98 runner cylinder 1 misfire - Toyota

djvanharp · 06-01-2006, 05:33 PM

Hi, I have a 98 4WD 3.4 V6 4runner. Recently the check engine light came on. I went to a autozone to have the code read and it came up a misfire on cylinder 1. I changed spark plugs and ran injector cleaner through a tank of gas. Ran ok for a while then the light came on again with the same code. I swaped the coil over cylinder 1 sparkplug with cylinder 3 to see if the code would change cylinders. Still number 1. I figured it could not be a wire as cylinder 1 has no plug wire, it is part of the coil. I did a resistance test on the injector it was ok a ten OHMs (at least to my understanding). I still have the light comming on and can tell the car is slugish. At times it will run fine and the light goes out, but comes back on. It seems to run better cruising at highway speed. I also put a new air cleaner in. Any help would be useful. Oh yeah the Runner is about to turn 90000.

mikes4runner · 06-01-2006, 06:02 PM

Clean the MAF(Mass airflow sensor) with carb cleaner.

also did you reset the ecu? dissconect the battery for a few min.

Mike

djvanharp · 06-01-2006, 06:49 PM

Mike, I am going to do both to see what happens. Can the MAF cause the misfire #1 code? Thanks for the help I am going out to clean that and reset the ecu. Any other help is greatly appreciated.

mikes4runner · 06-02-2006, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by djvanharp
Mike, I am going to do both to see what happens. Can the MAF cause the misfire #1 code? Thanks for the help I am going out to clean that and reset the ecu. Any other help is greatly appreciated.

I am not sure about the 4Runner but in my MR2 when the MAF is dirty it can cause the CEL to come on and the performance is sluggish like you stated....anyway it should be cleaned as part of a routine.

keep us posted

Mike

djvanharp · 06-03-2006, 10:03 AM

Since cleaning the MAF the light has been off and it is running smooth. Thanks.

polvadis · 12-18-2006, 08:24 PM

hi,

I also have a problem with my moms 98 4Runner. The #4 cylinder is showing to be misfiring, but everytime i take it into the shop everything works perfect. I seem to have the same symptoms as described here; very low idle causing the car to shake, and sluggish pick up when its go time.

i did change the plugs and switched the coils and it still does it.

the light comes on when this happens, goes away by itself when the problem vanishes.

where is this MAF sensor? perhaps i should clean that, the car has some 130k on it.

thanks for any replies.

polvadis · 12-18-2006, 08:34 PM

also,

i see that a lot of people have the same Cylinder Misfire problem, but no one really posts any answers of what it was that finally got the problem fixed.

im kind of down to the fuel injectors or something more serious.

djvanharp · 12-18-2006, 09:25 PM

My number one cylinder misfire turned out to be a fuel injector. I will post again as how to check it. I do not have time now. DJ

polvadis · 12-18-2006, 11:17 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by djvanharp
My number one cylinder misfire turned out to be a fuel injector. I will post again as how to check it. I do not have time now. DJ

Cool, thank you. I can't wait to fix the problem so I'm thankful for any help I can get.

Thanx again.

Her4Runner · 12-19-2006, 12:08 PM

FWIW, I too had a "Cyl. #3 Misfire" turn out to be a bad injector. Go here for details. Hope this helps!

Her4Runner

djvanharp · 12-20-2006, 08:34 AM

Hi sorry it took me so long. If you have not figured out your problem yet, here is what I did. Checked coil by switching with another to see if misfire changed cylinders. Checked wires. Cleaned MAF which is just behind the air intake by the air filter. After that the problem seemed to clear up and then came back. When it finally came back to stay I tested the injector with a ohm meter. The resistance between the connectors of the injector should be I believe 11-13 ohms. I used a haynes repair manual to figure this all out. I had tested the injector before and it showed good but the problem was not consistant. I think the injector worked on and off until it quit altogether. the ohm test is done with the engine off. The haynes manual was quite helpful when changing the injector also. Make sure you change the o ring seals also. I found six injectors on ebay (aftermarket) very cheap and I changed all three on that fuel rail. Good luck! let me know if this helps fix the problem or if you find something else. DJ

polvadis · 12-20-2006, 02:00 PM

Thanx for the reply.

I just got back from the mechanics, and he said something along the lines of not being able to pull just one injector without pulling everything off, and quoted me some $300 for labor. Is that true? You can't just take out one fuel injector and replace it? He recommends cleaning all of them out because when he pulls it out they will all come out anyway.

