By accessing this website, you acknowledge that Edmunds and its third party business partners may use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to collect information about you and your interactions with the website as described in our
Privacy Statement, and you agree that your use of the website is subject to our
Visitor Agreement.
Comments
Being able to breathe would seem to be an essential part of the driving experience, and if anyone who has had this problem in a Sequoia has successfully dealt with it - other then by selling the truck - I'd like to hear the solution.
Also it seems like no reports yet of sulfur smell in 2004 4Runners; has anyone bought a 2004 Sequoia and experienced the sulfur smell inside the truck?
Did they replace the angle sensor on their own hunch, or did the computer pull that code off, telling them to replace it? The reason I ask, is that my dealer is telling me that the error code keeps telling them its a speed sensor issue, but it only stores one code at a time.
Some owners of Toyota vehicles may experience a sulfur–like or “rotten egg” odor from
the exhaust system. Sulfur is a natural component of crude oil from which gasoline is
refined and the amount of sulfur can be decreased through the refining process. The
amount of sulfur in fuel sold in California is regulated, however gasoline sold in other
states can have substantially higher sulfur content. Sulfur content also varies
considerably between gasoline brands and locations.
A sulfur odor emitted from the vehicle’s tailpipe does not necessarily indicate that there is
an issue with the engine’s running condition, but is most likely directly related to the fuel.
If the vehicle is exhibiting an excessive sulfur odor, the following checks should be
performed:
If the MIL light is ON, check for DTCs and repair as necessary.
If no trouble is found after performing the above check, recommend the customer try a
different source of fuel.
Replacement of oxygen sensors, air/fuel ratio sensors or catalytic converters will not
reduce the odor and will therefore not be considered warrantable.
Rotten Egg Exhaust Smell
One recent Town Hall post concerning Mazda said that Mazda replaced the catalytic converter, exhaust mufflers, and 02 sensors and apparantly solved the problem on the car involved there.
That contrasts sharply with the Toyota TSB quoted by raddboy41 which blames the gasoline and states:
"Replacement of oxygen sensors, air/fuel ratio sensors or catalytic converters will not
reduce the odor and will therefore not be considered warrantable."
Most complainants have said that changing gasoline doesn't help; one did say that it may alieviate the problem but it still doesn't seem to eliminate it.
I also now see the first rotten egg smell complaint concerning a 2004 4Runner, so I guess it's still occuring. I'm reluctant to take the chance on being be the first to record a sulfur smell complaint for a 2004 Sequoia, so I'm re-thinking my decision to buy one. A shame, because it seems like a really nice truck.
Every make of car has some incidents of problems, but what concerns me here is that the complaints on Sequoias and 4Runners typically describe the odor as "choking" or "unbearable" and complain that it makes the car virtually undrivable.
If Toyota says there is no problem, and won't do anything to address these complaints, you're left with a lemon law suit, which may or may not be provable, and certainly wasn't what I was looking to buy in the first place.
There are other sites with more detail on many maintenance items. Edmunds (as well as most other sites/forums) frown against listing competing sites and Steve has already smacked me around in a nice way a couple times and I had to edit content accordingly. I like many sites and actually spent days reading the Sequoia forums here to see what problems everybody had before deciding on my Sequoia (as compared to the Tahoe along with the usual test drives etc.) which would have been second choice.
Some 2000 – 2002 model year Tundra trucks (2UZ–FE) and 2001 – 2002 Sequoia vehicles may exhibit an engine “no start” condition. This may be caused by an inoperative fuel pump and/or blown EFI fuse. The Fuel Pump Assembly and Pick–up Sock have been improved to correct this condition.
Technical Service Bulletins Summary
Make: TOYOTA
Model: SEQUOIA
Year: 2003
Service Bulletin Number: BR00203
Summary Description:
VSC COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SKID CONTROL COMPUTER AND ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (ECM) - DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE (DTC) C1203. *TT
Thanks
Based on past experience, I highly (repeat HIGHLY) recommend always using OEM Toyota brake pads. Yes, you can buy other brands that will offer a lifetime warranty and save you a few bucks... but usually these pads are made of a harder material that 1) provides less braking power and 2) is more abrasive to the rotors... and I'd rather buy new pads more often then replace much more expensive rotors.
What I've learned is that the noise comes from several sources including both the lifters and pistons. During startup, particularly on cold days, the main noise is "piston slap". Supposedly this is due to the fact that Toyota used different metal alloys to produce the Head and Block and Pistons and because of this they had to build in different tolerances to account for the different expansion coefficients of the various types of alloys. In the case of the Sequoia/Tundra, the pistons are made out of a hardened aluminum alloy that expands/contracts more than the cast iron block, thus when the engine is cold the pistons have more play and "slap" until they warm up and expand.
As others have reported, this apparently is not a serious problem from a mechanical aspect as engines with this "issue" continue to run today with >200K miles on them and don't consume oil... However, it sure is tough trying to convince your neighbors that you didn't drop a diesel engine in it when you first start it up on cold mornings and you can hear it clattering up and down the block. If I would have test drove/bought my Sequoia in the winter (vs. summer) and the engine clatters the way it does today, I doubt I would have bought it.
What I've learned is that the noise comes from several sources including both the lifters and pistons. During startup, particularly on cold days, the main noise is "piston slap". Supposedly this is due to the fact that Toyota used different metal alloys to produce the Head and Block and Pistons and because of this they had to build in different tolerances to account for the different expansion coefficients of the various types of alloys. In the case of the Sequoia/Tundra, the pistons are made out of a hardened aluminum alloy that expands/contracts more than the cast iron block, thus when the engine is cold the pistons have more play and "slap" until they warm up and expand.
As others have reported, this apparently is not a serious problem from a mechanical aspect as engines with this "issue" continue to run today with >200K miles on them and don't consume oil... However, it sure is tough trying to convince your neighbors that you didn't drop a diesel engine in it when you first start it up on cold mornings and you can hear it clattering up and down the block. If I would have test drove/bought my Sequoia in the winter (vs. summer) and the engine clatters the way it does today, I doubt I would have bought it.
Stop when you are:
1) Tired
2) Need to go the restroom
3) You are hungry
4) You need gas (which in my Sequoia is about every 400 miles or 5-6 hrs of driving)...
Otherwise, keep the pedal to the metal.
I heard bad things about Slick 50 but I never used it so I have no first hand knowledge.