It was the FUEL FILTER!

The Cold War Kid

New member
I doubt anyone has been following my efforts to fix up an '01 SR5 I bought. She's 2WD - what I wanted 'cause I'm not into off-road.

Today I tackled a couple big issues - the o2 sensors and the cooling system.

The sensors, much to my surprise, came right out. They had been replaced recently. The fuel/air (front) was actually white when it came out. It showed signs of the pinkish deposits I found on the plugs - somebody put champion plugs in it...The rear sensor was very clean. Both of them were denso.

After installing the new sensors I changed the fuel filter. It was plugged. Not completely but very close. I don't see how it ran - let alone showed no signs of a plugged fuel filter!

When it started after the repair I knew it was fixed. It just sounded fixed. I have been listening to engines for about 60 years.

I changed the oil then moved on to the cooling system.

The truck had been slowly getting hotter at highway speeds. Never actually overheated but made me nervous. Aint that thermostat fun? lolol

I thought I had a new lower rad hose but it was a top. Took it back and, of course, nobody in this hick town had a lower hose. Inbred, hillbilly jackasses. Some things never change.

So now I will have to take that nasty belly pan off again and change the lower hose. Oh, joy...
 
Register to hide this ad
Not every auto parts store has stuff on hand.
These are almost 20yr old rigs after all, why not just make a list of what you need and order it all at once.
I went to 5 stores to look for the flared fuel filter fittings and not one had them in stock. So I went to a pick and pull and had to hack it off of a 4runner. Good to hear you're making it road worthy again! Good luck with the project.
 
Yeah, I really enjoyed all the coolant that plopped out when I removed my thermostat. Luckily, I put a Toyota 'stat in so I'll not have to change it for 10 or 20 years.
Overheating while on the highway but not at idle or slow speeds is classic clogged radiator, no?
 
When it started after the repair I knew it was fixed. It just sounded fixed. I have been listening to engines for about 60 years.

You must be going on 80 years old! ;-)
 
Last edited:
When it started after the repair I knew it was fixed. It just sounded fixed. I have been listening to engines for about 60 years.

You must be going on 80 years old! ;-)

I'm 70. As a kid, cars fascinated me. I might have been an engineer... whatever but cars were all I could see. I was a street racer for many years. They called me Dr. Mopar :) I drove 66 and 67 Chargers.

I did manage to get a couple degrees - photography/design and computer programming/business admin. Now I drive a grain truck 'cause I can't STAND being "retired."

The wife thinks I'm craze 'cause I punish these old bones by getting under cars. She doesn't understand :)
 
Yeah, I really enjoyed all the coolant that plopped out when I removed my thermostat. Luckily, I put a Toyota 'stat in so I'll not have to change it for 10 or 20 years.
Overheating while on the highway but not at idle or slow speeds is classic clogged radiator, no?

Yeah - it could be. Looks like I caught a break - and this truck doesn't pass out many! Now the gauge is glued to just under half way. The rad seems to have been replace already - the core is really clean.
 
Not a great way to talk about your neighbors

If you want me to be nice to you, be nice to me.

O'riley's auto parts. Massive. Nation-wide. And they actually list the same hose for the top and bottom of these trucks! I saw that on their computer system.

I've never had a lot of patience with people or organizations that have their heads up their a**es. How many people do you think have walked into their WOULD-BE parts stores and told them about this error?

I'll say it again - INBRED, HILLBILLY JACKASSES. On a good day. With a tail wind.
 
I been following your threads. Glad your having fun working on your 3rd gen. :D. Toyota dealers dont even stock the 3 drive belts anymore. This is due to the age of them.

Keep an eye on your filter. If it clogs again, you may have lots of debris and gunk in the fuel tank. As some users have been having that issue.



Sent from my SM-J337V using Tapatalk
 
I'm 70. As a kid, cars fascinated me. I might have been an engineer... whatever but cars were all I could see. I was a street racer for many years. They called me Dr. Mopar :) I drove 66 and 67 Chargers.

I did manage to get a couple degrees - photography/design and computer programming/business admin. Now I drive a grain truck 'cause I can't STAND being "retired."

The wife thinks I'm craze 'cause I punish these old bones by getting under cars. She doesn't understand :)
Well, it sounds like you're staying young doing what you like. Keep it up, and thanks for sharing!
 
If you want me to be nice to you, be nice to me.

O'riley's auto parts. Massive. Nation-wide. And they actually list the same hose for the top and bottom of these trucks! I saw that on their computer system.

I've never had a lot of patience with people or organizations that have their heads up their a**es. How many people do you think have walked into their WOULD-BE parts stores and told them about this error?

I'll say it again - INBRED, HILLBILLY JACKASSES. On a good day. With a tail wind.

That's because they are the same hose. One of them just needs to be cut down 2-3" but they are the same hose. Now you can buy the hose already cut to fit but you don't have to. Many places only sell the longer version.

