'91 4runner 3.0
Got a CEL code 12, checked the distributor and igniter. The resistance is out of tolerance on all pickup coils and the igniter. I priced new distributors and igniter and they are $400-500+ each from reputable sites, I just cant afford that right now. There are cheaper ones of course, I tried a cheap dist and ign I found on carparts.com for about $70 total and they were bad from the box. So my question is, can I just repair these instead of replacing them? And if so which parts do I need? Or can someone recommend somewhere to buy the dist and igniter new thats a happy medium between breaking the bank and breaking the truck

The truck seems to run fine right now other than maybe worse mileage than I should be getting, I guess it isn't bad enough to cause problems yet but I don't want to wait for that.

 

Could you back up a step?

Code 12 is an open or short in the NE or G circuit. (for more than 2 seconds). If you are permanently missing those signals, the truck won't run. So you have what could be an intermittent problem, and those can be traced back to the distributor. Or lots of other places. There is no resistance spec (that I know of) for the igniter, so I don't know what test you ran there. How did you test the distributor (and what did you get)? The fact that your replacement distributor was "bad from the box" does cast some doubt on your testing procedure.

If your distributor coils are far enough out, then sure, they could be the cause of code 12. But I don't know of any repair procedure, or any place to get the coils (if that is the source of your problem.) Sorry.

 

What I understood is that code 12 is that the RPM signal is not reaching the ECU. I followed the TSM for checking the distributor and igniter. Here's my results
Igniter Primary Coil resistance: 0.7 ohms (should be 0.4-0.5) (tested between the 2 pronged plug)
Secondary: 13.53 (10.2-13.8) (tested between the left prong and the coil wire plug)

Distributor pickup coils, tested at the plug going from dist to ECU
G, G1: 184 (205-255)
G, G2: 185 (205-255)
G, Ne: 185 (205-255)

Service manual recommends replacing the distributor and igniter
I tested the new parts I got before installing and the resistance was out for those too. I don't remember what the numbers were exactly. After I saw the prices for good parts vs what I paid I figured I just got what I paid for and they were cheap parts

Reading around it seems most problems with the coils is the resistance being too high, not too low like mine. It's possible my meter is wrong but it's a pretty high end Fluke meter so I don't think so

And thanks for responding, I appreciate any help i can get