El Honcho - 1st Gen Taco build

A brake booster could contribute if it has a leak. I actually had a master leak into the booster and then the engine was sucking in the brake fluid and smoking out the tail pipe. Thought i had a bad engine! I eventually figured out what was up and got a new booster and master. Not saying this is your issue, just saying.

Maybe you bumped something while installing the headers? Old vacuum lines get brittle with heat and age, maybe one is slightly cracked.

 

I had a high idle when installing my new engine and hadn't hooked up the rear O2 sensor. x2 on just pinching off the brake booster hose to cancel out that issue. See if your truck will go into closed loop or just stay in open loop.

You can see what my symptoms / diagnosis looked like here:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...upercharger-install-diagnosis-3-4-5vz.616967/

 

BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUMPPPP!

Never figured out the high idle. I took the stop screw with the yellow paint line from the factory out of the throttle body and now when you stand there and pull on the butterfly towards the radiator I can get the idle to drop to around 1250. Shut hood, get in and as soon as the throttle is operated just once the idle stays near 1500 - 1700... so fucking frustrating.

Regardless, I said fuck it and wanted to take the truck out after getting the headers done. Easter Sunday the GF and I wanted to go camping at Plez on the North shores but I guess Castle Hot Springs is closed and so is all shoreline camping... So we opted to go out to Sheep Bridge, Verde River. I had never been there before but had always heard about it growing up in Phoenix. Opened up Google Earth to scout how to get in there. Because of the lock down we figured the North side of Sheep Bridge would be far more crowded and with only limited area on that side you would be fucked if there wasn't anywhere to pitch a tent and camp. You'd have to drive 50 miles back out so I wanted to look into how to get to the south side of the river at Sheep Bridge. The south side of the river is a lot harder to get into because you have to ford the river twice and need high clearance or 4x4. I have 35's and the water was up to the top of the tire. We did watch a stock new gen 4 Runner come through right before we went. Not sure where they draw air from but I wouldn't have wanted to cross it any deeper than it was in my first gen because the intake is drawing air about a foot above the passenger side tire.

The way I found which I guess is the only way from the south side, you take Horseshoe Damn road from Bartlet road and before the camp grounds of Horseshoe you dip off into the river bed and snake around until you get to one of the first two river crossings. We didn't have much information to go on but I used judgement and SENT IT! We made it across both and got to Sheep Bridge by 1pm. Definitely a sick place for sure. Right before we arrived my GF asked if we should air down and I told her that we were fine. We stopped about 25 ft from the river just observing since it was both our first time and I was so focused on what was in front of me that I wasn't paying attention like I usually do where I parked the truck when in sand. I always park the truck in sand facing a little down hill so that when it's time to go you don't burry the tire to hard leaving. 2wd problems. I usually NEVER get stuck. We decided we liked this spot about 10 feet to the left right on the river. I go to move the truck 10 feet and only got 7 before it was obvious that I was kind of stuck. There was just enough of a sand mound in front of the front tires to not get enough momentum. Even airing down to 15psi didn't help and I gave up before I put it on the pumpkin. A guy that was with his family came over and told us he would yank us out in an hour when they were leaving so we just started unloading and setting up camp.

We get everything set up and this family is all packed up in their F250 LEGENDARY 7.3 turbo diesel. I go to start the truck and BOOM, NOTHING. No click, no nothing. Initially I thought I had blown a fuse for the auto-page alarm system. Both fuses were good so I couldn't figure out what the issue was. They were the only vehicle on that side of the river in the middle of nowhere on Easter day leaving so we opted to take the offer of a tow out. Holly fuck that proved to be more difficult than I thought it would be. To get down into the Verde at SB it's a roller coaster of up's and downs as you descend a thousand or so feet down into the river valley in some pretty wicked terrain although it is a forest road. Every time we came to a downhill the guy who was helping us out would unhook the tow strap and I would send it down the hill no power, no brakes, no power steering and hope for the best! There were a few spots that had sheer drop offs on the outside of the trail and turn going down without brakes into some tight as turns. Fuck! That was the worst! So much anxiety. I really didn't want to destroy the truck but leaving it out there was not an option so I tried to keep calm and make sure we made it out of there.

