Weird Idle Anomaly?

I use my 2018 Tacoma SR5 to deliver pizzas for Domino's (Don't judge me, it's good enough money where I live to justify the wear and tear). Today I started my truck to go on a delivery and it cranked rather weak and rough, almost like it was sputtering? It turned over fine, but then it seemed it idle very low and weak around 500 RPMs, almost to the point where it felt like it would stall. When the truck is put in drive or reverse, it suddenly is running at around 1,000 RPM when rolling down the road without acceleration. Before my truck seemed to idle around 1,000RPM and do about 1,200 when rolling.

Also, accelerating now seems to feels weaker and sluggish compared to before and it seems like there is a small dip in gas mileage, maybe 17 in the city and 19 in the more rural areas. I tried to take it up a hilly valley nearby but the engine seemed to struggle when I needed more power, hardly breaking 2,200 RPMs. It sometimes would make it to 3,500 but with no noticeable increase in torque from 2,200RPM. I delivered up this same valley several times the past few weeks with plenty of power and no issues.

Now it's cranking/turning over just fine but the weird power and idling speeds continue. Am I just being paranoid about performance/stalling on the side of the highway or does this actually sound like something is not working right? I know there's a new fuel pump recall for many 3rd Gen Tacomas, but I checked Toyota's website and the NHTSA but my specific truck doesn't appear to be affected?

P.S. No check engine lights are on at the moment, but the Maintenance light did happen to turn on shortly before this occurred. However, my truck is at 21k and I just had it serviced recently so I'd think this is from the dealer forgetting to reset the light more than anything else.

 

What’s your current setup under the hood? Did you modify your intake? Had similar symptoms and it was my MAF but I have an aftermarket intake.

 

3.5L v6 100% Stock. Everything is so stock to the point it's still the same air filter from when I got the truck at 2 miles on the odometer (dealer said filter was fine on recent service, I looked at it after the issue occurred and it is a bit dirty but still usable). I always run premium gas, if it helps/is relevant.

 

Have you ever cleaned/replaced your air filter?

 

Forgot to mention that in the previous post, updated that one. It was a bit dirty but should still function decently. I tried my best to clean it out after the issue started, but not sure how much it did/could have helped.

 

I would start there. At least check if its dirty, but if my truck was idling/revving weird that would be my first suspect.

Your engine is designed for 87. Premium isn't "premium," it's for engines that need 91. Your truck should adjust for 91, but again, if I was having issues, I would use the recommended gasoline.

 

Would make sense with the gas thing but I've nearly always refueled from the same Speedway over the past two years and never had an issue when burning higher octane gasoline.

 

I would try cleaning your MAF sensor first and replacing the filter just in case there’s a tear that you can’t see that’s letting stuff through. Symptoms could sound like the air/fuel ratio is off and sometimes it’s because the MAF is not reading correctly. Use this spray.

 

Forgot to mention that I did this and it fixed my idling issue right away. Again, I have an aftermarket intake so it was definitely the culprit that got mine out of wack.

 

I'll limp my truck to Autozone tomorrow and see if I can pick some of this stuff up and see how it works. Here's to hoping!

 

Sounds like you need a new battery. When they start to go the computer goes wacky. Pop over to a auto supply store to have it tested.

 

I think that's a probable cause for the weak start incident considering how many times I start the truck in a night (sometimes more than two dozen) and most trips are generally about 2-4 miles one way. However, I'm not sure if that could cause it to idle and run wonky. Regardless, doesn't hurt to get it tested!

 

When the battery gets below 11.5 volts all hell breaks loose on the new vehicles. It’s not like the old days where your lights would just dim at idle. If it’s cold and your starting/stoping it’s quite possible your battery is below acceptable range. It has little to do with the charging system. Everything could be fine and if the battery is low/weak the sensors simply report wrong.

 

Try cleaning the throttle body. Your going to have idle issues if the throttles dirty and the battery is replaced anyways. Idle issues on these newer cars are almost always throttle body gunk

 

Cold and starting/stopping pretty much sums up an average night. I might just take my truck into the stealership for their opinion in case it's a broader issue and since I'm still within basic warranty and I believe they cover battery replacement up to two years.

 

Battery falls under the 3/36 if I remember right

 

I've owned the truck for 1 year and almost 9 months, so I'd hope they would cover it regardless.

 

they should. we warranty batteries all the time. The factory batteries are pretty meh quality (unless you have a Panasonic battery, but only jap build cars get that)

 

X2

 

I'm wondering, is 500RPM actually a low idle/1000RPM a low drive RPM without acceleration for engine or is this fairly normal? I dropped the truck at the dealership so they can properly diagnose the issue in case it's broader but I want to be informed in case they try to charge me for something stupid.