Inconsistent Performance

I've been noticing something odd with how my 2017 acts from day to day. It's kind of a Jekyll and Hyde personality.

To be clear, I'm not here to complain my truck drives like $hit or anything nor do I need OVTune. I don't have the shifting problems some complain about and I don't think I've ever even used cruise control. I have over 40K miles so it's well broken in and I'm the original owner.

Symptoms:

• Around 50% of the time, give or take, the truck drives fine. It has decent acceleration and is predictable and responsive.
• Around 50% of the time, give or take, something seems off. It is slow to respond and acts a bit like it's suffering vapor lock or something.
• Which version I get seems fairly random and the version I get when I start the truck is the version I have until I turn it off. In other words, it's not like it's Jekyll one moment and Hyde the next. I either start the truck and drive Jekyll or I drive Hyde.

A few things I've ruled out:

• It's not dependent on gas. I fill up at the same station a lot and I will see both Jekyll and Hyde on the same tank.
• It's not weather. There doesn't seem to be any difference in which personality shows up if it's hot or cold out.
• It's not terrain. I commute about 30 miles one way each day and either personality is as likely as the other on any given day. And I can drive Jekyll to work in the morning and Hyde home in the evening or vice versa.

I'd like to figure out what's going on. I plan to bring this up the next time it's in for service but I'm not really sure what to tell them and it's not possible to replicate - at least I haven't found out what might be the trigger.

Any thoughts? Since I know the truck can drive fine much of the time I know it's fully capable of good behavior. It just drives me nuts when it decides to act different and I can't figure out why.

 

" It's a characteristic of the Truck"

 

Sounds like my ex.


Gonna be tough to diagnose without a more technical description of the problem.

 

My second gen has a temper like that as well. Some days it feels like a peppy little bastard, next day it's sluggin it down the road. I drive slow as shit anyways so it's never really bothered me other than when it's in slug-mode I hear some annoying tinny noise from around the manifold.

 

I know, but I have no idea how to better describe it. When it's fine, it's fine. And then sometimes it doesn't want to respond to the pedal. One thought was sticking injector but I think that would cause the check engine light to come on.

 

Toyota says this is normal. Jokes aside, this is why I drolive in ETC and just hammer it. I can't do the sluggish, mush pedal.

 

A/C kills a Sport.

Did you read the codes? Check the air filter? Do you work part time at a mountaintop ski resort, part time as an oceanside lifeguard?

 

I've tried ETC a few times, but I don't think it helps. I'll have to give it try next time and verify.

 

I wonder if its something electronic. I'd be tempted to hook up a scan tool and drive around watching things like the throttle position and such, maybe you've just got a bum sensor somewhere.

 

AC doesn't seem to be a factor. Truck drove to work fine this morning and the AC was on the whole way. Was sluggish going home yesterday and AC was on the whole time. My commute is mostly flat.

 

Sounds like a plan but I have no clue how to do that. I don't have a "scan tool". Maybe this is something I can ask the dealer to look into.

 

I have (had) the same problem and told the dealer with no help. I can fix the problem "on the fly" by pressing gas once, release and press it again. Works for me. Kind of like poking the truck GO!.

 

Thanks for the tip. I'll try that next time I notice the issue.

 

They might have some ideas about what to watch. But its going to be tough for them to catch if it doesn't happen every time. If the tip the Dacon suggested works, then I'd be suspicious of whatever sensor is reading your gas pedal position.

 

I’d definitely bring it in and let the dealer look at it. Just explain exactly the way you did here. Maybe wait till a day when it’s acting like Jekyll?

 

Its not odd, its a designed feature by 8 yr college educated engineer. So you're odd. lol.
Mine does the same. On same road every day, some days it tries to get into 6th gear by 45 mph. Some days it shifts much later. Sometimes going up hill it will shift down as soon as I hit gas just a little. Other times on same hill, seems like Im half throttle before it shifts down. So now I'm either in ECT or S mode and lock out 6th and sometimes 5th.
Edit, shifts perfect for a couple days after disconnecting battery for a bit. So its that learning bs.

 

I honestly think it's just neutered tuning from Toyota. Just ECT and push the pedal.

 

Same issues here with mine. I gave up trying to explain to the dealer and have just been waiting to see if a more serious issue presents itself.

 

Get manual trans.

 

I do that on my 17 when its slow and it picks right up.