How old is the radiator? If you're having this kind of problem I would strongly suggest buying the $100 radiator so you're good for at least 10 years. When I replaced the long block on my 01 I went with a new Denso radiator, OEM radiator hoses, red Toyota 5 year coolant, new thermostat of course, new timing belt and rollers, and a separate trans cooler to avoid the dreaded pink milkshake trans fluid issue. The icing on the cake was the Ultragauge and Spiker mount for peace of mind inexpensive insurance.

PS: You owe O'Reilly's an apology. You were wrong; they were right.
 
I'm 70. As a kid, cars fascinated me. I might have been an engineer... whatever but cars were all I could see. I was a street racer for many years. They called me Dr. Mopar :) I drove 66 and 67 Chargers.

I did manage to get a couple degrees - photography/design and computer programming/business admin. Now I drive a grain truck 'cause I can't STAND being "retired."

The wife thinks I'm craze 'cause I punish these old bones by getting under cars. She doesn't understand :)

I change my fuel filter every year, might be overkill, but I have seen them on many cars plug and cause problems, esp with the poor fuels we can get

yep, im nearly 70 too and been twisting wrenches like you for nearly 60 years. My dad raced cars as a hobby, and me and my brothers were out helping at a super early age..

there is even many threads here that talk of parents with kids working on cars at an early age....some trends continue :) But some kids don't want to follow, as my youngest ( taco owner) asked me to do his oil change which I did and last night asked if I can do a small lift on his taco. My oldest son's daughter twists wrenches at an early age, and does her own tune ups and oil changes on her corolla, shes only 17. b4 I moved up here, she helped me do a timing belt on that old corolla.

yep retirement sucks, so I am back at doing things part time as well as helping family. Yesterday I was under my 4runner and under my sons taco

just ordered trans pan and oil pan heaters, so I will be under my 4runner with those soon, and tonight im gonna play with a light bar to see how much light that will really add, then that will be another mod when I install it
 
Last edited:
That's because they are the same hose. One of them just needs to be cut down 2-3" but they are the same hose. Now you can buy the hose already cut to fit but you don't have to. Many places only sell the longer version.

How old is the radiator? If you're having this kind of problem I would strongly suggest buying the $100 radiator so you're good for at least 10 years. When I replaced the long block on my 01 I went with a new Denso radiator, OEM radiator hoses, red Toyota 5 year coolant, new thermostat of course, new timing belt and rollers, and a separate trans cooler to avoid the dreaded pink milkshake trans fluid issue. The icing on the cake was the Ultragauge and Spiker mount for peace of mind inexpensive insurance.

PS: You owe O'Reilly's an apology. You were wrong; they were right.

I have both hoses here. They are NOT the same.

On this page: https://www.rockauto.com/?carcode=1375163&parttype=2057

look at the Continental hose. It has an extra bend at right angles to the hose. This thing snakes it's way through the fan belts...

Do you think I'm and idiot... or what? You don't think I took the old part with me when I tried to buy a new one?

Maybe you can afro-engineer the top hose to work on the bottom. I, for one, do not care.

And, speaking of apologies....
 
Well, I certainly wouldn't call anyone an idiot on an open forum, but it does sound like you need some help in understanding how these look and work.

Lower Toyota Hose 1:
71BeD6cAZnL._AC_UY218_ML3_.jpg


Upper Toyota Hose 2:
61ZyfF0+WdL._AC_UY218_ML3_.jpg


Cut to fit Gates Hose:
31NTD7MC55L._AC_UY218_ML3_.jpg


https://www.amazon.com/Genuine-Toyo...5------------&vehicleName=2001+Toyota+4Runner

https://www.amazon.com/Toyota-16571...5------------&vehicleName=2001+Toyota+4Runner

https://www.amazon.com/Gates-21534-...5------------&vehicleName=2001+Toyota+4Runner

Now if you go to the universal Gates hose on Amazon and read the comments and the note at the top that says trim to fit then you will see the aftermarket hoses generally fit the top without trimming but the bottom does need a bit of trimming to fit right.

You will notice the more expensive OEM Toyota hoses are made to fit without trimming.

Moral of the story is if you buy the less expensive aftermarket hoses; expect to trim the lower hose. On something so critical I tend to spend the extra and buy the OEM but it's your rig and your money.

There's an old saying that goes something like this: "Pay me once and do it right or pay me twice". I have found this to be true more often than not and I can be a real cheap bastard at times.

Some aftermarket parts are just fine like the Spicer U-Joints but the cheaper ones are junk. They can have play in them when brand new.

By the way; even at the Rockauto webpage you linked to says they are cut to fit.
 
:popcorn::popcorn::popcorn:
<a href="https://imgur.com/ZJwkvDg"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/ZJwkvDg.gif" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>
 

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
278,309
Messages
3,554,070
Members
248,016
Latest member
Advally Service

Trending content

Back
Top