Various issues with my used 2007 4x4

I have some unusual problems that I need help with.
1. electrical; to start off with I bought this truck (07 dbl cab 4x4 5.7) about 6 mo. ago from a small used lot, without checking it out first, it looked nice was a good price and I have faith in Toyota. So I drove it home without any problems but a few days later I noticed it wouldn't lock with the remote, so I assumed it was a fob battery but when I checked out the battery it tested good. So I tried to lock it with the key still wouldn't lock so I took it to lock jock who said, after taking the ignition apart, "there must be something wrong with the wiring" and to take it to the dealer. I take it to the dealer and they say its the body control module and it would be $1,900. to replace it. BTW, I had since found many other electrical problems;1. no tail lights or daytime running lights, All other lights work fine and it isn't the bulbs,2. key in ignition chime even when its out, 3. no clock, 4. no back lights on A/C controls, 5. A/C has 1 min. delay after turning on truck.
After asking several other mechanics about the problem with no other suggestions I ordered the BCM or junction block as they now call it and put it in myself and the only thing it fixed is the tail lights and driving lights so that was probably just a fuse. I don't know what else to do.

2. Mechanical; shortly after I got it I noticed some coolant on the ground and took it to an independ. shop which told me there was a hole in the radiator, so I changed it out and everything seemed fine for about 4 months then I went to change the oil about 5 weeks ago and noticed some beige goo in the radiator. I immediately thought head gasket, but checked the oil and found no water. I took it to a mechanic friend and he thought it was probably the oil cooler, but after checking around there doesn't seem to be any problems with those on this truck. So I went back to the dealer but only talked to them, the service manager said sounds like head gasket. It runs good, doesn't smoke and has no water in the oil. And to top it all off a couple of days ago it started making some "Knocking" type sounds.

Any advise on any of the above is greatly appreciated.

 

Should of had it looked at...

If the dealer says it needs a body ecu, that could effect damn near the whole Truck. Could fix alot

 

I just changed it with a brand new one ($540.00) and the only thing it fixed was the tail lights and the driving lights. Still wont lock, still dings like the key is in when it isn't, still no clock or back lights on the A/C controls. While I was changing the module out I went ahead and took most of the dash out (panels/covers) and checked over the wiring and connections and just like the dealer said everything looks fine. Still puzzled. The only other thing I can think of is the key sensor being bad itself but that still doesn't explain the clock and A/C controls.

 

Well the module I just changed has a lot of very small fuses and its in the footwell, but yes I checked the other fuse locations and they were all good.

 

Bring it back to the dealer?starting to sound like a good puzzle... dealer techs are trained to figure this stuff out. Maybe it was struck by lightning.... I've seen a few cars do some crazy stuff

 

I think the dealer near me is kinda weak, the first time they said "they think its the body control module". First off from everything ive found out there is no BCM on this year and up, its now a "junction block" I found BCM's for 2000-2006 but nothing for 2007<. You would think if there were on top of things they would have at least called it the right thing. I mean they wrote that on the repair ticket. And when I called them a month later to get the part # so I could order the right part they gave me the part number for the engine ECU (it ran fine at the time). When I asked them if it would have to be flashed the said yes and to bring it back to them, I put it in myself the other day and it took care of the tail lights and driving lights but nothing else which I don't see happening if it needed to be flashed. So I don't have much faith in my local dealer, there are 2 more a little bit further away so I might try them but I'll probably go to a good independent shop.

 

I totally agree. I have a friend, Rick, who runs a very good local independent repair shop. He will tell you that there are things he just can't do sometimes. He won't hesitate to tell a prospective customer to take it to the dealer. (I know, very rare that you ever hear this happen). He's pretty religious and probably doesn't want to burn in hell fire. heh heh. By the way I have had no serious issues with my 07, knock on wood, but it was certified used when I bought it almost 2 yrs ago.

 

I wish I could but I'm in south Mississippi so that's a little too far. I've never been a big fan of dealerships and usually try everything else first. I just feel like they are always trying sell you on a bunch of crap you don't really need or can easily do yourself and charging top $. Example: this module I just dealt with, they quoted me $1,900.00 installed. I bought it new from a Toyota dealership on line for $540.00 and installed it in a little over 20 min. having never done it before. I'm sure the techs at the dealers are very good but there are some good honest indie shops to that are more reasonable.

 

Yeah, it looks like I screwed up getting this one sight unseen. I was just going by the miles, what they said and the condition from the pics. I leased this exact truck new in '07 and had it for 38 months without any trouble whatsoever. And the tundra I sold to get this one had 318,000 miles and ran well, so I assumed this one with 140k would be fine, besides I'm not a real picky person as far as minor annoyances and cosmetics, as long as it runs pretty well. I paid $12,800 about 6-7 months ago, which would have been a good deal without all these problems, but now I might have to put a few thousand more into it so I'll have as much as getting a good certified one. Lesson learned

 

Thanks for all the input I appreciate it

 

Interesting now that you have all of these issues on your plate have you talked to the small used lot whom you purchased the vehicle from?

 

Well it is in another state, and I doubt there is anything they would do, but no I haven't tried yet.

 

Hey Chrishandy

Did u ever figure out the problem? I have an 07 with windows that work and other times don't. Replaced the master switch and that did nothing. Did the BCU-junction box need to be programmed after you installed it?

Thanks

 

I would try to set up a laptop with the Techstream software. With it and the cable you might be able to see something. My water pump has a small leak and when the radiator level gets too low it causes a fault. But filling it up and resetting the ECU doesn't totally fix it. The ECU shuts down the heater. The fan still works but you can't get any heat out of it. With Techstream I can see the fault (the standard OBD2 scanners can't see it) and clear it. It sounds like your dealer is doing that but it doesn't sound like they are telling you everything. Secondly I would think about getting the car fax report. Just in case it's been involved in an accident (possibly a flood).

 

I had an issue on a silverado a while back - nothign worked in it. I could not figure it out and ended up taking it to the dealers to figure out what was wrong with it.
turns out it was the fuse block was shorted internally.

pull the fuses and check the fuse block for power.

 

I can't emphasize enough how important that possibility is these last couple of years when buying used.