My 4runner cranks for 5-6+ seconds before starting in cold weather. Ideas?

Well, that would explain it. If you''re saying you have tried both avenues and its still causing the problem, you're most likely experiencing a faulty solenoid.

I killed mine off roading and thank god i changed it as soon as I found out. If you keep on running it like this then you might not even be able to start your truck. Before I changed mine, it took me over 3 cranks at least to turn over and/or sometimes it just has to sit there for a long time before you could start it.

I would try to do a diagnostic on your truck for the battery and solenoid. Let me know.

Threxx~ said:

Oh wow are you saying you have a similar issue to mine? If so you are the first person I've encountered with it. I don't know if I mentioned it in this thread but I have already changed the plugs... I assumed they were 100k mile plugs but found out they were 30k mile plugs or whatever. I've now got 100k mile plugs in there with only about 10k on them so far but that didn't seem to help the issue at all.

So you're saying you let the fuel pump prime in the accessory position for a couple seconds before you actually try to start it?

How much did the plugs help vs the fuel pump priming? Is the delay gone completely?

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Im not sure when it first came out for the 4runners but the "Cranking Hold Function" doesnt appear to be working on your car. My 07 4runner bought in 06 starts right up -dont have to hold the key in start position just turn and let go -it will finish the starting sequence on its own. I tell this to everyone that is driving my car -no need to hold the key in the start position -being redundant might not be good for the starter. My brothers 07FJ doesnt have this feature and you have hold it till it starts.

From the video that cranking does seem excessive, maybe you can bring this "Cranking hold function" up to the dealer as something else that is not working. Sorry not much help but I hope you get your issue fixed.

Btw there is no need to prime these engines -the MPFI automatically controls the air-fuel mixture for starting.

The CRANK FUNCTION is actually known as Mercedes Starter (Quoted by a few mechanics). Even my truck has that and I only need to turn it for 1 second and it does its job after 2 or 3. If you're going to be bringing it to the dealer, make sure you're telling them to do a crank test to see if there's enough voltage going into it. If its lower, then you might need a new cranker

chip4 said:

Im not sure when it first came out for the 4runners but the "Cranking Hold Function" doesnt appear to be working on your car. My 07 4runner bought in 06 starts right up -dont have to hold the key in start position just turn and let go -it will finish the starting sequence on its own. I tell this to everyone that is driving my car -no need to hold the key in the start position -being redundant might not be good for the starter. My brothers 07FJ doesnt have this feature and you have hold it till it starts.

From the video that cranking does seem excessive, mebe u can bring this "Cranking hold function" up to the dealer as something else that is not working. Sorry not much help but I hope you get your issue fixed.

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While back I had a (4cyl) 99 4runner had a starter-solenoid go bad, I would have to physically have to bang the starter with a crowbar to get it started -only difference here is mine would not crank at all just clicking. Worse in cold weather. Replacing the starter (solenoid built into it) was the fix.

Your 4runner does still seem to be be actually cranking over.

If you prolong of it then yes it will turn to just clicking noise which is what I have experienced.

chip4 said:

While back I had a (4cyl) 99 4runner had a starter-solenoid go bad, I would have to physically have to bang the starter with a crowbar to get it started -only difference here is mine would not crank at all just clicking. Worse in cold weather. Replacing the starter (solenoid built into it) was the fix.

Your 4runner car does still seem to be be actually cranking over.

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law021982 said:

If you prolong of it then yes it will turn to just clicking noise which is what I have experienced.

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My suggestions are for the original poster -no need to be an A-hole and give me a thumbs down as I am only trying to assist the person with the problem based on my experiences.

Thanks for the feedback all.

law021982 said:

Well, that would explain it. If you''re saying you have tried both avenues and its still causing the problem, you're most likely experiencing a faulty solenoid.

I killed mine off roading and thank god i changed it as soon as I found out. If you keep on running it like this then you might not even be able to start your truck. Before I changed mine, it took me over 3 cranks at least to turn over and/or sometimes it just has to sit there for a long time before you could start it.

I would try to do a diagnostic on your truck for the battery and solenoid. Let me know.

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I have not tried letting the car sit and prime the fuel pump for a few seconds before starting. I asked my wife to try this starting today and let me know if it helps. So you're saying if that doesn't help then you think it's the solenoid? How would I test a solenoid?

I replaced the battery already and that didn't help anything. Sucks because I think the factory battery still had at least a couple years of reliable life left in it, probably more.

chip4 said:

Im not sure when it first came out for the 4runners but the "Cranking Hold Function" doesnt appear to be working on your car. My 07 4runner bought in 06 starts right up -dont have to hold the key in start position just turn and let go -it will finish the starting sequence on its own. I tell this to everyone that is driving my car -no need to hold the key in the start position -being redundant might not be good for the starter. My brothers 07FJ doesnt have this feature and you have hold it till it starts.

