Tacoma slow to/won't start sometimes

Hey guys,

Basically, I bought an 08 TRD 4.0 V6 w 104k miles w/ what I believe is the off road package (Bilstein shocks, engine skid plate, black wheels and fender covers, AC plug in bed.) A few days after leaving the dealer I got stranded. The truck would turn over for 20+ seconds just wouldn't fire up and start. Had it towed back to dealer. After an exhausting battle w/ them they say they it was a loose wire (Pin 17) and the fusebox was loose.

However, the problem persists, sometimes it starts right up, then the next time it takes 3-5 seconds. I just don't want to get stranded again. Please advise. Thank you!

 

Welcome to TW. Sorry for your problem. After having read that report, I would have refused to take the vehicle back until they did something about it...

 

I needed it for work, and due to a recall on trucks, Enterprise didn't have any to rent. It feels OK, but I wish these techs at Toyota were more skilled tbh. Any other ideas what may have caused this intermittent problem? Am I in the clear? Screwed?

My only other guess is bad fuel pump, or the aftermarket alarm system previous owner installed is messing something up.

Edit: My friend is an ASE Certified Mastertech, he combed over my truck, said it looked clean. I noticed valve noise he said it's normal for these trucks, loud injectors. "Taco Tick" I've heard is the term. Exhaust has a leak, and the oil is 0w20, other than that I'm very happy w/ my Tacoma

 

More skilled ? really ?

the ONLY way to fix an electrical issue is to FIND the problem, and it's not a cut and dried deal.

there are multiple systems that work together, if one part of one of those systems drops out, or has a fault, it's not always cut and dried what it is or where it's at.

Try finding a broken wire when the insulation is not damaged, happens all the time.

here's a for instance for you, I work on forklifts, recently delivered 10 brand new electric lifts to a customer who previously had ragged out LP lifts.

2 of the 10 forklifts had repeat code events in the first week. shut the lift down, had to turn of and restart to get the lift to move again.

both lifts show the same trouble codes, none of the other 8 had issues.

followed the diagnostic trouble shooting to diagnose, guess what ? no problems found does that make be an unskilled hack ? Did I miss something ?

NO, i means I need more time to find the problem, which isn't always apparent.

What I did do was observe how the lifts were used, and where they were used. found that the 2 lifts are the only 2 that go into a certain area, which as it turns out has an machine that emits HUGE amounts of EMI ( Electro Magnetic Interference ) when it is cycled, which is about once every 3 minutes, those 2 lifts have to be right next to the machine when it happens, and it will shut them down. was never an issue with the LP lifts. The lifts can be driven by the machine multiple times daily, but if it isn't cycled at the right time, there is no issue. Verified my findings by having a third lift with no code history at alliterate in same area, sure enough within the hour, it had coded twice, and the same codes as the other 2.

Electrical issues are not always what they appear, it takes time, experience is key here as well, knowing previous issues from other vehicles helps a lot as well. That experience doesn't come easy or cheap.

And honestly, they way dealers are cutting techs throats to make a profit, you'll be harder pressed to find "good" techs that give enough of a shit to actually fix something.

 

^truth

 

You guys are harsh! So any constructive criticism or do you want to just beat me up? Thank you.

 

Get a voltmeter and start probing. You're the one it happens to most, observe and diag on the fly.

audio clues, listen to your truck, know what sounds are what and when they happen. And why.

Folks expect the "technician" to be able to shit out an answer in 5 min, it doesn't work that way. Newer vehicles are pretty complex electronically controlled machines.

as they age, things don't work as they once did.

You bought a 7-8yo truck with over 100k on it, it's gonna have a gremlin once in awhile. relays go bad, just because a relay "clicks" doesn't mean it's working properly, it might allow a good voltage reading with a meter, but not carry a load same with connectors to and on components ( I see this a lot )

you want to have a tech scare the hell out of you, be an ass about the problem you're having ( insisting it's fixed NOW ) you'll have a stripped and gutted interior and wiring harness in short order ( it some times requires that anyway )

if the truck has had ANY after market wiring work done to it, alarms, stereos, lights, check EVERYTHING, sometimes the most seemingly unrelated thing can the the root cause.

The upshot of all this, you bought a TOYOTA, life could be worse, you could have bought a GM product.......