We ended up getting all the way out and across the two river crossings. Before our new friend George, one of the coolest dudes I've met got us all the way to the top of the Horseshoe damn road he had to stop so his kids could pee. While we were sitting there I had turned the key to the off position and used the little white tab on the shifter to put the truck in neutral. I turned the steering wheel from left to right and the wheel didn't lock so I figured we were fine. We start going again, and a few hundred yards up the road as we're getting towed my steering wheel all of a sudden locks to the right. I swear to god this was the worst day ever. The 7.3 dragged us right into a storm ditch that was about 4 feet deep. Nose went straight into the ditch, 4 foot drop and we stuffed the front of the truck so hard, my GF almost hit the wind shield. I was certain we had just destroyed the passenger side lower arm, coilover, front bumper and radiator. We got out and looked. My front bumper did not budge one millimeter. The skid didn't either and everything looked untouched except when we got the truck out the lower arm pushed in the back cam tab like 2 or 3 inches. So now the truck is seriously fucked even if I were to have gotten it started.

I was so pissed at myself at this point. Our savior George got us to the very top of the Horseshoe damn road where we finally got some cell service. Right after the road becomes paved. He left us in a Tonto National Forest staging area for OHV use. At this point it's close to 7pm. We decided to just camp on the side of the road next to the truck even though it was a no camping area. That night after we ate dinner and had a few brews around the fire I got to thinking about the issue with the truck and it hit me! I had repaired the starter signal wire with solder because I had an intermittent open for a few years and never could figure it out until one day I decided to test for continuity and realized I didn't have any on the starter signal wire. Took the whole charging harness off of the truck and sure enough the starter signal wire was cut right before the 4 pin connector where it goes under the fuse box. 3 of the wires on that connector come from the alternator, the 4th pin and wire is the starter signal wire. It needs to sense 12v at the starter to complete the starting circuit. So dumb. I swear to go, over the last 3 years I had put in like 4 different red top Optimas and starters and alternators thinking that's why I had this intermittent no start for years. Anways, long story shorter, I had fully soldered that signal wire and put the harness back on the truck. For the last 8 months never had another starting problem again. Obviously that whole time that was what the issue was. I haven't looked yet because I'm so dejected about this whole trip but I would put a hundred dollars down that says when I pull the harness apart and look, my solder is going to be broken. Open circuit again!!!! FML!!!!!!!!! If I would have remembered this while we were there that day I could have peeled back the harness protection and electrical tape and just touched the two ends together as my girlfriend turned the key we would have been able to start the TRUCK 1 MILLION PERCENT.

Got up in the morning and hit up my insurance, StateFarm. Here is another absolutely frustrating part of this trip. StateFarm would tow my truck home but because of the COVID 19 we couldn't ride in the truck with the guy. So we had to find our own ride home out in the sticks. Luckily, a friend my girlfriend works with came and got us and the dog. All and all I haven't taken a close enough look to know that is all the damage I have. I really really really hope I haven't fucked up any of my SOLO 3.5 kit on the passenger side. I think luckily because I haven't done the CAM TAB GUSSETING the cam tab hole and bracket was the weak spot and that's what ripped/tore before it bent anything else. I know it's going to be fairly hard to get the exact alignment of the factory cam tab hole but hopefully I can fab it up and box it in for strength. Just more shit to do now and it's my fault which makes it more sour.

I got a little video of us crossing the two spots on the Verde. Cheers!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uw_5Ou5htlM&feature=youtu.be

 

The funny thing about that is when I was taking the stock headers off, I pulled the master away from the booster because I was going to remove the booster for more room to work until I realized that it was going to be too much work and wasn't necessary. There is like a paper gasket or mine looked like paper because it was so old between the master and the booster when you bolt the master to the booster. Maybe that gasket is my leak? I looked at the vacuum line that comes off the top plenum and it goes straight to the booster. Clamped on both ends, hose itself is not cracked or dry rot. I reviewed every vacuum line and everything has zip ties on the ends and all vacuum line rubber is in good shape, no cracking or dry rot. No visible signs of pin holes, nothing. Leaning towards worn out throttle body but the butterfly doesn't appear to be that bad compared to pics and videos of other 5zfe throttle body butterflys that I've seen.

