Sand in the tank, headlights, or electrical issues, the saga continues for the 4th time? (10/9/18)

I need yalls help...
I was at pismo Beach today and pulled two people out (go taco!!) But I got hit by a rouge wave and it splashed up a bit. Now I have lost all throttle response. The air filter and everything is dry. Intake is dry. I checked all 4 abs sensor plugs, they're fine. The truck has a check engine light (code readers in garage...) And it surges bad. I either have no throttle or all in, not much in-between. Sometimes it will work and feel normal and then when I shift gears (6spd) it'll lurch really bad and the vss/traction control light will light up until I push in clutch. when I release the throttle it surges once as well...

I'm lost, new to the electronic BS. Miss my throttle cables.... Really need help, I gotta get back home so I can work....



*Update 16 Sept 16*
For those who don't want to read 40 pages.
For this first issue, my truck made it off the beach back to the hotel and it was fine within 4 hours. I drove 4 hours home, zero issues. Washed it, and it died, requiring a tow. The dealer had my truck for a month, and worked me into an insurance claim for "sand infiltration into the fuel system." $14,000 in repairs and insurance claims later, my truck was returned. Theu replaced the entire fuel system from filler neck and cap to injectors...2000 miles later I took my truck overlanding, 200 miles of dirt roads through the Lassen Volcanic Forest Back country. I washed my truck after a flawless trip, and the truck died, exhibited the same symptoms as before. It wouldn't idle right, stumbled with throttle input, and fell on its face. After two weeks, and finding dirt in the brand new gas tank, again, they claimed it was my TRS Morimoto HIDS and XC LEDs causing the issue. Apparently shorting out and freaking the ECU out when wet. I put everything back to stock, and pressure washed the truck, engine bay, etc and haven't had a issue. I am still currently in the diagnosis phase trying to figure it out.



Oct 3rd. after soaking the engine (see later pages for vids) with stock lights, no issues. I resealed the Morimoto HIDs and soaked the engine with no faults. I did find a band XCled driver for the high beams. Trs replaced those with 2stroke leds. I have not tested those yet, however another user is having the same issues I am... It appears as if it's the LEDs.




Update 12/8/16

Well my truck has been in the dealer for 21 days now. It showed the same symptoms as the last two times. The truck worked perfectly fine a week after my camping trip, 2 tanks of gas in the meantime, up until the second I washed it. So I had it towed again. After being ignored for 12 days, I went physically to the dealer to seek answers, the only records on the truck were that the 10k maintenance had been performed. The service manager promised to call me back that day... Fast forward 2 days, I called them, left a message and they returned back with pretty much no news, other than that its being diagnoses and field specialists are coming to look at it.

Fast forward to today, there is sand in the fuel tank, again. No one can explain why or how, and the service manager accused me of lying to them, and complained that I am costing them too much money.

Oh, and by the way, I've been paying for a rental for the past 21 days, they wont give me a loaner because its not deemed warranty.

I have a 5th case open with Toyota Corp... we will see where this goes.



Also, I owe TRS an apology for the former mis-diagnosis.

 

Are you still on the beach? I can come out with a code reader.

 

I'm in San Luis Obispo. 20 minutes away from Pismo.

 

I limped it to my hotel. At least it got me out of the water!

 

Are you still in the area? I'm guessing you aren't going to solve this without a code reader.

 

I'm at the Palomar inn right off the Pacific coast higway

 

Even with the code, it's likely to be difficult to diagnose because there's so little info on the 3rd gen Tacoma available.

 

That's what I'm worrying about. I can't seem to find any related info. I wish the dang thing would display the codes.

I'm thinking either tps or abs/trac issues? But... My tool kit is at home..... Forgot I took it out to use it....

 

When my brake fuse blew during my SnugTop installation, the check engine and trac off lights came on. It truly could be anything.

 

PM Sent

 

Update: He got it running OK before I left home. He doesn't know what it was or why it works now. Hopefully it will get him home OK.

 

I'm gonna bet something got wet. Just another 3rd genner getting into stuff they shouldn't be.......

At least he didn't ask if Toyota would fix it.

 

The gen doesn't make any difference. I drove on a beach and literally pulled every stuck vehicle out along the way.

It decided to fix itself just before the awesomely kind and generous taco member above left to come save me.

 

Fix itself?

You mean dried out.

 

I pulled every plug I could reach, everything I touched was dry lol.

Must of been some random sensor somewhere, but I am not at all happy that a wave cam disable an "off road " truck

 

If you disconnect the battery for a bit will it reset things? Also props to the member going out of his way to help a stranger who is now a friend.

 

To be fair as well it's only water, like when it rains. Sounds like a freak deal, I doubt his truck was submerged.

 

I wonder if it was the rapid change in temperature when the wave hit? It's probably 50-something water and maybe some sensor self-monitors and goes into fail-safe if the temperature changes faster than "possible".

Water on something electrical certainly seems more likely, but car makers have had that sort of thing figured out since the 90's.

I'll be interested to see what code you read when you get back home.

 

On the subject of recoveries and helping wheelers in need, folks might want to check out the "Southern California Off-road Recovery (SCOR+) on Facebook. They have an SOS page where you can post your location and situation and other "followers" will help if they can. The group is a little unwieldy with a mix of personalities and opinions [it's the internet after all], but they've done some pretty good recoveries since I've been following.

 

I'm not familiar with Cali waves or beaches but I doubt that wave engulfed the truck it may have swept under but at least around here if that wave was that bad the truck would be done.