Toyota - Tacoma :: 2003 / 3.4l Engine Surging - Loosing Power When Accelerating
Apr 16, 2011
I have a 2003 toyota tacoma 4x4 with the 3.4l engine. Recently I have noticed that while accelerating I am losing power. I first noticed it would surge while going slowly uphill and since it has started happening all the time. I especially notice a serious dip in power during freeway acceleration at around 3000 rpm. The truck has 100000 miles on it. I have changed the plugs, run injector cleaner (the stuff you buy at the gas station), cleaned the throttle body, changed the air filter, and cleaned the mass airflow sensor. I have played a little with the throttle position sensor and that seems to have some affect on the timing of the surge but it is hard to tell. Of course toyota doesn't service the TPS for that year but rather try to sell you a new throttle body $1100.00!!! Could this be the catalytic converter or maybe a faulty injector? Also, I have not changed the timing belt yet.
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I replaced my fuel filter on my 2003 2.4L toyota tacoma 2wd. 65k miles. At the same time I checked the valves. No valve adjustment needed. Then i started hearing 4 to 6 rapid metallic clicks from the engine compartment when I start the engine cold. Clicking lasts 1 to 2 seconds. Sometimes happens when engine warm. This fuel filter is not original equipment.
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How long should I let my engine cool down before changing the spark plugs? I have a 2003 Toyota Tacoma 4cyl 2.4l. My drive home from work is about 10 miles and I would like to change my plugs after work but I am not sure how long I should wait before working on the vehicle.
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What I know the truck was running normal except if I stomped the gas pedal and let off it would not respond again until I shut off keys and restarted this was a month ago now the truck sounds like it has a lope tune.
When I hit the gas pedal it blows white smoke and if I press the gas while idling or driving it floods out I did the spray bottle test on manifolds the drivers side was plenty hot the passenger side is cold you literally can touch while it's running.
The truck sounds like it's only running on 4 cylinders it has gotten so bad I parked the truck. Also this truck always had poor mpg 8 to be exact city hwy and towing nothing changed the mpg at all it used to blow out wet soot that would fall down on the truck and anyone standing near it.
Mods unknown pcu program 4in straight pipe with 12in stack harpoon mod in tank
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I have a 2003 Toyota Tacoma pickup. I bought it used in the spring of 2009. I drove it for a few months without any problems and one day this problem developed. It won't start on the first attempt. Or it will start and then immediately die. It will take two or three tries to get it running.
I took it in to my mechanic and he couldn't find anything wrong. I got a tune-up anyway and it drove like a champ. Until the next day when the problem came back. This persisted for a few weeks more and then went away.
This last summer it started happening again and continued up through October and went away again. I think the problem seems to happen when it's hot in the summer.
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I just bought a 2003 Tacoma 2.4l engine and it has terrible gas mileage.I haven't checked the numbers yet, drive for but it cost medrive for 2 hours. Where do I start looking? The air filter is clean, the tires have plenty of air.
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I am the 2nd owner of a 2003 Toyota Tacoma, 2wd, 140k miles. I've only recently noticed that when I stop on an upward bound hill, and remove my foot from the brake, I will roll backwards while still in DRIVE when at STOP signs, etc. I know that Toyota came up with some 2 peddle fix in later years, but is this to be expected in the 2003? Yea, I know...Tom & Ray would say "keep your foot on the brake stupid", and then move on to the next call...but neither of us is that TOM or RAY now, are we?
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I have a 2003 Ford F-350 super duty 6.0. A few weeks ago it starting loosing power, it wouldn't even go up to 15 mph. It now won't even move. There is 0 power. When I press the gas the motor bogs down to a very low idle and wants to die. I also had recent trouble with it starting. It would wind up to a very very low idle and about a minute later it would crank up to full idle. I changed the fuel filters (on top of the engine and under the cab) and also changed the fuel pump under the cab. After that I still have no power when pressing the gas it will still act like it wants to die.
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I have a 2000 Excursion with the 7.3L. We bought it in February of last year with 81,000 miles on it, and it has 111,000 miles on it now.
First problem:
It threw a code today: P0683 indicating a communication issue between the Glow Plug Control Module and PCM Communication Circuit. Other than the code, the truck isn't doing anything out of the ordinary today. Drove it about 40 miles, up to 80 MPH, problem three below did show it's head once, but other than that it ran great.
