I have an update from the dealer. At 10 am today they texted me and said their recommended immediate service is to spend over $2k and replace my direct fuel injectors. I obviously said no to authorizing that repair and still plan and try to fix it myself before trying other options. I have had bad repairs and dodgy work done by this Toyota dealer in the past but I can see how they came to this conclusion and I don't blame them.
Rather than throwing new parts at it until it's fixed, I plan on continuing with my plan to add a fuel stabilizer and test locally for the highest ethanol rating pump I can find. I then plan on adding more ethanol along with the stabilizer in order to maybe improve fuel. I also found in my research that any misfire would read in the check engine light codes, so I was wrong. My car isn't misfiring at all so that means the spark would be fine. After this, I will look for vacuum leaks and maybe drop the tank and put in 93... or just take it to a real mechanic at that point. I will also be checking the intake and making sure the MAF is all the way in like you said when I pick up my car.
That is another issue, how sustainable is it for me to drive like this? I'm on ethanol and its running worse than at the beginning. This dealer is also about 10 miles from my house so I am somewhat concerned about driving it home.
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