Damned check engine light
 

Just driving along... overcast San Diego morning.
Look down to see how much gas I used driving from my parents' place last night and there it is staring at me in all of its orange glory. :bang:

Of course, this happens at 36,583 just a little bit after my warranty's up.

Called Autozone and they're no longer allowed to pull the codes.

Called my local dealership and they said that it MIGHT be covered under warranty depending on what it is. I think I'll be swinging by later.

Wish me luck!

Re: Damned check engine light
 

???!! The ones here still do. My roommate just took his in yesterday. Id call another one.

have u done any mods to your tacoma recently? i experienced trying to get a code read by toyota and they were trying to charge $130 just to have it read and diagnosed. you still have to pay even if you have warranty and they MIGHT re-emburse you later.

PoBoy:
Yeah, I know there are some stores that can pull the codes but my guess is that it's a regional thing. CA is probably one of the most sue-happy states in the union. I wouldn't be surprised if it's a corporate order from some higher up brass for CA only.

3.4v6:
Actually, I have the ISR mod done. Funny thing is that I've been running it for almost 2 months now. This is the first time it's ever happened.

On a whim I went home and pulled out the EFI fuse and replaced everything stock. No warning light.

After cleaning up some messy electrical wiring in the cab I pulled the EFI again and put back the cap and proper tubing.

No problems.

I dunno... I got Costco lowgrade on my last fill-up. Maybe that has something to do with it? :dunno:

When was the last time you changed your air filter? I had the same problem on my way through Bristol, TN. Stopped at autozone changed the filter light went out! Hope that can help.

My filter was changed 583 miles ago.
No worries though... I have an Amsoil coming my way soon...

If the light originally came on because of the air filter, would pulling the EFI fuse make a difference?

As far as i know once the fuse has been pulled and if the problem is in the air filter the ecu will still see the problem and the light will come on again. Another thing, i used to drive all across the country and i would have to change my filter quite often even though it looked clean. I dont know if this is a problem with the tacoma or what, i have a 2001 and that was my fix and it works for a while?

Invest in a global OBD2 code reader, I believe the basic ones are under $100 now. It may have been something simple like loose gas cap or something more involved, without knowing the fault code you are just spinning your wheels.

http://www.obdiicsu.com/ScanTools/ScanTools.asp

First thing I checked was the gas cap.
2nd thing I checked was all the hosing under the hood (once caught a hose loose :bang:)
3rd was to remove the EFI and go back to stock.

Now here I am, everything's cool. My ISR mod is back in place and I have no little warning light.

Ignorance is bliss :D

Actually, I've been thinking about wiring an old laptop into my truck. Not sure how to do that though...

If you're thinking about dropping a laptop into your rig, then this is another flavor of an OBD reader that you may want to consider:

http://www.midiwall.com/4Runner/obd.html

A number of folks here have this box - it's a lot of fun and provides a lot more info than a basic reader.

!
 

:D

Somehow Mark, I knew you'd pop in when I mentioned laptop
:laugh:

Actually, I was thinking about how other people put stuff under seats and I happened to be perusing your site and saw your sweet set-up.
I am in awe! :bowdown: :bowdown: :bowdown:

Unfortunately, my sister screwed up my beyond old laptop (6 years) and I'm debating whether or not its worth fixing.
I figure, if anything, I could just load my CDs in there, make mp3s out of them and have all my favorite tracks play through a tape deck (or better yet the factory system if I learn how to) - without having to carry a huge folder of CDs around.

Another mod for another day I guess. Dang my list is growing AGAIN! :readit:

:laugh: