Noobie needs opinons

allright im a noob to the site. so any info would be much needed. i bought a 98 tacoma xtra cab 3.4 liter v6, auto, optional electric locker, trd package. ( bilstien supension,) 283,000 on the original drivetrain. very well taken care by a older gentlemen. $696 is what i paid for it, a little bit of body damage, but nothing major, AAD leafs in the rear, all original. with 15X8 wagon wheels. i have a problem though i have to stuff a shop rag into the air intake behind the filter other wise it will not run, and it has a lag in the throttle response .. i pulled out a 86 ford ranger today and it did just find well besides the whole dying thing when you get the rpm's over 3200, roughly then it cuts out and dies, im a extremely mechanicly inclined person. im not real familar with the obd II system and i need help troubleshooting what the problem might be.. i was told it might be a O2 sensor or maybe the Cat's are so clogged that its not running correctly, or maybe vacuum lines? my other question is that the book calls for dual electode plugs is this nessacary? will post pics and videos if asked.. this is not my daily driver its my project truck, i do know enough about yota's that when i seen this truck i had to have it... my goal is to build a barely street legal baja truck, long arm kit, bed cage, rock sliders,supercharger pretty much the whole nine yards... i also talked to the original owner of the truck and he had the bottom end rebuild 30,000 ago and had the vavle train serviced at the same time... i know this is a long thread and i thank every one to reads this and can give me some insight...

 

O2 sensor is a good place to start, if its been sitting awhile a good cleaning of the throttle body/positioner would be good also, does it die when you put your foot to it ? It could be a fuel delivery issue also. Has it thrown any codes ?? That would narrow things down considerably. I guess it could be a vacuum problem but it would run consistently shitty, not just under acceleration.....good luck .....

 

If the cat is not deead yet running it out of tune like that will kill it fast.

1/8" drill bit and drill a hole in front of the cat. The back pressure should be + 1-2 lbs at any throttle position. Any thing over 3-5 and I'm cutting them out and taking a look.

Sounds more like a primary igniton / fuel / exhaust issue as opposed to just a sensor. The computer shold be able to run the truck in open loop and accomidate a basic failed sensor.



Check the codes and let u know.

 

Yeah that doesn't sound like an O2 problem, I would start by hooking it up to a code reader if you have anyway of borrowing one. After that it should clue you into something. Also pull the plugs and look at em, that'll give you an idea of how it's running (like shit in this case lol). Look for crossed wires, and check spark on all your wires/plugs. Pull your intake apart and clean the MAF. Also try changing the fuel filter, if there's build-up in there it'll run like shit. Dump the oil and fluids and look for any contaminents. and try unhooking your tailpipe, and just running it open. CAT could be shit. When I was growing up my dad used to hammer this into my head when working on my motorcycle. Fuel, Air, Spark: an engine needs these three things to run, without them or a lack of any one of them and your engine won't run. Start taking shit apart and eliminating possibilities. Narrow it down. And keep us informed!