VEHICLES > DAILY DRIVERS/GROCERY GETTERS

....and it continues! -- P0306 Misfire.

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goodfellow:
I can't catch a break on the weekends these days. Which makes me glad I'm retired, but "for Pete's sake", every weekend a new problem with the family's cars seems to arrive at my doorstep. This time my daughter's Highlander flagged a "Check Engine" light and a "VSC" (Vehicle Stability Control) light while driving home from work last evening.

This morning I drove the car around the neighborhood and it definitely had an ignition miss. I then pulled the codes and found a P0306 - misfire (cyl. 6 misfire) and did the usual test by checking plug conditions and swapping coils between cylinders 4 and 6. Sure enough, after swapping coils between cylinders 4 and 6 the misfire moved to cylinder 4 -- bad coil. An easy fix with a new coil. Good to go!

The VSC problem was a brain teaser though. Long story short, after many other tests, the culprit turned out to be a faulty gas cap. Yup, a faulty gas cap set off the Vehicle Stability Control light. After doing some research, it turns out that Toyotas are notorious for indicating VSC issues even when there is no logical reason(s) for an actual VSC fault. The ECM controlled VSC logic must be very broadly defined to indicate a fault even when non-VSC subsystems are out of range.

Bottom line is that a VSC indicator light on a Toyota is a very strange event that could easily pull you down the diagnostic "rabbit hole", and potentially load the "Parts Cannon" with unnecessary repairs.

This is definitely something Toyota owners should be aware of  -  :41:

fatfillup:
Well done Ray.

If your daughter ever moves too far from you, she will be missing your expertise and low cost auto service :))

On the plus side, when she has children, they will be close and Mama will be happy

goodfellow:

--- Quote from: fatfillup on October 09, 2023, 07:52:59 AM ---Well done Ray.

If your daughter ever moves too far from you, she will be missing your expertise and low cost auto service :))

On the plus side, when she has children, they will be close and Mama will be happy

--- End quote ---

Thanks Phil -- yeah, auto repairs have been free all her life, but to her credit, she appreciates it and takes me out to lunch or dinner at a nice restaurant every now and then. She also treats me to a box of my favorite cigars once in a while; which is really thoughtful.

muddy:
The thing that tie into a computer or module these days is ridiculous.

On hyster forklifts with cabs they will code out if you disconnect the window washer pump

Sent from my Twisted Mind Of The Mudman

bonneyman:
Good job, Ray.

I hate the way modern cars have become just rolling computer chips. Some years ago the Astro had a "slip" fairly often when taking off hard or travelling above 70 MPH. Nobody could find the problem, one even mentioned I needed new shocks and leaf springs to tighten up the rear end. Although I did get an ABS light quite regularly, But what would the ABS system have to do with the transmission shifting?
Come to find out on the Astrovan, 4WD versions have four individual sensors - one on each wheel. But 2WD versions (like my van) only the rear wheels have ABS. And the sensor is in the tranny! There's the connection. Pulled the ABS fuse - the shifting problem seems to have gone away. But I'd hate to run a vehicle that was designed with ABS without it.

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