| LIFE 4Runner misfire

[planomateo]

2000 4R with 135k miles, feels like a fuel injector is acting up and I'm getting a misfire on cylinder 5. It's my daily driver as I drive about 70 miles each day for work, doesn't have the get up it used to.

I'm planning on doing some work in a few weekends on it - replace the valve cover gasket, spark plug wires, spark plug tube gaskets, plugs, various gaskets, pcv valve, radiator, and a few other things.

There is a guy up in Denver that cleans/reconditions fuel injectors for a very reasonable price. He recommended I send him some extra fuel injectors in the event a few of them are irreparable.

So I took a trip this morning to the local pick-n-pull and grabbed 8 extra fuel injectors just to be safe . These pick-n-pull places are awesome!
It just so happens the 4Runner is the only vehicle I have that I can get parts like this, for that I'm thankful.

Someone had already taken the intake manifold and throttle body off making the job super easy to grab the fuel injectors, just 3 bolts to get the fuel rail off and pull the injectors.

OEM injectors are $125@ w/ a really Toyota parts discount. I have $6.99@ in these plus another $12@ to have them reconditioned/tested. Hopefully I can sell a few of the remaining and break even on these.

 

[Sgt. Lincoln Osiris]

We had a pick-apart place open up here in T'town a couple years ago.

Most of the salvage yards around here are similar in concept (finding a compatible car and snatching your part off yourself)- but the pick-apart places seem to be much more organized. Not just hunks of scrap cars piled on top of each other.

135k on a '00 model? Damn. That's impressive. I've got 170k on my 05 Nissan Pathfinder. What sucks about this truck is that if I start having cylinder misfires and the coils/plugs seem good, there is no schrader valve anywhere on the fuel rail to test fuel pressure. You have to buy a kit for it that splices into the fuel line around the fuel rail, which makes it difficult to check fuel pressure to eliminate the fuel pump.

With only one cylinder misfire, it's either the fuel injector like you're suspecting, or it's a coil-over.

I saw this DIY years ago and tried that setup on my daily driver's injectors. Worked well actually.

 

[planomateo]

Yeah, I looked at the DIY method above. I'm gonna splurge and let a fuel injector guy get me 6 good injectors.

Pulling a fuel rail means I should to at least yank the other two injectors and replace the o-rings/filters. And while I'm there, I should do the other 3 injectors as well. That's how this snowballs.

 

[It Takes Eleven]

If you don't get it done with all of that work (ignition system and fuel injectors), there's always the possibility that the fuel pump could be lagging. However, if it's only missing on one cylinder, you ought to get it with what you're doing.

On the flip side of low mileage autos, I've got 337,000 on my '09 Camry. It's a 5 speed, and I'm still on the original clutch.

RTR,

Tim

 

[sk33tr]

If you don't get it done with all of that work (ignition system and fuel injectors), there's always the possibility that the fuel pump could be lagging. However, if it's only missing on one cylinder, you ought to get it with what you're doing.

On the flip side of low mileage autos, I've got 337,000 on my '09 Camry. It's a 5 speed, and I'm still on the original clutch.

RTR,

Tim

now THAT'S impressive!

 

[planomateo]

Toyota didnt make the fuel pump easy to change in this, gotta drop the tank. My land cruisers have an access door in the floor to replace it.

 

[Sgt. Lincoln Osiris]

If you don't get it done with all of that work (ignition system and fuel injectors), there's always the possibility that the fuel pump could be lagging. However, if it's only missing on one cylinder, you ought to get it with what you're doing.

On the flip side of low mileage autos, I've got 337,000 on my '09 Camry. It's a 5 speed, and I'm still on the original clutch.

RTR,

Tim

I was gonna suggest fuel pump, but in my experience, it throws multiple cylinder misfire codes and not just one isolated cylinder misfire.

 

[Sgt. Lincoln Osiris]

Toyota didnt make the fuel pump easy to change in this, gotta drop the tank. My land cruisers have an access door in the floor to replace it.

Pffft. Eff that.

Do u know where the fuel pump is located in the tank? Cut an access hole in your floorboard. I did it on my Pathfinder. Had the fuel pump changed, floor fixed, and carpet back down in less than an hour.

 

[planomateo]

Luckily a problem I don't have to solve yet.

 

[Sgt. Lincoln Osiris]

Luckily a problem I don't have to solve yet.

Well whenever you do, like most mid-size SUVs, it's probably located in the tank directly under the rear passenger seat somewhere. That's where mine was. Luckily, youtube had plenty of vids on how to successfully locate it. They all suggested cutting the floor with metal shears/tin snips, but I wanted a slightly cleaner edge that was easier to seal with HVAC duct tape so I opted for an oscillating multi-tool with a metal blade. I've got pics of my repair somewhere. I'll try and find em.

 

[planomateo]

Yeah, some on the 4R forum suggest doing this to replace the rear shocks due to the nut being tough to get to.

 

[Sgt. Lincoln Osiris]

Yeah, some on the 4R forum suggest doing this to replace the rear shocks due to the nut being tough to get to.

It's fairly easy. Cut 3 sides to create a folding "flap", then tap it back down with a rubber mallet and seal the kerf back up once you're done with the repair.

I suppose for a super-tight seal you could solder/JB weld it, but I opted not to so that in case I had to go back in, tape is WAY easier to cut. For sound dampening I layered Gorilla (duct-black) Tape at least 3 deep on top of my original seal layer.

 

[Sgt. Lincoln Osiris]

@planomateo

Because I was in a time crunch, I didn't bother with the tedious task of pulling out a bunch of trim and extra seats in order to have enough carpet slack available to expose the necessary amount of floorboard.

I simply cut the carpet right where the seat anchors were so my carpet seam would be hidden when reinstalling the seat.

I've done the "drop the tank" method in another vehicle before, and this easy WAY easier and quicker. And I didn't need an extra set of hands to help me balance the tank while trying to lower it. Plus those tank retaining straps can be a bitch. Then you have to lower the tank JUST enough to blindly reach above it and disconnect fuel lines and wires by feel before fully lowering and removing it, as I'm sure you're aware.

Eff all that noise.