It's been getting worse consistently. The last few days it's been taking four to five cranks to start. I smelled fuel I'm the parking lot today too after I parked somewhere near the passenger rear door. Could the fuel pressure regulator be bad? I can't think of any other part in line of fuel delivery. I briefly thought about whether I crossed up the three hoses at the top of the tank, but I would have noticed a big change I'd imagine for the worse. The vent and the other one.
Starting issues
- Thread starter mendozer
- Start date
Do you have an 01-02? With the carbon canister in the back? You said you smelled fuel near the rear passenger door? If it was cracked you could smell fuel, it would also throw a code.
When you say sputtering, you mean engine is started and running extremely rough. And runs smooth out after about 5-10 seconds?
When you fill up with gas, do you stop at the first click of the pump? If not, you could be pushing raw fuel into the carbon canister.
I was thinking your IAC could be sticking when it's in a heat soak, like when you stop at a store for some time. You say it doent do this when it's cold, only when you shut it off and restart?
I would try swapping the IAC with a wrecking yard one. And check the canister for cracks/leaks.
When you say sputtering, you mean engine is started and running extremely rough. And runs smooth out after about 5-10 seconds?
When you fill up with gas, do you stop at the first click of the pump? If not, you could be pushing raw fuel into the carbon canister.
I was thinking your IAC could be sticking when it's in a heat soak, like when you stop at a store for some time. You say it doent do this when it's cold, only when you shut it off and restart?
I would try swapping the IAC with a wrecking yard one. And check the canister for cracks/leaks.
brillo_76
Elite Member
Yes the throttle body majorly different in 01 and 02. Then in the 96 thru 2000.
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Well the shop has had it for two days now and they tested the fuel pressure and said it was fine. They can't figure it out yet. That doesn't bode well. These are smart guys. I've got a gut feeling that it's the remote start job I installed. It worked well for a year or two then wouldn't start over so I never used it after. Then randomly started using it in the cold and sometimes it works again. But also my lock and unlock chirps are gone now. Weird
latest update:
Shop guy reached out to his friend who went through toyota tech school for help. He started getting weird readings for the MAF sensor. He said there's visible corrosion on the filament as well. So potentially this is all coming from a bad MAF sensor. I clean that thing at least 1x/year when I do the TBI valve.
The toyota guy says this can be fairly common apparently.
Shop guy reached out to his friend who went through toyota tech school for help. He started getting weird readings for the MAF sensor. He said there's visible corrosion on the filament as well. So potentially this is all coming from a bad MAF sensor. I clean that thing at least 1x/year when I do the TBI valve.
The toyota guy says this can be fairly common apparently.
ok they got a new MAF sensor in there (was reading 10 g/s instead of 3.6-3.8 spec) but it still has an extended crank. They said it's common for these trucks but the reasons can differ. He straight up told me they have no idea why it's doing this. He was apologetic but at the same time really wanted to figure it out. I told them I plan on picking it up on friday for a sunday ski trip, hopefully it's done by then.
So it's not:
fuel pump or internal filter
fuel filter inline
fuel injectors
fuel pressure regulator (he tested it)
MAF sensor
Thoughts:
what about the wire that goes from the fuel pump to the sender unit? The internal wire, I couldn't find a part number for that.
He said he doesn't think it's the remote start, that checked out
He mentioned something about a crankshaft sensor maybe being out of whack, but once it's running it'll test good, so you have to bench test it.
So it's not:
fuel pump or internal filter
fuel filter inline
fuel injectors
fuel pressure regulator (he tested it)
MAF sensor
Thoughts:
what about the wire that goes from the fuel pump to the sender unit? The internal wire, I couldn't find a part number for that.
He said he doesn't think it's the remote start, that checked out
He mentioned something about a crankshaft sensor maybe being out of whack, but once it's running it'll test good, so you have to bench test it.
Can you clarify what he means by "extended crank"? Is it just a longer crank, or are there any symptoms that would suggest a problem? How long is extended? These engines do take longer to start, so I want to make sure you aren't chasing a problem that is actually the engine behaving normally.
Another update. Crankshaft sensor is good. He has no idea. All fuel things check out. He said my fuel pressure reg is registering 44 and spec is 33-36(or in the thirties) but based on some vapor pressure lingo he mentioned that I have no clue of...he doesn't think it's that. So he spent today unplugging the remote start to eliminate variables. I'm worried were not gonna get to the bottom of this. And I don't even know how many hours they've put into it at this point. He said they're not charging me all the labor thank God bc they want to figure it out
I got it back so I could ski a bit before Christmas. I dropped it back off right after. So the remote start wasn't it, nor was the Crankshaft, vacuum leaks, fuel lines anywhere, etc. They put 10 hours of labor diagnosing stuff, thankfully only charging me for 4. his thought now is maybe valve lash on the camshafts. When reassembling they were a lot tighter than when I took them off. I attributed that to new tighter tolerances, but he said that bench measurements can look good, but when torqued down, the head can stretch a tiny bit and now you're at zero valve lash, which could lead to the stubborn struggling start. Based on feeling how snug they were to me, I don't disagree.
He wrote up a long list of things they ruled out. They were pulling their hair out and he said straight up if it's not the valve lash, then he has no idea.
He wrote up a long list of things they ruled out. They were pulling their hair out and he said straight up if it's not the valve lash, then he has no idea.
brillo_76
Elite Member
"my fuel pressure reg is registering 44 and spec is 33-36(or in the thirties"
44 could be 2 high. If the limit is 36 then the regulator is not in spec and should be replaced. [ I didnt look up the specs just going off your statements]
The Factory Service Manuals give the specs for what is acceptable and what is not. So if it's not in the acceptable range I would replace it and verify the new one is in the spec range.
So your saying it's taking 3 to 4 seconds to start? All the time or just when its cold?
As 1.5 to 2 seconds is cold start normal for the v6. These ecu will not start the fuel pump until after they get a crank signal for our crank sensors.
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44 could be 2 high. If the limit is 36 then the regulator is not in spec and should be replaced. [ I didnt look up the specs just going off your statements]
The Factory Service Manuals give the specs for what is acceptable and what is not. So if it's not in the acceptable range I would replace it and verify the new one is in the spec range.
So your saying it's taking 3 to 4 seconds to start? All the time or just when its cold?
As 1.5 to 2 seconds is cold start normal for the v6. These ecu will not start the fuel pump until after they get a crank signal for our crank sensors.
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Actually I just looked into the FSM out of curiosity. 38-44 is spec so it's just at the top
the slower starts are only when it's warmed up.
First thing when cold, is fine
If you drive, stop for only a few minutes then start up again, it's fine.
If it sits anywhere from 10 mins to 4 hours or so, then it doesn't start up, taking 3-4 turns and each turn lasts 3-5 seconds before I let off so I don't flood anything. I don't really count but it sputters a lot with each key turn
the slower starts are only when it's warmed up.
First thing when cold, is fine
If you drive, stop for only a few minutes then start up again, it's fine.
If it sits anywhere from 10 mins to 4 hours or so, then it doesn't start up, taking 3-4 turns and each turn lasts 3-5 seconds before I let off so I don't flood anything. I don't really count but it sputters a lot with each key turn
