Shaky/low idle, CEL - Code P0301

Edit***

I was able to go to Autozone and use a scanner and have them check the data. The code came back as P0301 - Cylinder 1 Misfire.

The suggested solution given was to replace the fuel injectors.

Thoughts on this?

 

Billy Hicks is my hero btw.

Bad injector?
That reeks of a poor assessment.

How old are your spark plugs wires? I replace them at 50k or 5 years

I'd start there. Then move on to the coil pack.

Not sure if there's a test to diagnose coil packs. But you can do a continuity test on the wires. It's not 100% though. And they're cheap enough if they're older. Only denso or ngk imo.

Edit. Not familiar with the 2.7.

 

Plugs likely should be changed. I changed them when I got the truck - 133k, and I'm at 85k now.

Regarding the wires. I'm not sure if the 3.4 has a wiring harness like the 2.7 but I'm unclear whether I'm supposed to change the harness at some point.

I haven't changed the coil packs either.

 

Same thing happened to me it was a shorted injector

 

Did you replace all the injectors?

Did you use OEM or other?

 

Could be a number of things. You could swap spark plug wires first to see if the misfire follows the wire (swapping them at both ends of course) and coil packs if it's like the 3.4 - you could check your spark plug in cyl 1 to see any evidence of what's happening in the cylinder. It will be a lot easier to diagnose if you buy a code reader - you can spend as little as $15 on Amazon or $10k on a Snap On, but it's going to save you time and money in the long run with one that can help you diagnose this kind of stuff. If you have a smart phone then you can use it's processing power along with a bluetooth odb2 scanner. This is the one recommended to me by @mechanicjon and since I have an apple phone I got the car doctor app to go with it - torque is the one for androids. I haven't been able to use it yet since my daily driver isn't having any issues and my first gen is mid-engine replacement.

$20 Foseal Wifi OBD2 Scanner, Car Code Reader Check Engine Light Diagnostic Scan Tool for iOS and Android

https://www.amazon.com/Foseal-Scanner-Adapter-Diagnostic-Android/dp/B00W0SDLRY

@mechanicjon @Speedytech7 and @boostedka know a lot more about 2.7's than me, but the basics apply - it could be spark, fuel delivery, air (which most likely isn't the case since it's a single cylinder misfire and not the whole engine choking), or compression. Each has its own test that you can perform somewhat easily with a little research and tools that are often able to be rented.

For compression, there's a video by a good guy that makes videos for 3rd gen 4runners that share a lot of our trucks' components. This is a compression test for a 3.4 and it's most likely similar to what you'd do for a 2.7

 

Just the injector on the cylinder thats misfiring. No, oem is to expensive for my taste.

Try to get your hands on mechanics stethoscope and listen in on the injectors on cylinders not misfiring and compare to your injector 1

 

You can use a long screw driver to listen to injectors.

 

Ok. I wanted to clarify that the CEL light blinks and then will stay solid, and then will blink again.

I drove it may 2 miles after this incident occurred but came back home and haven't driven it.

When I used the OBD II meter from Autozone, I didn't have the engine running, just turned ignition to accessory. Would this have been able to collect all the relevant data to the issue(s) if the engine wasn't running?

 

Yes - but if you want to use the spark plug wire swap to figure out if it's an ignition / electrical problem, you'll need some way of knowing how the test worked out by reading the codes again. It's even better when you can get live data from the truck while it's running with misfire counts so you can see if it's one or more cylinders that are actually misfiring and how much (engine codes won't always tell the whole story - but usually the brunt of it). The bluetooth obd2 scanner I linked I think can do that - I haven't had time away from work and school and family stuff over this vacation to mess with it to find out for sure.

 

My 2.7 engine doesn't have regular spark plug wires like the 3.4 does.

I need to get the truck running ASAP but I'm hoping there is a Toyota parts place open tomorrow so I can get some plugs and. Need to be changed anyways.

 

Yeah I can't be as much help to you as some others on this site since I haven't had a truck with the 3rz 4 cyl in it, but eventually people usually go down one of two roads - guessing and throwing parts at a truck, or diagnosing and solving the issue with common sense - not meant to be a dig at you, my observation on this site and out in the world. Nothing wrong with changing spark plugs, but there's no guarantee that that will fix your problem. Same with replacing wires, the injector, etc if it's a compression issue - but you won't know until you diagnose it. That's the point I'm trying to make. You can get the proper spark plugs from a parts store too.

@Speedytech7

 

I'm going to try the long screw driver/stethoscope method tomorrow and also use my DMM to read the measure resistance.

 

Right on - I hope it's something easy / inexpensive to fix!

 

Me too! I also ordered that bluetooth OBD II scanner. A buddy of mine should have one I can borrow tomorrow to troubleshoot things.

 

With your mileage, it's most likely your coil pack. No wires on the 2.7l. You can try to confirm by swapping 1 and 2 and see if the code follows. This is easy, just remove the retaining bolt and pull out the coil. It'll take five minutes. You should not run the engine for long if the MIL is flashing. Sometimes the coil may crack and short out inside the spark plug recess. I was able to run a misfiring coil by using dielectric grease and winding electrical tape around the post. Only one tape winding because it's a tight fit in the recess.

I eventually replaced all 4 coil packs as they started failing one after another after about 150K miles. I kept the taped coil as an emergency spare. It still works ok. Only use Denso coils or you'll be sorry. Rock auto has about the best price. Good luck.

 

So I coughed up $120 and got a scanner from Autozone.

Erased original code. Swapped the coil packs from cylinder 1 with 4 and and then got a code P0304, so I know it's the 1 coil pack.

Now. Can I buy a cheapo coil pack from a local auto store to get me by till the Denso coils I order arrive? Gonna replace all the packs cause I never have. Also need to do the plugs.

Will getting a non-Denso cheap coil pack do any harm if I'm running it for a few days? It's money wasted but I need the truck for work.


EDIT*** got the overpriced Duralast part from Autozone. Truck runs fine, no codes popping up. Got new Denso plugs and coil packs being shipped.

 

So the 2.7 has plug wires or a harness?

 

Harness.

 

Glad you got it running. The autozone coil will work fine until the others arrive, they just don’t seem to last as long as the densos. Keep it for a spare. Changing out number 3 is the hard one with everything in the way. Even that ones not too bad. Pretty much plug and play, and you are good for another 150k