General Question

usaloveorleaveit's avatar

What Is My Check Engine Problem?

Asked by usaloveorleaveit (163points) October 14th, 2011

I own a 2000 Toyota Tacoma and recently I started getting horrible gas mileage. I went from 19–20 mpg to around 14–15 mpg. My check engine light came on and I read two codes. They are P0401 (EGR Flow Insufficient) and P0303 (Cylinder 3 Misfire). Not sure where to start. Seems like it could be a lot of things. Step by step instructions on how to diagnose and fix would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

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9 Answers

tranquilsea's avatar

It sounds as though you will want to take your car into a garage and get them to give a quote on how much the repairs will cost.

Tropical_Willie's avatar

Sounds like it needs at least a tune-up and some new parts. Get a quote from dealer or shop in writing before you sign-up for repairs. It won’t take to long for the lost MPG to pay for fix.

jerv's avatar

I would check the #3 plug and wire first.

If one of your cylinders isn’t firing, your exhaust flow will be far less than expected at any given RPM. It will also reduce power enough that you will need to get your foot into it to achieve the same speed; working the engine harder like that also reduced MPG.

njnyjobs's avatar

I agree with @jerv, check the wire and plug. . . that misfire may be affecting that EGR misread.

If you haven’t had a tune-up in the last 30,000 miles, then it’s best to get all the plugs replaced.

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usaloveorleaveit's avatar

I found out that I have direct coil ignition so just to replace the #3 was $69.99. Hope this fixes it.

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