o2 sensor problems and alignment problems

jjlemus1

jjlemus1

New member
So i have two problems with my truck. Nothing to big.

The first is the o2 sensor. The code comes up with code 21. The shop said they need to check all the wiring but most likely the o2 sensor. The cat was she replaced around 2-3 months ago. The CEL comes on every month to month n a half. So it doesn't come on all the time so what do you think it is? The truck jerks when you don't give it enough gas like its being starved! It seems to stop as the truck warms up though. Is this the fuel filter or the o2 sensor?!



The second is my passenger side tire. I am in the market to get new tires but I need to fix this problem. I don't want the tires wearing uneven. The top of the tire seems to stick out a little like its facing outward. Can this be an alignment or something different?
 

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well man i had a problem close to yours not the tire wear but the sensor.i used to have almost like a hesitation when i would first give it gas and i would also get the c.e.l. now and then i found it to be a cracked intake hose the first one comming off the throttle body. you would be amazed how brittle mine was when i pulled it....good reason to get a k&n.....but it could be a jacked sensor try pulling you intake and look for cracks or holes and buy a bottle of M.A.F cleaner from any autoparts store... crc makes a good one you might as well clean the sensor while you have the intake dissasembled if that dosent fix that then idk....as for the tire wear no ideas
 
Comn there has to be some toyota gurus that know the answers. I am going to start working on my truck soon. So your input will help!
 
You need to have an alignment done, it looks like you have too much positive camber. positive camber is when the top of the wheels lean out \--/ negative camber is the opposite, when the top of the wheel leans in /--\. Caster is wheels axis forward and back. these are both adjustable via the eccentric adjusters, (the offset bolts that hold the lower control arms to the frame)there is also toe adjustments. I wouldnt recomend trying to adjust it yourself because when you move the eccentrics it moves the camber and caster, and if the caster is off your truck is gonna pull bad. hope this helped some.
 
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i agree with T-Dubya, your camber is off. if you take it to get aligned, mention that you noticed it is off and that you are wondering about it and they should let you know if any parts are failing, otherwise they should get it straightened up.
as far as your code, if it is lean it could be different things, but very well could be your o2 sensor. its kind of like a battery, putting out voltages, and when they get old they kind of get slower, so it takes a second for the sensor to adjust the voltages it sends to the computer, which means it takes a second for the computer to compensate, which is why when you romp on the gas it tends to catch up. it could be other things as well, but if you havent changed your o2 sensor recently, it wouldnt be a bad maintenance item to do. they are relatively easy to do yourself, and shouldnt be too terribly expensive (i dont know about 4runners but i think they usually run about $100 on average). plus it prob will help your gas mileage.
fuel filter is the same, it prob isnt causing your issue, but it is one of those items that never really hurts to go ahead and change (and should be pretty cheap as well).
 
Iam going to change both o2 sensor and fuel filter cause my gas is bad. I know they get bad milage but this is getting under 10 mpg. And will get an alignment i just wanted to make sure its not something horribly wrong an alignment wouldn't fixed.

thanks for the input. Does anyone know the fuse for the fuel filter cause i know you have to release the pressure in the line before you switch it. Anything? thanks
 
the fuse would be for the fuel pump, but i dont know which one it is. you can also just unscrew the gas cap and that takes pressure off the line. you will still leak whatever fuel is in the line, so prop it up once it is off. otherwise, if you figure out the fuse, take the fuse out and go ahead and run the engine until it dies, that will clear all the fuel out of the line. :)
oh, also, the lean condition could also be one of the vacuum lines. if one is cracked and sucking air in it could cause a problem. but i think your best bet is to try to o2 sensor and fuel filter first and then go from there. good luck! :)
 
thanks! can i just have the truck running and pull all the fuses out till i run into one that shuts the truck off?haha
 
well itll take a minute of running before the fuel in the line is spent. :) have you searched online for an idea on your fuses?
 
one more thing, after you get the fuel out of the line, and before you disconnect the fuel filter, be sure to unhook the battery (positive terminal first). safety first! :)
 
Ok so i unplugged my o2 sensor and the cel went on then plugged it back in then went off so i think my o2 sensor is fine?
 
If you think that your O2 sensor is even remotely old, go ahead and replace it. You'll be surprised how much better it will run with a new one. Go online and get one that fits your vehicle (plug and all about $30) and swap it out. They only ever last about 50k miles. Believe it or not the O2 is the first thing you want to change with any engine performance issues.

As for your front end, yeah a good alignment guy will fix you right up. If something is bent then you can decide if you want him to do the work or you. Either way, he can align it after the parts are replaced.
 
Theoretically, elastics should be able to fix that as they correct the bite. If it's possible for you... Ask the orthodontist. It's kind of hard to decide anything with so little information.
 
SKIDPLATE said:
If you think that your O2 sensor is even remotely old, go ahead and replace it. You'll be surprised how much better it will run with a new one. Go online and get one that fits your vehicle (plug and all about $30) and swap it out. They only ever last about 50k miles. Believe it or not the O2 is the first thing you want to change with any engine performance issues.

As for your front end, yeah a good alignment guy will fix you right up. If something is bent then you can decide if you want him to do the work or you. Either way, he can align it after the parts are replaced.
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Do you think an O2 sensor would be responsible for rough/poor running while the engine is warming up only? My trucks had this issue for years. No one was ever certain the O2 sensor would fix it, so I never replaced it.

Truck runs fine on first startup, but I understand the the ECU is running on default values for the first few mins. After that it will sometimes buck/hesitate/even lose power on rare occasions. This is until the engine warms up to normal operating temperature, ie temp gauge in the middle.

Once it warms up the issue very very rarely comes back again.

Sound like an O2 sensor might fix this? Ive been meaning to replace that for ages.
 
fishrod said:
Do you think an O2 sensor would be responsible for rough/poor running while the engine is warming up only? My trucks had this issue for years. No one was ever certain the O2 sensor would fix it, so I never replaced it.

Truck runs fine on first startup, but I understand the the ECU is running on default values for the first few mins. After that it will sometimes buck/hesitate/even lose power on rare occasions. This is until the engine warms up to normal operating temperature, ie temp gauge in the middle.

Once it warms up the issue very very rarely comes back again.

Sound like an O2 sensor might fix this? Ive been meaning to replace that for ages.
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it may fix your problem, or it could be something else. o2 sensors are a basic maintenance item anyways, so just go ahead and replace them (there may be 2, 1 before the cat, 1 after), but they arent too expensive, are pretty easy to do yourself, and even if they arent causing the problem, they most likely need to be changed anyways. your truck will thank you. :)
 
blue95sr5 said:
it may fix your problem, or it could be something else. o2 sensors are a basic maintenance item anyways, so just go ahead and replace them (there may be 2, 1 before the cat, 1 after), but they arent too expensive, are pretty easy to do yourself, and even if they arent causing the problem, they most likely need to be changed anyways. your truck will thank you. :)
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I just hate spending money for nothing. The OEM O2 sensors I had been looking at were over 100 bucks each when you include shipping to Canada. From Napa they want like 180 a piece. Thats not that cheap in my books. 8) Prolly time for a change though, I did get the car checked over a while back and the guy said that the O2 sensor looked like the original. He noted in his notes that it had 220,000kms on it. Cept that my odo reads in miles so thats 220,000 miles. lol. yeah might be worth changing out.

Which one should I be changing first? Which one, Pre or Post cat, if you had to decide between the two.
 
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