I've got a problem! I just picked my 94 3vze 5 speed 4runner up from the auto transporter that brought it from Los Angeles to New York. It was packed to the roof full of stuff (my girlfriend packed it with all my stuff before she sent it) and when I got in and started to drive home, I noticed that it had about half of the power I'm used to, even with the 3.slow under the hood. The check engine light also kicked on pretty immediately. I stopped it, turned it off, back on, and the same. I limped it in to my driveway in New York, and let it sit for about an hour while I unloaded it. I got back in and took it for a spin, and the problem was no better, only I could now see out of the back window. I just had a marlin crawler clutch, new water pump, new main seal, new AC compressor, and a tune up done by my highly trusted mechanic before my truck was shipped. My girlfriend then took it for a really good test drive (see significant others of yotatech thread for pictures) before it was shipped and everything was working great. I am supposed to drive 13 hours to Ontario Canada for some logging road wheelin and island campin in about 35 hours from time of this posting, so if anyone could help me get this sorted out asap, I'll make sure to reward all of yotatech with some amazing photos!

 

That is sort of a vague list of problems. Be more specific, as at this point it could be any number of problems.

Start by pulling the codes. Check obvious things like fluid levels, fuses, blockages, vacuum wires undone, etc.

 

retreated inside for a little while cus it was raining. Engine idle sounds good. spark plug wires are all firmly on the distributor, and the coil is firmly fixed. will pull dipsticks when the downpour gives up. All the gauges showed normal range, oil pressure, water temp, voltage, even gotts me some gas! I'll do more investigating shortly, I was just hoping for a brainstorm list of stuff to look at specifically.

 

Just for the fun of it disconnect the neg off the battery for a wee bit (2minutes). But be sure to get the codes first!! Also check the connections on the AFM and the TB.

So it idled alright and didn't sputter or anything like that, just no go? Did it feel like it wanted to go and didn't kinda like the brake was on, could the e-brake be hanging?

 

Where abouts in NYC are you located?

 

Has the fuel filter ever been changed ?.

 

okay, here's where I'm at:
I think Lumpy hit it on the head. When I got home the first time I smelled what I thought was a new clutch breaking in, but was probably a stuck e-brake. I went outside after my last post and started poking around. No light, no problems. I check the oil dipstick (which wasn't totally secured in apparently) and my oil level was alright. I put the dipstick all the way back in and the idle upped about a hundred RPM and became silky smooth, as I remembered it. I took it for a spin around the block, and no problem. I took it for gas, no problems until I was coming down the hill to the gas station. Then the check engine light came back on. I gassed up, restarted, and no problems no code. I then drove home, no problems.

I drive about ten miles in and out of Manhattan, and just as I'm getting on the offramp and slowing slightly, I get the same problem. I can't hold speed going uphill. The ebrake felt tight, but not engaged so far as I could tell. Is there anything besides a bad adjustment that would cinch the ebrake tight under slight bumps or slowing? Its really annoying. When I got home, there was a little touch of brake stink coming from the rear axle area. If I had to adjust the ebrake cable, can anyone throw up a picture of what needs to be adjusted? My FSM is buried in all my other stuff.

 

I grew up in Manhattan, and my parents still live on the upper west side. I live in Riverdale, in the Bronx.

 

A bit of a ride out from me. I'm in Cypress Hills Brooklyn.

You say the CEL comes on? Have you tried jumping the codes out? If you can get that, I can look it up for you and tell you whats up. Or find the FSM online. It was somewhere around on this site.

 

final verdict: it was the e-brake first, and then my truck must have been putting itself into the famed 'limp home' mode. I didnt find my code reader before I had to reset the computer, but there have been no problems since.

As for Canada, I advise that noone else ever try crossing the border with a dog with a valid rabies tag and no rabies paperwork. Eep. I'll try to find somewhere else to put some dirt on the runner this weekend.