check engine light question(s)

[ronaldnnn]

New to Forum.........
I've a 2001 4X4 Tundra with 25000 miles, check engine light came on, I disconnected the battery overnight, light was off for about 15 minutes of driving the next day then came on again. Steeler wants $75 to run a scan, anybody else have same problem?

[tuntundra]

I have a 2000 Tundra with approx 50,000. My engine check light just came on too. Is there a solution other than the dealer?

[oshp6179]

Had my engine light come on at 1500 miles, was upset. Turned out it was the gas cap error code due to a bad seal between the gas cap and the filler nozzle tube. Run your finger around the lip of the tube and see if it's smooth. If not, have your dealer check it for a possible repair. Had mine done, and no problems since.

If there is an Autozone in your area, the one locally has a scanner tool that they will hook up for free. They can also look up the codes and everything and see if they have the parts in stock at no charge. That's how I got my O2 sensor diagnosed/replaced in my other car. After you install the part, they will clear the codes for you, although theoretically, it will clear itself after not sensing the error condition.

Hope that helped a bit,
Scott

[bobjames]

Check engine enunciators (CEE) can come on for several reasons. The gentleman that stated that his CEE came on due to a poor seal with the gas filler cap is a common poblem for all automotive OEMs.

Pursuant to Federal Law all vehicles must have a system that checks for a vapor leak potential. This is accomplished via the OBDII (On Board Diagnostics) system.

Visit the following website for a detailed explanation: http://www.obdii.com/

[oshp6179]

Right, I do realize that the gas cap thing is a common enough problem, so common in fact that the Tundra manual explains checking the gas cap fit is the first step of troubleshooting when the engine light comes on. However, the problem I had with the filler neck being stamped improperly is also a common problem--the supplier had a backorder of over 1000 parts due to this error in production. This was not a run of the mill error, the metal lip on the filler tube was downright erratic. I just mentioned that it would be something to check and not dismiss the possibility of. I believe that at this time, it is a TSB with Toyota and not an official recall.

[ToyTundra]

Originally Posted by oshp6179

I believe that at this time, it is a TSB with Toyota and not an official recall.

I agree, but have no proof. Anyway TSBs don't solve anything. toyota is so afraid to put out a recall. OMG they may be in the same boat as the big 3 with having to recall a vehicle (I may be a little bitter). Get with it toyota or you'll lose me.
My check engine light came on just yesterday and i remember reading this thread. It was the gas cap.

[oshp6179]

On my invoice from the gas filler repair that I had done, it does list my problem with the filler tube, then lists the work done as a TSB. So, it is out there, and it is a problem. I tend to agree with the statement you made about them not putting out the recall. I have heard this a number of times before, and makes sense after attending a new owners conference at the dealership recently. They compared recalls to domestics and so forth, and as expected, they had a mere fraction of them. However, in their defense (what am I doing?!?!), the problem with the gas cap isn't a catastrophic failure, like, say, faulty brakes. That's probably the reason they're using to complete the TSB on a regular service interval. Still ticked me off how long it took to get the part in. UGH.

[don111]

I have a 2001 Sienna. My owner's manual says that if the check engine light comes on due to the gas cap, tighten the cap, and the light will go out after two or three uses. My light did not go out. So as instructed by the owner's manual, I took it to the dealer who said the gas cap was loose "probably" and that there was nothing wrong with the car. Then he asks me to pay $75.00 ! I say, "so everytime someone leaves their gas cap loose, some Toyota dealership gets $75 ? He said " it would appear so".

This light is supposed to GO OUT after the cap is secured. If it does not go out, they want you to pay $75 to tell you that there is nothing wrong and reset the light.

If just 10,000 cars equipped with this system in one year "forget to tighten the cap" that is $750,000. 100,000 cars and it is $7.5 million! Something is not right.

Is there anyone out there who can verify that the light DOES go out after tightening the gas cap?

[oshp6179]

The catch to that question would be if anyone could tell FOR SURE that the loose cap is actually the problem. With all the things that could go wrong, it would almost be impossible to narrow it down to that case. I'm sure that with that error code (for the gas cap/engine light), there are about two dozen things on their checklist that could contribute to the light coming on, either in whole or in part.

