4794bff1   
   From: 1991@nowhere.com   
      
   Thanks to all for your comments and suggestions. The truck is still at   
   the shop (left it yesterday morning) and I still haven't heard, so I   
   called awhile ago to ask how it was going. They didn't look at the   
   brakes yet b/c the other thing I wanted them to do was find out why my   
   idiot light is pulling a code 26, and they haven't gotten past that   
   yet. But when they DO get to the brakes, I will let you know what it   
   was. I expect the master cyl failed, as others have suggested.   
      
   As for the code 26... about a year ago the idiot light started coming   
   on... I pulled the codes at the time, and they were 25 and 26. After   
   reading up I learned that shops will tell you the O2 censor is bad,   
   but that's rarely the problem. (Code 25 = running lean, code 26=   
   running rich) Well, I took it to a shop and told him it wasn't the O2   
   censor. A day later I got the truck back and was charged for a new O2   
   censor... and the light came back on the next day.   
      
   I took it back to him, telling him Code 25 was probably a vaccum leak,   
   but he couldn't find a leak and gave me the truck back after cleaning   
   the fuel injectors.... with the light coming back on again a day or so   
   later.   
      
   So I began looking for the vacuum leak myself and after a few hours,   
   found it. It was a tiny tube-like hose that was cracked. I ran to Pep   
   Boys to buy some replacement, and that took care of the code 25.   
   However the code 26 kept coming and going. So I did more reading at   
   the Yota forum and other places, and replaced all the spark plugs,   
   wires and distributor cap myself. (Getting those plugs out and in is   
   no joy!) I also tested the AMF, the throttle body, adjusted the TPS,   
   and checked the ohms on the cold starter injector. All checked out to   
   spec. (And no, I don't know what I'm doing. I don't even remember what   
   these things are now, but at the time I was doing them by reading   
   directions I downloaded, going step by step.)   
      
   Nothing worked.  The code kept coming and going until it came on and   
   stayed on about 4 mos ago. (I put very little mileage on this truck,   
   but love it.) I have noticed in conjunction with this a loss of   
   mileage (down about 18% from normal) and a funny exhausty smell when I   
   get out of the truck. Not normal exhaust-smell... but a slightly   
   different exhaust smell.   
      
   So the guy at the shop said they don't charge to analyze a problem,   
   but I think he's sorry he said that now. I think he forgot these older   
   trucks don't give you much info about what's wrong, cause they seem to   
   have been trying to find out what's wrong for hours. I'm almost glad   
   this all happened with the brakes b/c now I can get this other problem   
   fixed.  This shop is the Japanese Auto Center in SO CA and they're a   
   reputable shop with 32 bays, privately owned and in biz since the   
   80s... also have ASE-certified mechanics. So I hope they get to the   
   bottom of it!   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)