2005 4Runner crapped the bed this morning!!

[scott78945]

2005 4Runner crapped the bed this morning!!- DIAGNOSIS FOUND!!

OK, so I am driving to work and all of a sudden I hear a VERY loud grinding noise and low and behold, the whole vehicle has shut down. My dashboard was lit up like a christmas tree! My check engine light, battery light, and I believe A/C temp light came on. My radio and heat were still going so no problems there. Now I didn't have the A/C on as here in NY it was 13 degrees this morning. I turn the car off and after a couple of minutes it starts right up and no problems. Not even 1/4 mile down the road I hear the same noise again and it shuts down. As stupid as I am I do all the same things and it starts up again. I got on the highway and it does it 2 more times before getting to work. I call my local Toyota dealership and I am currently watching it being toted away on a flatbed. I am thinking, a Toyota on a flatbed, that shouldn't be happening!! Hopefully nothing too major. I was thinking it was soemthing with the transmission and as a safety the engine cuts out. I hope its nothing serious. Any thoughts?

UPDATE-
Just got a call from the dealership and they stated that there was nothing wrong with it. He believes that it was water in the gas tank that turned into little pieces of ice and as the fuel pump tried to get the fuel into the system the little ice chunks stopped it which caused my engine to misfire which produced the grinding sound that I heard. There were no errors recorded on the computer. I specifically asked if it was the remote starter and he does not believe that was the problem as again there were no error codes. He called me back just a couple of minutes ago and stated that he spoke with an engineer from Toyota in California and they are sending a new fuel pickup line. Apparently they have been redesigned to alleviate this problem of ice going into the fuel system. The engineer insisted that the dealership put this on even though its not completely necessary. I feel a little more secure with that fix at least. Hopefully it doesn't happen again. I will need to go back in 2 days to have it put on and they are giving me a loaner for the morning.

 

[Koz]

First time I've heard of this, please let us know what come up.

Koz

 

[Bluto]

Metal on Metal griding? Or a loud vibration like ABS? A loud vibration; the VSC system may have a problem. Metal grinding, I don't know what to tell you.

 

[scott78945]

It was definately metal on metal sound. It was loud enough that I heard it in the cabin with all windows rolled up with my radio on and heater going. I was thinking maybe the transmission wasn't operating properly. I don't think its the engine as I was able to start it back up again and no problems but then that griding came around again and it pooped out. The sound seemed to be coming from somewhere on the passenger side under the hood.

 

[sharp4runr]

Please keep us up to date on what happens. I've got 26K miles on my 2004 and nothing like that has happened to me. I know of other members who have double the mileage and they are still going strong.

 

[Mark86]

My 2005 was on a flatbed when it had 5,000 miles on it. It decided to shut down in the middle of route 9. I didn't hear any noises, but when I looked at my dashboard, all of the warning lights were on. The only thing is all of my electronics were gone. My problem wasn't even Toyota's fault. The dealer hooked up my remote starter wrong and left a live wire too close to another wire. When I hit a bump, they rubbed together and blew a few fuses! Do you have a remote starter on your truck? Is the dealer at least providing you with a loaner car? I hope you get your truck back soon and it is a simple fix. Keep us updated!

 

[rook]

Metal on Metal griding? Or a loud vibration like ABS? A loud vibration; the VSC system may have a problem. Metal grinding, I don't know what to tell you.

I agree. It sounds like the VSC/TRAC is malfunctioning causing that nasty grinding sound when it triggers. If metal is grinding I dont thing you would have been able to continue driving after you re-started the truck without hearing constant grinding.

 

[scott78945]

I do have a remote starter but that has been installed for almost 6 months now with no problems. I don't think I blew any fuses as everything seemed to be functioning correctly afterwards. It would be nice if it was only the VSC/TRAC. I am going to be calling the dealer later this afternoon to see if they have any loaners because I am having a friend drop me off after work.

 

[Koz]

I do have a remote starter but that has been installed for almost 6 months now with no problems. I don't think I blew any fuses as everything seemed to be functioning correctly afterwards. It would be nice if it was only the VSC/TRAC. I am going to be calling the dealer later this afternoon to see if they have any loaners because I am having a friend drop me off after work.

