01 4runner cranks but wont start

[D Farms]

Its been a while since I've been on here. I ended up picking up an 01 4runner(dorado gold, same color as my last one), and they were selling it because their mechanic told them the timing belt went and needed valve work. Well I'm no dummy, and know the 5vz is non interference. I cranked the engine before I bought it, and it cranked but did not fire. Luckily the truck had a winch and charged battery so i was able to load it on and off the U-Haul trailer by myself. I also assumed there was no compression, but apparently I was wrong.

I ordered the Denso timing belt service kit, and tonight I pulled the radiator and timing belt cover. to my surprise there was an intact and brand newish looking timing belt hiding underneath.

I turned the engine over and everything was moving, the belt and cams all appear to be spinning.

I then scoured the tubes, inter and You, and found a few threads of people with similar issues, with suggestions. Luckily I have an 02 5vz on an engine stand, in my garage that runs(RIP Goldilocks).

I tried swapping a few parts. I swapped the MAF, I swapped the Cam position sensor. I checked all of the fuses.

I assumed all 01-02 had the VIP system, but there is no security light, and the I was only given one key, without a fob. So i am unsure if I need a transponder fob or key like my 99 Landcruiser has to make it run.

I have the FSM, which is actually specific to the 01-02 if I recall, so ill run myself through the flow charts and see if that nets me anything.

I haven't checked for spark, but I do smell fuel, so ill check spark next, and ill try swapping the crank position sensor.

If you have any suggestions please let me know! Thanks!

Anyways hopefully soon ill be back in a 3rd gen soon, to be honest after driving a 100 series for a few years I wish I would have just gotten another 3rd gen instead.

 

[D Farms]

I swapped the crank position sensor over, no dice. It also occurred to me that perhaps not having the accessories spinning would also not allow it to start. I will have to wait till tomorrow to check for spark. and ill probably need to get a battery tender, the battery voltage is starting to die.

 

[D Farms]

So im not getting spark, I took one of the plugs and put it on a spare plug, then wedged it against the plenum and had my dad turn the engine over. no spark.

So I guess ill just go through the fsm flow chart now unless someone has a better idea.

 

[spartacus]

The symptoms remind me of mine When the fuel pump went out.

 

[LittleCaesar]

Bad igniter? I saw once where water got into one on a Tacoma and killed it. They had 12v from the connector but no fire out of it.

All grounds good?

 

[Brian.]

I assumed all 01-02 had the VIP system, but there is no security light, and the I was only given one key, without a fob. So i am unsure if I need a transponder fob or key like my 99 Landcruiser has to make it run.

What's torque (or your OBDII scanner of choice) say? FWIW, it *will* spit out a code for the wrong key/immobilizer setting. I found that out myself earlier this week. Might take a number of cranks before it picks up....

That's my first though, it's the first thing that will absolutely keep the engine from firing in the chain of things that can go wrong/fail.

 

[D Farms]

What's torque (or your OBDII scanner of choice) say? FWIW, it *will* spit out a code for the wrong key/immobilizer setting. I found that out myself earlier this week. Might take a number of cranks before it picks up....

That's my first though, it's the first thing that will absolutely keep the engine from firing in the chain of things that can go wrong/fail.

Torque just has a stored code for a shift solenoid. One thing that was weird was one o2 sensor was reading 0 volts, the other was 3.2v. I have literally all the parts to swap and double check, so I can brute force if necessary, but i would prefer not to haha.

 

[D Farms]

What's torque (or your OBDII scanner of choice) say? FWIW, it *will* spit out a code for the wrong key/immobilizer setting. I found that out myself earlier this week. Might take a number of cranks before it picks up....

That's my first though, it's the first thing that will absolutely keep the engine from firing in the chain of things that can go wrong/fail.

Torque just has a stored code for a shift solenoid. One thing that was weird was one o2 sensor was reading 0 volts, the other was 3.2v. I have literally all the parts to swap and double check, so I can brute force if necessary, but i would prefer not to haha.

