99 sas runner

my new to me 97 runner sr5 auto has a miss or a stutter. new plugs. (ngk vpower) i belive i gapped them at 32 but i might not have at all cause i think they are pre gapped. i cleaned my maf also.

it sat for three years cause it was wrecked and i fexed her up. it seems like the power is in and out at wot, it either has a stutter or the power is in and out. idk if this makes sense. but i also cleaned the maf with brake cleaner?

any ideas?

BajaRunner

How long did you run it/drive it? It might take a little while for the code to come up. Seems like the coils go out quite often, and I'd take a wild guess it would be one of those. You can check the resistances on them (primary and secondary) and see if anything shows up there.

bigd9247

I had the same problem on my 1996 Tacoma with the 3.4l V6. I had a misfire and my truck ran terribly, but no code showed up for a long, long time. The problem ended up being the "coil boot" which runs from the coil pack down into the head to the spark plug. One of my coil boots (normally soft rubber) had become stiff and cracked. This was sending the spark charge to the side of my cylinder head instead of to the spark plug. A cracked or bad boot is pretty easy to spot and from what I read they will usually be slightly brown in color instead of black... mine was slightly brown. I also replaced the spark plugs with the factory plugs from Toyota. I can't remember which model they are, but I know that my engine had a sticker on it that specifically said to only use the spark plugs with one electrode and two grounds... not the typical V-power and other plugs with one electrode and one ground. It may or may not really matter which plugs you use, but I tend to stick with what Toyota recommends because I've owned more than one Toyota with 200k+ miles and nothing but routine maintenance. I bought my plugs directly from my local Toyota dealership... practically the same price as plugs from any other parts store. I hope this helps, good luck.

EDIT: I'm not sure if brake cleaner would damage the MAF sensor, but from what I've read it's a pretty sensitive sensor so that could also be a possibility. I always clean my MAF sensor with a product that is specifically made for cleaning MAF sensors. Also, I've had a similar problem with a bad throttle position sensor, but I couldn't drive the truck at all when it was bad. The truck idled fine, but as soon as I hit the gas it would sputter and try to die.

narfy

assuming your spark plugs are good (not accidentally dropped before installation) the typical cause for a mis-fire with no DTC is the spark plug wire set... reason for this, is the coils are firing to cylinders 1, 3 and 5 (bank 1) without any issues, but cylinders 2, 4 and 6 (bank 2) run off the coils on the right bank (bank 1)... so the ECM doesn't sense a fault as the coils are responding properly...

hth

99 sas runner

so i think ill get the dual ground plugs and check my coils and boots for cracks. it was missing really bad today.

99 sas runner

i have put 400 or so miles on it. maybe more

WEINERDOGBONE

iTrader: (1)

I can back you on this as I just worked through the exact problem on my 99. I did eventually develop a code but it took a long time. When I did develop a code, it was a misfire on the #6 cylinder. I swaped the coil pack from the cylinder to a known good cylinder to see if the problem moved. It did not.

I then replaced the plugs because I had used the single electrode plugs in spite of being warned against it. I finally changed the plug wires and the 4runner runs better than it ever has.

99 sas runner

so do wires to? ok ill check it all out i wonder if thats why my 99 gets such garbage milage

J2F42C

If you think you have narrowed it down to the ignition, I'd change the plug wires with NGK, Denso, or OEM. No other brand should be used. Use a little dielectric grease on the boots.

If this is a 3.4 engine, the spark plug gap needs to be .043~.044 for the dual electrode plugs. Torque to 13ft/lb with a little anti seize on the threads.

Since this 4 runner has been sitting so long, I'd fill up the gas tank and add some Redline ST-1 or better yet, BG 44K. Then take it for a long Italian tune up on the freeway. Drain the oil and change the fuel filter. Bad gas and/or moisture in the tank probably is not helping.

99 sas runner

so i pulled each coil, cleaned the maf and looked at the wires. the wires definatly need to be replaced! but after this i have no miss. so i belive after some better OEM plugs and new wires it will be good as new!

J2F42C

To make this super easy for ya:

http://www.amazon.com/NGK-TE66-Wire-Set/dp/B000CJ8DC6

http://www.amazon.com/NGK-BKR5EKB-11...=pd_sim_auto_1

I'd try to get the plugs from your local auto store. They probably have a much better price on them (I paid $2.99 each locally). Ask about the plug wires as well.

BajaRunner

How often are you supposed to change the wires? I used to change out the wires every year on my 22re, but never have I changed the wires on a 3.4L.

TheDurk

Not very often. I did mine at 100k, and I'll let them go a long time. The factory Sumitomo's have the year stamped on the wires, so it's easy to tell if they have never been done. But ten years is certainly overdue, so if you have Sumitomo's, I'd change them.

J2F42C

Baja,

Every year? I hope you were getting a good deal on replacements.

My personal rule of thumb for wires is the same for O2 sensors: 75,000 to 80,000 miles unless the wires are subjected to water from offroading, etc. Then I'd say each situation is unique since YMMV.

Wires for the 4 runner such as NGK and Denso are pretty cheap. So is OEM. A little dielectic grease and antiseize go a long way to keeping a good spark.

J2F42C

I found the Denso replacements wires in an auto store in Georgia for $15 three years ago. I am pretty sure they were marked incorrectly. They have worked well.

With that said, I'd gladly pay an extra $15 for the NGK's. The Densos have been good, but the sheathing around the copper is nowhere as thick as the Sumitomos or NGKs, hence if I keep the 4 runner for many more years, the Denso wires will be replaced sooner rather than later.

99 sas runner

so should i go to the dealer for wires and plugs?

camo31_10.50

not if you can get the same thing at the parts store for cheaper.

Call and check on prices.

i've heard NGK stuff is good for Toyota's. it's what i as well as most of the people on yotatech use for plugs and wires.

TheDurk

I used the NGK TE-66's--I have 30K on them. So far, so good, and the blue wires are purty...

99 sas runner

ill check it out

narfy

i run toyota denso plugs and wires only... i've had NGK wires fall apart on me... no experience with the denso wires, but if you hold an OE wire, and an NGK wire, you'll see where the difference is... the OE wires are sealed much better...

90919-01192 x6
19037-62010 for the wire set...

OE plugs are cheep... why not run them? dual ground, good for 48000km...