Help! 260k miles, check engine light, multi terrain light, and slip indicator light

D

dave_b

New member
Hi everyone, have a 2011 TE with 260k miles. Have maintenance done religiously by the dealer. Turned my runner on this evening, and noticed check engine light is on, slip indicator light is on, and multi terrain light is blinking. Can't turn off multi terrain. Any ideas what this may be?

Background info - just had maintenance done last month and the dealer suggested replacing the lower control arms, brakes, and rotors. Been having random squealing noises when i come to a stop from reverse but no squealing when stopping going forward. Dealer couldn't figure it out the last two maintenance visits. Still have plenty of brake pad on all four corners.

Would appreciate any feedback!
 
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Check all four abs sensors.

dave_b said:
Hi everyone, have a 2011 TE with 260k miles. Have maintenance done religiously by the dealer. Turned my runner on this evening, and noticed check engine light is on, slip indicator light is on, and multi terrain light is blinking. Can't turn off multi terrain. Any ideas what this may be?

Background info - just had maintenance done last month and the dealer suggested replacing the lower control arms, brakes, and rotors. Been having random squealing noises when i come to a stop from reverse but no squealing when stopping going forward. Dealer couldn't figure it out the last two maintenance visits. Still have plenty of brake pad on all four corners.

Would appreciate any feedback!
Click to expand...
 
Sounds like either a bad wheel speed sensor/sensor wire, or possibly a zero point calibration issue.

Given that you've recently had the lca's off, and brake work done, my money would be on a wheel speed sensor wire. If the tech didn't support the steering knuckle properly while he had everything disassembled for the brake/lca work, it's incredibly easy to damage the sensor wire.

An ABS capable obd2 scanner will be able to narrow the fault down to a specific corner (front/rear, passenger or driver). from there, you could swap the wheel speed sensor from the same side (pass or driver) from the rear to the front (L side or R side, they are the same front and rear). Reset the code, then drive around, if the fault reappears, it will tell you whether you have a bad sensor wire. If the fault pops up on the rear, you have a bad sensor.
 
Appreciate it Bossman. Error code is P0305 cylinder 5 misfire detected


Bossman said:
If you use an OBD2 scan tool for diagnosis, it will likely pull up some error codes that will give you (and us) a better idea of what your dash warning lights are indicating.

Some automotive parts stores provide this service free of charge.


Check Engine Light & Traction Cntrl "Squiggly" Light On

"Multi-Terrain Select Not Available" + Check Engine Light + TRAC OFF

2016 4Runner w/ 8400mi, Check Engine + TRAC Off

Check engine light ?
Click to expand...
 
Thank you. This helps a lot. I rarely do any work on my Runner but am somewhat mech inclined so i will try and give this a shot. After the dealer gave me the estimate to replace LCAs, brakes, and rotors, i had to pass on it and plan to do it myself sometime.

Jono.ful said:
Sounds like either a bad wheel speed sensor/sensor wire, or possibly a zero point calibration issue.

Given that you've recently had the lca's off, and brake work done, my money would be on a wheel speed sensor wire. If the tech didn't support the steering knuckle properly while he had everything disassembled for the brake/lca work, it's incredibly easy to damage the sensor wire.

An ABS capable obd2 scanner will be able to narrow the fault down to a specific corner (front/rear, passenger or driver). from there, you could swap the wheel speed sensor from the same side (pass or driver) from the rear to the front (L side or R side, they are the same front and rear). Reset the code, then drive around, if the fault reappears, it will tell you whether you have a bad sensor wire. If the fault pops up on the rear, you have a bad sensor.
Click to expand...
 
dave_b said:
Thank you. This helps a lot. I rarely do any work on my Runner but am somewhat mech inclined so i will try and give this a shot. After the dealer gave me the estimate to replace LCAs, brakes, and rotors, i had to pass on it and plan to do it myself sometime.
Click to expand...

Suspension work on these trucks is super easy provided you have a basic set of sockets and wrenches. There are a couple things that require specialty tools, but lca's are straightforward. There is plenty of useful info here (including the toyota factory service manual) and if you get stuck, search youtube for a tutorial. Toyota "no spring compressor method" video will cover most of what you need to know to disassemble the lower ball joint, from there, just remove the eccentric alignment bolts and the lca will drop right out.
 
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Jono.ful said:
Completely unrelated to your dash lights. Reset that code and carry on, but if it keeps coming up it may be worth being up with your dealer
Click to expand...

I may be wrong, but I don't think the code would show unless it had happened more than 3 times, IIRC. That means it is already "keeps coming up." When I run OBD on mine, I have occasionally seen misfire logged as pending, but never got the code.

I would start with plugs, pull and inspect, along with the other things mentioned. Or, just go to a reliable dealer or shop if you can't pinpoint it yourself.
 
Replace all spark plugs or find out which cylinder is #5, swap the spark plug with another cylinder (A), clear code and see if the comes back as misfire in the cylinder you swapped it to. If the code shows a misfire in cylinder (A), you have a bad spark plug. If the code shows misfire in #5 again, you Nate have a bad coil. You can do the same thing as a swap it with a different coil and see if the MIL code chances.
 