 

The two system checks that kept coming back incomplete on my Torque Pro app are CATALYST and I can't remember the other one. Both O2 sensors are checking ok on the OBD2. Now CATALYST says check ok so now it's just one system that says incomplete on start up. Previous to headers everything would come back as complete checks.

My CEL did come on Easter Sunday on our way out to Sheep Bridge but I cleared the code on the fly and it never came back. I really feel like it's either a bad IAC, worn out throttle body or maybe a vacuum leak in my master/booster area.

One other note: I have noticed that my MAF sometimes is reading 8 or 9 grams of air at idle and I believe I read somewhere that somebody said 5 grams would be high although previously my MAF usually reads 5 grams at idle...

 

I probably have a spare TB in a box if you want to try that.

 

I might take you up on that. I wonder though, are these cheap IAC's junk or? To be honest, I have pretty good luck with cheap auto parts. I always read people that say don't buy the china shit but to be honest EVERYTHING is made in China. Can we really say that a stock Toyota IAC is better than a cheap alternative? It's a magnet! I kind of think maybe it's the IAC sticking open. When I bench tested it, the barrel moves both ways as it should but it does appear that it does not fully close. Not sure if that is by design or just a weak magnet in the cheap China IAC. The IAC before that was a cheap China one too and although my idle has never been great it was near 800 in D and 1000 in P. I've never had IAC CEL codes either. Kind of coincidental that I got a CEL for IAC on Sunday.

 

I dont know, but I always buy Toyota parts when working on my truck. I know it costs more, but it fits and works first time. I hate chasing gremlins.

 

Check my link for testing the IAC.

 

This data is at idle on Saturday, 4/11

 

Just read the entire thread. This is the information I was looking for last week because I was wondering if the truck wasn't giving the IAC proper voltage. Although, I bench tested the new China IAC with fairly new Seadoo Gtx battery that I store inside during off-use periods. I applied 12v to middle pin and ground to the other two respectively. The barrel moves the direction it was supposed to albeit with very slow and weak movement. I wonder why this testing method is not mentioned in the FSM. One thing that I did not test for on the new China unit was resistance. Obviously has continuity because of the 12v test. I did look over the connector pretty well. No obvious signs of abuse to any of the wires on the connector itself. I will perform the test when I can get the engine started again after I fix this likely broken starter signal wire again. I could have sworn that I took a picture of the LTFT but I don't see it now. STFT is at -5%. I thought I saw my LTFT near or at 5% as well another time monitoring data. I will definitely check the igniter as I was all over that area. The air assist hose looks to be in decent shape. I zip tied the end of it whereas before it didn't have any clamp. I did NOT check below the T however. It is connected to the T and to the IAC well with ziptie.

I had also wondered about closing the hole pre throttle blade to see what would happen. Once I get the signal wire fixed and I can start the truck I will perform everything to detail on that thread and see what's going on. Another thing to note is the repeated mentioning of brake booster. I really wonder if this high idle has been brake booster related for about 7 years now. I can tell you the EXACT day I experienced high idle for the first time ever in this truck. In the five years previous I had never had idle problems. It was Labor Day 2013. Went camping up on the rim, went to leave that day and had this insanely high idle. So much so that it was pushing through the converter at braking and idle. The whole way home it was putting a lot more pressure on the braking system. That was the first time I replaced the IAC with cheap China one. Had a little higher idle since then. A few times after cleaning TB and IAC it would do this but always within a day or so come back down to 8-900 in D and 1000-1200 in P or N. Summertime in AZ with AC always running, truck usually idles 7 to 800 in D 1000 in P or N. Wintertime when no AC truck always idles higher in P and N like around 11 to 1200 and like 850 in D.

Basically ever since Labor Day 2013 I've delt with idle issues and never could get it back to normal.

 

Bump for some electrical help!

I got the charging/starting harness off of the truck today. To my surprise, disgust and happiness all at the same time I have continuity on my starter signal wire with no resistance. Surprised because I was betting that was my no start issue. Disgusted because now I've ruled that out and back to square one. Happy because the solder job is holding up apparently and still have good continuity on my starter signal wire. I will post pics later.

