97 Tacoma Hesitation Prob - Help - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

tweber2 · 03-13-2004, 07:18 PM

I recently purchased a 97 Tacoma 4X4 with a 2.7L 4Cyl motor that has roughly 117,000 miles on it. It has a problem with intermittant hesitation. It feels as if the motor is cutting off and on occasionally. It feels kind of like it does when you let the clutch out too fast and the vehicle lurches a bit, only not so forceful. It seems to be worse in the morning when it is cooler outside but never completely quits. Sometimes it will do this every couple of seconds and other times 10-20 minutes will go by without any issues. It doesn't do this when idling, only under acceleration or deceleration. The dealership I bought it from said his mechanic scanned it and the code was for a mass air flow sensor. They also put in new spak plugs and wires. I just changed the mass air flow sensor and it still does the same thing. My mechanic checked it out and came up stumped. The check engine light is not on and there aren't even any soft codes in the computer. Has anyone else had this same problem? My mechanic said he had 3 people in the last month asking about it but he has't been able to figure it out. He said it could be any number of things from fuel injectors to valve issues.

Taco30 · 03-14-2004, 05:34 PM

I think your 02 sensor could be a possibility but like your mechanic said, it's hard to say, it could be a lot of things...

When was the last time you changed your fuel filter?

Also, you mentioned that your plugs and wires were changed, what about the cap and rotor?

tweber2 · 03-14-2004, 09:18 PM

After doing some research on the net and looking in some other forums I've found out this is a very common problem on 4Cyl Tacomas. It is most likely the TPS (throttle position sensor). That is a very easy fix. I only wish I would have found that out before I spent $125 on a mass air flow sensor. There is a small chance it could be the fuel filter but I'm hedging my bet on the tps. Besides, the fuel filter is kind of hard to reach behind the starter motor. There is a geocities website dedicated to this problem. Supposedly, this is the 2nd most common electrical faillure next to the O2 sensors.

tweber2 · 03-26-2004, 10:56 AM

If anyone else is interested...it was the TPS sensor. Cost me $57 new from the local Toyota dealer. I had to remove the throttle body to install. All in all, it took about 1 1/2 hours. Runs as good as new now.