ssbogger

Well I got it installed on Friday night. It worked great for about 100 miles, super fast! The only problem i had was pinging but i had expected that. Now after about 300 miles, its only a little faster than stock. It seems that when I get on it, it kind of 'bogs down'. I can feel the SC working but not like it should. It kinda jerks the car like its turning on and off. I dont know what this could be but i took it by a dealership and they said it could be the mass air flow sensor. Check engine light is on and has been for about 6 months without any difference in power. I was wondering if anyone knows what this could be *cough* Gadget *cough* and/or could show me some pics of where you hooked up all the vacum lines to the SC, and what to cap off ect.

I was hoping to be able to fix this myself but if not i have an apt at the dealership tomorrow. Im kind of weary about this as the guy asked me to bring the instruction book for the SC with me (i dont have it) but he did say he has installed 7 of them before.

Thanks!

4RunnerFever

The guy at TOB to see is named Kevin. He installed the SC on my 4runner. He probably has installed many, but it might have been years since the last time he did it.

The problem sounds like either the 02 sensor or a vacum line to me.

Hope this helps a little.

ssbogger

Yeh thats the guy I talked to. I just hope its nothing too expensive, and hopefully just a vacum line.

tomstin

Did you install the check valve? Proper direction? Other than that, recheck all the hoses. Did you install the hose from the S/C to the fuel pressure regulator (Free FMU mod)?

ssbogger

Yeh I made sure i did the one way check valve the right way. I just got it back from the dealer and they said that they just had to switch a few of the vacume lines and tighten a few clamps..

WELL... I open the hood when i get home and all of the hoses are in the same place, I know b/c i have spent alot of time double checking them over the past two days, and the only clamps i have to tighten are the ones on the intake tube. Im pretty sure those were tight but who knows. So after $60 I still have no solution. I reset the computer yesterday and the check engine light hasnt come back on so they said that I will have to wait for it to come back on before we can look any further for any other problems. Until then I guess I'll have to live with a supercharged 4runner thats about as fast as it was stock!

Oh yeh. When i first went back to pick it up they said "just and oil change and filter, that'll be 24.95." I was like "I just wanted yall to look at the supercharger and figure out why its messing up"
So I got a free oil change and filter out of the whole thing so i guess its not a total loss.
:pat:

FattyCBR

Are you running 93 octane?

ssbogger

Sure am. Im really leaning toward the Mass Air flow snesor as the problem but i dont know why it would go bad after about 150 miles with the S/C on. Im stumped.

midiwall

Did the dealer happen to mention what the CEL light code(s) was(were)?

Personally, it sounds like you got a nice story from the dealer and a $60 oil change.


If the CEL light comes back on, do NOT take it to the dealer. First take it to a Schucks/AutoZone where they'll read and decipher the codes for you for free. That can go a LONG way to understanding what's up. Was the CEL on before the S/C went on?

Did you do any of the fuel mods (fuel pump, free FMU, etc.)? It sounds like you may be leaning out on top, which is typical of S/C engines in our trucks. The 100+ mile number you quoted is a reasonable amount of time for the ECU to try to make adjustments. It's probably out of it's adjustment range at this point.

Do you have access to an OBD II diag tool? If so, then plug it in and take a look at your LTFT (Long Term Fuel Trim) - it's a good indication of how hard the ECU is working to get more fuel to the engine. Again, the ECU may be at the end of it's adjustment range and your fuel pump just can't get more fuel into the system - hence the need to upgrade to a larger capacity pump.


I trust that you're familiar with Gadget's site? http://www.gadgetonline.com/

This is the "Free FMU" which could help out a bit:
http://www.gadgetonline.com/fuel.htm#Free%20FMU:

ssbogger

They didnt get the codes b/c the light wasnt on. I reset it the night before to see if the computer would try to adjust again but it didnt.

The CEL was on before the s/c and had been on for about 5 months w/out a problem.

I havent done any of the additional fuel mods.

No acess to an OBD II tool.

Im thinking the fuel pump might be the problem. My last truck had a bad fuel pump and had similar symptoms to this.

The weird thing is that it happens only when i give it 1/2 throttle or more. It jumps and acts like its not gettin the fuel needed.

I guess ill wait for the light to come back on. It flickered on and off a few times tonight.

PhxTRDRunner

Did you install the new gasket from the throttle body to the charger? Also, are you sure your belt is not slipping? Recheck your belt tension.

FattyCBR

Before you start chasing your tail I would get your codes read as soon as you get a CEL. Also I would buy a multimeter and check your throttle position sensor. Also try cleaning your MAF with electric contact cleaner.

Did you put colder plugs in?

ManyMods

Been out of pocket for a while ... still haven't installed the 7th injector.

There is a vac port by the throttle body that gets capped; it's right near the FPR and sometimes the little rubber cap can either come off or could have been forgotten by the installer. Just a thought. Good luck solving your problem, I know how frustrating it can be.

midiwall

Two more things...

I just noticed that you have the Deckplate mod... Have you tried _closing_ the deckplate to see if it runs better with the S/C? Some folks have found that this helps.

And, if you have a laptop, I'd suggest you make this your next "mod": http://obddiagnostics.com/. For $90, it can help you tune as well as let you have access to the OBD codes as well as reset the CEL.

ssbogger

alright. the check engine code said it was misfiring. I went and bought new spark plugs and changed them out. The old ones were burnt up. I wanted to get colder ones but not a single store had them. I can tell after another 200 miles that these are going bad too. Will the colder plugs solve this? Maybe if i get a new thermostat too? Is this a normal thing to happen?

midiwall

If they're "burning up", then it sounds like you're running WAY lean. Running that lean can cause longterm damage.

You may have to do the fuel mods (larger injectors and a new fuel pump to push fuel to them).

Have you done the "Free FPR" mod that Gadget talks about on his site? That could help.

4RunnerFever

Any updates on the S/C problems? Did you trace down the specific problem??

Just Curious

ManyMods

This thread makes me cringe. A lean condition like this is certain death to an engine. Anyway, I just wanted to comment that when I was running sans 7th injector kit I could not open up the deck plate cover w/o experiencing poor-er performance. Now that I have installed the 7th injector kit and simultaneously opened up the deckplate, I experienced one level of performance. HOWEVER, after I removed the OE paper filter and installed the AMSOIL filter the performance improved noticeably. What all this tells me is that the tuning and fuel table parameters are very sensitive to any changes in the air induction. If it were me experiencing a lean condition to such a degree as described by this owner I would stop driving the truck and go back to square one with all engine mods and/or hunt down the cause of the misfire code. I am really sorry for your trouble.

midiwall

Yeup. I agree 187%.

ssbogger, you HAVE to stop driving the truck and figure out what's going on. The more you drive it, the closer you are coming to destroying the engine.

Something has happened to create what appears to be the leanest condition that we've heard about on the forum. Burning up plugs should be the least of your worries, and only the start of your trouble.

tomus1000

You were able to install the check valve on your Tacoma? I looked into it a few months back but my throttle body does not have that line comming off of it. Apparently, my 02 Tacoma has a differnet throttle body than the 4Runners.

Help me out here. Any information that you could share would be helpful. Everyone else that has any knowledge of this check valve has a Runner.