Fuel Guage, stalling and CEL

[owen1832]

Ok I have done quite a bit of reading on TSB EL010 and the issue I am having seems to be related on my 2000 4runner 5spd. A few things.

1) My VIN number is not covered in the ranges in the documents so I am not sure if both the circuit board and the fuel send unit needs to be replaced. My VIN ends in Y03214XX. Model VZN185

2) My check engine light has come on and off as part of this issue along with the gauge going from 1/4 to 1/2 full and really being almost empty. We have run out of gas without the gas light even coming on and showing 1/4 tank.

3) Truck will stall when going from high to low RPMs randomly. Last time we brought in for a code check on the engine light they cleaned the MAF and this seemed to clear the engine light. The truck will still randomly do this.

4) will a scangauge reader work as a gas reading solution until I can muster up the time and money to fix the greater issues? I suspect it is probably reliant on the fuel sending sensor in the tank for its data. Is this true? I think its probably worth it just for the OBDII reading capabilities but I am not sure I want to invest $160 on a tool when I need to buy all these parts anyways.

Thanks in advance...

 

[Tomsriv]

These kinds of problems can be real frustrating. I don't know if a code scanner would be able to help you. It almost sounds like you have a bad ground or some other bad wire. I would start by inspecting the underhood wiring. Jiggle the wires with your hand and see if the gas guage moves or the light comes on. That might help you trace it down. Thats my shot in the dark answer, because it could be a lot of things.