GRU

I searched on the forums and found someone with the same problem, but there solution didn't work for me.

I have a 1990 3.0 V6 SR5 that I purchased last year. It's my first truck, and it's my first Toyota. I took out my spark plugs the other day just to clean them and so I could say that I knew what condition they were in, and they all looked immaculate for the condition of the truck (they must have been put in not long before I bought it) I gapped them properly and made sure all the wires were going back to the proper plugs.

Now when I start it up, it idles perfect (800 rpm), but if I GENTLY push on the accelerator it will stall (I have tried manually pushing the throttle under the hood and I get the same affect). I can stomp on the gas to get it past the stall point, and it will sputter a bit at first but then runs perfectly fine at a higher RPM. Only as I BEGIN to push on the pedal do I have a problem, and when I let go of the gas completely/suddenly my check engine light blinks on for a tenth of a second.

I thought it was something to do with the air intake tube which I had to remove to get at the spark plugs or the spark plug wires themselves but I have checked all that and everything is back to the way it was, and I can't for the life of me tell what has changed. I also thought my throttle might be sticking (which it was a little bit) so I lubed it up but that didn't help either.

Your help would be GREATLY appreciated as I use this truck everyday for work and I REALLY don't want to be driving it like this.

Any suggestions?

GRU

More info on this:

My roommate thinks it may be an electrical problem apart from the spark plugs. Because the truck dies SO suddenly, without a cough or a sputter, and the revs just drop to zero.

It used to only be when I would hit the accelerator. I started it the other day to show my roommate, and it ran fine for a few minutes while I let it warm up. I could even press on the accelerator gently without stalling, but when I brought it around the block to the parking spot behind my house it began to stall out again in the back lane. I parked it there and left it for a few days, then I checked my spark plugs again, with more diligence this time (I had been so impressed with them I had only fiddled with a few of them last time, this time I did exactly the same thing to each one) and it ran again fine for a minute or two and I could even press gently on the accelerator... Then it died while I wasn't pressing anything. My roommate is suggesting that it's the alternator or some sort of other electronic malfunction because of how well it runs and then how suddenly it stops.

I want to save as much money as possible on this and learn how to do the repairs myself so I don't want to pay to tow it somewhere to and pay again just get it checked and then find out I have to pay a whole lot more on top of that to get it fixed.

Anyone know where I should continue my diagnostic?

jiffylubej42

that sounds like a intake gasket . not sure of bst way to check but i would when it is warm and idling spray some carb cleaner or eather around the intake and see if its idle changes should give a direction + its fairly cheap test

GRU

So now the truck just stalls suddenly if you let it idle for about 60 seconds. It idles perfectly fine, then just stops dead.

I am trying to pull codes but when I jump the wires from the TE1 terminal and E1 terminal, and turn the ignition the check engine light just keeps blinking forever. No codes. WTF is wrong with this Toyota!?!?! makes me not want to buy another one...