1999 TRC10 Tarago pinging really bad! PLEASE HELP

**st78** · 25-03-2012, 11:40 AM

Hi, Just wondering if anyone could give me some advice. We have a 1999 Tarago and it was running fine one day, next morning drove 300mtrs fine then lost all power and a REALLY bad ping. Very rough idle but if you rev it really slow (in nutural) it revs ok, moment you put fut down fast it pings really bad. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Cheers

**NME308** · 25-03-2012, 07:22 PM

Hi there,
Maybe a blocked fuel filter or possibly bad batch of fuel.
I assume the engine light is not coming on?
I also assume the engine does not have a distributor to have slipped or had an internal component come loose?
That also begs the question as to whether the crank angle sensor may have slipped too - assuming it has one of those...

Hope some of this helps.

Cheers,
Jason

**4th surf** · 25-03-2012, 07:53 PM

I would suggest a bad fill of fuel which I've had happen with the V8 as one day she was fine, filled up on the way home and she rattled like mad.

Now given that the engine is probably due for a bit of "refreshement" (looking for an excuse for a cammed and s/charged UZ under the lid) she pings everynow and then. Also the timing really doesn't go off on the Tarago engines and also cannot be adjusted.

The question to ask is had you just filled up with petrol prior to this happening?

More info please?

**st78** · 25-03-2012, 08:33 PM

Hi, We had filled the tank a few days prior and it run fine for the first half of a tank, now playing up on the second half (same tank of fuel) so cant see it being the fuel. I have just replaced the plugs as they were well overdue to be changed. Also put new fuel filter on today and neither has made a difference. Before this happened for a while now it has give the odd slight miss at idle and been hesitent start once or twice. The engine light hasn't come on at all. From my understanding there is no dizzy and the knock sensor sends a signal to the ecu to adjust timing, if that is the case could a faulty knock sensor send a bad signal to the ecu causing it to advance too far? The car does have hight (340,000) kms on it and had high kms when we got it but I have serviced it every 10,000kms and not long ago done a service and gearbox (2 weeks or so before this) Also not sure when or if the timing belt has been done but I didn't think it would start at all if it were the timing belt? I also put a good quality top end and injector/valve cleaner in it today and nothing has made a difference

**NME308** · 26-03-2012, 07:53 AM

Well the fuel pump may have packed it in & is another thing that needs to be eliminated from the suspect list. Low fuel pressure could well cause engine to ping madly under a tad of load.

Cheers,
Jason

**st78** · 26-03-2012, 11:12 AM

Looks like head gasket

No 1 & 2 Cylender 35psi......no 3 155psi, no 4 165psi

**NME308** · 26-03-2012, 02:46 PM

Bugger...

**st78** · 28-03-2012, 08:35 PM

Well I ended up getting a doner engine car with lowish kms (repairable write-off) But its a 92 model and it has a oil reservoir under the bonet where our 99 doesn't. Do I need to (or should I) keep the oil reservoir or just do away with it? Other than that and a few bits inside there the same from 1990 - 2000 Arn't they? I cant seem to find a workshop manual for a 99 model anywhere, Some list 91-95 or 91-97 but there for a Toyota previa. I thought 1990 - 2000 were all tcr10 and therefore the workshop manuals would have covered those years. Surely someone makes a 99 tatago workshop manual....

**st78** · 12-04-2012, 07:52 PM

Replaced engine and running well

Only now for some reasom temp sits fine but when you give it a bit the temp gauge drops really fast almost down to cold then when you back off it comes back up to normal operating temp. Im thinking its gotta be electrical as the temp cant go down and back up that fast can it?