I'm now leaning towards my Autopage alarm. The install was professionally done however, under my steering column looks like a rat fuck of a nest. I've had issues over the last 3 years or so with this thing. It gets hot and blows fuses left and right, only when on bumpy roads or offroading. I had attributed it to the battery moving around under the hood destroying shit for the last 7 years. Obviously, as documented above, I have since resolved that issue and the battery is now secure as shit. The problem with this alarm has always been short to ground. Never an open circuit. I believe that is what I have right now is an open somewhere in the starting/ignition circuit. Autopage unlocks and locks the doors, the remote start is sending signal to the starter relay because I hear it click. The crazy thing, this is exactly what it would do when the starter signal wire was broken or had intermittent open/close. Sometimes, I'd stop for gas and turn the truck off and then boom go to leave and nothing. No click, nothing. This was years ago so this thing has had an intermittent open for a while. Thought it was completely resolved in the last 8 months after I soldered the signal wire. I still need to rip open this loom and visually inspect the entire starter signal wire. I may even de-pin the connectors on both ends and make a whole new wire.

If it is the alarm, I took a shit ton of pictures so now I need to cross reference the FSM wiring diagram for the starting circuit and see what shit goes where on the autopage box. I don't know shit about car alarms but I've already identified a number of the wires just based on where they are going or coming from. There are a few that I have questions about though.

Basically, the alarm is wired in series with the factory wiring correct? So is the alarm the last point in the system that tells ignition circuit to complete? Have to figure this shit out. Too many electrical issues now to even take the truck out anywhere without being nervous as fuck that it will start to go home. This truck had always been reliable as fuck until this shit got out of control. Trying to do better in my older years and fix shit the right way for the last time.

 

Yes - it’s usually a relay that interrupts the starter circuit. The one I removed from my truck cut the ignition wire under the steering column. I also found a poorly spliced t-splicer melted - the problem with “professional” installations imo is no soldering and all those stupid connectors because it takes too much time to solder and not charge more than anyone will pay. I’d remove the unit in either its entirety or in a way it’s easy to reinstall if you want to replace it later after the demons are removed.

Like any relay, the alarm relay can be jumpered during problem solving too with a piece of wire.

 

So many T splices... and yea I want to solder this for the future. I don't want to get rid of it because it's almost a necessity in Phoenix in the summer time. Being able to leave the truck running for up to 20 minutes at a time is nice when 90% of my errands take 20 minutes or less... Sounds ridiculous but just turning the AC off for 10 minutes when it's 116 in July or August makes a HUGE difference in how long it takes to re-cool the truck. I hate driving my daily Civic because even going into the gas station for 2 minutes makes the car hot as fuck and take forever to re-cool. I think these things are worth their weight in gold in the AZ summer...

 

Bump for electrical nightmare!

Dudes! Need some other minds to chime in with ideas. I have been tracing this bullshit no start issue all day yesterday. I have power on black starter wire out of IG1 switch. I have power on white and white/red from AM1, AM2. I have power on IG2 at the switch. Down the path I have continuity/good fuse at the driver side kick panel fuse box 7.5a STA. Coming out of that is the black/red to Neutral Safety Switch. I have power immediately after the connector to kick panel fuse STA. I have power on the plug for the NSS. Down path, returning back to STA Relay, I have power on pin 1. Continuity with no resistance on EARTH pin 2. Pin 5 12.5v = constant from 12v AM1, same voltage as battery.

What am I missing? Relay has tested good. Fuel pump and EFI turns on when key is turned for crank which checks out because I have power on AM2-IG2 at the ignition switch. The point is closed in P N so I don't think it's the NSS although I did take it off, clean it and in process I noticed it only had one of the little springs for the brass c shape contact. Had some old jet ski carb springs that were almost identical. Cut one and put it in there so the contact has pressure like it was supposed to. Cleaned those up threw it back together, put it on correctly. The truck does NOT have power on pin 1 while in gear turning the key to crank position. To me that rules out the NSS. I did buy one on Amazon but I don't think I will need/use it now.

Basically, I can't understand why the relay isn't closing when the circuit is complete up until the pins on the relay. I have everything there for it to close the relay circuit and let 12v down the BLACK/WHITE to starter.

