So my 97 4Runner 3.4 started stuttering at low RPMs, Changed the plugs and wires (denso duel prong), the old plugs were pretty nasty and the new ones fixed the problem!!!... for about 20 miles, then it came back a little worse, Seafoamed it twice, blew lots of smoke both times, again fixed the problem!!!... this time for about 2 miles and now it's back and worse again Any ideas?

 

I had some stuttering issues, turned out that the engine was low on Coolant! We found a leak in a coolant line which goes to the rear cabin of the truck for the heater. We patched it up, topped up the coolant, and all has been good since.....try taking a look at your fluid, and if it's low, take a look at your coolant lines??

 

thanks i'll do that... anyone know why that would make it studder???

 

Has your CEL come on at all, I am having a similar problem right now, my light came on and its telling me my #3 cyl is not working, turns out its the coil pac. Just a thought

 

it came on, said misfire. I reset it after doing the plugs and it hasn't come back on yet

 

i'm having this problem right now.... This morning i started up my runner and let it sit for a good 3 min to warm up. On the take off, it'd stutter and feels like it was bogging a bit. After a few moments, it came out of it and seems fine. however the CEL stayed on and i stopped by VIP today to ask them to pull up the code and all he said that the cyl is misfiring and left the room. I'm pretty pissed off about the customer services the vip have in maine.

anyways, can any one help me with this matter? What can i do from here? And can i keep driving around in this condition for a while till i get enough money to bring my truck to the garage?

thanks!

 

What cylinder missed? That is important because you can swap coil packs with a different cylinder. If the miss moves to a new cylinder you know it's a coil pack. If the miss stays with the cylinder you can rule out the coil pack and move on to injectors, valves, or head gasket (same advice goes for bvet4dog). Also inspect the wiring going to each coil pack.

 

Try going to an Autozone in maine. i think they should have them. i know they do in NH. They will give you a print out that says everything that the CEL checker reads

 

it was reading misfire cyl 1, I replaced the coil and it's running great and the light is staying off! Thanks for the help.

 

and for code reading Advance Auto is great, just give them your license and you can take their code reader out and use it in the parking lot, then bring it back in and get your liscense back.

 

In our 4runners, if there are misfire codes, will the CEL always come on? My '99 seems to be a little hesitant right off idle, and also seems to idle rougher than it should. But I don't have a CEL, and it doesn't really feel like a misfire. Didn't know if the ecu stored everything, but only kicks the CEL on after a certain priority level. Basically, is it possible to have a misfire code show up on a scan with the CEL being off the whole time?

I just changed the plugs (NKG dual), but not the wires or coils. I also just installed a K&N filter in the stock airbox at the same time. I'm wondering if the K&N isn't treating me right.....

 

yes you can have a misfire code with the light off, I did, when it got worse the light came on but i did check it once when the light was off and it had the code. If it has to do with the K&N it could be some of the filter oil got on the MAF, might try cleaning that. The K&N should be fine though, i have one in my tacoma. was it running good before the new plugs?

 

I think it was running better before the plugs. It's hard to tell though...cause the truck is brand new to me. I drove it cross country home in one shot, parked it in the garage, and started doing maintenance. I feel like it's runner rougher...but at the same time, it was new to me the whole drive home, and I think now I might just be being anal and noticing every little thing. lol.

I'll get it scanned tomorrow and see what it says. I need a scanner...I don't like not being able to check them. My previous main squeeze was a 2006 VW GTI...and VAG-COM is amazing....I could do everything with that thing. Toyota doesn't have anything like that, I guess I need a generic ebay OBD2 scanner.

 

yeah i'm buying one off ebay too. I use denso duel electrode plugs and they work gerat for me, but i do notice more stuff after I work on my truck so maybe it was always like that. you could try changing the plug wires too.