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After 281k miles, my Tacoma left me stranded...

jlee

jlee

Lifer
...in my driveway, fortunately.

Crank, no start. I ordered a fuel filter because I haven't changed it in the two years I've owned the truck. If that doesn't fix it, I'll actually have to troubleshoot stuff. 😛

Oh well. Good thing I have another 200k+mi Toyota to get me to work. 😛
 
I was pretty lucky a few months ago when my Saab's fuel pump failed about 50 feet down the road from my house - got about 150k miles out of it. At least they put it right under the back seats so it's easy to change. It would have been nice if it had died in the driveway, but at least it didn't go out on the 200-mile trip I had made a few days earlier. (Maybe that's what killed it...)

If it's just a fuel filter, that would be awesome, although it doesn't look too hard to replace a Tacoma fuel pump if that's what it is (aside from having to drop the tank).
 
NutBucket said:
Technically you're not stranded since you never left the house 😛
Click to expand...

lol, touche. 😛

In the last two years (bought with ~268k) I've replaced a starter (had to roll start a couple times) and an alternator (drove home with the dash voltage light on), and my roommate had a battery cable fail (re-crimped and is good to go), but it's always got me home. I suppose the record hasn't been broken yet! 😀

If I have to drop the tank, it's got to be easier than an MR2. I just hope it's a simple fix, and doesn't require hours of testing/troubleshooting/etc.
 
I'm no Tacoma expert - but pure speculation - I doubt a clogged fuel filter would result in a car going from running to a no start condition without some other symptoms first... fuel pump maybe... having said that - I hope you get it running quickly and without too much expense.

Cheers.
 
njmodi said:
I'm no Tacoma expert - but pure speculation - I doubt a clogged fuel filter would result in a car going from running to a no start condition without some other symptoms first... fuel pump maybe... having said that - I hope you get it running quickly and without too much expense.

Cheers.
Click to expand...

Yeah, fuel filter is because I really should do it anyway and I might as well try. I am suspecting the fuel pump. I doubt it's a fuse/relay or ignition, as it stumbles around 400rpm and tries to stay running, but can't. So, there's some spark and some fuel, just not enough to run.
 
jlee said:
Yeah, fuel filter is because I really should do it anyway and I might as well try. I am suspecting the fuel pump. I doubt it's a fuse/relay or ignition, as it stumbles around 400rpm and tries to stay running, but can't. So, there's some spark and some fuel, just not enough to run.
Click to expand...

In my (limited) experiences, fuel pumps from the last 20 years or so tend to just work or not work, not pump a little bit of fuel and gradually die. Each one I've worked with has been an in-tank fuel pump, though.

An easy test is to see if you can keep it running by taking out the air cleaner and spraying mist of gasoline or starting fluid sprayed into the intake. Do your own research to make sure it isn't going to blow up / screw up cats or sensors, of course. You'd need two people though - one to crank it and one to spray the fuel.
 
CurseTheSky said:
In my (limited) experiences, fuel pumps from the last 20 years or so tend to just work or not work, not pump a little bit of fuel and gradually die. Each one I've worked with has been an in-tank fuel pump, though.

An easy test is to see if you can keep it running by taking out the air cleaner and spraying mist of gasoline or starting fluid sprayed into the intake. Do your own research to make sure it isn't going to blow up / screw up cats or sensors, of course. You'd need two people though - one to crank it and one to spray the fuel.
Click to expand...

Eh, I'll just check fuel pressure when I have the fuel filter disconnected. 🙂
 
jlee said:
...in my driveway, fortunately.

Crank, no start. I ordered a fuel filter because I haven't changed it in the two years I've owned the truck. If that doesn't fix it, I'll actually have to troubleshoot stuff. 😛

Oh well. Good thing I have another 200k+mi Toyota to get me to work. 😛
Click to expand...

I am confused. You've owned the truck two years, yet you are implying you have put 281k miles on the truck. Man, you drive a lot, and fast!
 
Google the issue with the fuel pump, it has been a while since I did reading on these tacomas but I remember reading something about the fuel pump failing or something like that. Regardless these are great trucks.
 
tortillasoup said:
Google the issue with the fuel pump, it has been a while since I did reading on these tacomas but I remember reading something about the fuel pump failing or something like that. Regardless these are great trucks.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I did some poking around and it looks like the fuel pump is the most likely culprit. It's earned its keep at this point, but I might preemptively replace the one in the Lexus too before it does 100 miles from nowhere. 😛

Shouldn't be too bad - take the bed off, replace pump, replace bed.
 
