Potential Gas Tank Sabotage - 2002 Prerunner Turns Over but Won't Start

Good to see an update!
When you unscrewed the gas cap if it was the first time it had been off for a while normal temperature change might have made some pressure.

Did you try cranking it over with the fuel filter line disconnected? While I will allow there is some hazard in doing that if the vehicle is outside or at least not sitting on a wooden floor inside I don't think it will explode into a giant fireball with 5 seconds of cranking -- although it does happen on TV. Keep a garden hose handy.

I don't know if a 2002 has spark plug wires or coil on plug -- if it has old style wires you can use any plug you may have around like a mower plug, etc. just make sure the metal plug body gets a good ground, you can use jumper cables from the plug body to a ground.

 

It's probably a bit late, but light acids like white vinegar can help dissolve the lime in concrete, but you obviously need to be willing to wipe a cloth against it, which could damage the clear coat.
Contactless car wash with a bottle of vinegar, paper towels, and microfiber cloth for afterwards... that is if it's running and still dirty

For future reference, there's a fuel pump wire that runs in the driver's side kick plate that you can tap to +12V and listen for it audibly to ensure it's working

 

All, well most, of the Quikrete was cleaned off prior to the rain, so we're good there. There is still concrete in some of the grooves of the bed liner, but most is gone. This happened 4 or more months ago. It just sat for a while because I wasn't going to fix my kid's truck. Now that he's doing what he needs to do to get back to being good with me, I am trying to fix it. I really do think that the new fuel pump is working, so my next two steps is to check for spark by pulling a spark plug, reconnecting the cable, and then turning over the engine to see if I get spark. And for funsies, I want to spray some carburetor cleaner in the intake to see if that enables the car to fire. If both of those work I'm going to just go ahead and replace the fuel injectors. I figure if I'm going to go through the pain of inspecting them I may as well replace them. For $279.99 I can get a set of 6 remanufactured OEM Denso injectors from MotorWest Performance. 3rd Gen 4Runner guys rave about these (maybe they do here too... I'm still new). They even sell the plenum gaskets, fuel rail washers, and throttle body gasket, so for $351.45 shipped I'll have what I need to replace the fuel injectors. Since these are the same injectors in my 3rd Gen 4Runner, I may send the ones from the Tacoma to MotorWest for them to rebuild (for $25.00 - $30.00 each they will rebuild them like new) for future use... if I ever want to replace the fuel injectors in the 4Runner.

People mention filing an insurance claim over this kind of damage, but if I take the fuel cap, fuel pump, and gasket I bought from Toyota, and the reman fuel injectors from MotorWest, I'll still be under $1k for parts. Now my time has value, but I kind of enjoy learning about this stuff, and working on my cars. So while that would buy a lot of beer, I'd rather pay myself than deal with my insurance rates possibly going up. I think I have a $250.00 - $500.00 deductible anyway.

 

random thought, did you check the tail pipe for a blockage
longshot I know but given the the history

 

I have not, but will take a look. I do agree that sometimes the problem may be the obvious, right in front of you, so I'll give it a look. Thanks!

 

I didn't read all of the post so this may be a repeat. Also I'm not 100% sure that '99 Tacos have smart keys, but ...

Did you try a different key? A non-programed key will turn the engine over just fine but will not allow it to start. (non-programed or damaged)

 

Thanks for the suggestion! It's a 2002, and I did try another key. These aren't chip keys, and are plain metal, with no plastic on them, but I tried anyway.

 

@DWero
Any progress to report?

 

No, I've temporarily put this on the back burner. I was speaking with a guy at my local beer drinking place, and he said he had something similar happen to him, and that I should blow out all of the fuel lines, and some other things, which kind of frustrated me. I will test for spark, and will spray carburetor cleaner in the intake to see if it fires for just a second. Getting close to having to take the new battery back to the parts store for them to charge it for me, as it still turns over the engine with power, but it won't forever. I'm also getting close to just replacing the fuel injectors, but I don't like the idea of troubleshooting by replacing parts, but my troubleshooting skills aren't very good. Thanks for the motivating poke!

 

Just get a trickle charger. My Tacoma doesn't get driven all the time so I have it on a charger for when it sits.