Remote starter, OH NO!

Koz

 

[PolkManiac]

The very first thing that came to mind when reading your problem was the remote starter, as I remember reading the thread that Mark86 started a while back when his had the problem.

the RS wouldn't explain the metal grinding sound, but I'd still mention that to your dealer anyway...

 

[Mark86]

I do have a remote starter but that has been installed for almost 6 months now with no problems. I don't think I blew any fuses as everything seemed to be functioning correctly afterwards. It would be nice if it was only the VSC/TRAC. I am going to be calling the dealer later this afternoon to see if they have any loaners because I am having a friend drop me off after work.

I had my remote starter installed for 4 months before I got stuck. The remote starter was installed in June and I got stuck in October. I didn't have any hint of trouble until that time. Does the grinding happen before or after the truck shuts down? If it happens after, then I would say 99% the remote starter.

 

[otterball21]

YIKES!!! what is everyone with bad remote starts?! I hope it's not triggering the starter, cause then it's starter grind......

 

[scott78945]

I didn't think that the Runner could get starter grind and I have accidentially tried starting the vehicle when it was already running and nothing happened. Hmmm. I believe the grinding happens and then the engine cuts out. If it is the remote starter is it fixable or should I just be taking it out of the vehicle completely? It sounds like I should just be dumping it. I know many with remote starters on their Toyotas and no problems, why the Runners? Is there something specific to them? I can always take it back to where I installed it and have them look at it again if the dealership does not find any other problem.

 

[scott78945]

Bump for the diagnosis and solution.

 

[Northof49]

If not for the grinding, I would blame the remote starter without hesitation. However, the grinding noise makes it kind of weird, unless the RS is actually engaging the starter gear somehow....

I have never heard of said fuel line ice problem, but if that solves it, I guess that's what it was!

 

[scott78945]

I can only hope that will solve the problem. The service mgr told me that the only reason he knows thats the problem is that they had a Sienna in about 2 weeks ago with the same exact problem. So it appears that its not just a Runner problem. I do notice that the vehicle now seems to shift considerably smoother but I don't think that the dry gas would do that.

 

[otterball21]

I'm glad it's not a remote start problem.

Remote starts wouldn't usually kick on. unless you were pressing the button or a horrible thing happened. It all depends on the installer.

in all the remote starts I've done, I never had one come back. I always tell them that if they want certain things tuned they can come back.


One of my coworkers is horrible at them. I think I've fixed almost every single one he has done and a couple my boss has done.
However, my new senior is amazing and very good at it also.

The remote start can be causes to... " Shutting the vehicle down all of a sudden"

" truck not starting"

"starting cranking over at the wrong time"

Otherwise other things are not usually affected.


But if any one has questions about remote starts let me know.

Apparently you can hook it up to a previous alarm system. I found that out, however disabling the factory alarm, I've found out using the factory system has been troublesome because the remote start has to trigger the sequence to disable. ( I had trouble in a jeep so I had to eliminate one system)

But definitely let me know if you got a question...

 

[Northof49]

The Toyota dealer will almost always start with looking at any aftermarket additions when a problem like this comes up. In the VAST majority of cases, the aftermarket parts/installation are the culprit.

Aftermarket satalitte radios, alarm systems, remote starts, headunits, amps, etc.....if anything cooky happens in the electrical system, these are usually at fault if installed.

We actually had my friend's Toyota 4x4 crap out on us 8 hours from home this weekend due to a Clifford immobilizer.....rewiring ignition on the side of the road in the rain hungover as hell = no fun

 

[03RoadRunner]

Hey!

Try to start the car when you get it back; have the windows up and the heat on. Next step...act like your starting the car again, even though its already running...the sound should be familiar.

or

Time to trade it in...

J/K

Take care and good luck
03RR

 

[scott78945]

Are you saying that I should hear the grinding noise again? The dealership told me specifically they didn't see how that was possible as the Runners have the safety so that does not occur. Everything ran fine this morning so we will have to see.