Second problem:
Ever since we've owned the vehicle it has done a strange surging/near-stalling thing (for lack of a better word) when it's started up. It only does it occasionally, and the problem seems to appear, and then go away for several weeks or months only to reappear. Here's how it goes:
- Start truck
- After starting the truck immediately begins to surge (rev?) and then nearly stall.
- It will do this over and over, about one surge/near-stall cycle per second, until I tap the accelerator, at which point it stops immediately. So far it has never stopped on it's own, but has always stopped with a tap of the accelerator.
Up until recently I chalked this up to "huh, that's weird" since the truck has otherwise run fine.
Third Problem:
Every once in a while the truck will hiccup while it's up to speed. It only seems to do it at highway speeds, typically between 55-70, and the hiccup typically only occurs once.
The first time I distinctly remember it happening was right after I had replaced the Camshaft Position Sensor (approximately 5-6 weeks ago).
While digging around online I found one other guy say his truck started doing the same thing after replacing the CMP in his F250 with the same little plastic gray one I used. So that problem might be caused by that part.
My Thoughts:
It seems like the run-away favorite for fixing problem one is to replace the GPCM. I've dug through a couple hours of forums this afternoon/evening, and it looks to me like the GPCM is the culprit the vast majority of the time when code P0683 comes up.
I'm thinking problem 2 might be an ICP issue. I can't find any previous forums anywhere that describe the exact issue I'm having - or really anything very close. Maybe it's out there, but I couldn't find it. So I'm really grasping at straws.
Problem 3 could either be related to the ICP (if problem 2 is an ICP problem) or it could be due to the new CMP I installed (the cheap gray plastic one from Autozone). It's possible the hiccup has been around longer than I think. Half the time when it happens (or does it?) I can't decide if it was a hiccup or a bump on the road I didn't see. I am sure it's happening at times, but there are other times I'm not sure if it was a hiccup or a bump I just didn't see. So I think it's possible it's been going on longer than I realize, and I noticed it that first time because I had JUST been under the hood and pretty finely attuned to how the truck was running as a result.
I'm about to hitch my 35' camper to this truck and haul it a few hours and I'm not feeling real confident right now. Problem 1 hit today, problem 2 is more prevalent than every right now, and problem 3 has been hiccupping for 5 or 6 weeks. I'd like to get at least problems 1 and 3 sorted out before hauling 8,000 lbs if possible.
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Have a 1995 Toyota Tacoma 4WD with around 230K miles. Recently, it has been 'skipping'. When we are driving or idling, it's like the engine sputters out and jerks along but it never stalls and always starts. Had it to dealer and another mechanic - plugged it in said it was catalytic converter and 02 sensor. We changed those, along with: plugs, wires, air filter, oil. That did not fix it. What this could be. Where else to start to look for this vehicle. It's been the greatest little truck.
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Friday, May 13 I brought my car to the shop because the Check Engine light came on and the engine started loosing power. $540 later they had replaced both O2 sensors. A day later the light was back on. Brought the car back on Monday and they replaced one of the sensors that was defective according to them. One day later the light was back on. Brought the car back on Wednesday and they replaced the sensor again, telling me the brand was not compatible with my car. One day later night the light came back on. Brought the car back in Friday May 20 in the morning and they have my car since. They can't figure out whats wrong. A week before all that happed I had an oil leak and they replaced the oil filter and a seal. Could that be it?
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I recently bought a 2003 Toyota Tacoma with the 2.4 L engine and 160K miles. It seems to run fine. I took it into my Mechanics Files mechanic to have a couple of things done and he recommended doing a fuel system flush for like $300. My daughter has a 2008 Yaris w/ 100K. She took it to her mechanic recently (on the other coast) and he recommended a fuel system flush (for about $150!!--and she's on the West Coast, I'm in VA). She thinks her gas mileage is a little off (only getting 38 mpg !! ??), but otherwise the car is running fine. If these vehicles are running well, is there any reason to get this flush done? The idea that it may increase gas mileage if otherwise running well seems doubtful to me.
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When I am coasting in reverse or forward at low speed e.g. 5 mph, I am hearing a whine that seems to be coming from the rear axle.
Usually it happens just after I have shifted OUT of gear (it's a manual transmission).
I uploaded the sound as a WAV file to here: Note! I recommend that you disable flash before going to this [URL]......
When I speed up the whine just rises in pitch and it's making my ears ring. What that sound might be? Maybe I just need some "axle grease" or something?
