At the end of my Rope... Gutless and no A/C

So my dad bought me a (new to me) 1997 tacoma 2.4L 147.XXX miles. Nothing Fancy but I've fallen in love with her and her black eye!

Hate to be that guy to make a brand new account and ask for help right away but I've been lurking for a while to find my solution with no avail.
My issue is she'll run fine for a minute in the morning before work and after work but it feels like something turns over, The same feeling you would have from turning on the A/C.
After that she has almost no power or A/C! I've read online about a "limp mode" or something like that but She isn't throwing any colds or a CEL at all.
She barely can get over 65 mph, takes a while for her to get up to speed, and if I step on the gas it feels like she isn't getting any power to the transmission.
"It feels like", My Father says shes just being gutless.
For some reason when it happens the A/C stops working and the whole issue starts!

For ease of everyone that might look and try to help me out here is a list of everything i've done/replaced.
1. New TPS
2. New MAF.
3. New Battery and terminals.
4. Added a second ground from the negative on the battery to the Engine/body of the truck.
5. Drained and replaced ATF, Oil, and Radiator fluids.
6. New fuel pump and Fuel filter.
7. cleaned multiple grounds around the truck.
8. Cleaned the throttle body (at the same time of new TPS)
9. Replaced front and back barrings on the drivers side.
10. (EDIT) Hollowed out the Cat.

I'll add more once they come to mind. I've been fighting this truck for the last month with this issue. The fuel pump was just replaced 2 days ago which made a huge difference, She use to have an issue with bogging down (is how I would explain it) But still doesn't gain speed unless I only do half throttle.


Not sure if it's against the rules to post a link to Imgur or not, but that is a risk I'm willing to take...

http://imgur.com/a/2wixs



Things to note.
When replacing the TPS I used a volt meter to get the infinite loop (or 0 as it would be?) from reading a guide online, From everywhere I've looked most people say the ECU will learn how the TPS acts and correct itself.
when I unplug the MAF while the truck is idling it doesn't seem to make a difference, Again everywhere I've looked people say it either will or will not make a difference when you do. I haven't seen a solid answer anywhere. The MAF was spliced into and I have a wire nut on it right now. But it was acting the same way before I did that.

TL : DR 1997 Taco is being gutless, at the same time no A/C. accelerates extremely slowly. only works normally for a minute at cold start (sometimes even less then 30 seconds)

Thanks in advance to anyone that is willing to help!

 

Idler pulley bearing seizing??

 

.

 

Haven't considered that at all, I'll go turn her on and Check if everything is spinning freely. EDIT everything is spinning freely

 

You seafoam it to clear any gunk out?

 

Was planning to do that next Payday and replace the oil and ATF again.

 

Unbolt the exhaust ahead of the converter so it leaks.

If it runs well you have a failing cat with a restriction that worsens when some heat is applied. Free test at least.

 

crap! forgot to maintain I hollowed out the Cat... that was the second thing I did once this all started happening.
Also anthony250f everything is spinning freely.

 

If it's not time for an oil change, forget it, it won't make it run better.

If all you did on the trans the last time was a drain and fill, and the fluid was a bit shaky in color or smell, another change will be fine for the trans, (preventative maintenance) but it won't make it run better.

Any chance you are running some jumbo wheels/tires? That will make it sluggish.

Have you examined/serviced the brakes? Both to be safe and to make sure nothing is dragging?

 

I replaced the filter in the Transmission pan as well, very very little metal flacks in the ATF when we first drained it. it was a tad black.
We've drained it twice since buying the truck. so It shouldn't be that...
But to answer your question, I have checked the brakes and the E-Brake. nothing is binding.
And no I don't have giant tires on her haha

My dad was nice enough to look around at sensors for me just now and kind of ripped this little guy apart. So I'll be running oreilys for that piece pretty soon.
EDIT: Orielys doesn't have the part, would be 2 days for them to get it...

http://imgur.com/a/cWU3Z

 

sounds like an EGR issue. even though you have no CEL, did you actually check for any codes? there could be some pending codes. and if you have a newish smartphone, buy an ELM327 and either the Torque app or an I-phone equivalent. total cost is like 7 or 10 bucks and you can get live readings from your computer. really helpfull if you want to keep your truck running in tip top shape.

 

Yea, I tried connecting my ELM327 and it only showed one light on the ELM327. when I plugged it into my dads 2003 Taco i was able to get it connected and reading codes and info.
Unfortunately that wasn't the case with mine, I could never get the app connected while the ELM was plugged into my truck.
At this point it's to late to work on the truck.
I'll grab a can of seafoam and top off the tank on the way to work, if anyone else replies with an Idea as to what it could be i'll go ahead and make a list of items to do.
Thanks for the help CodeSeven. I'll update you tomorrow around the same time if that's the issue.
me and my beer will be lurking the forums for a while.

 

TAKE IT TO A REAL LIFE MECHANIC AND STOP THROWING MONEY AT IT !

It could be something as stupid as a intermittent crank position sensor. And your gonna keep on guessing and waisting money

 

I'm going to mess with the EGR before I do. I'm so close I can almost taste it, Rather not have someone look at it, replace 3 parts and charge me 5x the price.
That could be just me being bias though...

 

Wow I'm a certified heavy tech and I would charge you 3 times as much to fix your truck just because your to ignorant to know when your beat. Bow out gracefully the problem is well out of your skull set. Sorry for the tough love but if your going to keep throwing parts at it and ask for help, your lucky this is the worst of the bashing your gonna get.

If it's bogging down you probably have a bad sensor that's intermittent and not giving a long enough fault to throw a CEL. But it's just long enough to put your truck in limp mode messing with your ecu.

Good luck it seems as if you have deep pockets

 

Looking for guidance as what to look for apposed to someone just telling me I'm an idiot, I'm just going to ignore you from this point on. thanks... I've spent a little dough so far, but I'd much rather get to know my vehicle and how to fix it instead of paying someone to do it, there are plenty of people that will take mechanics vehicles to play for their living.
I've been working on different cars and motorcycles my whole life, I just dislike sensors and stuff of the sort. Even just someone saying "I have an issue like this with a ground on the rear of the motor above the transmission and blah blah blah" It would give me hope. So thanks for the input Nick.

If you are certified what would you do first? start replacing sensors? check voltage? use a special device to read codes that I can access? If not just don't reply.

 

lets focus on your mechanical knowledge and the situation. your ELM doesnt connect to the ECU so lets start over at the basics. check your fuses AND relays!

don't forget to check for straight power to the OBD2 port.

 

I don't have anything to add other than encouragement. Get at it boss.

I've been to the point of just having it taken in and my buddy who I share a garage with pushes me through.

Throw in the towel at some point. Just not yet.

 

Getting to know your vehicle and fixing it involves trouble shooting and not just throwing parts at it and claiming to be able to fix things. And hoping in a whim you get lucky enough after replacing 4 or 5 things that maybe you find what's wrong. By the sounds of it the type of mechanical work your capable of is cleaning air filters and maybe changing oil. Good luck changing your EGR valve and maybe you can read up on sensors I'm sure there's lots of good write ups.

 

Is egr considered difficult? I guess im just mechanically inclined .

Anyways the only new thing I could think of since you have gone through so much is check your headers. Maybe you have a leak that is bothering your o2 sensor. I wish you luck with fixing it yourself