From the video that cranking does seem excessive, maybe you can bring this "Cranking hold function" up to the dealer as something else that is not working. Sorry not much help but I hope you get your issue fixed.

Btw there is no need to prime these engines -the MPFI automatically controls the air-fuel mixture for starting.

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Our 4runner does have the auto crank feature... we use it routinely but the issue exists whether or not we let the auto crank do the work or if we hold it ourselves. In the video I'm letting the auto crank do the work. Also in the video the crank takes a little over 3 seconds. While that's not a crazy long time it's definitely longer than any other late model car I've come across, and as I was mentioning sometimes it takes 5-6 seconds to crank... sounding almost kind of weak in the process. It's bad enough that almost everyone that's not aware of the issue immediately makes a comment when they hear it for the first time... these are non car people... the kind of people that probably wouldn't notice most other car problems, but they notice this one right away. I really need to get a better video, one of a longer crank, and one from the outside so you can hear the startup process really sounding strained.

Regarding MPFI, I don't think we're talking about priming the combustion chamber or whatever... I'm not touching the gas pedal, just turning it to accessory II position (right before the actual startup position)... just giving the fuel pump a second to build up pressure or whatever. I know my 07 BMW 335i used to do this as soon as it detected me walking up to the car you could hear the fuel pump turning on and prepping itself for startup. Granted that was a twin turbo car and german engineers seem a bit 'different' anyway so who knows if that'd serve any purpose in otherwise.

law021982 said:

The CRANK FUNCTION is actually known as Mercedes Starter (Quoted by a few mechanics). Even my truck has that and I only need to turn it for 1 second and it does its job after 2 or 3. If you're going to be bringing it to the dealer, make sure you're telling them to do a crank test to see if there's enough voltage going into it. If its lower, then you might need a new cranker

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It's unfortunate that I'm even having to diagnose this issue for them after they've had 3 shots at it but what is a 'cranker'?

Have you checked the battery at all? A dying battery will cause a slow starting condition, especially in cold weather, as car batteries cannot create as much amperage in colder temps. I had the same issue with my 4runner. it started going from 1-2 seconds to turn over and start, to around 4-5 seconds. the idle speed was around 800 instead of the usual 600-700. and eventually the battery called it quits altogether. after i changed the battery i noticed a much quieter idle, faster startup, and vastly improved fuel economy. i gained over 1mpg by going to a new battery.

with the truck running check the battery voltage, at idle it should be 13.7-14.5 volts. then turn the truck off, the battery voltage should stay right around 13.0. let the truck sit overnight and check the voltage again, it shouldn't be any lower than 12.0v. if it's lower than that, the battery isn't holding a charge and should be replaced. you can also go to your local battery store and they'll be able to load test your battery to make sure it can handle the stress the starter asks of it.

SecretAgent said:

Have you checked the battery at all? A dying battery will cause a slow starting condition, especially in cold weather, as car batteries cannot create as much amperage in colder temps. I had the same issue with my 4runner. it started going from 1-2 seconds to turn over and start, to around 4-5 seconds. the idle speed was around 800 instead of the usual 600-700. and eventually the battery called it quits altogether. after i changed the battery i noticed a much quieter idle, faster startup, and vastly improved fuel economy. i gained over 1mpg by going to a new battery.

with the truck running check the battery voltage, at idle it should be 13.7-14.5 volts. then turn the truck off, the battery voltage should stay right around 13.0. let the truck sit overnight and check the voltage again, it shouldn't be any lower than 12.0v. if it's lower than that, the battery isn't holding a charge and should be replaced. you can also go to your local battery store and they'll be able to load test your battery to make sure it can handle the stress the starter asks of it.

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Yes, I've already replaced the battery I think it was last year and nothing improved in its starting behavior.

Another educational thread. I need to figure out what plugs to upgrade to for my new old '03 V6.

As for cold start, it could be bad/leaky injectors. Unlikely for such a young engine, modern injectors should last a long time.

Leaky injectors drip fuel into the combustion chamber, and that fuel has to be cleared by a couple strokes of the piston. After a few hours the fuel leaks past the rings, so the engine will start better. That fuel also removes the oil from the cylinder walls, so you'll get increased wear. Your timeline seems a little longer than this, but it's a possibility.

If your injectors aren't atomizing well you won't get a good cold start, another clue. Low fuel pressure could cause this just as easily.

