What's wrong with my truck

Idk my battery light came on yesterday my trucks died 3 times going down the highway and restarted itself my radio changes stations on its own and my blinkers when I use them my bright lights come on so yesterday it died going down the road and I had to get jumped well my battery cable was corroded I cleaned it it started right up the light went off and I was able to drive it home I had alternator checked it's good it's got a new battery and now my check engine light is on and it will start and drive but it sounds like it's going to die when I come to a stop or it's in park can anyone shed some light on this for me cause idk whats going on with it and I don't trust alot of people to even be under the hood

 

It would help us to know why the check engine light is on.
Most auto parts stores will check it for free. (Advanced-Aoti, AutoZone, O’riley’s)
They can scan the truck for trouble codes.
These trouble codes are what make the Check Engine Light come on.

Once we know what the codes are, we can probably help point you in the right direction.

 

“Sounds like it’s going to die I park or come to a stop”
Does it sound normal when in motion?
When did you last replace the spark plugs?

 

I don't know I bought it from my step dad I'll ask him tho and runs fun going down the road just when I go to stop it acts like it wants to die and shakes bad

 

Wow, welcome to TW!

 

Clean the throttle body

 

All things point to an electrical issue. Maybe a short somewhere.

 

When the battery is disconnected the engine computer is reset. It is relearning proper throttle opening to idle. Drive a few cycles and it should smooth out. The light may go out on it's own.

The weird issues were probably caused by the corroded battery cable, which you have already fixed.

 

Some punctuation would help immensely in reading that wall of words as well.

 

I’m no mechanic but, I’ve had my fair share of time learning how to fix my 08 Tacoma either with a friend, my bro, or on my own. If I were to take a guess, I might go with what either of these two guys said.

Having said that, get a diagnosis tool hooked up to your truck to see what codes it’s throwing if any. Once you see the codes, then you can start trouble shooting to determine the source of the problem. I hope you get everything resolved.

 

^^^Do the above. Since your check engine light is on when you find out what codes are on you’ll know a lot more about what could be wrong.
Anything else is just guessing.

 

Ya

 

ah the infamous check engine light lol. As they say above go to Autozone and let them scan your truck and see what's going on in there.

 

Also, make sure your gas cap is on tightly

 

Where is the gas cap located exactly? Lmao just kidding!! And there's you some punctuation I was in a hurry when I wrote this I was at work my apologies. Thank you guys after it got reset it started driving normal after a couple times. But this evening check engine light came on again and so I'm taking it to AutoZone. This truck is my baby. Ive learned how to change the oil myself I replaced the fan motor myself last summer. My dad had it first tho and he was rough in it. Pisses me off but it's a darn good truck. It's got 277,767 miles on it. So I baby it when I can. Thank you guys again

 

Good luck. When you get the codes post them here someone might be able to help you know where to start troubleshooting.

 

Really cool that you’re doing some of your own wrenching YouTube and the good folks in this forum will take you a long way in saving money and getting to know your truck. Use the search in upper right on the page and usually you’ll find what you’re looking for. If not, ask away and you’ll get answers. So many knowledgeable people on here ... Good luck!

 

Do you live on/near a farm ,or heavily wooded area? Not necessary, but most typical for a lot or rodent related wiring issues.

Did your dad add any modifications which were electrical in nature? Radio, etc?

I had a buddy some years ago, that became so enraged with his truck from strange electrical issues, that he de-modded it and sold it. Every time he would use one turn signal, it would blow the MAF sensor and a fuse.

Upon pulling the aftermarket radio and another component, I found many poorly spliced connections. They were shorting out. "Spliced" is an overstatement.

Definitely check the engine wiring harness and connections. If there were mods in the truck, check the wiring there too.

 

Welcome to TW!

I’d methodically go through each step here:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...e-quick-reference-guide.438945/#post-12733810
before hacking into all sorts of different recommendations…


Good luck, please keep us posted