Desperate need for help.

D

DboyTACOMA

New Member
I have a 96 Tacoma 5 speed with the 2.4l just over 200,000 miles on it. Most of the time it runs and drives great. Then bam all of a sudden it starts running like crap with this weird misfire. It's like it goes into limp mode or something. It typically only does it after it's up to operating temp but besides that no rhyme or reason to when or why. All last week it didnt do it once now in the past night and a half it's done it three times. Only thing that has changed since that is I got a bunch if stuff behind my seat right now where last week i didn't have but two things maybe. I noticed one time while it was running bad I could smell a ton of gas when I stopped at a stop sign. It also messes with my ecu because I have a code reader that has a tach gauge and a bunch if stuff I use while driving but as soon as this problem starts it disconnects from the ecu. I've tried multiple code readers while it was running bad and not one would connect. the only code that the truck has on it currently is p0304 I believe it is. It's a catalyst converter code because the previous owner cut it out. While driving it when it starts this problem the less gas I give it the faster it accelerates, the more I push the gas it bogs down hard. And in every gear you can only go so far in the rpm range and it's like it hits a wall. The last thing that is consistent with this problem is that my a/c stops blowing cold like its kicked the compressor off. The only thing I have being able to come up with that it could be is the up stream o2 sensor going bad or wires that are cracked/arcing maybe. Because I was told that o2 sensor deals with the fuel tanks on this model tacoma. Thank you for any and all comments in advance. I will be checking this thread multiple times a day. If anyone needs more info feel free to ask but that's about all I can think of right now.
 
DboyTACOMA - Did you figure out the issue?

I've got a similar issue: 97 Tacoma Automatic 2.4L 160,000 miles Like yours, typically (but not always) when the truck is driven and warms up, then the CEL comes on: which begins the 1) weird misfire 2) sluggish acceleration 3) my code reader loses connectivity to the ECU and can't reconnect 4) A/C stops blowing cold (the A/C clutch won't engage). After it has set for a few hours/overnight, I can start it up and code reader works, no codes.

I'm suspecting it is an ECM issue, but hoping it is a $20 part. Just looking to see if you figured it out. Thanks!!!
 
TieOhTee said:
DboyTACOMA - Did you figure out the issue?

I've got a similar issue: 97 Tacoma Automatic 2.4L 160,000 miles Like yours, typically (but not always) when the truck is driven and warms up, then the CEL comes on: which begins the 1) weird misfire 2) sluggish acceleration 3) my code reader loses connectivity to the ECU and can't reconnect 4) A/C stops blowing cold (the A/C clutch won't engage). After it has set for a few hours/overnight, I can start it up and code reader works, no codes.

I'm suspecting it is an ECM issue, but hoping it is a $20 part. Just looking to see if you figured it out. Thanks!!!
Click to expand...
Before you get all involved changing parts make sure all you're grounds are clean and secure. Several years ago I had a car that basically was doing the same thing, be running fine then all of a sudden just go bonkers, wouldn't half run and throw every code there was, even for stuff it didn't have. One bad ground was the cause of the whole issue.
 
DboyTACOMA said:
I have a 96 Tacoma 5 speed with the 2.4l just over 200,000 miles on it. Most of the time it runs and drives great. Then bam all of a sudden it starts running like crap with this weird misfire. It's like it goes into limp mode or something. It typically only does it after it's up to operating temp but besides that no rhyme or reason to when or why. All last week it didnt do it once now in the past night and a half it's done it three times. Only thing that has changed since that is I got a bunch if stuff behind my seat right now where last week i didn't have but two things maybe. I noticed one time while it was running bad I could smell a ton of gas when I stopped at a stop sign. It also messes with my ecu because I have a code reader that has a tach gauge and a bunch if stuff I use while driving but as soon as this problem starts it disconnects from the ecu. I've tried multiple code readers while it was running bad and not one would connect. the only code that the truck has on it currently is p0304 I believe it is. It's a catalyst converter code because the previous owner cut it out. While driving it when it starts this problem the less gas I give it the faster it accelerates, the more I push the gas it bogs down hard. And in every gear you can only go so far in the rpm range and it's like it hits a wall. The last thing that is consistent with this problem is that my a/c stops blowing cold like its kicked the compressor off. The only thing I have being able to come up with that it could be is the up stream o2 sensor going bad or wires that are cracked/arcing maybe. Because I was told that o2 sensor deals with the fuel tanks on this model tacoma. Thank you for any and all comments in advance. I will be checking this thread multiple times a day. If anyone needs more info feel free to ask but that's about all I can think of right now.
Click to expand...
I know this is an old thread but I recently had the upstream o2 sensor go bad on my '02 Taco 2.4l auto trans., it didn't have any of the symptoms you described. The only thing that clued me into the problem was a glowing check engine light, the code was p1135. The truck had absolutely no running or drivability problems.
Could be a bad catalytic converter. I also know a leak in the evap system can cause a gas smell.
 
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