98 4runner still bucking

Clemshady

Clemshady

New member
Okay, getting frustrated now. My 98 Limited 3.4 liter started bucking at around 55 mph. I have changed sparkplugs, helped for about 5 miles then it started back. I found oil in passenger side rear sparkplug chamber which concerned me. I took MAF Sensor off and cleaned it. Took off TB and cleaned it too. There was some oil on other side of TB which really concerned me. Is this bad? I am thinking its not good. Pulled EFI fuse to reset system. Did good for about 15 miles and started bucking from 0-60. Check engine light started flashing too. Going to have it put on for code read tomorrow but does anybody have any thoughts? 4runner has 328,000 on it, might just have to put a bullet in it ;)
 
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Until you get the code, I don't want to jump to any conclusions.

Original spark plug wires, coils, fuel injectors?

Check your PCV valve to see if it clogged. You may be getting blowby from bad valve seals. Ever see blue smoke when starting up in the morning? Engine burn oil?
 
LittleCaesar said:
Until you get the code, I don't want to jump to any conclusions.

Original spark plug wires, coils, fuel injectors?

Check your PCV valve to see if it clogged. You may be getting blowby from bad valve seals. Ever see blue smoke when starting up in the morning? Engine burn oil?
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No smoke and doesn't burn oil. Hoping it might be coils but need to get code before I sink any more money into it.
 
:help:
steezemcqueen said:
Get the code and check compression
Click to expand...

Well, I just got the code and it showed "Cylinder Four Misfire". I went ahead and replaced the sparkplug wires since that is usually the culprit. It only made it worse. Idleing extremely rough, has no power and is still bucking at pretty much all speeds now. I having been browsing the threads on cylinder four misfire and have come across fuel injector problems. Could that be the problem?
 
What kind of plug did you put into it? The general consensus of this forum is that the third gens generally run the best with denso or NGK plugs. I've heard of people initially putting Bosch plugs in, only to have it run like crap, then turning around and replacing them all with Denso or NGK.
 
Have you swapped the coil packs to see if the misfire moves to a diff cylinder? that can at least rule out a coilpack. It could be injectors as well, injectors are fairly cheap.
 
Is it like a 'hiccup'? My brother in law had issues in cylinder 6 and it was a bad fuel injector. Be sure to get the other injectors refurbished or replaced, they tend to go bad in sets.
 
madbomber08 said:
What kind of plug did you put into it? The general consensus of this forum is that the third gens generally run the best with denso or NGK plugs. I've heard of people initially putting Bosch plugs in, only to have it run like crap, then turning around and replacing them all with Denso or NGK.
Click to expand...

I put the NGK dual electrodes in it and it seemed to help but started getting bad again.

audiness said:
Have you swapped the coil packs to see if the misfire moves to a diff cylinder? that can at least rule out a coilpack. It could be injectors as well, injectors are fairly cheap.
Click to expand...

Yep, thats a good idea to at least eliminate the possibility. I will try that too either today or tomorrow.

Panzerpatty said:
Is it like a 'hiccup'? My brother in law had issues in cylinder 6 and it was a bad fuel injector. Be sure to get the other injectors refurbished or replaced, they tend to go bad in sets.
Click to expand...

It is more like it is bucking and has no power. If I put pedal to the metal it will accelerate without the hesitation but when I let off the accelerator it goes to a normal idle. After doing this then I accelerate normally it feels like it isn't getting any gas and starts to buck again. I am really starting to lean towards the injector but before I dig that deep I want to eliminate everything else.
 
audiness said:
Have you swapped the coil packs to see if the misfire moves to a diff cylinder? that can at least rule out a coilpack. It could be injectors as well, injectors are fairly cheap.
Click to expand...

Through the process of elimination and swapping the coilpacks around I still have a cylinder four misfire. The general consensus is that the fuel injector has gone bad. I figure around $150 for a new OEM injector and doing the labor myself hopefully won't be that bad. Wish me luck. :cheers:
 
Well, I hopefully am saving myself a bunch of money. I couldn't imagine paying somebody $1000 to do what I did today. I changed out fuel filter and then decided to remove all six injectors instead of just #4 since I had access to all. I plan on shipping them to WitchHunter Performance - Injector Cleaning & Flow Testing Services for a good cleaning. While waiting I guess I will change out all of the dry rotted vacuum hoses since most fell apart in my hands. I am glad I decided to take a bunch of pictures because I would never be able to remember where everything goes.

For good measure I replaced the PCV valve and the grommet too.

Its amazing what you see while working under the vehicle. I noticed that my muffler had two holes in it. geez...just another project once I get it put back together.:bash:

If all of this doesn't fix my hesitation problem then I am giving up on it. :shrug:
 
WitchHunter is a great return on investment; the cleaning of the injectors really made a difference for my buddy's 350z.

Doing one's own work on their automobile while saving money at the same time is aces in my book.
 
LittleCaesar said:
WitchHunter is a great return on investment; the cleaning of the injectors really made a difference for my buddy's 350z.

Doing one's own work on their automobile while saving money at the same time is aces in my book.
Click to expand...

Yep, thats what I have gathered on this forum. I can't wait to get them back to see how it runs with them cleaned out.
 
I just wanted to keep everybody posted on the status of my 98 Limited 4Runner. I sent the injectors off to WitchHunterperformance.com last week. I received a call today from Gordon at WitchHunter who stated that the fuel injector in cylinder four was bad. The coil resistance was almost two times higher than it should have been. It explains why I was getting a cylinder four misfire and all of the problems that I have been having.

Gordon stated that he had an extra injector lying around and sold it to me for a very fair price considering that it was a Denso OEM. WitchHunter saved me a lot of money and I would recommend them to anybody. Injectors are in the mail and on their way back to me as we speak.

As soon as I receive them I will install them and let everybody know how they do. I don't think the injectors have ever been serviced prior to me owning the vehicle so 328,000 miles on them ain't bad. Chalk another one up for the injectors going bad but nothing to whine about.
 
I didn't want this to be an incomplete thread on my problems with my 4Runner. I installed the newly serviced fuel injectors and luckily didn't have any leaks on the first try. 4Runner is running like a dream now with no problems.

I wanted to thank everybody that responded with their ideas and solutions. T4R.org has been a great resource and has allowed me to fix my own ride and save a *&(*load of money. I would have never been able to do this without this website. Once again, Thanks!!!!
 
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