Mine was intermittent, as it was the coil in the injector going bad. It would run fine to town then miss on the way back, or vise versa. I found the injector problem with a screwdriver during a period of missing.

Not saying it's an injector, it's just something you can check when it's missing to rule it out.

Ahh gotcha. Yeah I will keep that in mind thanks. Its only when its a warm engine after driven for awhile. Never does it when it's cold. The tech said that's why they were leaning towards electrical (plugs, wires, coils) and that made sense to me.

Make sure the crank bolt is tightened to 217ft/lbs of torque.

I remember where a member on YT had his timing belt replaced and 20,000 miles later he was getting a CEL at speeds of 60 mph and above, but not below that speed. It turned out the garage he had used the old bolt torque reading of 187ft/lbs and with time the bolt had worked itself loose and the crank position sensor was not able to read the teeth on the crank gear (what the timing belt wraps around at the crank). I cannot remember if he had a rough idle though.

If the bolt is loose, then I would look at the timing belt crank gear possibly off. Pull the belt. If the crank bolt is tightened, then look elsewhere.

You may want to get a fuel pressure reading at idle as well.

$30 for NGK wires from Amazon. It could not hurt to replace them.

Soliport ELM 327 Bluetooth OBDII OBD2 Diagnostic Scanner : Amazon.com : Automotive

For the app it's in whatever Android calls their app store, it's named "torque".

Ah, gotcha. I'm still staying away from Bosch for my 4Runner, in case of wires either oe or ngk, imo.

I'll take your advice. Found the NGK for a decent price. Checked the wires I have and they are original from 1999! Might be part of the problem.

I have two toyotas and a dodge and Bosch doesn't have a good rep for any of them. If the plugs are new, I would replace the wires and coils and go from there. A flashing cel means stop and do not pass go so at least slow down until it stops flashing. I bought a code reader at advance auto on sale for $100. Pulls codes, clears codes, and can collect and then download real time data (never used that function). It has been handy for multiple vehicles and I imagine it would be especially useful in a state where you can't get it done for you.

140,000 miles... I wonder if it's pretty to watch after dark, especially when damp?

False.


This is completely false. There is no California LAW against reading a code at an auto parts store. Pep Boys will read codes for free, in fact I just had a code read about 4 months ago at the Pep Boys store near Genesee Ave in San Diego.

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If you are going to use the Torque app on Android be sure to pay the $5 for the full version. It is wayyyy better than the free one.

No it is true. Pep Boys isn't just a parts store they are also licensed as a garage/mechanic so they can read codes for you.

Takes a real mechanic to plug in a box that only fits one plug and then turn a key on, press a button and read some numbers. Some sort of union protection? Ridiculous!

So you are saying that a shop must have a certain kind of license to read codes. Perhaps I am wrong because I know AutoZone won't do it anymore but I assumed it was just a CORP policy.

I know Pep Boys does it for free and you are right they are a full auto repair shop as well as parts store.

BTW, you can buy a Blutooth OBD-II scanner for about $30 on Amazon and the Torque app for $5. It work great.

I've been having the EXACT same problem with my 99 SR5. Right down to the flashing CEL at high speeds. The problem is intermittent, but the only difference is that my CEL stays lit after the sputtering/low performance until it eventually resets itself. I bought the bluetooth code reader a few months ago and paired with torque it has proven to be excellent bang for my buck. I got a code saying that my Bank 2 O2 sensor was toast. I finally got around to replacing it on Saturday and have not had a problem since... fingers crossed. I can say however that the truck was running downright terribly when I bought it a year ago even after I seafoamed, cleaned, new air filter, plugs and wires.. but when I replaced the O2 sensor in the engine bay (bank 1?) the dang truck ran 200% better. It was unbelievable. I'm hoping switching out this bank 2 O2 sensor will solve the problem this time around as well. Please let us know if you solve the problem!

Let's not dance around the problem and throw parts at it. I am disappointed in that shop that said "needs new coils they're old."

I'd be happy to break it down into a good parts diagnosis when I get home. It's about two hour trip and I need to leave now.

By the way... the reason they don't allow codes to be read by parts stores? Some group of jackasses whined about their shops losing money on their "diagnostic fees" due to parts places offering free scans... so someone took action.

Your downstream o2 sensor is not going to make your rig run better. If its bad, it can stop you from getting catalytic deficiency codes.