Clean up your electrical grounds, especially body grounds so you don't burn out your next fuel pump. At the minimum do the main grounds in the engine bay such as the one for the battery and do the ground that runs from the fuel pump harness to the closest bare body part such as the frame.
 
OP,

I'd check the codes before I did anything. My 2003 Tacoma failed by the edge of the highway. My father came to the rescue with a laptop, ELM scanner software and an OBDII cable. For what it's worth, with the Tacomas...it's NEVER the fuel filter. Never heard of one failing without general piss-poor neglect, extended time sitting with fuel in the tank (more than a few months) or filling the tank from a coffee can during a dust storm.

In my case it was a failed coil pack AND a TPS. A trip to Vato-Zone, and less than an hour later, and I was back in business. I'm ready for another ten years.

M.
 
maluckey said:
OP,

I'd check the codes before I did anything. My 2003 Tacoma failed by the edge of the highway. My father came to the rescue with a laptop, ELM scanner software and an OBDII cable. For what it's worth, with the Tacomas...it's NEVER the fuel filter. Never heard of one failing without general piss-poor neglect, extended time sitting with fuel in the tank (more than a few months) or filling the tank from a coffee can during a dust storm.

In my case it was a failed coil pack AND a TPS. A trip to Vato-Zone, and less than an hour later, and I was back in business. I'm ready for another ten years.

M.
Click to expand...

This is good advice, you don't want to throw parts at the problem. But I don't think OP has an OBD-II code scanner, might be a good time to invest in one, at least the bluetooth adapter that can be used with your phone.
 
CurseTheSky said:
An easy test is to see if you can keep it running by taking out the air cleaner and spraying mist of gasoline or starting fluid sprayed into the intake. Do your own research to make sure it isn't going to blow up / screw up cats or sensors, of course. You'd need two people though - one to crank it and one to spray the fuel.
Click to expand...

And you should have your friend be the one who sprays the fuel.:biggrin:

OP, I use the ELM 327 OBDII bluetooth scan tool and the Torque app on my phone. It works pretty well, and is small and cheap enough that you can just leave it in your car all the time if you want. Heck, buy one for each of your cars, plus a spare for later; it's only $7.50.
 
tortillasoup said:
This is good advice, you don't want to throw parts at the problem. But I don't think OP has an OBD-II code scanner, might be a good time to invest in one, at least the bluetooth adapter that can be used with your phone.
Click to expand...

I don't have one; I have three. 🙂 There's no codes.
 
If it starts but does not keep on running, then it is NOT fuel pump but the logic which tells the computer that engine is running is not working. On most cars, fuel pump is turned on during the cranking part but once the engine starts running, then the fuel pump runs only when it gets specific signal which verifies that the engine is running. Most vehicles, that would be ignition pulses, crank signal, or in some boneheaded engineering case (I am talking about 80's Honda!) alternator output. If the fuel pump does not get that signal, it stops running and your engine dies.

Do the real diagnostics rather than throwing parts at it, man! You are in the top 1% of the highly respected ATG member list!
 
sontakke said:
If it starts but does not keep on running, then it is NOT fuel pump but the logic which tells the computer that engine is running is not working. On most cars, fuel pump is turned on during the cranking part but once the engine starts running, then the fuel pump runs only when it gets specific signal which verifies that the engine is running. Most vehicles, that would be ignition pulses, crank signal, or in some boneheaded engineering case (I am talking about 80's Honda!) alternator output. If the fuel pump does not get that signal, it stops running and your engine dies.

Do the real diagnostics rather than throwing parts at it, man! You are in the top 1% of the highly respected ATG member list!
Click to expand...

No, it doesn't start. It would stumble and try to catch but would never actually stay running. I tried again last night and it didn't fire at all. The filter should be done even if the truck ran perfectly - I have no idea when it was last changed. I'll check fuel pressure when I'm doing that today. 🙂 I also tried key-on to let the pump prime, then start - no dice.

highland145 said:
Missed your payment, eh?
Click to expand...

LOL. I've only made one payment on this truck, and it was over two years ago. 😛
 
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