Optimus

As many of you know, 22RE's and the 3.0 V6 can have a pesky, annoying, bizzare idle problem when the brakes are applied. At idle speed only while stepping on the brakes, the idle speed can go updownupdownupdownupdownupdownupdownupdown until you let off the brake pedal. It's annoying, but doesn't seem to actually ever kill the engine. I actually have an article about it on my website at:

http://www.geocities.com/toyotashawn/bizzareidle.html

This article is based on my own experience, the experiences of countless other people who've contacted me, and basically has been written as a hopefully helpful guide for this odd and hard to diagnose problem. I have yet to talk to a Toyota mechanic that will admit to knowing about it, much less knowing the true cause. About 4 years ago when I first witnessed the idle issue on one of my own vehicles, there was absolutely no information on it on the Internet, and there were lots of us unsure what to do about it other than we replaced numerous parts w/o luck.

I've found my own "last resort" fix on accident (bypassing the computer), but others have emailed me with their own fixes and my site has become a list of possible fixes. I've also read in-depth explanations of the problem by people who are not Toyota techs but are very toyota knowledgable, and have based some of my more current information on their claims. It certainly makes sense, but I'd sure like to see some true documentation on the issue somewhere.

However! I want to make sure of the facts. Anyone actually speak with a Toyota tech that knows of the problem? Is the theory of idle-cut off true?

If you've never heard of the issue but own a 22RE or 3.0 V6, it would be worth the time to at least check out my article above.

Thanks!

Salue

I'm no Toy Tech but your site did help me fix my bizarre idle on my old '90 v6 4runner....I don't know if you remember, but I emailed you my results when I fixed it about a year ago.

Salue

Corey

iTrader: (1)

I'd be curious to hear Jay's output on this also since he is a master tech, and has worked on the 3.0 quite a bit.

I read your article last year Shawn, and found it quite good.
Mine speeds up a bit when I put the brakes on by maybe 50 to 100 RPMs.

butnut

My 2.7 was kinda doing that to...

PirateFins

Shawn,
Thanks for your article !! My partner is a Toyota Tech and he has been trying to fix that exact problem for 3 years now on my truck. He would adjust this and that and the problem would go away for a while then come back out of nowhere. It even followed to the new re-manu. motor we put in, which leads me to believe that it is ECU related. I gave you article to him after I asked that exact question on this board last week and someone pointed me to your site. He made a copy of it and gave it to all of his fellow tech's at the dealer. We disconnected the break wire to the ecu and the problem went away. Just wanted to say thanks.

dajabr

Same here...
used your site to mess with my first 22re, fixed by adjusting the vacuum, but I feel it over adjusts. Now have new reman 22re and it's doing the same thing when I have the compressor on to dry my incoming hot air, not as bad though. Will wait for summer and see what I may be able to contibute....

Optimus

Here's the scary part! The only reason I found the "fix" to the idle problem was because I removed the tail lights/housing and had them unplugged (I was doing some other stuff while also troubleshooting the idle issue). With no brake lights installed, the circuit was open and the problem vanished. I put the brake lights in and the problem came back. I then installed the brake lights but pulled the fuse for them and the problem went away. At first I figured it was a bad brake light switch, but a switch is a switch and it either works or it doesn't. I replaced it anyway and of course it wasn't fixed. I traced the brake light wire to see where it came from/went to, and I figured if it went through the ECU then somehow it's processing the brake signal. I simply bypassed the wire around the computer instead of through and it worked!

I still can't explain why shifting into 4WD makes the problem go away. Something else the computer process for some reason that somehow ultimately affects idle speed in 4WD.