a sensor safe cleaner tho.

EToy · 03-03-2004, 09:08 AM

Well I thought I would post one more time here just so we have a record of what the solution was. I apologize in advance for the length...

I thought the problem had gone away on Friday morning when I disconnected and cleaned all the ignition connections, but low and behold, on my way up into the mountains at 3:00 friday afternoon, it started missing again. At a loss for what I should do, I stopped at NAPA in Bailey to see if they carried any parts, since after reading posts here I suspected either the spark plugs or the coil packs (unfortunately I didn't know which cylinder wasn't firing). Of course they had nothing in stock and couldn't get the parts until the next morning - no help. The guy at NAPA did tell me about TLC Auto in Pine Junction though.

Stopped by there and talked to Rick. He graciously was able to immediately get my truck on an OBD scanner and found that the check engine light was being triggered by cylinder #1 not firing. He luckily has seen so many of the coil packs go bad on the 3.4 that he stocks them, so it was a quick ten minute replacement and we were back on the road.

My many thanks to Rick at TLC. He definitely seemed very knowledgeable and as I said, could have easily turned me away and said they were already booked for the rest of the day. So if anyone lives near Pine Junction and needs some professional work done, I would definitely give TLC Automotive a try - 303.838.6100

So after all of this we successfully made it to Pagosa Springs and got to ride some of the deepest powder I have ever experienced at Wolf Creek. Turned out to be a great weekend. Gotta Love happy endings!

E

MTL_4runner · 03-03-2004, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EToy

Well I thought I would post one more time here just so we have a record of what the solution was. I apologize in advance for the length...

I thought the problem had gone away on Friday morning when I disconnected and cleaned all the ignition connections, but low and behold, on my way up into the mountains at 3:00 friday afternoon, it started missing again. At a loss for what I should do, I stopped at NAPA in Bailey to see if they carried any parts, since after reading posts here I suspected either the spark plugs or the coil packs (unfortunately I didn't know which cylinder wasn't firing). Of course they had nothing in stock and couldn't get the parts until the next morning - no help. The guy at NAPA did tell me about TLC Auto in Pine Junction though.

Stopped by there and talked to Rick. He graciously was able to immediately get my truck on an OBD scanner and found that the check engine light was being triggered by cylinder #1 not firing. He luckily has seen so many of the coil packs go bad on the 3.4 that he stocks them, so it was a quick ten minute replacement and we were back on the road.

My many thanks to Rick at TLC. He definitely seemed very knowledgeable and as I said, could have easily turned me away and said they were already booked for the rest of the day. So if anyone lives near Pine Junction and needs some professional work done, I would definitely give TLC Automotive a try - 303.838.6100

So after all of this we successfully made it to Pagosa Springs and got to ride some of the deepest powder I have ever experienced at Wolf Creek. Turned out to be a great weekend. Gotta Love happy endings!

E

Glad to hear it worked out for you!

02-26-2004, 06:18 PM	#2 (permalink)
runnerboy97 Registered User Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Roanoke, VA Posts: 1,017	autozone will pull codes for free, they did mine when it was doing the same thing you described. Turned out 2 plugs had gone bad. __________________ 1997 4runner,lifted, locked, dash and grille mounted red LED lights, its my DD 1988 4runner, SAS, dual lockers, dual cases, longfields, 36's, and lots more.

02-26-2004, 06:33 PM	#5 (permalink)
EToy Registered User Join Date: May 2003 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 74	Well, I just went out and looked underneath and the O2 sensors looked fine from what I could tell and all of the connections were tight. So much for my possible theory. I knew I should have picked up a code reader before coming home! Grrr! This would be a lot easier! I'll take a look at the MAF sensor and the spark plugs just to rule them out. Thanks guys! E __________________ E-Toy 97 Mountain 'Runner

02-26-2004, 07:40 PM	#7 (permalink)
EToy Registered User Join Date: May 2003 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 74	Alright this might seem like a stupid question, but how many spark plugs does a third gen have? The drivers side has three, but on the other side where I expected the other three to be, it looks like mini ignition coils? I have a supercharger, are the other three spark plugs underneath the supercharger somewhere? Unfortunately this is the first time I've even thought about the plugs on this thing. The three I pulled looked completely fine. Wires look fine and the engine bay itself is dry. I looked at the MAF sensor and that seemed clean and dry also. I have some electric connection cleaner spray here, should I put a squirt of that in it just to be sure? I think I might be stuck until tomorrow. Looks like I'm going to have to go to Auto Zone first thing. Thanks! E __________________ E-Toy 97 Mountain 'Runner

02-26-2004, 08:40 PM	#8 (permalink)
Joec500 Registered User Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Palo Alto CA Posts: 115	Your 3rd gen should have 6 Spark Plugs if you an SR5 or Limited. My Runner did the same thing, and mine was caused by a Cyclinder Misfire. If you pressure washed your engine, I bet you either moved one of your Sparkplug wires. It's probably an easy fix, but the stuttering sounds like a Mis-Fire, either caused by bad plugs or a dirty fuel injector, I would just make sure all your wires are on nice and snug. And if that doesn't work swap out the plugs. Those are both cheap things to do. And if that still doesn't work you may need to have someone look at it. Hope that helps. Joe __________________ 96 Black Limited REAL HID's Full MultiMedia Setup

