• FREE SPEECH SOCIAL MEDIA

    If you're looking for a Free Speech Social Media site, check out Blabbook.com

    - NO FACT CHECKING - NO SHADOW BANNING - NO POINT OF VIEW CENSORSHIP

Not the Fuel Pump...Not the Fuel Pump Relay???

DannyBoy

New Member
So, I put my 2000 Tacoma, automatic, 4 cylinder in the shop to have the fuel pump replaced. They replaced it, now it is back in the shop...to have the fuel pump re-replaced...which they did...but it was still dying after a bit of driving. So, they said they were 100% sure it was the Relay for the fuel pump, which they say isn't called a Relay it is called a Circuit Opening Relay and they had a hard time even finding a dealer that had one. But they did...and it is STILL doing the same thing. Bogging down after a while.
Initially, I thought it was the ignition switch, only because I was having a severe problem getting the key to turn. WD 40 worked for a while. Then I changed keys and had no other problems...but it started dying after I had the severe problem with the key. So...I figured it was a bad ignition switch. They are telling me there is nothing wrong with the ignition switch. They have had it in the shop now for 3 days. I think I am just going to have them tow it to the Toyota dealership in Sherman.

But I wanted to ask if anyone here has ever experienced that problem.
Thanks,
Dan
 

DannyBoy

New Member
This truck has 186,000 miles on it. I really don't want to take it any were else...I want these guys to fix it. I know they are good mechanics and good people...and they are not going to charge me anything like the dealership would. What they are saying is that, they pretty much have to see what is happening when it starts to shut down. So, they let it run and watch it and after about an hour it starts to shut down. He has about three more electrical lines to check and then he is out of options. I wish I could help...which is why I am here. Anything I could find out that would help them would be great. Mostly because...well...all because...I need my truck...no trucky, no worky.
 

toyotafan

Toyota Truck Club Founder
Staff member
1000 Posts
I've said this before and I'll say it again, I have seen with my own two eyes a late 80's Toyota pickup that had "fuel system" types of problems that ended up being a bad ignition switch. However, that doesn't mean that it's your issue.

Sounds like you have history with these mechanics, that's good as it's hard to find a good mechanic that you can trust and give repeat business to. That being said, sometimes you have to go to a specialist (Toyota dealer) who's got better diagnostic equipment and history that's Toyota-only.

How long have you been having this issue? You've done all of the stuff like fuel filters, checked for stupid stuff like loose wires and the simple stuff?
 

DannyBoy

New Member
Thank you for your response toyotafan. I started having the problem about 3 weeks ago. Suddenly, it just bogged down and died. I let it sit for awhile, drove it a couple of miles....same thing. It was getting dark so the last time I started it, aimed for a close house and parked it till the morning then had it towed to the shop. He said he really didn't know but he guessed the fuel pump because none of their diagnostics turned up anything. So, they replaced the fuel pump and fuel filter. Ran great for a couple of weeks. Then I started having problems with the ignition switch. That day it did the exact same thing...this was Friday last week. So I left it in a parking lot at Whole Foods and my wife picked me up after she got off work. The next day it drove about 10 miles and then died. The difference was, I was able to start it after letting it sit for a minute or so...actually, I drove it all the way home...she'd die...I'd put it in N and coast...then start it...she'd fire up after a couple of tries...run for a minute and die again...all the way home for about 20 miles. Monday I drove it to the shop...about 8 miles...and it died literally right before the shop...I put it in N and coasted in to the shop.

After checking everything he concluded it was a bad fuel pump...even though it was a new fuel pump. So, they replaced it along with the fuel filter. Let it run in idle for about an hour and it died. The only conclusion then was the Relay. So they ordered one...that was yesterday...came today FedEX...they installed it. Let it run in idle after about an hour it died. Initially I told them I thought it was the ignition switch. He said it wasn't. He said it was like lighting a candle...once the candle is lit, if it goes out it doesn't have anything to do with the lighter. That was actually my analogy but he agreed with it completely. So they still have the truck..Tomorrow is Thursday...and I haven't worked at all this week which is really hurting me because I am in the Lawn Sprinkler Repair Business here in the Dallas area.
He told me yesterday the relay was $170 dollars and he was only going to charge me $75 for labor...that was before they decided the relay wasn't the problem. I don't really want to pay for Guessing Games. I'm open for your suggestions on what to do here. I'm not in the habit of burning bridges...and they have done a lot of work for me in the past...but I don't want to pay them anything at all if they don't fix the problem...and if it turns out to be the ignition switch...I don't want to pay them for that either...because I'm out 4 days of work...what do you think is fair?
 

tbplus10

Moderator
Staff member
1000 Posts
Community Leader
Are they sure its a fuel delivery problem?
I'd put a fuel pressure testor on the system, see what the fuel rail reads when it shuts off.
Is it reading pressure still?
Or did the injectors shut off and leave pressure on fuel rail?
Toyota injectors can be picky about having good clean grounds on the injector and wire receive .
The injectors recieve
 

DannyBoy

New Member
Are they sure its a fuel delivery problem?
I'd put a fuel pressure testor on the system, see what the fuel rail reads when it shuts off.
Is it reading pressure still?
Or did the injectors shut off and leave pressure on fuel rail?
Toyota injectors can be picky about having good clean grounds on the injector and wire receive .
The injectors recieve
The end result of all of that is ....they threw their hands up and said they didn't know...suggested I take it to a dealership. He said there is a port for diagnostics that can only be accessed with Toyota Equipment...that only the dealerships have that...he also said that what they had been doing was...hook up a fuel pressure guage and watch it when the truck died...but that it would sometimes run for an hour or so...but at the end it was running for a couple of hours in idle...so I'm wondering...the last thing I did before all this happened was put 15 dollars of Chevron gas in the tank...cause I was in a hurry and it was really high cost where I was...could all this just be bad gas? Also, if it ran for two hours at idle...does that necessarily mean that it would run for two hours under a driving load? I'm thinking it might not. But, I'm also thinking...hell...I should just fill it up with gas and see what happens...then again...I don't want to get stranded...this is such a catch 22
 

toyotafan

Toyota Truck Club Founder
Staff member
1000 Posts
Gas all comes from the same refineries, regardless of the name that it's sold as ... but some gas stations are better than others at properly stirring the tanks and filtering out contaminates that may be introduced from time to time.
 

DannyBoy

New Member
I remember our grade school principle told us that exact same thing. So....I picked up the truck this morning. Drove it 5 miles to get it inspected...filled it up with gas after dumping 5 bucks worth of injection cleaner in the tank...then drove 37 miles to where the dealership was...the whole time I'm thinking...if I don't have a problem getting there...I'm not going...because I already knew it was going to be 120 for a diagnostic, plus 25o to rent a truck through the weekend, plus, 5, 6or7 or 8 hundred dollars of 'solutions' they might find....
...long story short...when I flew by the place I'd had zero problems...so I just went on to my first job....I drove total 187 miles from the time I left with zero problems...with the exception that somewhere between 165 and 170 miles, the 'check engine' light came on.
 

Related Content You Might Like:

Top