CE light and ABS

[truckpoor]

I just recently purchased a 4x4 2000 Toyota Tacoma TRD Xtra-Cab with 40,000 miles on it. Within the 2000 miles I've put on it, the check engine light came on. I plugged it into the code reader and it came out to be I think the oxygen sensor. From the dealer, the O2 sensor is $125 and anywhere else it's pushing $500. That's a lot of money to throw away if it turns out not to be an O2 sensor. I'd like to check the O2 sensor, but it's almost impossible to get to. Where my Haynes manual says to check it is mounted directly on top of the transmission. It's such a tight fit I can't get any electrodes up there, so I've been thinking about poking through the wires. Now my question is which wires do I test? The wiring diagram in Haynes doesn't match up with the colors that are coming out of the O2 sensor. Anyone know which wires are what???


I've also had the ABS light coming on. Hasn't happened for a couple of weeks, so I haven't worried about it yet. But when I first noticed it, I was pulling up to a stop sign and I pushed in the clutch, disengaged the transmission and was braking when I heard what sounded like gears grinding. Don't quite understand that since my transmission was disengaged, but I could even feel something like a pulse coming through the brake pedal. And it was the brake pedal, not the clutch pedal. It happened a couple more times in the following days and I confirmed it was the brake pedal. But it hasn't happened since. Just a fluke or something worse???


Thanks in advance for any help.

[Brian R.]

Originally Posted by truckpoor

I just recently purchased a 4x4 2000 Toyota Tacoma TRD Xtra-Cab with 40,000 miles on it. Within the 2000 miles I've put on it, the check engine light came on. I plugged it into the code reader and it came out to be I think the oxygen sensor. From the dealer, the O2 sensor is $125 and anywhere else it's pushing $500. That's a lot of money to throw away if it turns out not to be an O2 sensor. I'd like to check the O2 sensor, but it's almost impossible to get to. Where my Haynes manual says to check it is mounted directly on top of the transmission. It's such a tight fit I can't get any electrodes up there, so I've been thinking about poking through the wires. Now my question is which wires do I test? The wiring diagram in Haynes doesn't match up with the colors that are coming out of the O2 sensor. Anyone know which wires are what???

Something is wrong here. Saying the dealer wants $125 for an HO2 sensor and everyone else wants $500 goes against my experience. The dealer is always more expensive than others. Did you give the dealer your VIN number and get a part number from them? This is what you need to match when you price from other parts stores. Maybe it's a typo on your part.

Originally Posted by truckpoor

I've also had the ABS light coming on. Hasn't happened for a couple of weeks, so I haven't worried about it yet. But when I first noticed it, I was pulling up to a stop sign and I pushed in the clutch, disengaged the transmission and was braking when I heard what sounded like gears grinding. Don't quite understand that since my transmission was disengaged, but I could even feel something like a pulse coming through the brake pedal. And it was the brake pedal, not the clutch pedal. It happened a couple more times in the following days and I confirmed it was the brake pedal. But it hasn't happened since. Just a fluke or something worse???

The vibration you felt was the ABS system functioning. Maybe you were stopping a little hard and the rear end tried to lock up? Not so uncommon in a pick-up. The ABS kicking in would be normal under those conditions.

[truckpoor]

I know, the price is backwards from everything else they sell. But from what I understand, the Toyota O2 sensors are crap. And yes, that was run off the VIN. The aftermarket ones are much better according to my shadetree mechanic neighbor. Don't know how much I trust the guy, but he can get me parts for cheap with his business license.

As for the ABS, it's not due to hard braking. The light will come on every once in a while when I start the truck. It stays on and sometimes it does what I explained above, but I'm nowhere near coming close to locking the brakes. I'm a slow-poke. But when I shut it off, the light goes away. Might come on the next time I start, might not. Don't know what the problem is. Guess I need to plug it in to the code-reader when the light is on.

[Brian R.]

Yes, I think that is the way to begin troubleshooting this problem.