Topic: Self Tapping Screw vs. Bundle of Wires.

[Mega Baby Huey]

I installed a sound system last night and everything was going great...  I was finishing up when i tried to fasten down my plastic door trim piece with a self tapping screw. I remembered the bundle of computer wires underneath a little too late. I hit the bundle of wires under the drivers side kick panel with a self tapping screw... Because I'm a moron. I repaired the pictured wires but I think I fried a computer or something because now it barely starts and when it does the throttle doesn't work until half way down, and when it revs up it hits 2000 rpm and sounds like it hits the rev limiter. Not to mention I have more than 9 OBD2 error codes. All the error codes (that I can read) are for air flow sensors, throttle sensors, and stuff like that... It blew the breaker that controls my power locks as well.  It's my own personal hell.

I've checked every fuse i could get my hands on, I pulled the EFI fuse for an hour, and I pulled the little computer box out of the kick panel and visually inspected the circuit board inside and couldn't see any damage. I can't think of anything else to do except pull the ecu and take it to a dealer for testing... unless someone knows something else i can try.

Here's the wires I hit:


It's a 2004 tacoma double cab by the way...

[toyodaaddict]

i think the first thing  you should do is invest in a soldering iron and some waterproof shrink tube. those wire crimp things are not a positive conection and will only get worse over time as moisture finds its way into the wires. wire connecters like that have no place in automotive applications as far as im concerned.
if your real lucky maybe that will fix the issue but my guess is you may have damaged the computer.

[Dingman.]

My other thought would are you 100% you didnt hit any other wires?

I did the same thing in my cummins tryig to mount my fire extinguisher bracket. I was lucky and basically just cut the wire insulation and grounded the wire or something.  Taped the insulation up, and replaced my fuse and was good to go. 

What is the part number on your ecu? I have an extra one from a 99 3.4l automatic you could borrow to see if it is fried? (I dont know anything about tacomas, i dont even know if you have a 3.4.  )

[kneedownnate]

Sounds like it's stuck in limp mode.

[jssgbsn]

+1 on solder/shrink tube

Or for overkill you could get waterproof/gel filled connectors.  "Jelly Beans, Dolphin connectors, industrial/aircraft grade connectors, etc" and then wrap the connection with some Mastic tape. 

But solder, iron and shrink tube is less expensive and good to learn and know how to do.

[emsvitil]

Test your ECU in another vehicle.     If it works, your wiring is still messed up.

DON'T test another ECU IN your vehicle.    If other wires are messed up, you could fry the other ECU. (if in fact you've fried your ECU)

[helipilot77]

I sent in my ECU to a company on the east coast to have it inspected for $100 can't rember the name right now. In your case I would recommend borrowing someone else's ECU to see if it fixes the problem. Other than that definately solder and heat shrink your wires.

[Mega Baby Huey [OP]]

i think the first thing  you should do is invest in a soldering iron and some waterproof shrink tube. those wire crimp things are not a positive conection and will only get worse over time as moisture finds its way into the wires. wire connecters like that have no place in automotive applications as far as im concerned.
if your real lucky maybe that will fix the issue but my guess is you may have damaged the computer.

yeah. I actually had my soldering iron on hand, but no plug for a hundred yards so the crimps were supposed to be a temporary measure...

My other thought would are you 100% you didnt hit any other wires?

I did the same thing in my cummins tryig to mount my fire extinguisher bracket. I was lucky and basically just cut the wire insulation and grounded the wire or something.  Taped the insulation up, and replaced my fuse and was good to go. 

What is the part number on your ecu? I have an extra one from a 99 3.4l automatic you could borrow to see if it is fried? (I dont know anything about tacomas, i dont even know if you have a 3.4.  )

i couldn't see any other wires that were damaged. It's a 2004 double cab with the 3.4 automatic. I'm in central Utah.... I don't know the part number of the computer

My plan of attack will probably be unplug it for a while, and solder and heat shrink while it's unplugged. If that doesn't help then it might be time to haul it to a shop...

[Mega Baby Huey [OP]]

Here are all the codes it's throwing:

P2138 Throttle Pedal Position Sensor/Switch 'D'/'E' Voltage Correlation
P2135 Throttle/Pedal Position Sensor/Switch 'A'/'B' Voltage Correlation
P0712 Transmission Fluid Temperature Sensor 'A' Low Input
P0560  System Voltage Malfunction
P0222 Throttle/Pedal Position Sensor/Switch 'B' Circuit - Low Input
P0122 Throttle Position Sensor/Switch 'A' Circuit Low Input
P0102 Throttle Position Sensor/Switch 'A' Circuit Low Input
P0112 Intake Air Temperature Circuit Low Input
P0117 Engine Coolant Temperature Circuit Low Input

The common denominator of all these problems is the ECU... I think it's toast...

[junya92toy]

I'm surprised it didn't throw a code for a screw in the wiring

[Mega Baby Huey [OP]]

Yeah... that would have been nice...

I'm now in the market for this computer:


I've found one on ebay for $150, and there's a guy parting out a tacoma in denver colorado that i might be able to get my hands on... one thing is for sure, I'm not buying new!!!

[Cheesemaker]

Wiring can be a pain in the ass to deal with. 

[Mega Baby Huey [OP]]

yup. dealer just confirmed it... $315 dollars of labor later... new computer is on the way.

[jssgbsn]

$315 to diagnose?  Or did they troubleshoot and fix the wires also?

[Mega Baby Huey [OP]]

$370 in the end. They were taking forever so I ended up putting it in myself, and then they took another hour to "flash" the  computer... not very impressive. I work nights right now too, so when i got the package at 11am i went straight to the dealership... i wasn't back in bed until 4:00pm. not very impressed. And when i put the computer in the truck started right up. they said it's better to flash it with your vin, but not completely necessary. Basically I paid them $370 to tell me when i already knew, and then program my computer for some reason.

[jssgbsn]

I guess the good news is that if something goes wrong with it relatively soon, you won't have to figure it out and they will.  Peace of mind is worth the coin...sometimes