P0302 check engine code confusion.

the #2 coil was cracked (ever so barely along the seam of the plastic case). put the #1 coil in #2 slot and put the no name in 1

it just occurred to me that the BS mechanic who put in the wrong plugs may well have just said they replaced the fuel filter but didn't really. at this point nothing would surprise me. I know on this motor it's not an easy thing to get to but tomorrow in the daylight I will see if I can tell if it's new or not.

 

by any chance do you now have a p0301 code?

 

haven't had a chance to check the code again since it only came back this morning on the road. we reset the CEL when we put in the new plugs and coil. that was 2 days and about 700 miles ago. I'm in a more populated area now plus I know a decent auto electrician in this town so I may try to deal with it before I get to LA.

cheers!

 

scan it and report back

 

You need to get a obd reader at this point. Scan gauge or ultra gauge or something similar... theyre so convenient, especially when you can see tons of real time values of all sorts of stuff...

 

I agree. being able to scan and reset a CEL pays for the gauge.

Being able to monitor o2 sensors is priceless.

I have an ultra gauge in my Tacoma and highly recommend it.

 

Any new update OP??
Did the cartel abduct you for your truck?

 

heh the cartels have way nicer trucks than I do I doubt they want my old tacoma

update: I'm in LA the truck is at a shop that came recommended to me by another tacoma owner. he put in the new NgK plugs and the new coils and reset the code (which was still the 0300 and 0302 codes it's been the whole time). he drove it and the light /mild misfire/rough idle came back. now it's getting it's valves done he's just waiting for the shims to arrive later today. he said he has gotten feedback that it's a somewhat known issue with this motor that the #2 cyl valve seat starts to recess? he says that he will put in a thinner shim to compensate but that from what he's heard it's sort of a losing battle over time and that it will likely return as an issue down the road? anyone heard of this?

yes I agree it's wise to have a scanner and I will buy one before I leave the US. any brand or model that you recommend?

 

Only thing I've heard of similar to this is some buicks have very thin valves so thin that on their 6 cylinders the valves will literally be pressurized/blown into the intake/exhaust ports. But I don't think toyota would make a mistake like this. Yes, the shims he's talking about I believe are the valve seats. they can be cut out and made form other materials. you can google "valve seat" and see what im talking about, little rings essentially.

as far as a scanner goes, get an ELM 327. This one is in Chino, not too far from you. You just have to buy an appropriate bluetooth enabled phone app to connect to it. Android has Torque. I have it, it's friggin awesome!

 

The blue tooth ones are good for the purpose. I personally dont like them cause i like to be able to watch a few of the gagues like water temp for example at a quick glance @ anytime without having to whip out a device and get it setup. So i was in the market for an ultra gauge or a scan gauge. They are fairly easy to mount in a place thats easy to monitor and looks good being there. They come on with the ignition and go to sleep with key off or no rpm recognized (few different options within the device for going to sleep or whatever) its just there, always ready to go and when you throw a code it freezes all the values on the device when it receives a code, like what your rpm or speed or water temp was at that moment to better understand or narrow down what was going on when shit hit the fan so to speak. With the Bluetooth ones u cant really or practically have your phone, tablet or lap top always on and set up where u can view it to monitor your values while driving at any ole time, without firing it up each time you start your rig, unlike the ultra or scan thats there ready to go with the turn of the key and instantly giving you atleast 4 different values at once!. They also(Bluetooth) dont update the real time values nearly as fast as the all time dedicated OBD readers. If u dont wanna be able to monitor the gagues of your choice at anytime while driving or just want to use it as more of a code reader go Bluetooth. Otherwise go ultra/scan gage! At this point i would NEVER not have one in my rig. I love em and love having 30+ bits of crucial real time info, anything the ecu monitors the OBD reader will display it for ya!

 

the correct fix would be to remove the cylinder head and have new seats and valves installed.

what he is doing is barely a quick fix

* this is assuming he did a leak down test and confirmed it was leaking passed the valve

 

hey thanks. so is it not worth doing a valve adjustment? the truck has 125K miles and may have never had the valves adjusted until now.

he did do another compression check to confirm since I have no confidence in the original mechanic and the numbers were all good. I know that isn't as good as a leak down test but that should confirm that at least it's not a stuck or burned valve right?

assuming we do have to remove the head and install new seats and valves, about how much, more or less, do you think that should be?

cheers

 

I'd measure the valve clearances first. Easy to do with wrenches and feeler gauge. If they are out of spec, especially the exhaust valves, then get them adjusted.

 

update: did the valve adjustment and the mechanic says it's running fine now. I'll pick it up in the AM and try to put some miles on it before I do the long hot drive back home.