Randomly dying taco

About a week ago my 2000 3.4 V6 2wd Tacoma died. The engine just shut off. I pulled over, waited a few minutes and tried turning it over. It worked fine and made it all the way home(about an hour drive). Same thing happened the next day: died, waited a few minutes, started her up, got home. The next morning I went to start the truck and it was turning over but wouldn't actually start. So, funnel in the gas tank to check the fuel pump. Nothing. Switched the EFI relay and power outlet relay under the hood. Fuel pump was working. I switched the relays back to their original position and the truck started fine. Timing is good, not missing, not back firing, I have spark, the fuel pump is working, and my check engine light isn't on. I replaced the EFI relay thinking it might just be a failing relay. I drove it again and it did the same thing. No warnings, just died. This time I popped the (brand new) EFI relay out and put it back in, it fired right up and worked the rest of the trip(30 minute drive). The only correlation I can find between the truck breaking down is that it is usually 5-8 minutes into the drive. I've checked all the fuses, they're good. I've checked my grounds, they're good. Any ideas or suggestions?

Also, will a code stay stored even if the check engine light isn't on?

 

Alternator maybe? I'm not a mechanic, but I think a code can stay stored as a warning. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong.


And welcome to TW!

 

Thanks for the quick reply.

I was having trouble with my alternator previously so I replaced it less than a month ago. The battery tested good too. All connections are snug and clean.

Thanks for the ideas though and thanks for the welcome! This is a pretty badass site.

 

You're welcome man!

Any more info on how and when it dies? Hopefully someone with more knowledge than me'll show up soon.

TW is more than just badass.

 

Welcome,

Bad ass site till the mod bug bites your wallet lol . Anyhow had a problem like this long ago on a ford but your description is exactly the same. I don't know any tricks to check the problem out but in the case I am referring to it was the distributor control module getting hot it shut the car off no warning no power loss etc just plain turned off like a light. Yes I know it was ford but might want to look at the ignition system perhaps one of the coils check and see if one is hotter then the others when it shuts off? There are some crack shade tree guys and real toyota tech's here someone is bound to come up with a good test and or reason to help you out.

Cypher

 

Have you checked the fuel filter? When my car randomly died like that it was because the fuel filter was clogged and not enough gas was getting to where it needed to be. When the car was shut off, the pressure from the fuel pump eased up, the funk in the filter stirred and it was able to start again. Then it would die when all the sediment clogged it up again. Well at least that was what was explained to me. When I changed it, the problem no longer existed.

 

^ That would shut the truck off quick though Baby when it did so didn't the truck cough, lose power, sputter etc or something when the filter shut off fuel ? I am asking for my self also to file away the answer for future lol. I would think it would but I am not a true mech so I do not know exactly what happens to a fuel injected vehicle when you shut fuel off to the pump or injectors.

Cypher

 

The car ran rough and when I stepped on the gas, it would make a sound like it was missing then it died.

 

May be the rule of "The last thing you touched." Where did you buy your new alternator?

It sounds electrical in nature to me. It seems too binary (on or off) to be mechanical. I would:

Check all of your main ground and electrical connections (at battery, at alternator (one from engine block to ground, battery to ground, battery to alternator). I would disconnect each one and be sure that a connection isn't breaking off, clean it, put some dielectric grease on it, and then reconnect.

 

Ok, so I went and had the codes read. There were as follows:

P0340 Camshaft Position Sensor Circuit Malfunction
P0355 Ignition Coil E Primary/Secondary Circuit Malfunction

I do believe I'm long overdue for changing my fuel filter but I don't think it's directly related to the problem. I'm going to change out the camshaft position sensor and see how it goes. I'm not sure what coil "E" is talking about, though. I'll update after I work on it. Thanks for the suggestions everyone.