I have the opportunity to purchase a 94 4Runner in good condition. It has been sitting for about 3.5 years. I was trying to get it running before I agreed to buy it and ran into trouble. I got it to start, it idled for about 45 seconds the CE light came on and it died. After replacing the air filter (which a mouse lived in) and fuel filter I was able to keep it running at partial throttle, but as soon as I changed throttle position it would die. I pulled off the cap on the mass air meter and the wires were disconnected when I plugged them back in it would not run. I'm thinking either Mass Air Sensor or the ECM. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated as each unit is quite expensive. Thanks

 

crunnner, im sure you checked but did theses mice eat any cable? thats a common problem with a car that sits that long. make sure you inspect under the wheel and under the dash for damaged cable. did you put fresh gas in?

 

Thanks joebattle1. I did check for chewed wiring and everything looked ok. I also put in 10gal of fresh fuel.

 

what is the ECU throwing for a code?

 

I don't know what codes it's putting out yet. I have to get someone to pull the codes for me. I got a used MAS today and it started fine and runs ok through all throttle positions. No check engine light on anymore. When I took it for a ride it was very slugish and under load the valves were clattering very badly. It also has a slight miss at idle and you can feel this (surging) at certain throttle positions while cruising. It has plenty of oil in it. Is it possible valves need adjusting?I plan on doing a complete tune up, but something tells me the rough idle and surging is something more.

 

what engine is it?

Also, pulling codes is very simple all you need is a paper clip.

Find the "Diagnosis" box near the fuse box on the passenger side of the engine bay. Unfold the paper clip. Look inside the diagnosis box, on the under side of the lid should be a diagram of what each hole is. Put one end into "TE1" and the other into "E1". Go back inside the cab, and turn the key to "ON"....don't try to start it, just turn it to "ON". The CEL should flash. Count the number of flashes. for two digit codes, there should be a 2 (or so) second break in between each "number". IE, code "21" should be two flashes--2 second break--then one flash. Even if the CEL went away once you replaced the MAF, its still stored in the ECU. Good luck! Post the code if you get it.

 

3.0 6cyl (3VZ-E).
2 codes 24 and 31
Thanks for the tutorial.