5th gen sounds like diesel

Hit something when 4wheeling. Now it sounds like it is a diesel engine and is very sluggish, what's going on? Please help

 

Connecting rod said bye bye? Need to post more info. My 4runner has a knocking sound that almost sounds like a faint diesel at times.

 

This sounds like the engine is super loud. It sounds like a V8 is a better description. I ran over something and it made a big thud then thats when the noise came in. It's also acting very sluggish when you hit the accelerator. I can see any visible problems accept a small dent in the cadillidic converter

 

Could’ve damaged your exhaust system and now you have an exhaust leak which could explain a louder engine and sluggish response if O2 sensor isn’t reading properly. Best option would be to take it a shop, we can only guess on here.

 

Loose skid plate or heat shield.

 

Nobody can accurately diagnose your mechanical issue over the internet. Take it to a mechanic!

 

I didn't ask for an accurate diagnosis. Just what might be potentially wrong.

 

On my previous vehicle ('04 Wrangler) the catalytic converters has disintegrated to point of rattling and banging around internally. It sounded like all kinds of hell, including diesel-like sounds. While that may not be your problem, you might look at your exhaust system and see if it took a hit during your adventure.

 

If something hit the oil pan hard enough? That could be the source. wag

Or, if it damaged the cat bad enough(damaged the internal structure) which would cause untold back pressure. It's something you would not see from the outside other than the obvious impact area. another wag

 

I think @Moon Landing hit it right on the head. Inspect the whole exhaust for other damage. But, my money is on that cat being the culprit.

 

Yeah I can def see damage on the cat. Nothing major but def damage. Is it safe to drive the 3 miles to the muffler shop?

 

Maybe, maybe not. If it is acting as you describe(lots of back pressure)harm could be caused in a mile or less. Not trying to spook you, but better safe than sorry.

 

This might be a safer bet.

 

Any oil left in the engine?

 

Aren’t the catalytics up and out of harms way above the frame rails? I thought they were very near the headers.

I just checked underneath mine and my bet is that OP either hit the exhaust tube just behind the transfer case (the one that looks pre-squished/ovalized from the factory), which in turn jacked up the gasket at the spring loaded Y connection. That Y connection would be the first place I would check for a leak. Due to the bad acceleration, I would also check to see if the tube behind the Tcase is collapsed (causing excess pressure).

Another possibility is the big resonator down-stream of the Y junction (is this what you are refering to when you say a dent in the cat?). A dent in the reaonator could have possibly knocked some of the internal piping/baffling out of place, causing backpressure and noise.

Before you take it in, it would be good for you to do a bit of investigation yourself if you physically can, not hard to do. Just chock the tires, get under there, and listen for leaks. If you hear it by the y junction (you’ll see two cigar thickness springs at the joint), then chances are that gasket is unseated or bad. You’ll be able to hear it right there, maybe even feel it if you slide a piece of paper around the joint.

If the problem is the big resonator, my guess is you will hear the v8 sound all the way at the exhaust end.

It’s worth checking because you DO NOT want a midas type place telling you you need a whole new exhaust system. Factory exhaust systems are miracles of metallurgy, and can go 20 years without perforating from rust. You dont want to throw any of that away if it aint broke. Any replacement piping or components dont stand a chance at lasting 1/4 as a long as factory exhaust. Good luck.

 

While you're crawling around under there you can try banging on the various exhaust components with a rubber dead-blow hammer. Any rattling sounds might help you narrow down the source. I haven't looked under mine to see where the cats are, but if it's possible to bend one, you might have damaged the internals. The catalyst honeycomb isn't all that strong and could break apart if stressed, then it travels through the exhaust system and can plug up things.

From my Jeep experience, at about 210k miles the factory pre-cats (two of them) broke down and plugged the main cat. It sounded like skeletons f'ing on a tin roof, and power was dramatically reduced. It never gave check-engine codes, but it was obvious something was wrong when I watched the O2 sensors on a scan tool. It was drivable, but it wasn't happy about it.

 

Ok muffler guy fixed it. The spring connector betweem muffler and cat was knocked lose, but now im hearing a faint rubbing/ light grinding sound when the truck is driving on the passenger side, any clue? thanks for you help.

 

Inspect anything that goes into motion while the vehicle is moving and try to pin point if it’s originating from the front or rear.

 

Ok, I think I solved the problem. Small skid plate near drive shat was barely rubbing. Truck makes a weird faint squeak noise I notice when pulling in my driveway with a left hand turn tho. the spare tire looks like it has been pushed back. it is sitting flush with the rear hitch. I'm thinking that could be the source of the squeak. the spare rubbing against the hitch? any way to get the spare back to its original position?

 

You can lower, then raise tge spare. That should recenter it.

what kind of terrain were you in when this happened? If you were flinging dirt and/or mud, you could get little pebbles stuck in all sorts of places that will make noises. So you may have to look around to find sources of noise