 

Nobody is beating you up. The harsh reality is that intermittent problems are the hardest to diagnose and repair. That goes double for a system that has been modified by the customer / previous owner.

I understand that you need the truck, but troubleshooting does in fact take time and lots of it for intermittent issues.

I do hope you get to the root of your issue.

 

You now know why the original owner ditched it

 

Thanks folks. There is an aftermarket alarm installed by previous owner, aftermarket front and rear tails, and a Sony aftermarket head unit :0

Originally, I thought it may have been the alarm malfunction and disabling the fuel supply. I want to just remove this alarm entirely if I can find all the wiring. My girl is an electrical maintenance tech in the Air Force I'll get her to try and help me haha

 

I'm at my friends shop right now he's an ASE Mastertech, were going to troubleshoot the fuel system. Will post results if we find the solution.

 

Problem occurred again. Luckily I was with my mechanic. Starter fluid into intake, started. He messed with wiring going to fuel pump, smacked the tank a few times, and it started. Either bad fuel pump or fuel pump wiring we believe. We are dropping the tank now. Hoping for just a loose connection!

 

Result: As I originally had thought, engine seemed starved for fuel, it was not electrical. We pulled the tank after seeing weak fuel pressure, someone made a really crappy connection and hose clamped the plastic fuel feed line. We replaced this hose w/ the correct hose, truck runs like a champ! My mechanic left the dealer a message telling them the solution so they can do better in the future. Cheers!

 

That is some high tech troubleshooting right there!

 

Right, so the dealer tech is a hack because an intermittent issue didn't occur while he had it in his bay, got it

Local wrench is a hero because he was in the right place at the right time to experience the issue and used basic trouble shooting to figure it out, then had the arrogance to inform the dealership they're hack's.

ASE Master Tech, met many of them, watched many tool boxes with the stickers loaded and unloaded, pretty stickers and the ability to take a test well don't make a tech.

oddly, your first choice was the dealer before the ASE Master Tech buddy.

Thats class.

 

Someone's feelings are hurt..My first choice was the dealer because I figured they would pay for it, I gave them a chance, they failed. Took it to my mechanic and it was fixed in a few hours. I have nothing against any techs, just stating facts. Dealer also experienced the issue, its on the printout they gave me..

 

Hey, if it works, it works!

 

feelings hurt ? nah, I find it pretty arrogant that someone would call back a place they expected a free repair and gloat.

Free to you means a warranty repair to the tech, reduced pay for him, how hard should he try ? get screwed hard enough long enough, you quit caring at all, and yep, it's exactly why I and so many others get out of automotive.

How about you get 1/3 your regular rate at your job because someone is promised ( not by you ) your services for free ?
quite honestly, Id have been pissed to find a hack repair like that and I was stuck having to do it for a reduced rate.

what you're missing here is you had 2 issues, one aggravating the other, dealer found one, but knew there was more too it, your impatience wouldn't allow further repair, you took it to your buddy, who possibly found the secondary issue, now he's the hero.

But I'm butt hurt and whiney, or whatever

I find it amusing your first and only post on this board was to whine about how a dealer treated you on an 8yo used truck purchase

 

You are taking it personal, and are in fact the one whining like a little girl. That's cool though.

I know warranty work usually pays crap, I used to be a tech and we all would avoid the warranty tickets. Now, I am a businessman. This business sold me a Tacoma that didn't start a few days after purchase, you bet your ass I took it back to them! Tough shit if the techs don't like it. I've been on both sides of the equation. You wouldn't do the same thing in my situation? Oh right...you'd let your truck sit at the dealer for a week or more while your business bleeds money every hour. Give me a break...

 

For anyone else having this problem, this was my techs informal diagnosis:

"Thanks to my Maxisys MS908P, I was able to verify that in fact is was not a wiring problem and a fuel pressure problem. The steps I took in properly diagnosing the problem led me to a bad hose clamp being rigged up to hold the high pressure feed line. This caused the fuel feed line to leak down and not hold fuel prime. Fuel tank was removed and I disassembled the fuel pump assembly to find a huge clamp not tight on feed line. Replaced that cheap breakage prone line with Marine grade tygon fuel line..problem solved."

No one was gloating, my mechanic called the dealer wanting to genuinely help whoever was working on the truck because he knows how frustrating intermittent issues can be.