Mechanically Challeneged, Need HELP!

Hey all,

Here's my situation,
Bought a 2003 Tacoma 4wd, access cab, 3.4L, with an installed TRD Supercharger, @ 148k miles.
Soon after purchase the check engine light came on and so I took it to O'reilys to have the code reading taken. They said it came back reading P300, P302, P303, which was an indication that I was experiencing misfires.
After talking with the guys and doing some of my own research I was able to figure out that I should start by replacing Spark Plugs and go from there.
Had a buddy help me get the plugs gaped and changed correctly, yet was still getting the same codes.
Next step was replacing the 3 coils and the other 3 wires going to the other side of the engine.
Still having this "misfire" code.
Tried a couple fill ups with Lucas Oil to clean the injectors as this was my next step to take.
Also ran a few fill ups with HEAT to try and see if that had any effect on the injectors.
The HEAT seemed to work for a month or so as the check engine light went off on its own. The next time it came back on, I was cancelling cruise control on the highway and personally felt a "misfire" (Or at least that's what I thought I felt), (engine seemed to skip a beat).

While all this was going on I was noticing that I was topping off my coolant regularly and when I started my car first thing in the morning, there was certainly a "rough idle" for maybe a full 30 seconds then the truck feels fine.
My inexperienced guess was that I had some type of head gasket leak and overnight there was coolant leaking into the cylinders slowly and when I start it up first thing it's misfiring because of the coolant pool inside, and then it clears after burning for ~30seconds.
Caved in and took it to a mechanic to do some proper diagnosis.
After looking at it all they could suspect was a fuel injector stuck open and leaking in too much fuel, but I insisted they keep it overnight to get a cold start and take a look. Well they called me the next morning and said they pressurized the cooling system and that I did indeed have coolant inside the cylinders.

So I'm kind of stuck. I don't really know exactly what is wrong with my truck and really don't have all that much experience or knowledge in fixing on my own. I was quoted $2300 for a head gasket replacement, and I know 100% that I will not be paying that.
I have some friends that work on cars and told me they are easily able to help me get it replaced (there's also a 6 part youtube series doing this whole process step by step). What I'm more worried about now is the fact that I own a Tacoma with TRD supercharger that is wearing my truck out faster and I don't really know what errors I'm actually experiencing.
I was also reading that the stock injectors for the Tacoma's only produce 240-250cc and toyota made fuel injectors at the time that were capable of 305cc and those are needed to run with a supercharger.

I live in Denver, Colorado if there is anyone in the area/state that can assist or guide me in the right direction without trying to squeeze every penny out of me (like all the other mechanics around). I can drive the truck to you or meetup somewhere in Colorado to have you take a look.
Currently I'm planning on a head gasket replacement within the next week or 2 with some friends, and don't know if I should be also looking to replace/upgrade injectors.
The engine is at 156k now and I want to repair it and hope to have it last upwards of 300k.
Also when replacing the head gaskets, what other replacements should I be focusing on while my engine is apart so much? Is this the time to replace timing belt, pumps, hoses, etc.

Thanks all for taking a look, any help that can be offered is GREATLY appreciated.

 

I'm not sure exactly what it is you're asking - sounds like the head gasket needs to be replaced. That is somewhat common on supercharged engines that don't have any fuel upgrades, although not as much on '01+ motors that have a bi-metal gasket.
Larger injectors by themselves won't help that much, you also need to tune the engine/SC to increase fuel supply and adjust timing as necessary. The 7th injector kit from URD is a pretty solid plug and play system that doesn't require a lot of extra tuning if that's your style, there are also other ways of tuning.

 

Try the rising sun 4x4 club message board, someone there may be able to point you toward a mechanic.

 

For a generic misfire code, accurate diagnosis is key otherwise you can throw all sorts of parts at it and never fix the problem. A mechanic should be able to test for a leaking head gasket or if the fuel system is to blame and everything else. Agree with finding a good local mechanic.

 

Thanks for everyones input. I guess I was just seeing if anyone had ran into similar issues or some advice on if what my plans were seemed correct.
Has anyone heard of the injectors that push 305cc over the stock 250cc? or is the URD 7th injector the way to go?

 

I don't know why you said you really don't know what's wrong with your truck when it seems pretty obvious. You either have a cracked head or a bad head gasket. Engine coolant just doesn't magically disappear. It's either leaking out somewhere out of a hose, heater core or water pump or your engine is eating it. The shop did a cooling system pressure check but they should have followed that up with a compression check of the cylinders and then did a leak down test on any of the cylinders that were reading low. So, I would advise you to do the compression and leak down test yourself if you have those tools already or maybe one of your friends does. If not, take it back to a shop and have them do it. It's most likely just one head and not both. When they do the leak down test on the cylinders, if you see air bubbles rising to the top of your radiator, you either have a cracked head or blown head gasket.

If you're worried about the supercharger, get rid of it. You could sell that in a heartbeat for big money and get the plenums and other parts you need from a wrecked 3rd Gen 4runner or 1st Gen Tacoma.

I watched that video series for the head gasket job. That guy did an excellent job so you at least have a good tutorial to follow. But, even with a good tutorial, it's a labor intensive job so hopefully your friends are really good friends and will help you from beginning to end.