Sulfur (aka. Rotten Egg) Smell on '03 4Runners

[ToolmanJohn]

Just the front

I don't know if both or just one was warped slightly. They turned both front rotors. It was covered under warranty. I looked at he rotors and they took a very light skim cut off the outer surface that I can see through the wheel. Probably about .020".

 

[Kanab]

Re: Re: Re: Around 13,000 miles

Yes, I did use a torque wrench at 7800 miles to reinstall the wheels when I rotated them. The problem didn't surface until a few months ago, around 10,000 miles. And I tightened in a torque distributing pattern also.

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John I'm sure you use an extension on your torque wrench. Did you compensate for torque multiplication by the extension? If not you over torqued the wheels. That's why dealers use the torque sticks, you can't over torque the wheels with a torque stick. If this is what happened you will continue to warp your rotors when you rotate in the future. Hope this helps.

 

[ToolmanJohn]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Around 13,000 miles

John I'm sure you use an extension on your torque wrench. Did you compensate for torque multiplication by the extension? If not you over torqued the wheels. That's why dealers use the torque sticks, you can't over torque the wheels with a torque stick. If this is what happened you will continue to warp your rotors when you rotate in the future. Hope this helps.

NO extension bar EVER for installing any kind of nut or bolt. Especially on a car. It's just not neccessary. Extensions are for removing the nuts( if neccessary). I have a very nice 1/2 inch drive torque wrench, also I have 6 sided impact drive sockets too (haven't used the impact wrench in years though, it's worn out). My wrench has a torque range of 10 to 150 ft-lbs . The 4runner manual states that the lug nuts should be tightened to a torque of 83 ft-lbs so that's what they got. It's accurate, calibrated every two years, since I don't use it often.

I don't know what a "torque stick" is. Never heard of it. Maybe you are trying to describe a beam-type torque wrnech?

Also for those interested, this website is hilarious. A real "universal" torque wrench LOL.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tork-grip.html

 

[ToolmanJohn]

Wrong thread I know

The torque for wheel nuts.

 

[Kanab]

Sorry John if that wasn't it then I have no idea why they warped. Maybe you just got a bad rotor?? Sounds like you know what you are doing so it wasn't pilot error. Hope it doesn't happen again. The torque sticks are extensions that can be used with a impact wrench, they are set to a maximum torque setting when they are made so a tech can use a impact wrench when they install your wheels with no fear of over torquing your wheels. Dealers use them to eliminate the potential pilot errors that could happen.

 

[slowginjoe]

Well I brought my 4Runner in this morning for a 15k maintenance and the sulfur tsb warranty work. At 5pm the service advisor calls and says everything is done except after reprogramming the ecu the yaw sensor needed to be reprogrammed and they can't figure out how to do it. They'd flash it and then drive around and the vsc light comes right back on due to the yaw sensor. Now I need to leave my truck there overnight so they can call Toyota Tech Line in the morning to figure out how to program it and make it stick. Now I'm stuck driving the Corolla rental! Anyone had this problem while getting the sulfur tsb?

 

[greasefingers]

Exactly, the oil companies will not change because of our vehicle. Toyota should do something about it. I can never lower my rear hatch window. It smells every day. I took it to the dealer and they said they could do nothing about it. They told me to use BP gas, due to it’s low sulfur content. I live in NJ and typically use Exxon/Mobile petrol.

 

[slowginjoe]

i haven't experienced any loss of power or performance at all. only difference was the smell of a new weld.

Was the smell gone immediately after the service was done or did it take a couple of trips? I mean, did you rev the engine hard after getting it back from service to check if the smell was gone? I just got mine back from having this fixed and with the back window down and throttling hard, I still smelled the sulfur. Just wondering if I should take it back or wait a couple days to see if it goes away...

 

[Kanab]

I changed gas stations and mine started to smell, notice it when I get home and pull into the garage. Kinda like it

 

[toyo]

Well i have some bad news. The smell has come back in full force. The TSB worked for about 2 weeks.

 

[SilverSurfer]

I use California fuel and with the rear window down, my 4Runner can knock you out with the sulfer smell, it's THAT bad.

 

[Thai]

Here is the new TSB for the Sulfur smell:

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/attachment.php?s=&postid=31585

 

[Jarbarian]

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=5682

 

[Jarbarian]

Mine was gone immediately after the fix and never came back. I looked underneath and you can clearly see two new cat converters. If you didn't get those, you didn't get the fix. Reprogramming the ECM/ECU is worthless without the new cats.

You WILL get a little smell when your cat like first thing in the morning, but it quickly goes away. I only notice it backing out of the driveway with the windows down. I also can detect what I'd call normal unleaded gas stink if I really get on the gas, but it's not even close to what it was before the fix and not a sulfur odor, just exhaust fumes.

PS, all the above is only when the back window is down.I never did smell it with the windows up.

Same here! I have new the cats and the ecu reprogramming done and NO SULFER SMELL!!! WOO WOO!

 

[4runnerman]

hi

Its my first post, and you guys guess why I came looking for a forum...

The rotten egg smell....

quick question, I did get the TSB and faxed it over to the dealer so hopefully i could take it in for a fix, because it is so embarrassing when i hit the gas... try explaining toyota's fawk up to bunch of kids before soccer practice....

so does tsb instruct to change the cats? what does it exactly tell them to do???

I took the car in twice and they turned me back with a pad on the shoulder, saying it's the gas... everyone else fawkin drives cars, how come im the only one complaining....

 

[4route]

yes, the TSB tells them to replace the cat. and flash the ECU with some 2004 4Runner info.

if the dealership turns you away saying it's just the gas, then you need to find a different dealership that isn't so lazy and that won't B.S. you just because they don't want to do the work that Toyota admits they need to do.

 

[sharp4runr]

or tell them that you've tried different gas brands and grades and it still happens.

my dealership didn't give me any lip about it. I just told them the problem and they told me that there was a tsb. I didn't even mention the TSB though I knew about it.

 

[4runnerman]

hi

does anyone know any NJ dealers that has performed this TSB....

I got mine from Bob Ciasulli, toyota universe,, it's like dealing with the mafia...

thanks for the info guys

 

[scott78945]

I see all the talk about the TSB about the V8 engine, is there one for the V6's? I have a 2003 Sport V6 with this problem and would need a copy to take to my dealer. Thanks.

 

[slowginjoe]

I see all the talk about the TSB about the V8 engine, is there one for the V6's? I have a 2003 Sport V6 with this problem and would need a copy to take to my dealer. Thanks.

V6 Sulfur TSB