Persistent fuel intake problem (P0171)

The problem is I live in the jungle surrounded by trees and primitive mechanics who never use any kind of reader. Parts are never available so it takes two weeks for a new distributor rotor for instance. Add to that my own limited understanding and you see the predicament. Sometimes I'm better off buying a horse
There is a Toyota dealership 80 miles away, maybe I should give them a try.

 

Buy a distributor cap already

 

If the center electrode is there then cap is ok, but it looks like it could be missing. Did you check sparkplug wire resistance with an ohm meter?

 

OK I think I have figured it out.
It must be rust in the gas tank again. I didn't thought it possible because I cleaned it less then a year ago when I changed the pump. But then I ent abroud and the car sat still for four months. And this climate is a disaster on steel.
So I probably need to buy a new tank.
But today I'm going to clean it first. Any tips?

 

You could do this http://www.por15.com/POR-15-Fuel-Tank-Repair-Kit_p_62.html

I used the above kit before with great results.

 

Did you check sparkplug wires? What was the resistance?

 

What makes you thing rust in the tank?

 

This

 

And you just pulled that out?

 

HOLLY SHIZZNIT!! Dam that's a problem. You must get some really bad gas that's full of water a lot.

 

Yep, it reminds me of when a friend showed me around in Ukraine, and stopped at a specific gas station, because the gas wasn't diluted with water there he said.

I will have to be more selective.

Thanks that is useful. It will take two weeks to get here. So I guess in the meantime I will use my pressure washer, clean it up so it works, than clean/treat it good a second time with that stuff.
Or maybe I can buy a new one for a reasonable price.

 

Anybody knows if the fuel tank for the extended cap is the same as for the single cab?
http://www.partsgeek.com/catalog/1996/toyota/tacoma/fuel_delivery/fuel_tank.html

 

You have single cab 4x4? correct

 

According to Toyota parts there different http://partsfactory.camelbacktoyota...ank&scat=&p=catalog&mode=search&search_in=all

 

holy cow that looks bad. So the problem was fuel. Hopefully the strainer kept most of the rust particles from making it through. Either way new/clean tank, new pump, new filter and hopefully you'll be good to go. Interested though how heat makes it worse.

 

Might be just a coincident that fuel restriction happens about the time engine is hot.

 

From what I've read, nothing has been ruled out yet. Troubleshooting starts at one end.

 

Yes correlation rather than causality.

Today I'm cleaning it out with a pressure washer, vinegar and a brush. That should do until the kit arrives. It's too bad I don't have kids because I can't get my arms in there deep enough. I wonder how CD20H did that.

 

I threw in a bunch ( 2-3 hand fulls ) of nuts and bolts and rattled them around in the tank. I used a magnet attached to a string to retrieve them when I was satisfied with the cleaning.

 

Thanks guys for all the help. With the tank, pump and filters cleaned up, my truck is finally running as it should. Not only that, but with your help I have pretty much checked everything and corrected a couple of minor ailments. Great!

One of the things I had done was fix a crack in the exhaust manifold. The welder said though that it wouldn't hold for long and I should buy a new/used manifold anyway. On Amazon a new one costs $63 bucks, but for $100 I can get this 'performance' model. What do you think, worth the extra money or not?