Anyone? Sounds a bit fishy to me.

EDIT.

Just called a local Toyota Dealership and they confirmed that to change one injector some rail with all of them needs to be pulled, and want $499 just for the labor, $186 for the fuel injector. WOW.

djvanharp · 12-20-2006, 03:02 PM

There are two fuel rails and all three injectors have to come out when one in the rail is changed. They can check to make sure the injector is electronically functioning with a resistance test, without having to remove the fuel rail. Depending on the position of the injector they may be able to get at it without removing much. If the resistance is correct it still could be plugged. Trying a $2.00 bottle of injector cleaner from a Auto parts store and driving at highway speed for a while may also help. If a injector is clogged it just might need a little help to clear itself.

When dealing with shops especially dealers it is best to tell them "my car chugs". If you tell them to change the injector and they do and the car still has problems they only did what you told them. I do not like paying what I think is outragous labor fees at many shops.

It took me 3 hours to change mine myself. The first time I ever tried something like that. I tried to get by with a old seal that looked fine and it leaked. The second time I had to do it to changed that seal. It took me less than a hour. A seasoned toyota mechanic should be able to do this in no time, however somethimes we are at their mercy. If you email me directly I could return email you my phone # if you would like to talk on the phone. DJ djvanharpen@tds.net

JimRunner · 01-21-2009, 04:35 PM

I am going through the same thing right now. 1996 V6 SR5 with 233K. Started chugging and CEL came on. Misfire in cyl. 3 and in several others as well on occassion. Mechanic ruled out everything but fuel injectors. I find it hard to believe that multiple injectors are going bad at same time. I am going to add some cleaner to the tank and possibly clean MAF. Any other thoughts? Thanks.

djvanharp · 01-21-2009, 05:07 PM

Only thing I can think of is as I stated earlier check the resitance of the injectors to see if electronicly they're fine. The one I had bad was on the passenger side fuel rail and that side was fairly easy to get off. Good Luck. That is about all I have let me know how it turns out. I hope I can get 225K on my 4Runner! I'm at 115 now.

06-01-2006, 05:33 PM	#1 (permalink)
djvanharp Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 7	98 runner cylinder 1 misfire Hi, I have a 98 4WD 3.4 V6 4runner. Recently the check engine light came on. I went to a autozone to have the code read and it came up a misfire on cylinder 1. I changed spark plugs and ran injector cleaner through a tank of gas. Ran ok for a while then the light came on again with the same code. I swaped the coil over cylinder 1 sparkplug with cylinder 3 to see if the code would change cylinders. Still number 1. I figured it could not be a wire as cylinder 1 has no plug wire, it is part of the coil. I did a resistance test on the injector it was ok a ten OHMs (at least to my understanding). I still have the light comming on and can tell the car is slugish. At times it will run fine and the light goes out, but comes back on. It seems to run better cruising at highway speed. I also put a new air cleaner in. Any help would be useful. Oh yeah the Runner is about to turn 90000. __________________ DJ

06-01-2006, 06:02 PM	#2 (permalink)
mikes4runner Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Hanover,PA Posts: 1,187	Clean the MAF(Mass airflow sensor) with carb cleaner. also did you reset the ecu? dissconect the battery for a few min. Mike __________________ 01 MR2,96 Vette,93 4runner

06-01-2006, 06:49 PM	#3 (permalink)
djvanharp Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 7	Mike, I am going to do both to see what happens. Can the MAF cause the misfire #1 code? Thanks for the help I am going out to clean that and reset the ecu. Any other help is greatly appreciated. __________________ DJ

06-03-2006, 10:03 AM	#5 (permalink)
djvanharp Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 7	Since cleaning the MAF the light has been off and it is running smooth. Thanks. __________________ DJ

12-18-2006, 09:25 PM	#8 (permalink)
djvanharp Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 7	My number one cylinder misfire turned out to be a fuel injector. I will post again as how to check it. I do not have time now. DJ __________________ DJ


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12-18-2006, 08:24 PM	#6 (permalink)
polvadis Registered User Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Wroclaw, Poland Posts: 184	hi, I also have a problem with my moms 98 4Runner. The #4 cylinder is showing to be misfiring, but everytime i take it into the shop everything works perfect. I seem to have the same symptoms as described here; very low idle causing the car to shake, and sluggish pick up when its go time. i did change the plugs and switched the coils and it still does it. the light comes on when this happens, goes away by itself when the problem vanishes. where is this MAF sensor? perhaps i should clean that, the car has some 130k on it. thanks for any replies.