I would think the ABS light would be on too if it was an ABS sensor. But I suspect the code reader that was plugged into this rig didn't support the ABS/traction control systems. Most generic tools won't. Mine will but I had to pay for manufacturer-specific software. Honestly I would try disconnecting the battery for a bit and see if it clears the lights just for kicks. As for a misfire if it's running fine otherwise I wouldn't freak out about it but when was the last time you changed plugs? and were they OE spec or just what happened to fit from the local chain parts store? It's not hard to swap coils and see if the misfire switches cylinders to determine if you have a bad coil. If you do have a bad coil don't buy a cheap one. Get OE or a Denso. I can't tell you how many cheap coils I have replaced due to failure within just a few months on a variety of different vehicles.
 
Jivewalker said:
I may be wrong, but I don't think the code would show unless it had happened more than 3 times, IIRC. That means it is already "keeps coming up." When I run OBD on mine, I have occasionally seen misfire logged as pending, but never got the code.

I would start with plugs, pull and inspect, along with the other things mentioned. Or, just go to a reliable dealer or shop if you can't pinpoint it yourself.
Click to expand...

Thanks I'll do this. As far as the ignition coils, internet shows just use a multimeter to see if it's bad? Have a copy of the toyota repair manual to guide me. Spark plugs were last replaced 24k miles ago. Forgot to mention my runner has been idling somewhat shakey at random times recently. Surprised the dealer hasn't noticed it last time i had it serviced.
 
85GT-79FJ40 said:
I would think the ABS light would be on too if it was an ABS sensor. But I suspect the code reader that was plugged into this rig didn't support the ABS/traction control systems. Most generic tools won't. Mine will but I had to pay for manufacturer-specific software. Honestly I would try disconnecting the battery for a bit and see if it clears the lights just for kicks. As for a misfire if it's running fine otherwise I wouldn't freak out about it but when was the last time you changed plugs? and were they OE spec or just what happened to fit from the local chain parts store? It's not hard to swap coils and see if the misfire switches cylinders to determine if you have a bad coil. If you do have a bad coil don't buy a cheap one. Get OE or a Denso. I can't tell you how many cheap coils I have replaced due to failure within just a few months on a variety of different vehicles.
Click to expand...

Dealer replaced plugs 24k miles ago. I was planning on picking up a coil from the dealer
 
dave_b said:
Thanks I'll do this. As far as the ignition coils, internet shows just use a multimeter to see if it's bad? Have a copy of the toyota repair manual to guide me. Spark plugs were last replaced 24k miles ago. Forgot to mention my runner has been idling somewhat shakey at random times recently. Surprised the dealer hasn't noticed it last time i had it serviced.
Click to expand...

Just because plugs are fairly new doesn't mean they are good, I would pull and check each one. could also be a dirty fuel injector. At some point, after checking the easy stuff, might want to get the dealer to run it on the computer to know for sure. Don't want to cause any damage driving it while trying to figure it out. I do most of my own work, but every once in a while i have to lean on the dealer.

Rough idle could be a dirty throttle body and/or mass air flow sensor. Both are very easy to clean.

Throttle body / MAF sensor cleaning
 
'...sensor gone bad'...this man has 260,000 miles on his rig...at some point something is going to need replacing.

i cannot add anything to this, good luck to you on your repares.

i HOPE to get to 260K before i am going to need major maintenance or repairs...more power to ya
 
dave_b said:
Hi everyone, have a 2011 TE with 260k miles. Have maintenance done religiously by the dealer. Turned my runner on this evening, and noticed check engine light is on, slip indicator light is on, and multi terrain light is blinking. Can't turn off multi terrain. Any ideas what this may be?

Background info - just had maintenance done last month and the dealer suggested replacing the lower control arms, brakes, and rotors. Been having random squealing noises when i come to a stop from reverse but no squealing when stopping going forward. Dealer couldn't figure it out the last two maintenance visits. Still have plenty of brake pad on all four corners.

Would appreciate any feedback!
Click to expand...


I can’t speak entirely for your 4runner but my 2016 with 65k has thrown those three lights at me a few occasions now. The first time, I lost traction on ice and it just turned on, I had to clear it days later then spoke to my friend who used to wrench for toyota for 30 years, he told me it is just a modern sensitive toyota electronics thing and that it was not a problem. Then it happened again two more times, one of them being two days ago....both after I did some work/mods on the 4R in my driveway but the codes cleared themselves by next morning. Hope this gives you some sort of relief but if doesn’t clear itself get a mechanics opinion.

As for the squeal coming to a stop in reverse, is it happening when the cars cold? If you search online, many people have had their concerns but apparently it’s pretty common on Toyota’s and/or most vehicles. My toyota buddy told me its just the brakes adjusting fast from reverse. This also happens in mine and while it used to concern me, I’ve learned to ignore it.


Hope any of this info helps and good luck.
 
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