Any shop should be able to tie into your fuel line and watch the pressure. I'm not sure how hard it is to get to these injectors, but pulling them and checking for dripping and proper spray should be possible for most shops.

Just on the side note. Make sure you guys are cleaning both the spark plugs and the spark plugs manifolds as they could be dirty.

I went with the NGKs and they work great

Sorry I didn't read through the whole thread, but have you considered cleaning your MAF?

kimboy said:

Sorry I didn't read through the whole thread, but have you considered cleaning your MAF?

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I'm kind of assuming this issue isn't really anything that's dirty because it has been doing it almost since it was brand new.

Respectfully, I would not assume anything (it's a &^%) given the demon this problem is.

I would clean the MAF and also the throttle body.

While you talk about how long it takes to start, you don't mention the speed of the engine turning over. If there is a bad connection, the starter may not be turning over the engine fast enough to get that "quick start" you expect.

I would have the starter tested while under load to eliminate it. If the voltage is low, check the wiring. A bad crimp at the factory could be the culprit.

Eliminated:

Octane
Spark plugs
Battery

maine runner said:

Respectfully, I would not assume anything (it's a &^%) given the demon this problem is.

I would clean the MAF and also the throttle body.

While you talk about how long it takes to start, you don't mention the speed of the engine turning over. If there is a bad connection, the starter may not be turning over the engine fast enough to get that "quick start" you expect.

I would have the starter tested while under load to eliminate it. If the voltage is low, check the wiring. A bad crimp at the factory could be the culprit.

Eliminated:

Octane
Spark plugs
Battery

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At this point it sounds like this could be a good possibility of a bad crimp job, or a damaged conductor. A damaged conductor will ohm check fine but won't be able to carry a load, but since a starter has a massive current pull.... well I don't know what to tell you.

Just do as I would take it back there and jump on there desks with this issue till they fix it for you, each time it does it throw a sh*t fit till they get it right. I was getting ready to do it when I had an issue with my 4LO indicator coming on intermittently but it hasn't repeated in 9K miles.

Or do this to the service guy.:roadkill:

I decided to take another video to show to the service manager... specifically with the camera more outside of the 4runner than inside so you can really hear the starter struggling and the motor hesitant to catch and rev up.

YouTube - Weak Toyota 4Runner startup

So for those of you with 4th gen V6 4runners I ask, does your engine ever take this long to crank or is it much snappier?

Keep in mind this particular start I timed to only take 3.5 seconds. It does take up to a second or two longer sometimes. I need to get one of the really long ones but those are rarer and I don't feel like video recording my vehicle every time I get in it to go somewhere.

My main concern is I've only got a year or so of warranty left (I bought an extended Toyota platinum warranty) and this issue still persists. I'm afraid one of three things could happen:
-Whatever's causing the weak starts gets worse and the car won't start at all
-The weak start itself has been causing excessive wear on the starting system or other related components which fail early at my expense
-Something else in the car starts degrading such as maybe a slightly weak battery or gummed up fuel injectors. Under normal conditions I'd notice something wasn't right and eventually get it fixed. But I'm afraid that combined with this weak startup problem the result will be that anything else making the car not quite run or start up correctly will compound with the existing issue and make the car not start at all, leaving my wife stranded.

Hey Threxx~

I can definetly say my runner starts way quicker, plus it doesn't have that sound of it not wanting to fire. Sounds like a little miss fire on startup too! I counted how long it takes mine to start after seeing your first posts a few weeks ago, it's more like a second or 1.5 at most.

I can now say it doesn't sound like any weak starter or something like that. I don't remember everything that you've checked. Have you changed out your fuel filter or your spark plugs? I recently did that on my wife's 96 Tercel and it used to sound like crap starting up and idleing but that sure made a difference. Just something to check on.

If you havent replaced your spark plugs yet..I would do that and a new air filter as well. My 4R starts in one second. I would also run a bottle of Chevron Techron through the gas tank. You injectors could be a bit dirty but I would do the plugs right away if you haven't.

rook said:

I'm thinking its taking longer than normal to generate fuel pressure. Next time you start it cold, turn the key to "on" and leave it there for 5 seconds, then crank it. See if it starts right up.

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The fuel pump does not operate untill the engine begins cranking. Fuel pumps have a check valve that maintains fuel pressure when the engine is off. If the check valve is faulty fuel pressure bleeds off and so the reason it takes longer to start is the fuel pressure has to build.

Our 2007 V-6 starts like the first day we bought, hot or cold (and we get -35 celsius temperatures here), and never have a problem.

Your Crank sounds strong. I think someone mentioned it just sounds like it's struggling to fire and I agree.

Plugs.
Plug Wires?
Injectors?
Maybe Fuel Filter?