Multiple error codes caused by rodents: P0020, P0333, P0348

[Steve Theodore]

As bad luck would have it, my 2008 4Runner Sport Edition 4.0L V6 'broke' while sitting in our driveway. Although it has lived outside its entire life, for some reason this was the year when the rodents decided to chew through some wires. The vehicle still starts and drives, but I noticed the following issues:

1. Check Engine Light illuminates
2. VSC off light is blinking
3. The truck will not shift into 5th gear at all. It shifts up through 4th gear normally, but I noticed the revs were too high on the freeway and saw that it wasn't allowing 5th gear

I used a generic code scanner and pulled the following codes:

P0020
Raw code: 0020
ECU: Engine control unit
Status: Confirmed
OBDII: Camshaft position (CMP) actuator, intake/left/front, bank 2 - circuit malfunction
Toyota: Camshaft Position Actuator Intake/Left/Front, Bank 2 Circuit Malfunction
============2==============
P0333
Raw code: 0333
ECU: Engine control unit
Status: Confirmed
OBDII: Knock sensor (KS) 2, bank 2 - high input
Toyota: Knock Sensor 2 High Input
============3==============
P0348
Raw code: 0348
ECU: Engine control unit
Status: Confirmed
OBDII: Camshaft position (CMP) sensor A, bank 2 - high input
Toyota: Camshaft Position Sensor A Bank 2 Circuit High Input

It would seem to me that this means the critters have chewed through some wires, and a quick YouTube search did bring light to at least one video that might be useful:

P0020 4runner OCV Code - YouTube

I'd appreciate any other guidance as funds are low to take the car to my mechanic if I can help it. The real kick in the pants is that this happened to another vehicle in my driveway as well, and I suspect it will be harder to fix.

Thanks all, I appreciate any guidance. :help:

 

[importman]

I'm sitting here wondering if this is something that could be covered under your auto insurance policy. It's not a straight up mechanical failure. It's caused by an outside source. Might be worth checking into. I have a feeling the fix for this is not something the average back yard DIYer is gonna like doing. Good luck.

 

[Steve Theodore]

I started snooping around today and couldn't see anything obvious with the engine cover off and my flashlight. To be honest, I'm much less worried about this one than one of my other cars, but at least I was able to see the damaged wiring in the other car.

Now three of my cars are sprayed down with diluted peppermint oil in their engine bays, and I have rodent traps armed with peanut butter on board. What a difference a day makes!

I'll keep you guys posted as I'm sure this will be interesting, but I don't want to put it on insurance if I don't have to (home owners policy would likely cover it too). Stay tuned! :yield:

 

[tbanks64]

I had a similar thing happen to my '04 V8. I got the knock sensor code. They had chewed through the wires going to the sensor in the air gap area between the intake manifold and the block. I'm guessing it was nice and warm in there. Anyways, I had to pull the intake manifold to get to it, soldered the wires and reinstalled the intake. $200 for new gaskets. Solved the problem.

 

[Steve Theodore]

I had a similar thing happen to my '04 V8. I got the knock sensor code. They had chewed through the wires going to the sensor in the air gap area between the intake manifold and the block. I'm guessing it was nice and warm in there. Anyways, I had to pull the intake manifold to get to it, soldered the wires and reinstalled the intake. $200 for new gaskets. Solved the problem.

Sorry to hear of your troubles too. It's amazing to have to deal with this nonsense, but now I realize it's an ever-present threat indeed and will keeping much more active tabs on it.

I set three traps last night (in three cars). As of tonight, no rodents caught...but the engine bays smell very peppermint-y. :caked:

 

[Steve Theodore]

Just a quick update in case anyone is following along. I obviously wouldn't wish this predicament on anyone as it's just ridiculous.

I took my 4Runner in for an oil change and for my mechanic to also scan and check out the situation. It turns out that the code for the camshaft position actuator on bank 2 is something that I could in theory fix myself as I can reach the wires by simply removing the airbox and a single water hose.

The knock sensor on the other hand is a totally different matter. Book time to fix that from Toyota is a whopping 16 hours of labor as it calls for massive disassembly, but my mechanic is very competent and says he thinks he can do it in 4-5 hours based on less disassembly and clever use of tools (which he has done once before).

As a result I'm going to have both wire sections professionally repaired, but I did pull the intake myself and accessed the camshaft position sensor wiring myself, both to ascertain the extent of the damage and attempt to clean up after the rodents.

It was actually pretty amazing to see how those little scoundrels had built their nest...nearly a vertical orientation that extended way down into the engine. I pulled as much of it out as a could with a telescoping claw, and then put it back together.

I'll keep you guys updated as I get this properly fixed, just in case it can help anyone else out in the future. :rip:

 

[alpinhi]

My wife's 200 series was attacked by a squirrel less than an hour after parking it in our driveway. The little bastard did $10,000 in damage to the wiring of the truck. Fortunately we have comprehensive on our insurance policy and all but our deductible was covered. I thought for sure that that insurance would total it out but this goes to show how well these vehicles hold their value. FYI its a 2008 Land Cruiser with 140K on it, I had bought almost a year prior to the day for $25K.

 

[Steve Theodore]

Like I said, I would not wish it upon anyone. Just awful! I'm very sorry for your own situation too, and am glad that insurance took care of it.