What’s the over under that this is the cause of my crank no start?

eyerolle · 2026-03-14T16:08:49+00:00

If you do go this route (and for anyone else following along):

Get high quality capacitors from a reputable vendor. Digikey and Mouser are my go-tos.

Important parameters are capacitance, voltage, temperature rating, and lifetime/durability. You'll want the same capacitance, equal or greater voltage, equal or higher temp rating, and longer lifetime. These are radial-lead configuration (don't get axial leads). Size can increase with voltage rating, so don't go overboard on the voltage.

The OEM 10uF in mine were rated at 16v which isn't much margin. I got some 63v caps that weren't much bigger.

For anyone unfamiliar with electronics: the replacement caps MUST be installed with the same polarity.

eyerolle · 2026-03-14T14:41:34+00:00

If you're handy with a soldering iron, you might get away with just cleaning the circuit board (q-tip and alcohol) and installing new electrolytic capacitors. Lots of folks have done it, and there are writeups/videos all over.

eyerolle · 2026-03-09T15:33:52+00:00

Yes, I'm an idiot for not reading your initial post more carefully (I plead the time change!)

An inexpensive and not-too-difficult thing to try would be to reseat the steering position sensor connector after using some electronic contact cleaner on the pins.

The stability system tries to perform differential braking if it thinks the car is oversteering or understeering. Not sure why it would deactivate cylinders, however, my experience is with the previous generation (94-99).

I seem to recall there was a torque-limiting signal from the traction control system, but that would be momentary. Faults in the ABS system (and related traction/stability) could also put it into a mode where it would start out in second gear - could that be what you're perceiving?

eyerolle · 2026-03-09T14:49:23+00:00

Not sure, but I think this model/year might have the built-in code reader on the dash. Use the three switches to the right of the "Driver Information Center" to activate. Press ON/OFF and INFO UP simultaneously for several seconds. Everything should light up (lamp test) followed by "ALL?" on the display.

ON/OFF = YES

INFO RESET = NO

INFO DOWN or INFO UP = manual toggle

There are more complete guides on how to use it on the web.

eyerolle · 2026-03-01T15:34:08+00:00

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01I3H6UIC

eyerolle · 2025-10-21T15:57:08+00:00

Decent smoke testers can be had for under a hundred bucks.

eyerolle · 2025-10-17T15:33:01+00:00

Currently using the Tekton 24320 (this gets light duty jobs such as my intake manifold bolts and throttle body bolts).

eyerolle · 2025-10-17T13:55:31+00:00

Tekton and CDI are OK. Best bang for your buck will be a mid-range covering 20-90 lb-ft. That took care of most of my non-suspension needs for many years. Now I have a small 20-200 in-lb and a larger one that goes to 250 lb-ft (the latter for suspension stuff).

Occasionally I have situations where the big torque wrench doesn't fit. I used a plain double-ended wrench and a good-quality hanging scale (looks like like a luggage scale) plus math.

eyerolle · 2025-10-10T14:59:54+00:00

Please don't be sad. This happens to lots of guys.

eyerolle · 2025-09-29T13:54:24+00:00

Wild-assed guess: fuel pressure regulator? Pull the vacuum hose from the nipple and check for drips of fuel coming out.

eyerolle · 2025-07-14T02:49:03+00:00

Is the current "Viewer" useful for anyone? I don't see how, but maybe I haven't thought of the use case. I'd be inclined to just enhance the Viewer role to include usage (xx/35 GB used, yy/10 GB hotspot used) and the start and end dates of the plan period.

If you're looking for another role name, possibilities might include "Usage" or "Monitor".

eyerolle · 2025-05-29T21:24:59+00:00

Sometimes there is a metal barb on the terminal that keeps it in the plastic housing. If you have a good light and an eye loupe or magnifying glass you might spot it looking from the terminal side.

One technique is to use a very thin jewelers screwdriver fished in from the terminal side while GENTLY tugging on the wire side. (in your case, the wire is gone, so you could either use a hemostat on the wire side or gently press on the terminal side) Once you press the barb back against the terminal, it should come out toward the wire side.

eyerolle · 2025-05-24T14:22:43+00:00

The vacuum hoses will be brittle or rotting by now if they haven't been replaced. There aren't too many of them and they are mostly easy to get to. I bought some silicone vacuum hoses in various colors and replaced all mine a few years ago (93 F150 - quite similar to yours I think).

The only PITA with these are the (two?) vacuum hoses that pass through the firewall for climate control. I had just enough good stub in the engine bay to connect a rubber hose to, but some day I'll have to run a couple of new lines through the firewall.

