Will not start!!

Ok so first off this is a 08 tacoma dbl cab 4wd 6-speed v6. I purchased this truck in February and have put 11000 miles on it since i have owed it (84000 total miles on truck) . Here is the problem; The truck will start run like a champ for 2 maybe 3 weeks, then all of a sudden i'll jump in it and it will start for maybe 2 or 3 seconds then stall out. I turn the key off then try to start again and it will start then die, if i try for the third time it won't hit a lick just turn over. So then i wait for a couple mins and try again, same thing. I have to wait for about 10 more mins before i try again and it will start no problem. The problem usually happens after i drive it for 30 mins or so and get somewhere then try to start it back up 10 - 20 mins later. Like i said it only happens every couple of weeks, any other time it runs and idles fine also it does not throw any codes. I have changed spark plugs, oil every 5000 miles with synthetic oil, air filter, and cleaned the intake and the throttle body (The general tune up). It has done it 4 times since then. I have searched around the internet trying to find someone who may have had the same problem but i have had no luck finding someone with the same symptoms, not saying i have not over looked something. Just wondering if any of yall have ran into something like this. any thoughts would be much appreciated! Thanks - jake

 

maybe check the hardlines on the battery?

my car used to do stuff like that, turned out to be a corroded hard line from the battery to the starter.

 

Could be i guess, but if it runs fine for 3 weeks with no problems its hard to find. The only thing that i can think of is the fuel filter.... is it in the gas tank? it seems to be fuel related. that or a sensor. If it has a "sock" filter a portion of it could be cloged i guess?

 

I thought that too, there was a little corrosion on the terminals. I took some baking soda and cleaned them off though and there tight.

 

first consider any wiring that is aftermarket or been tampered in any way. a shorting or grounding wire can wreak havoc on your sanity. ask how I know

try again for codes. there has to be something!

fuel could be an issue too. any chance for contamination?

my bets are on electrical. I chased a similar random gremlin in my 92 pickup for years. seriously, years. I finally just pulled the motor apart and re-wrapped the entire harness. down to each and every sensor. it ran great after that

 

Check the distributor. Had the the exact same thing happen to me and couldn't figure it out for the longest time. Some times it would start sometimes it wouldn't, turns out the distributor was bad.

 

ummmmm these trucks have been cop since 04 I believe. . . no distributer, no worries

 

No distributor on an '08.

Check for vacuum leaks. Could be faulty emissions component, fuel filter/water in gas or something wrong with fuel injection/engine management system. Also check wiring connections in the ignition system or at the alternator. Check fuel pressure.

 

No issues driving. Usually i have drove the truck within the last 30 mins. So its warm when it happens....... makes me think fuel pump, but i just drove the thing on vacation to flordia with no issues whatsoever. The next day after i got back i went to my mother in laws was there for about 20 mins. went to leave and it would not start for about 15 mins. Its not a huge problem, but its very aggravating to go out and spend good money on a truck and the son of a gun wont start. my luck

 

well i'm headed to my local toyota dealership today to get the airbag recall fixed. (my light came on 4 days ago). I'm gonna ask them what they think the problem is, just to see if they have seen it before. I'll post back what they say. They'll probably just tell me to let them look at it, then charge me 300 bucks and say its fine. But its worth a shot

 

Ok well air bag fixed. Asked about my problem, they ran some diagnostics on it and could'nt find anything. Asked about the fuel filter, he said he has not changed one in 5 years that they didnt even stock them and he was not for sure where it was even. Thought it was somewhere on the frame rail. I didnt see a filter on it, it must be in the tank. It has to have one though. I guess im just gonna keep dealing with it and troubleshooting till i find something. I'll post back on here when i find it. Thanks for all your help - jake

 

The fuel filter for your truck is simply the pickup strainer that is in the tank. It is a better quality than the ones of years back, but no standard fuel filter any longer.

Your problem sounds like what we call a "hot soak" problem, where the truck sits for a short time period (usually 10 to 20 minutes) after being warmed up and does not want to run/start.

Check your fuel pressure regulator to make sure the internal diaphram is not ruptured. A ruptured diaphram will allow the fuel pressure regulator to allow fuel to "bleed" into the intake manifold. This will flood the engine and cause a condition identical to what you are describing.

Not guaranteeing this, but I have seen similar issues on a LOT of different vehicles over the years in the shop.

 

2009 Taco won't start, no codes, cranks

 

How would I check the internal diaphragm? simply take it off and look in it I suppose? but yeah flooding out does sound very similar to what I got going on

 

sounds like the fuel pump. next time it doesnt start, turn the key on and off too listen for pump running.

 

My 2009 is doing the same thing, curious to know if you have resolved this issue.

 

it has not done it again since the dealership looked at it. Like I said they told me they didn't find anything wrong. But who is to say they didn't reset a fault when they hooked up to it. I really don't know what was going on, its gone away since then, but who is to say it won't come back. The next thing I was going to check out/replace was the fuel pressure regulator like bamatoy1997 was talking about.

 

My Porsche used to do this when we broke in the motor on the street. (Now it is a track car). It turned out to be the starting system. Basically the wires and starter would get very hot and unable to start the motor until cooled down. I wound up installing a special relay that bypasses a ton of wires from the ignition to the starter and after that it starts way quicker and you can tell there isn't nearly the same draw. So check your starter and the wires to it.

 

I had an issue similair to that on my Celica, ended up running a whole new wire from the battery to the starter completely isolated and the issues stopped. prior to that it ate 3 starters over an 8 month period