I have a '00 taco with about 68K on it and the check engine light has come on. The local shop ran the diagnostics and told me I needed to replace the O2 sensor in front of the cat. con. and also recommended a thermostate and gasket be replaced. The price they gave me on the O2 sensor was about $260 US....is this in the ballpark for this or should I shop around? How hard is it to replace at home? I've done thermostats in older Toyotas, are they still as easy nowadays? Is it really necessary to do the O2 sensor? I know they told me it won't pass an emissions test without the check light off. Just looking for some advice....does anyone know a good online parts source TIA
O2 sensor replacement cost and necessity?
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It's easy to do it yourself. A new one will cost you around $100.
Soak the hell out of the bolts before tryng to remove them.
Someone should be able to post a link to buy one at a low price. Or try:
http://www.trdparts4u.com/
Soak the hell out of the bolts before tryng to remove them.
Someone should be able to post a link to buy one at a low price. Or try:
http://www.trdparts4u.com/
Not sure what code you got to make them recomend the O2 sensor.
You might try cleaning the Maf Sensor with "plastic safe, non residue, electrical contact cleaner", then pull the ECU fuse under the hood for a few minutes to reset the system. Try this method first, it's cheap and may save you $260.
Tim
If you end up needing the sensor I second trdparts4u, their price for the sensors is less than half what you were quoted, not including shipping.
Tim
You might try cleaning the Maf Sensor with "plastic safe, non residue, electrical contact cleaner", then pull the ECU fuse under the hood for a few minutes to reset the system. Try this method first, it's cheap and may save you $260.
Tim
If you end up needing the sensor I second trdparts4u, their price for the sensors is less than half what you were quoted, not including shipping.
Tim
Just becuase the sensor has a reading that is out of spec, doesn't mean the sensor is bad.
Buy a code scanner. Use it to reset the light, or pull the fuse or battery cable.
If the light comes right back on, you probably do have a problem. Go to autozone and have them give you the codes, so long as the shop you are at tells you the current ones are emissions related.
I've yet to figure out what makes the check engine light come on for me. It is sporadic. Some times happens twice in one week, sometimes once in a month. Usually when I am coasting downhill after driving at freeway speeds ~70 mph.
Good luck.
Daniel
Buy a code scanner. Use it to reset the light, or pull the fuse or battery cable.
If the light comes right back on, you probably do have a problem. Go to autozone and have them give you the codes, so long as the shop you are at tells you the current ones are emissions related.
I've yet to figure out what makes the check engine light come on for me. It is sporadic. Some times happens twice in one week, sometimes once in a month. Usually when I am coasting downhill after driving at freeway speeds ~70 mph.
Good luck.
Daniel
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95 Posts
Go with the 2 recommendations that have been posted, clean the MAS and reset and see if that works. I've had a dirty MAS give me code that said there was problem with one of the O2 sensors. If that doesn't work go buy 1 for around a $100 and repace it yourself, only takes a few minutes.
Might be a dumb question...but I don't have a service manual. Where is the Maf Sensor at? Thanks for all the help so far. I actually planned on pulling the battery cable and resetting the comp to see if it would come back on. Thanks again!
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565 Posts
The MAF 1s the first electrical connection upstream form the air filter. It is attached with 2 screws. 1st unplug it, then remove it. It is quite fragile, so be careful when pulling it out. Clean it with an electronic parts cleaner from Radio Shack (~$10.00) that is safe for plastics. Some people clean it with a q-tip and alcohol...but if it breaks it's a $200 part to replace.
Dont pull the battery cable, if you pull the ECU fuse under the hood it'll reset the computer without deleting clock, and radio settings.
When removing the MAF for cleaning it's easiest to remove the whole air box and ducting from the truck then remove the MAF sensor. If you have cruise control the control box gets in the way.
Tim
When removing the MAF for cleaning it's easiest to remove the whole air box and ducting from the truck then remove the MAF sensor. If you have cruise control the control box gets in the way.
Tim
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