Spark plug differences

about limp mode

and yes the valve moves

 

Yes I’m in the rust belt I’d imagine. Truck is from Mass and CT. But here’s some positive pictures of the new non rusty parts

 

And scratch that about the throttle valve. It moves when I turn the key to the on position (using the cable as well as the pedal). The thing to the right of the throttle body was making a buzzing sound. I could have mistaken this noise for the fuel pump.

 

Yeah, that's your throttle control motor making that noise.

 

Joseph you have a lot of goodness replaced underneath and I feel if you have the time and patience. you'll get the underhood TLC issues resolved and have a long lasting truck. I may have missed it but have you posted an outside view of this beast. We like pics !

 

Bought it last year. Figured it was a good foundation to build on, one that I could replace parts as I go. Was waiting until this year so I could register it as a classic. Now gotta figure out what made it stop starting.

 

Obviously someone previously had Toyota replace the frame, which is a great start. Won't fix the body rot, but at least the chassis is safe to roll on.

If I were you, first thing I'd do is disconnect the negative batt cable to prevent shorts, then clean the rust off everything on the positive battery cable, including the ungodly amount of rust on that 30A relay or whatever that's off the positive battery terminal (whatever it is - I don't have one - and I'd test to make sure it's good). then reassemble the positive terminal

Once done, with the main battery ground still disconnected, I'd go ground by ground throughout in the engine bay, pulling each one by one, mechanically removing the rust, treating it to prevent future rust, then reinstalling.

Next, with main ground still off, I'd replace the main power run from the alternator to the positive battery terminal. I'd consider replacing the short positive lead from the battery to the engine fuse/relay box - removing that box can be a bear, there are some obscured bolts and fasteners on mine that make it difficult to pick up and flip over. Then I'd confirm the main fuses there are still good while at it.

Then I'd reassemble, clean up and reinstall the main battery ground terminal (or better yet, just replace the damn thing, it's probably corroded inside) and try again to turn it over.

The sad reality is, with how much pitting I'm seeing on the alloy parts, and how much rust is on the steel parts, there is ZERO doubt in my mind you have similar levels of corrosion in your ground and power cables. Most of the engine bay connectors have rubber seals at the plastic connector, helping resist water entry. Your battery and power cables really don't. Good grounds are critical to clean power, and most modern cars are finicky about getting clean, stable power else they do really stupid shit.

 

By the way, guys with earlier model trucks, what the hell is this 30A fuse/relay thingy attached to the positive terminal? Is this aftermarket or stock? What does it actually do? It's rotten af on this truck.

 

Ive got one.


quick search says its for the trailer lights.

 

Yep....

 

Frame was replaced in Fall of 2019 when the truck had 200,001 miles. It now has 200,042. One more thing, there was a mouse nest under the intake plenum this year. Wasn’t there last year AFAIK. I looked under there with a flashlight and poked around at the wires. I didn’t see any chew marks or chewed electrical material. Just some grass and string from a towel..

 

They like nesting up under there, that's how @bmf4069 got his starter wires chewed through.

Honestly, if you want to stop futzing with it and just get an answer, and you're not on a fixed budget, it may be worth having the dealer run diagnostics. Last time I had to do this, when my alternator caught fire, it was somewhere in the ballpark of $125-175/hr and I think they charged me for two hours to run all the diagnostics, trace and check all the connections to make sure they weren't melted, then release the truck back to me. USAA towed it for me both ways, I think there was a 1-2 mile overage on each side of the trip which cost me less than $50.

But before I spend any money, I'd start by checking grounds, checking fuses, and doing all the small stuff. I thought about asking about mice earlier because ... rust belt ... outdoor parking ... but I hate to even think what those evil little bastards are capable of.

 

Clean as you go.

 

What say ye, hivemind?

disassemble fuse blocks and soak things in acid before wirebrushing? Or just wipe things down and stuff em with dielectric grease?

 

What kind of acid? I’ve used vinegar, ketchup, Coca-Cola, and lemon juice on coins as experiments. I think the lemon juice ate away at the metal on “dateless” Buffalo nickels which would reveal the date again..

 

Personally, I like Naval jelly. But generally, you need to mechanically remove as much as possible with a wire brush, apply the acid, wait 10-20 minutes, rinse off. I prefer to neutralize it after, which you can do with a baking soda solution, dunk the item in it.

But here's the catch.

I wouldn't want to do it in the engine bay where, when I rinse, acid water is going to rain down on everything below it.
I also would want to do it anywhere aluminum is below it, acid is going to etch it, or damage anodization.

In this case, I think I'd stick with mechanical removal. Get a Dremel or other rotary tool with a small wire brush, wire brush the hell out of it, and dielectric grease.

If it's something you can remove easily, like nuts and bolts and such, Evap-o-rust is a great product, remove as much rust as you can, soak your parts in a jar of it overnight, use a magnet to retrieve the next day. You can re-use it several times. The stuff is amazing, enviro-safe, I keep a 15-20gal tub of it in the shop at all times. If you need to treat surface stuff, soak a paper towel with it, wrap or lay the towel on or around the area flatly, and wrap or cover with cling wrap overnight. The key is to rinse after.

Everyone has their own way. The above is how I tackle rust usually. Depends on the situation. But if this were me, I'd just buy new hardware and cables if it's a one-piece part where you don't need to slice open any harnesses then re-tape them.