04 Tacoma hesitation (at times) while trying to accelerate

I recently bought an 04 Tacoma SR5 4x4 and am having issues with it hesitating while I attempt to accelerate. This does not happen all the time. Sometimes the truck drives like a champ! The engine does not seem like its about to cut off, it just won't accelerate for a second or two and then seems to kick in. Also does not feel like a transmission issue. I have replaced the o2 sensor and air filter (both needed it)... but the problem persists. Any ideas?

 

Check the spark plugs. Make sure the are the 2 ground strap type.

 

I have an 04 SR5 with the 3.4L and had a simular problem. I called it Bad Throttle Lag. It turned out to be the Throttle Position Sensor (TPS) had a worn spot.

Check this post under Tech Chat for the solution. Its easy to fix and cheap
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/technical-chat/163262-bad-throttle-lag.html

 

I had a similar problem on mine. It ended up being the throttle position sensor also. It started out with lag and not often and gradually got worse and then would start to die. Swapped it out in 15min and good as new!

Tim

 

turn ignition to On. Step on the gas like 20x. Then it should be fine for awhile.

 

Thanks for the tip. I have heard from a couple of folks that the throttle sensor might be the culprit.

I will get on it asap.

 

The tps sensor for 03/04 may be hard to find.

 

So I heard somewhere that if you take the TPS sensor off and reinstall it that things could work better. Just did that and it seems to have made all the difference. I am still going to buy at 4 prong tps at the auto parts store because I am sure the fix is short lived if the sensor is failing.

But here's my next question... when i reinstalled the TPS the engine now idles at 2 rather than 1... when I put it in gear it drops down to 1 and runs like a champ.. I wonder if I put it on incorrectly? Did I twist it too far to get it to fit flush? Or twist it the wrong way when installing?

 

Hmmm, it's possible. I'd try taking it off and reinstalling it. After that if still same issue I'd go ahead and replace it.

Tim

 

Krismcdaniel
I have the same truck but with manual trans. I had same problem (I think). Flat spot in acceleration sometimes but not all the time. , The fix for me was to pump the accelerator pedal with the engine off 100 times from idle to full throttle. What this does is cleans the variable resistor in the TPS. It probably has a worn spot where the throttle nomally sets most. I have not had the problem for last 22,000 miles. What have you got to lose except the minutes it takes to pump the pedal 100 times. I tried a lot of other stuff but this worked for me.

I could not find a TPS when I was working on this problem was going to have to buy a complete Throttle Body $700