Toyota - Highlander :: 2008 - Safe To Drive If Car Has Lost Power And Died?
Jan 23, 2013
I'm driving a 2008 Highlander, but this question applies to almost any car, I think. On a couple of occasions the Highlander has lost power, and I've lost braking and steering ability. Each time this happened I was going at slow speeds and was able to stop without a nasty problem then restart the car. But what if this happens and I really need to brake? Three related questions:
(a) Are power brakes going to stop the Highlander even when it has lost power?
(b) If not, will the parking/emergency brake be useful?
(c) If the answers to (a) and (b) are "No", what should I do?
Of course, I'd love to know why Highlander lost power, but my Toyota dealer was not able to replicate the problem, even after driving the SUV 100+ miles (the two occasions it happened to me were separated by about 5000 miles of driving).
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Over the past two weeks it just seemed to get a little worse, it was making noises when accelerating when the car was cold, almost like a whining and the engine was idling hard. When looking for the non-existent EGR valve I did discover my air filter was ridiculously dirty and the air intake is full of oil. The oil was low but not enough to make the engine seize. I know that's a lot of information but was trying to be as clear as possible about previous issues and what I have ruled out. I did read that it could possibly be the CPR, but didn't know and I need it running again.
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The car has 63,000 miles on it, I purchased it 4 months ago from a dealership, declining bumper to bumper warranty. My sales rep and the warranty manager reassured me the 5 year, 100k powertrain would be transferred to me, and it wasn't. I'm currently fighting with the dealership over them covering it, but that's a whole other story.
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Now it won't start with ~4 gallons in the tank.
I know the pump functions because I've pulled off the output tube at the pump and it'll spit out gas.
I know there's gas in the fuel rail because I pulled off the input hose.
I pulled off one spark plug to check for spark and it appeared to work.
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I've checked all the fuses.
I don't get any codes from OBD scanner I borrowed from Autozone (I've disconnected the battery a couple of times though)
I don't have a way to hook up the fuel pressure gauge I borrowed form Autozone because I don't have the adaptor.
Minus the clutch, I've done basically all maintenance myself, although certainly not a great mechanic.
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