ECM issue from packrats!

I hope someone has an answer for me. I parked my 4Runner outside and some packrats got in the engine compartment and chewed up the wires going to the ECM. Someone suggested that the wire insulation is made from corn and that attracted them. Regardless, I had a local mechanic splice the wires back together and it works fine, EXCEPT...

The check engine light and the TRAC light are on. If I disconnect the battery positive cable, they go off for a while and then come back on.

He has also taken apart and cleaned out the secondary air valve "assembly" that I was told recirculates exhaust gases. The wiring was chewed up very close to the connector to the ECM and he has been trying to find one from a salvage yard so he can make better splices, further from the connector but hasn't found one yet.

We live in a very remote area of NM, there are not any real good shops around and it is 160 miles one way to the dealer in Albuquerque. I don't like dealers typically but want to be sure that my truck is OK and running with the idiot lights on is OK. I am afraid the dealer will fix more than necessary and I will have to give them an arm and at least half a leg too...

Any suggestions or recommendations would be appreciated. This is my third 4Runner and my 11th Toyota product (includes two Lexus) and have never had any issues before so this was a big surprise.

Thanks in advance,

Bob

 

Welcome, sorry your first post is under these circumstances. It is a soy based insulation the rats like that is the common problem. There are numerous posts about it. I wish these corporate jerks would quit trying to squeeze every George Washington that comes across their desk. I think the dealer is going to want to replace all harnesses that are damaged. It won't be cheap. One theory I have though, is the CEL and Trac lights are likely due to the ECU reading voltage signals that aren't in a certain parameter for certain systems, because of the splices. It could be an ABS fault as those systems tend to be finicky, and a change in signal voltage could cause problems. Have you put a code reader on it? That needs to be done if not. I have no first hand knowledge of this problem other than what I've read and hopefully someone will chime in that is way better at this stuff than me. Try the other forums and fb groups with your question as well. Good Luck Sir and sorry about the hassle.

 

Thanks for your response! Yes, I have put a BOSCH code reader on it.
P2443
Secondary Air Injection System
Switching Valve Stuck Closed
Bank 2

PERMANENT

After I got that code, my mechanic buddy cleaned out the entire secondary air injection "box". Seems to run just fine but I am concerned about the splices to the harness. He intended to go to a salvage yard and get the connector with longer leads so he could splice them better but hard to find. Dealer would charge a fortune for the harness too.

 

Man there’s so much wrong here.

Corn insulation isn’t a thing, it’s a biodegradable soy based plastic. They do get a tiny amount of nutrition from eating it, plus their teeth never stop growing, they chew on the metal strands in order to help grind down and sharpen their teeth.

Secondary air doesn’t recirculate exhaust gas, that would be the EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) system. Secondary air pulls fresh air and pumps it into the exhaust to
Help warm up the cats faster on cold start. it’s also an emissions component that is covered by a federally mandated 8 year / 80,000 mile warranty if you mileage still falls within that.

It’s a bad idea to get a whole ECM connector to splice on, just repin the damaged wires with new terminal and wire back to the break (or a little further back to stagger the wire repairs a little bit so there’s not a big lump).

Honestly you should have went through insurance from the beginning once you found it was rodent damage. It sounds like the guy that did work he probably shouldn’t have.

 

Thanks for your input. The old snaggle toothed guy that said corn insulation was closer than most people but when you live in an area that the largest populated area has 54 people, you may not get the sharpest pencil in the drawer....

I am checking with my insurance agent on coverage for the vermin damage. We are visiting in Reno, NV and there is a dealer here so maybe I can get it fixed, and covered by insurance too.

I'll also check on the coverage for the ECM, I only have about 65K miles on this one. We also have a 2017 Tacoma so still have wheels.

 

Got the wiring issue fixed, the one wire that really, really needed to be connected was chewed off right at the connector so it got a jumper over the connector. Found a great shop here in Reno and he was very reasonable. Seriously less than my deductible of $500. Truck runs fine, took a recent trip and got almost 22mpg too, interstate half of it (75ish), up and down mountains for the rest. And this is after I added a Bajarack and ladder too so a couple hundred lbs extra.

 

I didn't check with local dealer, was advised it would be several thousand as they would insist on replacing that whole section of the harness, so no, thank you....