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My 03 Tacoma TRD is showing her years! The truck has about 215k and has some serious vibrations and noises going on. First off I have a constant shaking type of vibration between 25 and 35 mph, but it is also present in the higher speeds of 55 and above but sometimes it gets drowned out. I work at a ski resort so when Im coming down the mtn using 3rd gear or so to slow down I feel the vibration is the most apparent then. So far I have had 2 shops look at my driveshaft and both concluded there is nothing wrong with the u joints. I had a CV shaft installed because one of the boots was torn so I went ahead and had that replaced.
What the vibration is.....2nd is more of a intervalled whooomping sound almost like a bullfrog-like interval. As I increase speed the intervals get faster but it is a drawn out whooomp whooomp not a fast sound. It actually rattles the change in my ash tray to the bpms of the sound. Also I have a metallic clunking sound happening when I put the truck in gear (manual) or start and stop at slow speeds without using the clutch. I was driving around a parking deck the other day in first gear and it would make the sound whenever i hit the gas AND when I let off the gas. ONE MORE THING, whenever I am starting off under load in any gear, the truck jerks.....it hesitates and lurches but only at low rpms and again in any gear.
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A couple of days ago I removed the key from my 1999 Toyota Tacoma (175,000 mies)and the power stayed on. Specifically, the ignition was in the proper "Lock" position when the key was removed, but the radio continued to play and the dash clock stayed lit.
Normally, prior to this change, the radio turns off with the ignition being rotated to "Lock" and the clock LED turns off. There hasn't been any abnormal force applied to the ignition. As well, I haven't noticed any other electrical issues, but it still is operating in this abnormal way.
After 175,000 miles worth of starts has my ignition switch worn to the point of "shorting on"?
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My 2012 Toyota Tacoma's engine knocks around 1500 rpm, going up hill and does it 100% of the time in the summer. This I attribute running the Air Conditioning, but don't know for sure. The vehicle manual states on page 569 that the vehicle can take 87 octane gas. Also on the same page, there is a statement that says: "You may occasionally notice a light knocking for a short time while accelerating or driving uphill. This is normal and there is no need for concern." This seems very strange to me, engine knocking normal? I don't get it.
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All the gauges on the dash will die for a second and the engine cuts out and the car jerks then it will come back on and everything is fine. Sometimes the gauges turn off completely and the car will die and will not start for several minutes. I will try to start the engine but it will not start until the dash lights come back on. The first time this happened to me I changed the air filter and the car ran fine for a month. So when it happened again I took my air filter out put it back in and again the car worked fine for a couple of weeks. Now, It doesn't work to mess with the air filter at all. The car is cutting out more and more.
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I have a Golf 1.8 t 2003 and when the car reaches 4000 rpm on 3rd gear it starts sputtering and can't go above that rpm. it sputters a bit on 2nd gear but at about 5000 rpm but it keeps accelerating. I couldn't try the other gears because i don't have a suitable to reach those speeds (traffic laws speed limits). I have noticed a slight tear on the connection between the hose from the air filter and the T hose. could that be the problem.
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The clutch on my 2003 Toyota Tacoma has been acting funny for a while. I have to pull the pedal back up with the top of my foot about half the time, otherwise it acts like the clutch isn't all the way disengaged when I push the pedal to the floor. The master and slave cylinders have both been replaced as well as the clutch pedal mechanism itself (thought it might be the spring). I adjusted the push rod a little bit and it seems to have worked slightly but it's definitely still a problem.
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I have a 2000 Toyota SR5 with a 6-cylinder engine. When I first start the car (cold start) in the morning it will run at high idle (1500-1800 rpm) for about 3-4 minutes. At this point, the idle will begin to drop, but then the engine starts to surge. It's a noticeable surge that bounces from around 900-1100 rpm. It almost seems like an electrical surge, but I don't believe that's the problem. After running the car for a while and it's fully warmed up to operating temperature, the surge goes away. My thoughts automatically went to the IAC (idle air control) or maybe a temp sensor?
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My 1995 Toyota Tacoma has 217, 000 miles and was running great. The other day it started to make a whine when making tight turns. I had just climbed a hill and was backing it into a parking spot when the steering became hard to turn and a plume of white smoke began coming out of my exhaust. There was no smoke under the hood. I had it home immediately. I'm hoping it will not become a new planter box in my back yard.
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