95 rwd v6 (California) headaches

Hello everyone,
I’ve had my 95 Tacoma for a little less than a year and probably put about 10k miles on her, she’s currently sitting around 180k. The guy I purchased it from totally ripped me off by not disclosing several issues with it but that’s kind of on me for being in a rush and not doing a thorough inspection. There are a laundry list of issues with it which I suppose I’ll list in order

• Noticed long cranks when I first got it especially when cold outside.
• Kept throwing a code for excessive egr flow. Unfortunately for my specific model the egr parts are discontinued.
• Once got a code for the ECT but the coolant was all rusty and nasty so I flushed it and code never came back it seems to work fine when I check the live data.
• During the summer months I had an issue with getting it to start once slightly warm or hot (if I cut it off went inside a store for 10 minutes or so etc).
• Idle can be pretty rough and inconsistent. Fan is extremely loud when the idle is high, but then sometimes it settles down and seems normal.
• The past month or so the long cranking got really bad and I found out if I pushed the gas pedal all the way to the floor it would eventually turn over having to flutter the gas pedal to keep it alive for the first few seconds.
  
• The day I started shopping for a second vehicle knowing she was on her last leg I started getting a code for the 02 sensor post cat not responding to the heater to heat up. (P0141 or 0131 can’t quite remember exactly). Seems it could indicate a short of some kind.
  
• On my way home I stopped at a gas station in the middle of nowhere and topped off my tank (fuel gauge didn’t really work it would give a rough estimate or show completely empty).
  
• About 5 minutes from the house the engine just stopped, I thought it just slipped out of gear at first but then I noticed it was completely dead. I was able to get it running two more times to get me about another couple hundred yards and then that was it.

Whoever owned it before did some really shoddy wiring… there is an alarm or remote start thing installed right under the dash, I noticed something coming out of the wiring harness hole into the engine bay that was wrapped in electrical tape. I unraveled it to find a red wire taped to a fuse or resistor of some type (clear cylinder with two metal ends). There is also a U-Haul branded towing harness spliced into the wiring on the rear of the truck.

I’m thinking it’s the fuel pump as I had another Tacoma years ago whose pump failed and left me in the middle of the highway. I’m concerned it’s some kind of electrical issue and don’t wanna spend ~$250 on a fuel pump assembly if it’s just a short or a medley of several other problems. I plan on trying to get the engine running with some starter fluid today and will update this post accordingly. If anyone takes the time to read all of this and has any ideas or feedback I would really appreciate it. I really miss driving my truck……

 

Yeah, sounds like PO didn't really keep up with maintenance when it got to the mileage it was at when you bought it. Could be multiple issues causing your problem. Now your having to deal with those items which is normal for a high mileage vehicle. Try the starter fluid and if it fires up you have a fuel starvation problem.

 

Will run on starting fluid. As soon as the starting fluid stops being sprayed into the intake the engine dies. How do I know if it’s the pump or an electrical issue?

 

You bought a pos. You bought a long term project that will take lots of hours of your time and lots and lots of $$$. There’s too much going on to diagnose it all here. You may end up spending as much as you paid for it. I suggest selling it and getting something a little newer than 20 years old and in better condition. If you like devoting a huge part of your spare time working on that truck and you don’t mind dumping a lot of money into it and you have the expertise to do the repairs then go for it it. For me I’d cut my loses and start over.
In addition to your above post I saw your post about your rusted suspension, who knows what else is wrong with it. It’s a bottomless money pit. Get rid of it.

 

Without being totally invasive you can swap the relays (EFI) in fuse box under the hood and also check for fuel pressure at bolt that goes from fuel line to fuel rail by intake manifold but you already confirmed no fuel. If your a diyer do your research or take it to a mechanic. Best start reading up on old posts here on TW its all been explained in some thread at sometime over 15 yrs or so on 1st gen. I wouldn't have a great running truck if not for Tacoma world, that's for sure.

Edit: actually its the people on Tacoma world and website.