1st Gen Fuel system issue

03 Tundra, 275K miles with a used motor swap at 235k (with 2004 motor I think). After 5 hrs on interstate at 75-80 mph I stopped for 10 min, started truck fine, and on slight incline leaving parking lot the motor abruptly died. After checking oil etc I cranked again several times and while vigorously giving gas it started. Back on the road and first time stepping on it and it studdered hard. I got back in right lane and went easy for another 2 hrs. Only at high fuel demand would it have issues. No problem slowly getting up to 70. It needs heavy gas pedal pumping to start but once started idles fine, never stalls. I’ve got a 7 hr drive to get home to my mechanic friends and am leery about getting stranded! Does fuel pump degrade before dying? Fuel filter might be original. Fuel injectors ever do this? Anyone experience similar issues?

 

The original fuel filters were virtually wide open. It’s aftermarket that are the problem, and tend to get clogged. Toyota got rid of the fuel filter on these trucks entirely in 2005, if that tells you anything about how little it does, and it’s virtually never been the cause of the symptoms you describe.

Check to make sure whoever the last person was to change the timing belt (due every 90k/9yrs) didn’t make the common-but-stupid mistake of misrouting the crank position wire harness down the front of the engine, driver’s side of the crank pulley. It should go behind the bracket, people fail to do it, and it gets clipped by belt/pulley. If the ECU can’t read the crank position sensor (to tell it engine is running), it shuts off the fuel flow to avoid unexpected fire/explosion.

1st page of this thread: https://www.tundras.com/threads/so-you-wanna-buy-just-bought-a-1st-gen-tundra-eh.115928/

Search the 1st page for the word “routing” to see a link to a pic with the wire location and proper routing. The sensor itself, when looking at the crank pulley (harmonic balancer) from the front of the truck, the crank position sensor is at roughly 4 o’clock, if it helps you track down the harness and follow it up, look for nicks.

DO NOT waste your money on store brand fuel pumps. Trust me. If I had a dollar for every time someone replaced with a non-Toyota pump and was right back here with fuel delivery problems… it’d be free dinner for me.

 

It's probably the fuel filter. Wouldn't you say @bmf4069?

IT'S NEVER THE FUEL FILTER!

 

Yeah, BMF can tell you how much fun it is to change, also

 

I have the reverse symptom of it acting up after a long drive while I’m in idle. I can generally feel a few misfires where the truck isn’t acting smoothly, however it’s not under heavy demand like yours. I would definitely monitor the fuel pressure both before and after a long drive to confirm.

 

Here are a few helpful references for you from the FSM (this is all assuming it's fuel related as your post leads to believe)

 

FSM won’t tell you about our rodent issues in these trucks though, or user error either.

Just saved another member from the classic crank position sensor mis-wire; just as the wire harness loom was almost completely cut thru: https://www.tundras.com/threads/wha...-gen-tundra-today.2558/page-2371#post-3937765

 

Once started, in neutral I have no issue getting up to high rpm, even abrupt gas and no issue, it just won’t start without heavy gas pedal pumping and on the road at downshift/high acceleration it feels like starved for gas. We dropped the engine in at my friend’s house 2 years ago

 

So is this a recent development or something you've been battling? I wonder if the swapped in long block calls for a different ECM... How sure are you that it's from a 2004? VVTi was 2005+, right?

 

Engine swap was 2 years/40k miles ago. With no issues since. Totally new issue 5hrs into drive.

 

Right. Pull the timing cover first as shifty has suggested and check those wires and routing. Then get a copy of the FSM and start hunting. We'll assist along the way. Be sure to post pics, check for DTCs and update us.

 

While the Toyota Maintenance Schedule Guide that came with my 04 DC LTD does not address fuel filter replacement, anything I can do to keep contaminants out of my injectors, I have no problem doing that. They did not design them with filtering element just so fuel can pass thru freely as if they were wide open. Anything to help my fuel trims more the merrier. I was here a few years before I even knew there was one but changed it at 196K about time I did timing belt.

 

You could put some flares and use the filter for an early FGT. But…it’s never the filter!

 

It's true, it's not a direct pass-thru, but it's nowhere near the overly-pleated cluster aftermarket filters tend to be.

 

I wouldn't know, never seen anyone post a cutaway of either.

 

I'm tempted to buy one just to slice it open. IIRC, it's a perforated steel tube thru the middle, with filter material wrapped around it, similar to some mufflers.

 

Fuck that fuel filter. Never again.

 

There are not many things i hate wrenching on worse than the starter and fuel filter in a 22RE in an 86-95 2wd truck. The fuel filter is in a WTF location, the starter is too. You cant fish the starter out of its hole without an hours worth of mental gymnastics. You cant reach the fuel filter without cutting a hole in the inner fender to reach it thru the passengers inner fender. The starter and fuel filter on those trucks absolutely suck. Next time i have to do either i am probably going to see if its faster to pull the dam engine.