runnerboy97

Drivin to see my girlfriend this weekend(300 miles round trip) i noticed that on hills and long grades when i would give it gas to accelerate, it would sometimes shudder and not really go anywhere for a few seconds then it would start to pick back up again. OH yeah, its a 3.4 auto. I just cant seem to think of anything that could be causing it loss of power, but it really isnt a good thing to have happen to such a good engine. Please help me if you can.

KING

I don't have a solution to your problem, but I was just wanted to state that in a few occassions, I passed three 4 RUNNER's, equipped with the 3.4L, going up considerably huge hills.

Keep in mind, I own a '94 PICK-UP with the 3.0L.

rpeAMP

My first thoughts here are to have your fuel injectors cleaned, and change your fuel filter if you have not done so already. Also, see if your throttle body needs cleaning.

BTW- Did the truck act like it wanted to shift gears, but then hesitate (and shudder), then keep going in the same gear?

runnerboy97

You know with just a little extra gas and an automatic, it will usually go down a gear and give you more acceleration. it wasl ike it wasnt getting any gas so it would sound and act like it was gonna stall then it would pick back up. now that you mention fuel injectores and filter, i will look into it this weekend.

MTL_4runner

If it seemed like it was going to stall then I would bet that the engine is starving for fuel somehow. That way when you gave it more gas it was getting more air but no fuel to compensate for it and thus you would lose power. Make sure all the typical tune up stuff was done (plugs, air filter, fuel filter, oil change, etc....should all be new!). Cleaning the throttle body will help at idle but not much at highway speeds. Cleaning the injectors may help but try to make sure all the basic stuff is done first. Could even be as simple as "bad" gas so let the tank run almost to empty and fill it with some brand name premium and maybe throw some injector cleaner in with it when you do. Post back and let us hear the results.

Did you get any check engine lights?

runnerboy97

the tank of gas it happened on was from the big texaco here, i will try some of the injector cleaner stuff next time around though. i didnt get any check engine lights. the oil, filter, air filter and plugs are all good. the fuel filter i havent done. is there a write up on that, i didnt see one for a 3rd gen 4runner. i heard its no fun to get to.

mtnbkr

Not at all, it's a piece of cake. It's on the side of the frame rail on the driver's side, near the driver's door. It took me about 20 minutes to change mine. If you can change your oil, you can change the fuel filter.

Chris

runnerboy97

maybe i was thinkin of the older model 4runners and trucks then.

MTL_4runner

mtnbkr is right, it is easy and definately worth doing if it hasn't been done in a while. The only trouble is if you live in the rust belt, you might want to hit it with liquid wrench or PB blaster to losen it up before you get some wrenches on it.

DuB

I thought toyota had said that the fuel filters were "lifetime filters" or something like that. If they aren't, I need to change mine as well! Does anyone have a writeup on how to go about changing the filter? I don't really want to give it a go without guidance since a tank of gasoline is involved...

MTL_4runner

Long service interval maybe but definately not lifetime!
Changing the filter on a 3rd gen is very similar to a 2nd gen shown in the writeup in the tech section.
It is pretty easy to change but if you don't feel comfortable, then pay a shop to do it.