jjrgr21

my 03 taco is occasionally having trouble starting, maybe once every 30th start it will take a few seconds to start, but turns over and tries fine. it has 26,000 miles on it, and i figured it wouldn't hurt to change the fuel filter so thats on the list tomorrow. what do you all think.

thanks,
Jason

tom_mag

A bad fuel filter will cause problems under acceleration and high speed, not at starting. Do you have any drivability problems under acceleration or high speed? Its either fuel or spark problems. Try the spark plugs first.

jjrgr21

no problems once started, i was thinking i'd do the plugs too, but what other feul problems could it be. the pump works, the injectors spray, hopefully it's the plugs.

i had bosch platniums in my 98, and was going to put the plus 2's in this one, but everyone says to stick to OEM

Mason Dixon

bosch=satan and tell everybody about it

so does fram

go to napa get nippo or denso(same) plugs = happy

jjrgr21

what about the NGK plugs, i've read about them here

blakjak

The NGK/Nippon/Denso/OEM's are all good. You don't need Iridiums or any special stuff. LOL @ Bosch = Satan and Fram....I've heard it for years.

If you really want to fix it start driving the damn thing around a little bit. With only 26k miles in 3 almost 4 years you're probably going to kill it pretty fast. You need to take it on a 300-500 mile trip and run the snot out of it. Come home, change the oil and watch the gas mileage and temperment of the rig increase before your eyes. It's a truck, not a china piece.

jjrgr21

i bought it used in june w/17,000 and now it has almost 27,000. so i'm getting there, i just drove a 1200 mile trip. i'm changing plugs, fuel filter, and oil in a few minutes.

19RUNNER86

please use oem plugs. you should never put in anything else other than ngk/denso. it will run like s*it... happy trails to you.

jjrgr21

ok so get this, i changed the plugs. one side-3 cylinders had OEM denso plugs, and the other side 3-cylinders had NGK plugs, WTF.

now all are OEM denso, and starts terrific.

but why would someone use 2 different types of plugs, i bought it "certified" and only had 17,000 miles?

any thoughts?

blakjak

Same plugs bud. If I'm not mistaken they are the same damn thing. Good to hear you're driving it. I'd say she just needs a few cobwebs shook loose.

jjrgr21

ok, good- thanks for the info

4runnerx3

Mine came from the factory with different plugs on each side. Don't know if it is because of the coil packs on one side.

MTL_4runner

Ditto....it comes from the factory like that (different plugs on each bank). There has been alot of speculation as to why, but it doesn't really affect anything if all you want to do is change your plugs. Either Denso or NGK's will be fine (don't ever use anything else though). Sounds lik your all set now.

jjrgr21

thats still strange, using 2 different types of plugs

19RUNNER86

just talked to my dealer and he said from factory they should come with the same plugs... dont know what happened there. maybe someone tinkered with it and could only do one bank?

MTL_4runner

Did you talk to a service manager or a mechanic?

19RUNNER86

parts manager. i work for a huge used car dealership in pa and i deal with all kinds of cars. i was on the phone with him when i was reading this and asked him. he looked it up and said no difference on plugs.

MTL_4runner

Ok , that makes sense.

From the factory the plugs are different brands (one bank Denso, one bank NGK). If you look in the computer at the dealer they will usually just reference one or the other (usually it's the Denso plugs). Ask a mechnic at the dealer if they've ever seen different brands come out of each bank the first time they are changed and I bet they say yes.

19RUNNER86

no no all dealer has and sells is denso. i dont know why it had diff plugs in it. ive only ever seen that in fords.... i work techs that have been at all types of dealerships. i just asked my yota tech and he said no way on the diff plugs... only if someone has been in there yet. just my .02 if it helps

19RUNNER86

btw im not tryin to be a dick if thats how its sounding. im just going off of what these guys are telling me. just trying to help clarify things