Other AMAZING SIDE NOTES: I applied 12v directly to the black/white signal wire right at the connector on the starter while my girlfriend turned the key to the crank position and the truck fired and ran for a couple of seconds before she turned the key off. I figured ok so the OPEN has to be in the section of wiring from the FEMALE of pin 3 for the starter relay to the EA1 junction connector which is directly under the fuse box. Tested for continuity today and have good connection on that section of wire from bottom of starter relay pin 3 to corresponding pin on the 4 pin EA1 connector. I know the male side of EA1 to starter is also PRIMO as I had that section off of the truck, re-soldered everything STOUT and have good continuity from EA1 to starter.

One other note: I jump'd pin 5 & 3 to see if I could bypass the relay and when I turned key to crank the motor went to crank but because I had been working on it all day with door open and whatnot, battery was too low to get it to turn over. Hooked it up to my Civic for a minute and went to start it and it almost fully started but battery was still not charged enough. Waited longer and then back to the NOTHING EFFECT in the crank position. All of this is without the alarm connected to rule that out until I figure out what the issue is then I put the alarm back in line with the ignition system. I'm confident at this point to say that it is not the alarm because it's doing this without the alarm hooked up. I have thoroughly read and understand how the AUTO PAGE alarms hook up to the system. The only wire that truly gets cut in half is the black starter wire. Everything else is T spliced in so that makes it easy. Black starter wire is complete right now for simulation and trial. The alarms starter kill relay is working as well when I had it in the system but I had to eliminate that temporarily as a variable.

One last thing LOLOL When I had 5 and 3 jump'd and turned key for crank I was getting power on black/white female side of the EA1 connector. Plugged that connector in and went to start but still nothing. Fuck, this is killing me! I hate ELECTRIC please god help me. I have sinned but I need to be forgiven. I need to be able to trust my truck. I NEED FAITH AND TRUST LORTTTTT OOOOOOOOOOOO LOOOORDDDDDDDD!

 

Took a break, came back out this afternoon. Verified I wasn't high yesterday. Getting power at the pin on the female side of the connector EA1 which is the black/white wire from pin 3 on relay when I turn key to crank position. Plugged connector back in nothing. Even though I had the last section of wire off of the truck from male side EA1 to starter and it has continuity no resistance, that is the only logical place. So I go to add a lead under the truck from signal wire (black/white) back over to the driver side door so I could read the voltage at the starter when key turned to crank position and this bitch just started right up.

 

The female connector on the starter itself where black/white plugs into is extremely loose. Like a ton of play. Anyone think that's my intermittent open? Coincidence that the only two times I have physically touched that plug or moved it, it has started.

 

God I'm obsessive. The truck is now starting every attempt. Not really sure wtf I did or what the underlying issue is. I suspect the connection for solenoid wire at the starter is where this problem lies. So after I let the truck run for 45 minutes to charge up the battery I shut her down. On off. On off. On off. 10 minutes later, on off. 10 minutes later, on off. Now that I had consistency I wanted to put the alarm back in series. Two things. The truck starts in the RUN position or whatever the position is before crank. So you get the key there and before you can turn it to crank the engine is already firing. It starts and the starter wont stop running. Turn key off, shut down. Did that like 5 times, same thing. I then preceded to delete the entire alarm system. After I was done I was going to start tucking wires and adding zip ties. Then I thought, can I use the alarm system without the starter kill relay???? It's so weird because it did it with two different relays, one of which is brand new. Almost like there is continuity in the relay where there shouldn't be or something. So I hooked everything back up except the starter kill relay and instead of putting my ignition wire on the relay on 87a and 85 I just put the two black ignition wires together temporarily with a 40a fuse. Everything works perfect as should. Truck remote starts, remote deactivate, lock, unlock, horn beeps, shock sensor is plugged in, everything except the stupid starter kill relay!!! The relays test fine with continuity on 85, 86. I think this might be a alarm brains issue. Like there is a short on the circuit board inside the box. Everything is definitely hooked up correct. I took my laptop out there and before I touched anything I documented and cross referenced all the stock toyota wires to which alarm wires and wrote everything down. Have FSM and the service manual for the AUTO PAGE 665 alarm. Unless I accidentally fried something in the alarm box itself. Can see how. I really don't know if these two problems are related. Weirdest one week ever.

 

MAF reading seems too high for idle. What do you guys think?