CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON, NEED SMOG CHECK

2000 TOYOTA TACOMA 2.4L 2WD
CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON
1. HAD P0301
2. CHANGED SPARK PLUGS
3. HAD P0301, P0300
4. SWITCHED IGNITION COILS TO FIND ISSUE
5. HAD P0301, PO300, P1300, P1315
6. INSTALLED A BRAND NEW IGNITION COIL IN CYLINDER #1
7. ALL CODES WENT AWAY EXCEPT INITIAL CODE
8. BACK TO P0301

I AM GETTING FRUSTRATED
I HAVE 205,000 MILES, ANY SUGGESTIONS

 

ALSO , THE DEALERSHIP TOLD ME A WHILE AGO, THAT THERE IS LOW COMPRESSION . HOPE THIS HELPS.

WHAT DO I DO?
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

 

Misfire codes can be one of two things, no fuel or no spark. Usually a spark leakage problem. Old wires and boots, or a cracked coil can arc to ground.
Replace plugs and wires. Inspect old one for white arc marks as well as the coil.
Run fuel injector cleaner through the tank too. If its still happening, have the injectors checked.

 

I want to replace the wires but a little confused on the wiring. i replaced the spark plugs already, replaced ignition coil #1 and still on with p0301.
the spark plug wiring looks easy on some vehicles but mine it looks confusing, can you give me an idea

thanks for your first response.

just to let you know the engine runs a bit rough and shakes a little when in idle position.

 

Only take one off then replace it at a time and you can't go wrong. Match length of old wire with new one.
Put a little dielectric grease(pea sized) in each boot to keep moisture out.

 

I appreciate you being patient with me.
The spark plug wires that are for sale look nothing like mine.
My truck has those wires that clip into the ignition coil and the ignition coil goes directly into the spark plug.
All the videos on how to install spark plug wires make it look so easy. Im sure it is if i could find mine.
Are the down further on the engine.

Thanks for your help so far.

Talk to you soon

Steven Matthews

 

also do you know of diagram that i could find on the actually instalation the wires.
i did the test of letting my engine run and unpluged the wire from the coil while it was running and the engine stopped.
doesnt that mean the wires are o.k.

 

Since you probably pulled a good wire off, it couldn't keep running now that two cylinders were out.
Pull off one wire at a time while it's running. The one that changes the rpm the least is the bad cylinder. Follow that wire it's entire legnth and look for small greyish lines of discoloration. Those are arc marks where the spark is jumping.
Also you can mist water on the wires, in the dark, and look for arcs. Don't get too close or they'll bite you.
Are you saying you have the coil on plug setup? One coil per cylinder?

 

YES I HAVE THE COIL ON PLUG CYLINDER LIKE YOU DESCRIBED IN THE LAST LINE.
I only have one code now.
P0301-my inntial code
I unpluged the wire of that cylinder #1-the one that is misfiring and the engine stopped.

 

Replace the boots that go from the coils to the plug. If that doesn't solve it, have the fuel injectors checked, especially the one with the code.

There is either a spark leak or faulty injector, or a wire that is sending signal to the coil or injector that is messed up. Could be a bad coil, but it's usually the other causes.
To make sure the coil is firing, pull the coil and boot out, put a screwdriver in the boot, put the whole mess near a ground(1/4") and crank the engine. Look for a spark to jump from the screwdriver to ground.

 

i want to take on this job because i dont want to spend 1200 dollars on something that is not needed.
but the language does not make sense to me.
i dont get the boot.
my truck goes like this

spark plug
ignition coil on top of spark plug
4 prong wire clip thing that connects into the ignition coil
then wires that go everywhere.
i wish i had a diagram of my engine with all the names of the parts so i could fully understand

ahhhhhhh?

 

The wires to the coils provide power, ground and a signal for when to fire. If the spark leaks instead of getting to the spark plug-misfire. If the coil doesn't get power, ground or a signal to fire- misfire. Meter the good coils' wires and you'll see what they do.
I'm running out of ways to describe it. Pull out the bad coil and take a picture. Pics of the wire connection on the coil would be helpful. Where are you located?

 

i will send a picture of what i am talking about.
i am in california.
i sprayed mist on the wires this morning after my graveyard shift and i saw a spark
so it must be the wires hopefully.

thanks
i appreciate it
i will get those pics to you

 

i posted the pictures in my gallery. im sure you can find themn
i also got one of my original codes back

p0300

so i have p0300 and p0301

i am going to run some fuel injector through soon

let me know what you think of the pics

thanks
steve

 

The four wires leading to the coil are low voltage. I don't know which one is which. If one of those wires are bad, splice in a new one.
The spark leak is probably coming from a coil since you can see it. Make sure which coil is leaking and replace it.
If there is a rubber boot on the end of the coil where it meets the plug, replace the boot.
Ignore what I said about spark plug wires. With coil on plug, you don't have any.

 

i replaced the coil in cylinder one and still getting the p0301 code

 

This has been a informative thread. I guess I was drawn because I've had similar issues with misfires. I really can't add more other than a link to a parts site that may help with terminology.

In the past I went with coils, wires, and plugs.

 

If you already replaced the spark plug, you need a wiring diagram to check each wire going to that coil. You can follow the wire and look for obvious problems. Pay special attention to areas where it goes into clips.
Using a multimeter and wiring diagram is your best and quickest route to find a bad wire.

 

would this problem i am faced with cause my engine to run rough and my stick shift to kind of rattle when in an idle position?

by the way, i read my codes again for the heck of it
i am getting now
my initial p0301 and now p0300 again.

thanks, steve matthews
i will work on the wiring and i will see what happens, what i can find out

 

after doing more research, i really am starting to think it needs a valve job unfortunately.
or a cracked cylinder head or head gasket.
i should take it to someone and have them find out for sure. i am probably going to waste more time and money on something i cant fix myself.