12-18-2006, 08:34 PM	#7 (permalink)
polvadis Registered User Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Wroclaw, Poland Posts: 184	also, i see that a lot of people have the same Cylinder Misfire problem, but no one really posts any answers of what it was that finally got the problem fixed. im kind of down to the fuel injectors or something more serious.

12-19-2006, 12:08 PM	#10 (permalink)
Her4Runner Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 76	FWIW, I too had a "Cyl. #3 Misfire" turn out to be a bad injector. Go here for details. Hope this helps! Her4Runner __________________ 2000 4Runner (Hers) 1992 Typhoon 1991 Syclone 1998 Camaro (DD)

12-20-2006, 08:34 AM	#11 (permalink)
djvanharp Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 7	Hi sorry it took me so long. If you have not figured out your problem yet, here is what I did. Checked coil by switching with another to see if misfire changed cylinders. Checked wires. Cleaned MAF which is just behind the air intake by the air filter. After that the problem seemed to clear up and then came back. When it finally came back to stay I tested the injector with a ohm meter. The resistance between the connectors of the injector should be I believe 11-13 ohms. I used a haynes repair manual to figure this all out. I had tested the injector before and it showed good but the problem was not consistant. I think the injector worked on and off until it quit altogether. the ohm test is done with the engine off. The haynes manual was quite helpful when changing the injector also. Make sure you change the o ring seals also. I found six injectors on ebay (aftermarket) very cheap and I changed all three on that fuel rail. Good luck! let me know if this helps fix the problem or if you find something else. DJ __________________ DJ

12-20-2006, 02:00 PM	#12 (permalink)
polvadis Registered User Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Wroclaw, Poland Posts: 184	Thanx for the reply. I just got back from the mechanics, and he said something along the lines of not being able to pull just one injector without pulling everything off, and quoted me some $300 for labor. Is that true? You can't just take out one fuel injector and replace it? He recommends cleaning all of them out because when he pulls it out they will all come out anyway. Anyone? Sounds a bit fishy to me. EDIT. Just called a local Toyota Dealership and they confirmed that to change one injector some rail with all of them needs to be pulled, and want $499 just for the labor, $186 for the fuel injector. WOW. Last edited by polvadis; 12-20-2006 at 02:36 PM.

12-20-2006, 03:02 PM	#13 (permalink)
djvanharp Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 7	There are two fuel rails and all three injectors have to come out when one in the rail is changed. They can check to make sure the injector is electronically functioning with a resistance test, without having to remove the fuel rail. Depending on the position of the injector they may be able to get at it without removing much. If the resistance is correct it still could be plugged. Trying a $2.00 bottle of injector cleaner from a Auto parts store and driving at highway speed for a while may also help. If a injector is clogged it just might need a little help to clear itself. When dealing with shops especially dealers it is best to tell them "my car chugs". If you tell them to change the injector and they do and the car still has problems they only did what you told them. I do not like paying what I think is outragous labor fees at many shops. It took me 3 hours to change mine myself. The first time I ever tried something like that. I tried to get by with a old seal that looked fine and it leaked. The second time I had to do it to changed that seal. It took me less than a hour. A seasoned toyota mechanic should be able to do this in no time, however somethimes we are at their mercy. If you email me directly I could return email you my phone # if you would like to talk on the phone. DJ djvanharpen@tds.net __________________ DJ

01-21-2009, 04:35 PM	#14 (permalink)
JimRunner Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Richmond, VA Posts: 2	I am going through the same thing right now. 1996 V6 SR5 with 233K. Started chugging and CEL came on. Misfire in cyl. 3 and in several others as well on occassion. Mechanic ruled out everything but fuel injectors. I find it hard to believe that multiple injectors are going bad at same time. I am going to add some cleaner to the tank and possibly clean MAF. Any other thoughts? Thanks.

01-21-2009, 05:07 PM	#15 (permalink)
djvanharp Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 7	Only thing I can think of is as I stated earlier check the resitance of the injectors to see if electronicly they're fine. The one I had bad was on the passenger side fuel rail and that side was fairly easy to get off. Good Luck. That is about all I have let me know how it turns out. I hope I can get 225K on my 4Runner! I'm at 115 now. __________________ DJ

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