Ignition Dilemma

[Delta13]

I apologize for this long story, but I really need the help.

The problem started last year around this time (fall) when I (somehow) cracked my radiator and ran the 4Runner without noticing that my temperature gauge was pinned (oops). Congratulations! I'm owner of a new (40k miles old) engine! This particular repair cost me $5400.

One month later I was driving to San Diego from Pensacola FL, because I was changing permanent duty stations I was in Houston when my truck lost a lot of power and started to lope throughout the RPM range. I took it to a local small mechanic and paid about $550 to replace an ignition coil (cylinder 2 I believe).

Sometime in January, another ignition coil went out (cylinder 4 I believe.) I didn't have time to fix it because I went on deployment shortly after it went out. So the 4R went up to northern California to my ma's house (where it got it's purdy new bumper and lift kit)

One month before I came home from deployment (when my ma still had the truck) the THIRD ignition coil went out on that side of the engine! All three were on the same side of the engine. But this time I had an oil AND fuel leak (paid about $3500 for all repairs)

Ok. Last night. I've now had the 4R back in my custody for LESS than a month! I was driving down a back-road to avoid traffic, and whaddaya know!? ANOTHER ignition coil went out!

I don't know what side this one is on, but should I expect the rest to go out too? Should I just order the rest of them?

I used my code reader (before this ignition coil went out) and got the following codes:
P0101 - MASS AIR FLOW (MAF) SENSOR, RANGE OR PERFORMANCE PROBLEM
P0102 - MASS AIR FLOW (MAF) SENSOR CIRCUIT, LOW INPUT VOLTAGE
P0113 - INTAKE AIR TEMPERATURE (IAT) SENSOR CIRCUIT, HIGH INPUT VOLTAGE
P0430 - CATALYST SYSTEM EFFICIENCY BELOW THRESHOLD (BANK 2)

Does ANYONE know what in the world is going on to my 4Runner!? I'm broke from all these repairs! I need to now if there is something I can do to prevent this from happening again?

 

[Delta13]

Bump for the better interest of my 4runner.

 

[BlackWorksInc]

Honestly... I have no clue what to tell you. I have never heard of a 4Runner or for that matter Toyota with so many concecutive problems at such low mileage....

 

[DC runner]

OIL and FUEL leaks in your last fix makes me thing a incorrect install on the new engine.

 

[BlackWorksInc]

OIL and FUEL leaks in your last fix makes me thing a incorrect install on the new engine.

But I can't see how that would cause multiple coils to kick it....

 

[DC runner]

They installed the wiring harness wrong? Who knows! I am assuming the engine came from a crashed 4runner, and who knows what was up..

This may sound bad, but you appear to have a "zombie" car. I had a few in my years, had a zombie motorcycle too. Those are vehicles that simply refuse to die, but drop body parts along the way. Meaning, **** is always breaking, but for some reason it is always fixable.


The thing with a zombie car is, it sucks your confidence away. You start never trusting it and it just sucks your wallet dry. At some point you have to just get rid of it.

To the actual problem. Who knows. It could be that all of those coils were from the original engine and were just bad, or it could be that something is going on to kill them - Electrical.

Your MAF and other electronic sensors shouting about power makes me think you have a electrical ghost going on... probably from the engine install.

 

[DC runner]

It might be worth your while to do a complete electrical system analysis. I don't mean windows/AC/Power Windows. I mean either get a mechanic to do it, or take a multimeter and do it yourself. IT will be a royal pain to do it, but I wonder if you don't have some bad voltage shooting around.

The thing about a coil.. it is a simple electrical part. Having 1 go bad, I get... but having so many is just odd. Are they the original coils from the new engine?

 

[Delta13]

Thanks

I appreciate the help from everyone. Thank you.

As for the new(er) engine, it's a strange story. When my truck was at the shop getting it's new engine installed, I stopped by to get my radar detector out of my 4R. They had both the shot engine and the new engine sitting on pallets and it looked like they were stripping and swapping parts from the old engine onto the new one.

If anyone knows where to find a block diagram or a list of voltages and where to find them (or take the readings) I should be able to troubleshoot it myself. I am a radar technician in the Navy, so I've used a Fluke multimeter a time or two. lol