02-27-2004, 02:29 AM	#9 (permalink)
Mossback74 Contributing Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Hillsboro, OR Posts: 908	To Change your plugs That should help locating and replacing __________________ 4Runner Anthracite 98 LTD 3.4 AT 205K miles, 285 Pro Comp X-Treme MT , Blue Taco Shocks and TRD tundra coils, Diff Drop, N86 and 891 w/ cones, 1.5" Body Lift, E-Locker w/anytime mod, 4 in. Deckplate, Amsoil air filter and fluids, Optima 34R, Yak Rack and Hull Raiser. (Wrecked 94 is still missed)-----See the pics-----

02-26-2004, 06:22 PM	#3 (permalink)
jjmayne Registered User Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: SLC, UT Posts: 4	I had the same symptoms which was solved by cleaning the mass air flow sensor in the intake with a little brake clean.

02-26-2004, 06:30 PM	#4 (permalink)
lunatic14r Registered User Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: NEW JERSEY U.S. Posts: 169	did you get any plug wires wet i know you said you did not wash the engine but some water could of got on the plug wires and caused a problem which would cause a misfire code to set and the light to flash and a running problem it worth a try to dry the plug wires

02-27-2004, 04:01 AM	#10 (permalink)
Runner4 Registered User Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Chicagoland Posts: 122	I had the exact situation as you are describing happen to me last summer. I went on a 500 mile round trip and two days later the truck started to feel like it hesitated under acceleration. The third day the truck started up and started shaking pretty badly as it felt like it was miss-firing. The check engine light flickered and then stayed on. When I tried to drive it, I could barely get it up to 30 miles per hour. It took it to the stealer and it turned out that the #3 Coil Pack went bad. Stupid me I had them change it and paid about $200 for parts and labor. I didn't realize how easy it would have been to change myself. If you can pull the codes and narrow it down to a coil pack, change it yourself and save $$$. Runner4 __________________ '97 4Runner SR5 4X4, Anthracite Grey - Factory Brush Guard w/mounted Hella 500s, Pilot Fogs, Kenwood Head Unit, Sirius Satellite Radio, Footwell Lighting, Lund Hood Deflector, Dueler AT Revos - 169,000 mi (03/23/07) '07 Toyota Camry SE I4, Super White

02-27-2004, 06:48 AM	#12 (permalink)
EToy Registered User Join Date: May 2003 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 74	Well after reading some more posts late last night I figured out that the passenger side spark plugs are located underneath the coil packs. So I got up early this morning and pulled all of the passenger side plugs and again everything looked fine. I disconnected and cleaned the coil plugs and put everything back together. I also sprayed some carb cleaner into the throttle body and wiped it down, although it wasn't really dirty. Sure enough when I fired it up, it purred like a kitten! Drove 30 miles into work and it ran just fine. Weird. Don't know if a connection was loose or what but it seems fine. I still have to go to AutoZone to have the codes pulled and see exactly which cylinder wasn't firing, but at least I can still make my trip to 30" of fresh powder later today! Whoo Hoo! Thanks for everyone's help! E __________________ E-Toy 97 Mountain 'Runner

03-03-2004, 09:08 AM	#16 (permalink)
EToy Registered User Join Date: May 2003 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 74	Well I thought I would post one more time here just so we have a record of what the solution was. I apologize in advance for the length... I thought the problem had gone away on Friday morning when I disconnected and cleaned all the ignition connections, but low and behold, on my way up into the mountains at 3:00 friday afternoon, it started missing again. At a loss for what I should do, I stopped at NAPA in Bailey to see if they carried any parts, since after reading posts here I suspected either the spark plugs or the coil packs (unfortunately I didn't know which cylinder wasn't firing). Of course they had nothing in stock and couldn't get the parts until the next morning - no help. The guy at NAPA did tell me about TLC Auto in Pine Junction though. Stopped by there and talked to Rick. He graciously was able to immediately get my truck on an OBD scanner and found that the check engine light was being triggered by cylinder #1 not firing. He luckily has seen so many of the coil packs go bad on the 3.4 that he stocks them, so it was a quick ten minute replacement and we were back on the road. My many thanks to Rick at TLC. He definitely seemed very knowledgeable and as I said, could have easily turned me away and said they were already booked for the rest of the day. So if anyone lives near Pine Junction and needs some professional work done, I would definitely give TLC Automotive a try - 303.838.6100 So after all of this we successfully made it to Pagosa Springs and got to ride some of the deepest powder I have ever experienced at Wolf Creek. Turned out to be a great weekend. Gotta Love happy endings! E __________________ E-Toy 97 Mountain 'Runner

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