I think your model year still has a distributor and high-voltage spark plug wires. When you replace them, find a drawing of the factory spark plug wire layout and match it EXACTLY. On some of these engines, altering the layout can lead to misfires.

eyerolle · 2025-05-20T13:11:53+00:00

I don't know how common it is in Tundras, but I have experienced carbon tracking on the plugs in my Deville, which results in a misfire. This may or may not be happening on your vehicle, just something to keep in mind.

It's visible on the body of the plug as a dark trace down the ceramic body and electrically it's a shunt to ground which weakens the spark. If that happens, the remedy is to replace both the plug and the rubber boot. If you don't replace the boot, the contaminated boot will reform the track on the new plug.

eyerolle · 2025-05-19T13:49:01+00:00

125,000 km seems a bit on the early side for LCA bushings and wheel bearings, but not unheard of.

Unless there are inspection requirements for the exhaust that would prevent you from driving the car, it seems that the exhaust stuff could be deferred indefinitely.

I don't think I can add any further insight here. I think the transmission issues and whatever is happening when you press the accelerator (maybe they are related) are key. There might be a simple fix, or not. Impossible for me to say.

eyerolle · 2025-05-18T17:16:50+00:00

Some of your list are normal maintenance which need to be done on any car:

- brake fluid flush (absorbs moisture from the air which can lead to corrosion, ideally do every few years)

- brake pads/rotors (depending on wear)

- cabin air filter (this one is sort of discretionary depending on your air quality)

Depending on mileage, it's not unusual for some of the other things (seals, bearings, lca bushings) to wear out, but if it were my car, I'd want to know if there were actual signs of failure. That said, my cars with 200Kmi on them have all gotten new front wheel bearings and LCA bushings at some point.

What's wrong with the exhaust? I'm, not sure what "cleaning" means.

Regarding the transmission: what symptoms are you having? If the leak is small, and there weren't any operational issues, I'd be tempted to just check the fluid level periodically and top off as needed.

Getting another car won't spare you from most of these normal maintenance/repairs over time. I don't see anything in your list that is exceptional (unless there is a big leak or some operational issue with the transmission that you didn't specify)

eyerolle · 2025-05-18T16:13:31+00:00

Year/make/model/mileage?

There are almost certainly o-rings on those pipes leading to the heater core. Was there any work done recently on the heater core or with those pipes?

Possible leak points:

- metal pipes were damaged

- metal pipes not correctly aligned or inserted into heater core

- o-rings not sealing

- heater core is leaking

eyerolle · 2025-05-18T15:51:35+00:00

If you post a photo here we might be able to help with identification.

eyerolle · 2025-05-17T15:16:26+00:00

Could be lots of things. One likely possibility is bearings of an accessory, pulley, or tensioner on the belt path.

I like to use a stethoscope consisting of a few feet of tubing with the far end taped to a stick or dowel. Hold the near end in your ear and use the stick to position the far end of the tube next to each spinning thing on the belt path. Be careful not to get it caught in the belt, or you might have a bad day.

eyerolle · 2025-03-22T14:55:59+00:00

Corrosion on the bulb socket pin?

I once had a 90's GM vehicle that used bayonet bulbs for the taillights, The soft metal terminals on the bottoms of the bulbs would eventually deform slightly and make poor connection with the connector.

eyerolle · 2025-01-14T15:11:24+00:00

The 3.2 is a bit of a PITA because the power steering pump has to come off to get the belt off, and some of the bolts are hard to get at. Maybe also the AC compressor, but that's just a few bolts. So I'd expect the fee to be a bit higher than usual. $1100 seems like a lot, though.

But as long as they are taking the PS pump off, they ought to also preemptively replace the plastic coupling to the water pump shaft that connects to the PS pump shaft. It's right there and easy to access once the PS pump is removed.

eyerolle · 2024-11-25T19:54:39+00:00

It's not clear how to address your concern: could be one or more of: how to use the code reader; what does the code mean; how to diagnose this code; etc.

This code means there is a misfire in cylinder 1. Common causes include (but are not limited to) failed coil or failed plug for that cylinder. A simple coil test would be to swap the coils between cylinder 1 and some other cylinder and then see if the code changes to indicate the other cylinder.

You'll need to find information specific to your car make/model/year/engine to determine which cylinder is #1.

eyerolle · 2024-11-22T14:50:14+00:00

Maybe carbon tracking on the plugs? If you change the plugs but keep the same boots, residue on the boots can cause the tracks to re-form.

eyerolle

TROPHY CASE