 

[D Farms]

I also have good reason to believe that key was used with the truck when it was running. The key the previous owner gave me had a bottle opener attached, and when you put it in the door theres a circular scratch from it swinging and hitting the door.

 

[D Farms]

Bad igniter? I saw once where water got into one on a Tacoma and killed it. They had 12v from the connector but no fire out of it.

All grounds good?

I swapped the igniter module, that didnt help.

 

[Bad Luck]

I swapped the igniter module, that didnt help.

If you can find the testing procedures it might be worth checking your crankshaft position sensor

 

[D Farms]

If you can find the testing procedures it might be worth checking your crankshaft position sensor

I already swapped it, and with torque I was able to verify that the ecu is seeing it as well.

 

[D Farms]

So while tracing wiring under the dash I discovered the truck has an elocker haha.

 

[ambush]

So while tracing wiring under the dash I discovered the truck has an elocker haha.

Very nice..
Question that still remains, do you hear the fuel pump turn on before your try to crank? Turn to the on position. I literally replaced my fuel pump last weekend. it would crank but never start...
If you are savvy, trace the wire from the fuel pump put a test light on it.
If you turn it on and the light comes on then you have power going to the pump and pump is bad....
Let me know...

 

[HiLife]

Even though the ecu sees the ckps.
If that reluctor wheel (located on the crank) is missing a tooth, would it stop the ecu from sending a spark signal to the ignition coils?

 

[Skulking]

Very nice..
Question that still remains, do you hear the fuel pump turn on before your try to crank? Turn to the on position. I literally replaced my fuel pump last weekend. it would crank but never start...
If you are savvy, trace the wire from the fuel pump put a test light on it.
If you turn it on and the light comes on then you have power going to the pump and pump is bad....
Let me know...

The fuel pump in a 3rd gen 4Runner does not turn on until you start to crank the engine. It's one of the reasons that the 5VZ-FE takes longer to start than other engines.

 

[D Farms]

The fuel pump in a 3rd gen 4Runner does not turn on until you start to crank the engine. It's one of the reasons that the 5VZ-FE takes longer to start than other engines.

Yeah I cant hear the pump going with the starter cranking. I did find my need probes so I can start doing the tests outlined in the fsm.

My buddy said I could just crack the fitting on the fuel line and see if it drips more when cranking it. Im thinking ill crack the fitting going into the fuel filter since I can easily catch the fuel.

 

[D Farms]

I also asked the Previous owner, and she said it just stopped running while she was driving, so at this point im thinking its a wiring issue for sure, so ill start going through the circuits, and verify the integrity of the wiring.

 

[Keemonrunnin]

Sounds like a problem I had in my 99 4runner. Fuel pump was fine, sparks from plugs all good. Wife would drive it and it would be all good. Then it was just die out. Took me awhile to figure it out. It was the throttle body. I guess over the years it had accumulated a lot of gunk inside of it. I ended up shooting an entire can of injector cleaner through one of the connections of the air intake hose. I Had someone crank the engine while I shot it into the air intake. It would start to run for about 10sec then die out. Kept repeating the process until it started and stayed running. It’s been good so far to the day. Hopefully this helps out.

 

[D Farms]

Sounds like a problem I had in my 99 4runner. Fuel pump was fine, sparks from plugs all good. Wife would drive it and it would be all good. Then it was just die out. Took me awhile to figure it out. It was the throttle body. I guess over the years it had accumulated a lot of gunk inside of it. I ended up shooting an entire can of injector cleaner through one of the connections of the air intake hose. I Had someone crank the engine while I shot it into the air intake. It would start to run for about 10sec then die out. Kept repeating the process until it started and stayed running. It’s been good so far to the day. Hopefully this helps out.

Well thats a bit different. this one is not getting any spark at all, and its not starting up at all.