 

Good plan, but the local O'Reilly's will charge it for free. I should probably have a charge on hand, though.

 

A battery tender/maintainer is a great thing to have around and not too expensive. I have Noco Genius 1 units, only about 35 dollars.
Also to note some vehicles won't start with a low battery even though they seem to crank fine.
Keep at it, you will learn as you go and there are always people here glad to help you along the way.

 

Thanks man, I appreciate it! Battery was brand new when I started trying to fix this Tacoma. Battery was dead and wouldn't even jump start, so I took it to O'Reilly for a free charge, as when I went to buy a charger I was told most auto/trickle chargers won't work on a bone dean battery, and I didn't want to drop $125.00+ for a charger I'd rarely use. So, I thought I'd try the free charge option. When they tried to charge it it popped up as dead. It wasn't that old, so I got a free warranty replacement. So, the first crank after the fuel pump and fuel filter change was on a brand new, fully charged, battery. It still turns over strong, but like you mentioned, I will get it charged up so I know it's fully charged. Thanks again, and keep the tips coming!

 

Correct, many modern "smart" chargers won't charge a completely flat battery.

Modern batteries aren't nearly forgiving as the old ones, running them flat frequently damages them internally.
Modern vehicles are much harder on batteries too, the oldies only had a clock drawing on them when off.
All the computer equipment on a modern vehicle is constantly drawing power -- this is exactly the opposite of what a conventional battery is designed for.

This is the (small 1 amp) NOCO charger I use, it has a microprocessor so it only feeds the battery exactly what it needs. Older "trickle chargers" kept pushing even when the battery was full and would overheat the battery if left on long term.

I have several of these, my only complaint is the user manual print is so small I needed a magnifying glass to read it.

$30 NOCO GENIUS1: 1A 6V/12V Smart Battery Charger – Automatic Maintainer, Trickle Charger & Desulfator with Overcharge Protection & Temperature Compensation – For Lead-Acid & Lithium Batteries

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07W46BX3...na-MzdXiU0o8pkIWsmT78iXtbrPLKmeBoCywAQAvD_BwE

 

Okay, went back to work on this Taco. I have been told check for air, spark, and gas, and while I don't know if the gas is making it to the engine (I suspect it is), I'm getting gas to the new fuel filter, so the new pump is pumping gas. Today I pulled a spark glug and plugged it back in to the wire while it was out, and it got spark when turning over the key. While I probably should have flushed the fuel lines while the gas tank was out, I didn't. So, I'm rolling the bones, and tomorrow I will replace the fuel injectors, spark plugs, and wires. If the truck doesn't start after that I'm kind of screwed. It might stretch into Monday, but let's see how it goes. Not sure if it means anything, as I have turned over the engine several times trying to get it to start, but the spark plug I pulled smelled like gas, and had a little unburnt stuff on it. I'll let you guys know how it goes. Thanks again for all of the replies!

 

Keep on keeping on man, you will get it!

 

Thanks for the continued support!

 

So it's been kind of bugging me that I didn't clean out the fuel lines when I replaced the fuel pump and fuel filter. When I take out the fuel rails to replace the fuel injectors I'm going to clean the rails with 99% isopropyl alcohol and blow them out with compressed air, and do the same with the fuel line from the fuel pressure regulator to the fuel filter (fuel filter disconnected, of course). I also wonder if I can clean out the fuel pressure regulator, or if I should replace it. Man, I really want this truck to start when I'm finished! What do you think about the fuel pressure regulator?

 

I'm not sure if it can be cleaned but you can try! I'd be tempted to try and test the fuel pressure wirh a gauge. This post has some info that might help:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/3-4l-fuel-issue.452218/page-2#post-13319753

 

Thanks, Duck! I just figure if I'm already in $750.00 or so I may as well drop another $105.00 for a new regulator. This way any junk that may have gone through the system will be addressed. In know there are more fuel lines in the fuel system than the high pressure line between the fuel filter and the pressure regulator, but I feel like if I blow out that line, clean the fuel rails when I replace the injectors, and replace the fuel pressure regulator, that I would have gotten to much of what could have gotten contaminated, increasing the odds of this making it so the truck starts/runs.