hello new need some help..ruff idle

[98-4runner]

howdy! like it says above im new to this forum and kinda new to yotas.. i drive a 2wd 1998 toyota 4-runner with the 3.4 liter engine. quick history all routine maintenance have been done to it, barely pushing 200K! as of a few months ago i let my mom drive it cause her honda is a POS:bouncy:!! and now it has a check engine light popping up but only for a couple? while its up it has a ruff idle and kinda "jumps" when im going down the road. and just as it comes up and starts to die it just as sudden disappears and goes back to normal?? i was thinking it was a senscor but which one should i check out? if you guys could point me in the right direction that would be great

 

[JeremyH]

It sounds like a similar issue that I have had before....it turned out to be a bad spark plug wire. You really need to have that CEL code read....most auto parts stores will have an OBDII reader and can tell you the code and a brief description of the code. When I had my code read it was "Cylinder X misfire". This could have been either bad plug wires or a bad coil pack. I took the cheaper route and replaced the plug wires and it paid off.

 

[98-4runner]

thanks for the tip! i checked the spark plugs cleaned the terminals and everything checks out. also now when i checked the battery and the alt. i blew a 100A fuse.. i think it was an alt. fuse? going to napa tomorrow to get a new one. :dammit:

 

[JeremyH]

My issue wasnt the actual spark plug, but rather the wire. It was intermittantly shorting and causing the misfires...then it would work normally again....and repeat.