Nobody from Toyota has answered me yet in regards to a leaky gas cap as far as if it's an operational problem or just something that is required due to the evaporation of gas that ruins that darn ozone. Having the experience that I just had with my light, I try to keep my tank at least half full all the time, and that way I can justify pulling into a gas station whenever I see a decent price. That seemed to play a part in the light coming on, at least when it got below a quarter tank. However, that idea was nixed by the techs that said some of the internal tests run by the computer do not activate unless you've been driving for a certain period of time.

In regards to the $75 question, before I would take it back in to them, I would make sure that you have corrected the problem, have a full tank of gas in it, and taken many different types of drives with it. I'm sure that anything over 20-30 minutes would suffice to ensure that the computer runs its checks that it normally wouldn't in those short around-town trips. Worst case scenario, I always try to bunch up service issues for one visit like a LOF, warranty work, and the darn check engine light.

As an aside, my parents have an 01 Sienna, not a lick of problems except for one of the maplights on the ceiling and dad running into things with it.

[tconnors]

I have a 200 Tundra. Had the check light go on at 15K miles, they say it was an O2 sensor, replaced it, was fine. Then at 25K miles light went on again, 2 months out of warrantee.... went to Autozone, says it's an O2 sensor. Toyota wants $300+. The light's been on for 10 months now, no effect on idle or gas milage. Looking at the engine, it looks like a pain to replace the sensor (if that's what it is)... think it's OK to keep running with the light on? The Toyota guy said "you'll burn up the cat. conv.".... how true can that be?

[wtijr]

Hi,

I have a 2003 Tundra and I just had the fuel filler tube replaced because the check engine light keeps coming on. Time will tell whether the problem is fixed.

Waiting and seeing...

Bill Ingram

[TundraToy01]

2001 Tundra TRD 32K check engine light came on recently.Toy dealer checked on computer and said it was O2 sensor,covered under warranty.Checked the gas cap first according to owners manual.

[wtijr]

Just to follow up, replacing the fuel filler tube seems to have fixed my
check engine light problem. It's been 3 weeks since the tube was replaced and no check engine light.


Bill

[ToyotaTech]

yes there is a tsb on the fuel neck but only some tundras not all! To the guy that says that Toyota is afraid to put out a recall? do u now what a V06 recall was? It was all 89 thru 94 V6 headgaskets with no matter what mileage it had! ask Ford or Chevy to replace your headgasket or Dodge Neon .Chevy quick disconnect heater hose in the intake. How afraid now?

[Xtremespeed]

The check engine light will go out after tightening the gas cap if that actually fixed the problem, but only after a bunch of key cycles and after the ecm runs the evap test. The amount of fuel you have has no effect on the test, and it only runs it at certain times. The intake air temp sensor and coolant temp sensor must be within about 8 degrees of each other and then the truck has to be driven so many miles before the ecm will pass or fail the test.

As for the o2 sensors, the most common codes are p0135 and p0155 bank 1 sensor 1 and bank 2 sensor 1 o2 sensor heater circuit malfunction. o2 sensors only work when they get very hot. The heater circuit warms them up quicker than the exhaust can, so they will work sooner. We're talking about second here. The ecm only goes in to closed loop when the o2 sensors are hot enough to give good info, so the heater circuit just allows the ecm to go in to closed loop sooner. This is for emission purposes mostly and the truck will continue to run just fine. Anyone who says it will ruin the catalytic converter is full of it. Catalytic converters are ruined by an overly rich condition for an extended period of time. Even with a failure in the heater circuit, the o2 sensor will warm up from the exhaust and send the ecm in to closed loop and everything will work fine.

The sensors are pretty easy to change from underneath. I have done hundreds of them and it only takes me about 3 minutes to do one. One tip I can give is to do the job after the truck has set overnight and use lots of penetrating oil like pb blaster or rost off by wurth. The threads on the o2 sensor tend to stack themselves in the manifold, thus requiring replacement of the manifold which is quite expensive and requires a lot more work.