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New owner help with 2008 Tundra 5.7, Long list of problems

10K views 5 replies 4 participants last post by  Datzen  
#1 ·
I just bought a 2008 Tundra crewmax limited TRD 5.7, with about 330,000 miles on the odometer. I bought it from my employer for $3,500 (company didn't want to put time or money into such an old truck with that mileage). I have concerns though, as the truck definitely needs work. I was told the truck probably needs a thermostat and coolant flush, and it might be overheating and losing coolant. I could only test drive the vehicle on company property due to an expired registration and the company's concerns about overheating. The property is a large dirt lot. Started fine, ran smooth (considering the dirt surface I was driving on). I used a combustion leak detector on the radiator and the liquid remained blue (supposed to turn yellow if there is fuel/oil/ combustion gasses detected in the coolant).

It has numerous warning lights illuminated and or flashing:
4LO (flashing)
VSC off (flashing)
Traction Control off (solid)
A/C Light (flashing on the knob)
BRAKE (solid)
ABS (solid)
Engine (solid, mostly... see below)

The Engine light is on, so I connected an OBDII code reader and pulled up the following codes:

P0300 (random/ multiple cylinder misfire)

P0302 (cylinder 2 misfire)

P0306 (cylinder 6 misfire)

P0051 (H02S heater control circuit low bank 2 sensor 1)

The engine light is illuminated solid, however it did flash under hard acceleration when getting onto the freeway after I bought it, I immediately pulled over, shut the truck off, restarted and the engine light remained solid again. Drove it home with no other issues. Have since drove it across town and back (prob 70 miles round trip) in 100+ degree weather, to have a state inspection performed. In total I've put 114 miles on the truck and it has not overheated, although i can't see any obvious signs of a coolant leak, the coolant level in the reservoir has dropped by about 1.75". It can drive at highway speeds. A few raddles here and there, and it studders a little if climbing a hill (rpms remain steady), parking brake is VERY soft, AC blows but does not get cold (was told it had been topped off with refrigerant) but overall it drives & rides pretty nice, may need a little suspension work as well though.

Im wondering if anyone can walk me through where to start on trying to get this truck up and running to a relatively reliable level, basically getting these lights off, 4 wheel drive working properly, AC working etc. Ideally I'd like to keep it for a work truck, but from what I can tell the Rough trade in value is about $8,200 on the low end... I figured buying it for $3,500 leaves me some room to repair it before I actually start losing money on it. The other option, is repair some of it and trade it for something with lower mileage.

Where should I start, what order would you suggest in order to save the most amount of money. I know some of the issues may be related, so fixing 1 thing may solve a couple others. From what I can tell reading different forums the 4LO, VSC, trac off issues may be the result of the same problem. Is there anything else im overlooking, or that you would suggest I look at with such high mileage. I am by no means a mechanic, but would like to try to perform as much work as possible myself. I was thinking of starting with spark plugs, but any input or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.
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Discussion starter · #4 · (Edited)
I appreciate the responses. I have read about the gas cap causing issues, I don't doubt that could be the root of seemingly unrelated problems. Since posting I picked up a better scanner and here's the other codes I was able to pull:

C0278: ABS/VSC/TRAC
Open circuit in abs solenoid relay circuit

C1201: ABS/VSC/TRAC
Engine control system malfunction

C1241: ABS/VSC/TRAC
Low or High power supply voltage

C1310: ABS/VSC/TRAC
Active booster solenoid

I inspected all fuses to the related components, all fuses were good. However I did find some wires attached to a loop connector, with two fuses attached. The loop should obviously be connected to something, but not sure what. Two of the wires run through the grommet on the firewall into the cab on the driver's side, the other two travel down to the under carriage and appear to go under the firewall toward the rear of the truck, but I haven't had the opportunity to trace them yet. maybe somebody can tell me what these wires are for and where they should be attached? (See pictures, purple arrows indicate the wires I'm taking about. )

On the coolant: truck has not been driven for several days, just have it parked in my driveway, but I've noticed the coolant level in the overflow tank has dropped by about 3", radiator appears to still be full.... other than this no obvious signs of leakage, any ideas on this?

I will be changing the spark plugs with oem denso plugs tonight, will measure gaps and torque to spec. Also plan on cleaning the throttle body and mass airflow sensor. I have an appointment with my mechanic tomorrow and will have him look over the truck thoroughly.

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